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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 28, 2019

Securities Act File No. 333-132380

Investment Company Act File No. 811-21864

 

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

   THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933  
   Pre-Effective Amendment No.       
   Post-Effective Amendment No. 721  
   and/or  
  

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

 
   THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940  
   Amendment No. 723  

(Check appropriate box or boxes.)

 

 

WISDOMTREE TRUST

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

245 Park Avenue

35th Floor

New York, NY 10167

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

1-866-909-9473

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

JONATHAN STEINBERG

WISDOMTREE TRUST

245 Park Avenue

35th Floor

New York, NY 10167

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

W. John McGuire   Ryan Louvar
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP   WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.
1111 Pennsylvania Avenue NW   245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor
Washington, DC 20004   New York, NY 10167

 

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

 

 

60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a) (1) of Rule 485.

 

On (Date) pursuant to paragraph (a) (1) of Rule 485.

 

75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a) (2) of Rule 485.

 

On (Date) pursuant to paragraph (a) (2) of Rule 485.

 

Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485.

 

On November 1, 2019 pursuant to paragraph (b) 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.

 

 

 


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Prospectus
November 1, 2019
THE U.S. 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.
WisdomTree International Equity, Fixed Income, Alternative and Asset Allocation ETFs
WisdomTree Trust
WisdomTree International Equity, Fixed Income, Alternative and Asset Allocation ETFs*
WisdomTree International Equity ETFs
Europe Multifactor Fund (formerly, Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund) (EUMF)
Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund (DDWM)
Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund (DHDG)
Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund (DDLS)
Japan Multifactor Fund (formerly, Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund) (JAMF)
Emerging Markets Dividend Fund (DVEM)
ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund (WCHN)
WisdomTree Fixed Income ETFs
U.S. Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, Fundamental U.S. Corporate Bond Fund) (WFIG)
U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, Fundamental U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund) (WFHY)
U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, Fundamental U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund) (SFIG)
U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, Fundamental U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund) (SFHY)
WisdomTree Alternative ETFs
Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund (DYB)
Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund (DYLS)
WisdomTree Asset Allocation ETFs
Balanced Income Fund (WBAL)
90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund (NTSX)
* Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (except WBAL, WCHN and NTSX are listed on NYSE Arca, Inc.)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the SEC, paper copies of the WisdomTree Funds' annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will be available on the WisdomTree Funds' website (www.wisdomtree.com), and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from a Fund electronically anytime by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank).
You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. Please contact your financial intermediary to request to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held in your account.


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WisdomTree Trust
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WisdomTree International Equity ETFs  
Fund Summaries  
WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund) 2
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund 8
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund 14
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund 21
WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund) 28
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund 34
WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund 40
WisdomTree Fixed Income ETFs  
Fund Summaries  
WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Corporate Bond Fund) 48
WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund) 53
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund) 58
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund) 63
WisdomTree Alternative ETFs  
Fund Summaries  
WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund 68
WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund 74
WisdomTree Asset Allocation ETFs  
Fund Summaries  
WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund 80
WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund 86
Additional Information About the Funds 90
Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Objectives 90
Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies 90
Non-Principal Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies 91
Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds 91
Additional Non-Principal Risk Information 105
Portfolio Holdings Information 106
Management 107
Investment Adviser 107
Sub-Advisers 108
Portfolio Managers 109
Additional Information on Buying and Selling Fund Shares 111
Share Trading Prices 111
Determination of Net Asset Value 111
Dividends and Distributions 111
Book Entry 112
Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding 112
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares 112
Investments by Investment Companies 112
Additional Tax Information 113
Taxes on Distributions 113
Taxes When You Sell Fund Shares 114
Taxes on Creation and Redemption of Creation Units 114
Foreign Investments by the Fund 115
Distribution 115
Premium/Discount and NAV Information 115
Additional Notices 115
Financial Highlights 117


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WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund)

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund (the “Fund”) seeks income and capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.48%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.48%
Fee Waivers (0.05)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.43% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.43% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 44 $ 149 $ 264 $ 599
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 109% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund is actively managed using a model-based approach. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in European equity securities that exhibit certain characteristics that the Fund’s investment adviser, WisdomTree Asset Management, believes to be indicative of positive future returns based on a model developed by the Adviser. WisdomTree Asset Management seeks to identify equity securities that have the highest potential for returns based on proprietary measures of fundamental factors, such as value and quality, and technical factors, such as momentum and correlation. WisdomTree Asset Management employs a quantitative model to identify which securities the Fund might purchase and sell and opportune times for purchases and sales. Generally the Fund’s portfolio will be rebalanced quarterly according to the Adviser’s quantitative model, although a more active approach may be taken to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, depending on factors such as market conditions and investment opportunities, which may lead to frequent trading, cause the number of Fund holdings to vary, and increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.
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The Adviser seeks to manage the Fund’s currency risk by dynamically hedging currency fluctuations in the relative value of the applicable European currencies against the U.S. dollar, ranging from a 0% to 100% hedge. The hedge ratios are adjusted as frequently as weekly utilizing signals such as interest rate differentials, momentum, and value. Interest rate differentials are determined by measuring the difference in interest rates, as implied in one-month foreign exchange (FX) forwards, between the applicable European currencies and the U.S. dollar. Momentum is the relative price momentum of the foreign currency as determined by comparing two moving average signals on the historically observed U.S. dollar spot rates over 10 and 240 business day periods. Value is the relative purchasing power of the foreign currency as determined with reference to the foreign currency spot rate over 20 business days as compared to the latest purchasing power parity (PPP) numbers as published by the Office of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This approach is designed to limit losses related to currency as the applicable European currency depreciates against the U.S. dollar while participating in gains related to currency when the applicable European currency appreciates against the U.S. dollar, thereby seeking to have the Fund benefit from such currency movements while reducing the volatility associated with currency returns.
As of September 30, 2019, companies in the consumer staples sector comprised a significant portion of the Fund.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Geographic Concentration in Europe. Because the Fund invests primarily in the securities of companies in Europe, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within Europe and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. Most developed countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union (“EU”), many are also members of the European Economic and Monetary Union (“EMU”), and most EMU members are part of the euro zone, a group of EMU countries that share the euro as their common currency. Members of the EMU must comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls. The implementation of any such restrictions or controls, the default of an EU member country on its sovereign debt, significant fluctuations in the euro’s exchange rate, or a change in governmental or EU trade regulations could each have a significant impact on the economies of some or all European countries. In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the EU. As a result of the referendum, S&P downgraded the United Kingdom’s credit rating from “AAA” to “AA” and the EU’s credit rating from “AA+” to “AA” in the days that followed the vote. Other credit ratings agencies have taken similar actions. On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom invoked article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, notifying the European Council of the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the EU by March 29, 2019. However, after two years of negotiating the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, this date has been extended until October 31, 2019. Although it is unclear how withdrawal negotiations will be conducted or concluded, United Kingdom businesses are increasingly preparing for a disorderly Brexit, which could have severe consequences for the people, businesses and economies of the United Kingdom and the EU, as well as those of the broader global economy. Withdrawal is expected to be followed by a transition period during which businesses and others prepare for the new post-Brexit rules to take effect on January 1, 2021. It is possible that measures could be taken to revote the issue of Brexit, or that portions of the United Kingdom could seek to separate and remain a part of the EU. As a result of the uncertain consequences of Brexit and the political divisions both within the United Kingdom and between the United Kingdom and the EU highlighted by the referendum vote, the economies of the United Kingdom and Europe as well as the broader global economy could be significantly impacted, which may result in increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth on markets in the United Kingdom, Europe and globally that could potentially have an adverse effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies organized in the United Kingdom, although this may change from time to time.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
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Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Because securities held by the Fund trade on, or have exposure to, foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer staples sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The consumer staples sector includes, for example, food and drug retail and companies whose primary lines of business are food, beverage and other household items, including agricultural products. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in price and availability of underlying commodities, rising energy prices and global and economic conditions.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund’s strategies associated with currency hedging may not be successful. Further, in order to minimize transaction costs, or for other reasons, the Fund’s exposure to the non-U.S. currencies may not be hedged to the extent indicated by any or all of the quantitative signals. 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.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts and/or futures contracts. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts at any particular time.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and
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other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments and may be heightened in connection with investments in developing or emerging market countries.
Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Hedging Risk. Derivatives used by the Fund to offset its exposure to foreign currencies may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The value of an investment in the Fund could be significantly and negatively impacted if foreign currencies appreciate at the same time that the value of the Fund’s equity holdings fall or securities shorted by a Fund appreciate at the same time that the Fund's long positions decrease in value.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies.
Models and Data Risk. While the Fund is actively managed, the Fund’s investment process is expected to be heavily dependent on quantitative models and the models may not perform as intended. Errors in data used in the models may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may result in a high portfolio turnover rate. Higher portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and the distribution of additional capital gains, which generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders. These factors may negatively affect the Fund’s performance.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s name and objective changed effective March 29, 2019. Prior to March 29, 2019, Fund performance reflects the investment objective of the Fund when it was the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe
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Equity Fund and tracked the performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Index.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 14.15%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 7.57% 3Q/2017
Lowest Return (11.16)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund 1 Year Since Inception
January 7, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (13.29)% 5.78%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (14.35)% 5.10%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (6.69)% 4.73%
MSCI Europe Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (14.86)% (1.63)%
MSCI EMU Local Index* (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (12.75)% 2.77%
MSCI EMU Index* (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (16.90)% 4.63%
* For the period prior to March 29, 2019, the Fund’s performance was measured against the unaffiliated broad-based securities market indexes of the MSCI EMU Local Index (primary) and the MSCI EMU Index (secondary). Effective with the investment objective and strategy change on March 29, 2019, the Fund’s performance will be measured against the unaffiliated broad-based securities market index of the MSCI Europe Index.
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
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Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.40%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.40%
Fee Waivers (0.05)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.35% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.35% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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 $ 123 $ 219 $ 500
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 26% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is a dividend weighted index designed to provide exposure to equity securities in the industrialized world, excluding Canada and the United States, that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock, while at the same time dynamically hedging currency exposure to fluctuations between the value of the applicable foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. The Index consists of equity securities of dividend-paying companies. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must meet the following criteria as of the annual Index screening date: (i)
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incorporation and have their shares listed for trading on one of the stock exchanges in one of 15 developed European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Singapore; (ii) payment of at least $5 million in cash dividends on shares of common stock in the prior annual cycle; (iii) market capitalization of at least $100 million; (iv) average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for the preceding three months; and (v) trading of at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the preceding six months.
Securities are weighted in the Index based on dividends paid over the prior annual cycle. Companies that pay a greater total dollar amount of dividends are more heavily weighted. To derive a company’s initial Index weight, (i) multiply the U.S. dollar value of the company’s annual gross dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company (the “Cash Dividend Factor”); (ii) calculate the Cash Dividend Factor for each company; (iii) add together all of the companies’ Cash Dividend Factors; and (iv) divide the company’s Cash Dividend Factor by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors. The maximum weight of any one sector and any one country is capped at 25%; however, sector and country weights may fluctuate above the specified cap in response to market conditions and/or the application of volume factor adjustments. If a component security no longer meets applicable trading volume thresholds as of the annual Index screening date, the Index methodology applies a volume factor adjustment to reduce such component security’s weight in the Index and reallocates the reduction in the weight pro rata among the other remaining securities.
WisdomTree Investments, Inc., as index provider, currently uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Index: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, real estate, communication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil, and petroleum industries. As of September 30, 2019, companies in the financial sector comprised a significant portion of the Index.
The Index dynamically hedges currency fluctuations in the relative value of the applicable foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar, ranging from a 0% to 100% hedge. The Index determines and adjusts the hedge ratios on such foreign currencies on a monthly basis using three equally-weighted, quantitative signals: interest rate differentials, momentum, and value. Interest rate differentials are determined by measuring the difference in interest rates, as implied in one-month foreign exchange (FX) forwards, between each currency and the U.S. dollar. Momentum is the relative price momentum of the foreign currency as determined by comparing two moving average signals on the historically observed U.S. dollar spot rates over 10 and 240 business day periods. Value is the relative purchasing power of the foreign currency as determined with reference to the foreign currency spot rate over 20 business days as compared to the latest purchasing power parity (PPP) numbers as published by the Office of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This approach is designed to limit losses related to foreign currencies as such currencies depreciate against the U.S. dollar while participating in gains related to foreign currencies when such currencies appreciate against the U.S. dollar, thereby seeking to have the Fund benefit from such currency movements while reducing the volatility associated with currency returns.
The Index applies an applicable published currency forward rate to such foreign currencies to hedge against fluctuations in the relative value of the foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar pursuant to the applicable hedge ratios. The Fund uses forward currency contracts or futures contracts to the extent foreign currencies are hedged.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of
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  loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Because securities held by the Fund trade on, or have exposure to, foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund’s strategies associated with currency hedging may not be successful. Further, in order to minimize transaction costs, or for other reasons, the Fund’s exposure to the non-U.S. currencies may not be hedged to the extent indicated by any or all of the quantitative signals. 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.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts and/or futures contracts. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts at any particular time.
Dividend Paying Securities Risk. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform the overall equity market or stocks of companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by the Fund or the capital resources available for such company’s dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund.
Financial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the financial sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The financial sector includes, for example, banks and financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services.
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This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, the availability and cost of capital, and fallout from the housing and sub-prime mortgage crisis.
Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies organized in Japan and Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, although this may change from time to time. In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”). After two years of negotiating the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, the date for withdrawal has currently been extended until October 31, 2019. Although it is unclear how withdrawal negotiations will be conducted or concluded, United Kingdom businesses are increasingly preparing for a disorderly Brexit, which could have severe consequences for the people, businesses and economies of the United Kingdom and the EU, as well as those of the broader global economy. Withdrawal is expected to be followed by a transition period during which businesses and others prepare for the new post-Brexit rules to take effect on January 1, 2021.
Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Hedging Risk. Derivatives used by the Fund to offset its exposure to foreign currencies may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The value of an investment in the Fund could be significantly and negatively impacted if foreign currencies appreciate at the same time that the value of the Fund’s equity holdings fall or securities shorted by a Fund appreciate at the same time that the Fund's long positions decrease in value.
Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. The Index is heavily dependent on quantitative models and data from one or more third parties and the Index may not perform as intended. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund invests a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies.
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Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 13.73%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 5.16% 1Q/2017
Lowest Return (11.13)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund 1 Year Since Inception
January 7, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (11.05)% 6.41%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (11.62)% 5.69%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (5.60)% 5.16%
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (10.78)% 6.51%
MSCI EAFE Local Currency Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (10.99)% 4.50%
MSCI EAFE Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (13.79)% 4.84%
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Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.58%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 0.38%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.96% 1
Fee Waivers (0.48)% 2
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.48% 2
1 The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s financial highlights and financial statements because the financial highlights and financial statements reflect only the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which are fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund through its investments in certain underlying investment companies.
2 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its Management Fee in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments in the Underlying Fund, as defined below, as well as an additional 0.10%, through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 49 $ 258 $ 484 $ 1,134
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal period, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 6% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index (including indirect investments through the WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Fund (the “Underlying Fund”)) whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending)
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will be invested in component securities of the Index (including indirect investments in the Underlying Fund) and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities. The Underlying Fund tracks the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index (the “Underlying Fund Index”). The Index and the Underlying Fund Index have identical component securities and employ identical methodologies except that the Underlying Fund Index does not hedge against currency fluctuations. The Underlying Fund, which is also advised by WisdomTree Asset Management, may constitute a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets.
The Index consists of dividend-paying paying common stocks with growth characteristics of companies in the industrialized world, excluding Canada and the United States, while at the same time dynamically hedging currency exposure to fluctuations between the value of the applicable foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. The Index is generally comprised of the 300 companies in the WisdomTree International Equity Index with the best combined rank of certain growth and quality factors, specifically long-term earnings growth expectations, return on equity and return on assets. The WisdomTree International Equity Index is a fundamentally weighted index that is comprised of companies that pay regular cash dividends. To be eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree International Equity Index, a company must be incorporated in and lists its shares for trading on one of the stock exchanges in one of 15 developed European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, or Singapore. As of September 30, 2019, a significant portion of the Index is comprised of companies organized in the United Kingdom and Japan, although this may change from time to time.
To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must meet the following criteria as of the annual Index screening date: (i) payment of at least $5 million in cash dividends on shares of common stock in the prior annual cycle; (ii) market capitalization of at least $1 billion; (iii) an earnings yield that is greater than its dividend yield; (iv) average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for the preceding three months; and (v) trading of at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the preceding six months. Eligible companies are ranked according to a rules-based calculation based on the following three factors, weighted as follows: long-term earnings growth expectations (50%), the historical three-year average return on equity (25%), and the historical three-year average return on assets (25%). The top 300 ranked companies are selected for inclusion in the Index.
Securities are weighted in the Index based on dividends paid over the prior annual cycle. Companies that pay a greater total dollar amount of dividends are more heavily weighted. To derive a company’s initial Index weight, (i) multiply the U.S. dollar value of the company’s annual gross dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company (the “Cash Dividend Factor”); (ii) calculate the Cash Dividend Factor for each company; (iii) add together all of the companies’ Cash Dividend Factors; and (iv) divide the company’s Cash Dividend Factor by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors. The maximum weight of any security in the Index is capped at 5% and the maximum weight of any one sector or country in the Index is capped at 20%; however, security, sector and/or country weights may fluctuate above their specified caps in response to market conditions and/or the application of the volume factor adjustments. If a component security no longer meets applicable trading volume thresholds as of the annual Index screening date, the Index methodology applies a volume factor adjustment to reduce such component security’s weight in the Index and reallocates the reduction in the weight pro rata among the other remaining securities.
WisdomTree Investments, Inc., as index provider, currently uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Index: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, real estate, communication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of September 30, 2019, companies in the consumer discretionary, consumer staples and industrial sectors comprised a significant portion of the Index.
The Index dynamically hedges currency fluctuations in the relative value of the applicable foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar, ranging from a 0% to 100% hedge. The Index determines and adjusts the hedge ratios on such foreign currencies on a monthly basis using three equally-weighted, quantitative signals: interest rate differentials, momentum, and value. Interest rate differentials are determined by measuring the difference in interest rates, as implied in one-month foreign exchange (FX) forwards, between each currency and the U.S. dollar. Momentum is the relative price momentum of the foreign currency as determined by comparing two moving average signals on the historically observed U.S. dollar spot rates over 10 and 240 business day periods. Value is the relative purchasing power of the foreign currency as determined with reference to the foreign currency spot rate over 20 business days as compared to the latest purchasing power parity (PPP) numbers as published by the Office
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of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This approach is designed to limit losses related to foreign currencies as such currencies depreciate against the U.S. dollar while participating in gains related to foreign currencies when such currencies appreciate against the U.S. dollar, thereby seeking to have the Fund benefit from such currency movements while reducing the volatility associated with currency returns.
The Index applies an applicable published currency forward rate to such foreign currencies to hedge against fluctuations in the relative value of the foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar pursuant to the applicable hedge ratios. The Fund uses forward currency contracts or futures contracts to the extent foreign currencies are hedged.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Because securities held by the Fund trade on, or have exposure to, foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The consumer discretionary sector includes, for example, automobile, textile and retail companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, economic growth, worldwide demand, social trends, consumers’ disposable income levels, and propensity to spend.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer staples sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The consumer staples sector includes, for example, food and drug retail and companies whose primary lines of business are food, beverage and other household items, including agricultural products. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in price and availability of underlying commodities, rising energy prices and global and economic conditions.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund’s strategies associated with currency hedging may not be successful. Further, in order to minimize transaction costs, or for other reasons, the Fund’s exposure to the non-U.S.
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  currencies may not be hedged to the extent indicated by any or all of the quantitative signals. 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.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts and/or futures contracts. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts at any particular time.
Dividend Paying Securities Risk. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform the overall equity market or stocks of companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by the Fund or the capital resources available for such company’s dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund.
Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies organized in Japan and Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, although this may change from time to time. In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”). After two years of negotiating the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, the date for withdrawal has currently been extended until October 31, 2019. Although it is unclear how withdrawal negotiations will be conducted or concluded, United Kingdom businesses are increasingly preparing for a disorderly Brexit, which could have severe consequences for the people, businesses and economies of the United Kingdom and the EU, as well as those of the broader global economy. Withdrawal is expected to be followed by a transition period during which businesses and others prepare for the new post-Brexit rules to take effect on January 1, 2021.
Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform value stocks or the overall equity market. Growth stocks are generally more sensitive to market movements than other types of stocks primarily because their prices are based heavily on the future expectations of the economy and the stock’s issuing company.
Hedging Risk. Derivatives used by the Fund to offset its exposure to foreign currencies may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The value of an
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  investment in the Fund could be significantly and negatively impacted if foreign currencies appreciate at the same time that the value of the Fund’s equity holdings fall or securities shorted by a Fund appreciate at the same time that the Fund's long positions decrease in value.
Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. The Index is heavily dependent on quantitative models and data from one or more third parties and the Index may not perform as intended. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Industrial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the industrial sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The industrial sector includes, for example, aerospace and defense, non-residential construction, engineering, machinery, transportation, and commercial and professional services companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, business cycle fluctuations, worldwide economy growth, government and corporate spending, supply and demand for specific products and manufacturing, and government regulation.
Investment in the Underlying Fund Risk. The Fund’s investment performance and risks may be directly related to the investment performance and risks of the Underlying Fund.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund invests a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a
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relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 20.57%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 8.89% 1Q/2017
Lowest Return (13.63)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund 1 Year Since Inception
November 3, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (14.01)% 5.06%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (15.00)% 4.51%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (7.55)% 4.11%
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (13.67)% 5.70%
MSCI EAFE Local Currency Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (10.99)% 4.94%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in November 2016.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in November 2016.
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Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in November 2016.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.48%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.48%
Fee Waivers (0.05)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.43% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.43% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 44 $ 149 $ 264 $ 599
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 55% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, 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 Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is a dividend weighted index designed to provide exposure to small-capitalization equity securities in the industrialized world, excluding Canada and the United States, that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock, while at the same time dynamically hedging currency exposure to fluctuations between the value of
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foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. The Index consists of the equity securities of companies that comprise the bottom 25% of the market capitalization of the WisdomTree International Equity Index, as of the annual Index screening date, after the 300 largest companies have been removed. As of September 30, 2019, the Index had a market capitalization range from $30.9 million to $3.5 billion, with an average market capitalization of $990 million. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a company must meet the following criteria as of the annual Index screening date: (i) incorporation and have their shares listed for trading on one of the stock exchanges in one of 15 developed European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Singapore; (ii) payment of at least $5 million in cash dividends on shares of common stock in the prior annual cycle; (iii) market capitalization of at least $100 million; (iv) average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for the preceding three months; and (v) trading of at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the preceding six months.
Securities are weighted in the Index based on dividends paid over the prior annual cycle. Companies that pay a greater total dollar amount of dividends are more heavily weighted. To derive a company’s initial Index weight, (i) multiply the U.S. dollar value of the company’s annual gross dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company (the “Cash Dividend Factor”); (ii) calculate the Cash Dividend Factor for each company; (iii) add together all of the companies’ Cash Dividend Factors; and (iv) divide the company’s Cash Dividend Factor by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors. The maximum weight of any one sector and any one country is capped at 25%; however, sector and country weights may fluctuate above their specified caps in response to market conditions and/or the application of volume factor adjustments. If a component security no longer meets applicable trading volume thresholds as of the annual Index screening date, the Index methodology applies a volume factor adjustment to reduce such component security’s weight in the Index and reallocates the reduction in the weight pro rata among the other remaining securities.
WisdomTree Investments, Inc., as index provider, currently uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Index: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, real estate, communication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of September 30, 2019, companies in the consumer discretionary, financial, and industrial sectors comprised a significant portion of the Index.
The Index dynamically hedges currency fluctuations in the relative value of the applicable foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar, ranging from a 0% to 100% hedge. The Index determines and adjusts the hedge ratios on such foreign currencies on a monthly basis using three equally-weighted, quantitative signals: interest rate differentials, momentum, and value. Interest rate differentials are determined by measuring the difference in interest rates, as implied in one-month foreign exchange (FX) forwards, between each currency and the U.S. dollar. Momentum is the relative price momentum of the foreign currency as determined by comparing two moving average signals on the historically observed U.S. dollar spot rates over 10 and 240 business day periods. Value is the relative purchasing power of the foreign currency as determined with reference to the foreign currency spot rate over 20 business days as compared to the latest purchasing power parity (PPP) numbers as published by the Office of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This approach is designed to limit losses related to foreign currencies as such currencies depreciate against the U.S. dollar while participating in gains related to foreign currencies as such currencies appreciate against the U.S. dollar, thereby seeking to have the Fund benefit from such currency movements while reducing the volatility associated with currency returns.
The Index applies an applicable published currency forward rate to such foreign currencies to hedge against fluctuations in the relative value of the foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar pursuant to the applicable hedge ratios. The Fund uses forward currency contracts or futures contracts to the extent foreign currencies are hedged.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share
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(“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Because securities held by the Fund trade on, or have exposure to, foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The consumer discretionary sector includes, for example, automobile, textile and retail companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, economic growth, worldwide demand, social trends, consumers’ disposable income levels, and propensity to spend.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund’s strategies associated with currency hedging may not be successful. Further, in order to minimize transaction costs, or for other reasons, the Fund’s exposure to the non-U.S. currencies may not be hedged to the extent indicated by any or all of the quantitative signals. 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.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts and/or futures contracts. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities,
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  fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts at any particular time.
Dividend Paying Securities Risk. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform the overall equity market or stocks of companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by the Fund or the capital resources available for such company’s dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund.
Financial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the financial sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The financial sector includes, for example, banks and financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, the availability and cost of capital, and fallout from the housing and sub-prime mortgage crisis.
Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies organized in Japan and Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, although this may change from time to time. In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”). After two years of negotiating the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, the date for withdrawal has currently been extended until October 31, 2019. Although it is unclear how withdrawal negotiations will be conducted or concluded, United Kingdom businesses are increasingly preparing for a disorderly Brexit, which could have severe consequences for the people, businesses and economies of the United Kingdom and the EU, as well as those of the broader global economy. Withdrawal is expected to be followed by a transition period during which businesses and others prepare for the new post-Brexit rules to take effect on January 1, 2021.
Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Hedging Risk. Derivatives used by the Fund to offset its exposure to foreign currencies may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The value of an investment in the Fund could be significantly and negatively impacted if foreign currencies appreciate at the same time that the value of the Fund’s equity holdings fall or securities shorted by a Fund appreciate at the same time that the Fund's long positions decrease in value.
Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. The Index is heavily dependent on quantitative models and data from one or more third parties and the Index may not perform as intended. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Industrial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the industrial sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The industrial sector includes, for example, aerospace and defense, non-residential construction, engineering, machinery, transportation, and commercial and professional services companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, business cycle fluctuations, worldwide economy growth, government and corporate spending, supply and demand for specific products and manufacturing, and government regulation.
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Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Small-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund invests primarily in the securities of small-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than funds that invest in larger, more established companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Small-capitalization companies may be particularly sensitive to adverse economic developments as well as changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 12.18%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 6.18% 1Q/2017
Lowest Return (13.61)% 4Q/2018
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After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund 1 Year Since Inception
January 7, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (16.59)% 6.55%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (16.71)% 6.21%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (9.36)% 5.31%
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (16.09)% 7.03%
MSCI EAFE Small Cap Local Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (15.43)% 4.96%
MSCI EAFE Small Cap Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (17.89)% 5.46%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable
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about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund)

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund (the “Fund”) seeks income and capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.48%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.48%
Fee Waivers (0.05)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.43% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.43% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 44 $ 149 $ 264 $ 599
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 104% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund is actively managed using a model-based approach. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in Japanese equity securities that exhibit certain characteristics that the Fund’s investment adviser, WisdomTree Asset Management, believes to be indicative of positive future returns based on a model developed by the Adviser. WisdomTree Asset Management seeks to identify equity securities that have the highest potential for returns based on proprietary measures of fundamental factors, such as value and quality, and technical factors, such as momentum and correlation. WisdomTree Asset Management employs a quantitative model to identify which securities the Fund might purchase and sell and opportune times for purchases and sales. Generally the Fund’s portfolio will be rebalanced quarterly according to the Adviser’s quantitative model, although a more active approach may be taken to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, depending on factors such as market conditions and investment opportunities, which may lead to frequent trading, cause the number of Fund holdings to vary, and increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.
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The Adviser seeks to manage the Fund’s currency risk by dynamically hedging currency fluctuations in the relative value of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar, ranging from a 0% to 100% hedge. The hedge ratios are adjusted as frequently as weekly utilizing signals such as interest rate differentials, momentum, and value. Interest rate differentials are determined by measuring the difference in interest rates, as implied in one-month foreign exchange (FX) forwards, between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar. Momentum is the relative price momentum of the foreign currency as determined by comparing two moving average signals on the historically observed U.S. dollar spot rates over 10 and 240 business day periods. Value is the relative purchasing power of the foreign currency as determined with reference to the foreign currency spot rate over 20 business days as compared to the latest purchasing power parity (PPP) numbers as published by the Office of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This approach is designed to limit losses related to currency as the Japanese yen depreciates against the U.S. dollar while participating in gains related to currency when the Japanese yen appreciates against the U.S. dollar, thereby seeking to have the Fund benefit from such currency movements while reducing the volatility associated with currency returns.
As of September 30, 2019, companies in the consumer discretionary and industrial sectors comprised a significant portion of the Fund.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Geographic Concentration in Japan. Because the Fund invests primarily in the securities of companies in Japan, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within Japan and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. The Japanese economy has only recently emerged from a prolonged economic downturn. Since the year 2000, Japan’s economic growth rate has remained relatively low. Economic growth is heavily dependent on international trade, government support of the financial services sector and other troubled sectors, and consistent government policy supporting its export market. Slowdowns in the economies of key trading partners such as the United States, China and/or countries in Southeast Asia, including economic, political or social instability in such countries, could also have a negative impact on the Japanese economy as a whole. Currency fluctuations may also adversely impact the Japanese economy and its export market. In the past, the Japanese government has intervened in its currency market to maintain or reduce the value of the yen. Any such intervention could cause the yen’s value to fluctuate sharply and unpredictably and could cause losses to investors. In addition, Japan’s labor market is adapting to an aging workforce, declining population, and demand for increased labor mobility. These demographic shifts and fundamental structural changes to the labor market may negatively impact Japan’s economic competitiveness. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Because securities held by the Fund trade on, or have exposure to, foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
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Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The consumer discretionary sector includes, for example, automobile, textile and retail companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, economic growth, worldwide demand, social trends, consumers’ disposable income levels, and propensity to spend.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund’s strategies associated with currency hedging may not be successful. Further, in order to minimize transaction costs, or for other reasons, the Fund’s exposure to the non-U.S. currencies may not be hedged to the extent indicated by any or all of the quantitative signals. 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.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts and/or futures contracts. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts at any particular time.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments and may be heightened in connection with investments in developing or emerging market countries.
Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Hedging Risk. Derivatives used by the Fund to offset its exposure to foreign currencies may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The value of an investment in the Fund could be significantly and negatively impacted if foreign currencies appreciate at the same time that the value of the Fund’s equity holdings fall or securities shorted by a Fund appreciate at the same time that the Fund's long positions decrease in value.
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Industrial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the industrial sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The industrial sector includes, for example, aerospace and defense, non-residential construction, engineering, machinery, transportation, and commercial and professional services companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, business cycle fluctuations, worldwide economy growth, government and corporate spending, supply and demand for specific products and manufacturing, and government regulation.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies.
Models and Data Risk. While the Fund is actively managed, the Fund’s investment process is expected to be heavily dependent on quantitative models and the models may not perform as intended. Errors in data used in the models may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may result in a high portfolio turnover rate. Higher portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and the distribution of additional capital gains, which generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders. These factors may negatively affect the Fund’s performance.
Small-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund invests primarily in the securities of small-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund may be more volatile than funds that invest in larger, more established companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Small-capitalization companies may be particularly sensitive to adverse economic developments as well as changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s name and objective changed effective March 29, 2019. Prior to March 29, 2019, Fund performance reflects the investment objective of the Fund when it was the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund and tracked the performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Index.
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The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 3.68%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 7.56% 4Q/2017
Lowest Return (15.96)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund 1 Year Since Inception
January 7, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (15.97)% 2.88%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (16.13)% 2.42%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (8.98)% 2.38%
MSCI Japan Local Currency Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (15.15)% 2.39%
MSCI Japan Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (12.88)% 4.95%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2016.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through
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brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.32%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.32%
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 33 $ 103 $ 180 $ 406
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 26% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is a dividend weighted index that consists of emerging market dividend-paying common stocks. The starting universe of the Index consists of equity securities of companies that meet the following eligibility requirements as of the annual Index screening date: (i) incorporated (and/or domiciled with respect to China) within one of 17 emerging market nations (Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey); (ii) listed for trading on a stock exchange in one of the aforementioned emerging market countries (except Chinese companies may have shares listed in Hong Kong); (iii) payment of at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of common stock in the prior annual cycle; (iv) market capitalization of at least $200 million; (v) average daily dollar volume of at least $200,000 for each of the preceding six months; and (vi) trading of at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the preceding six months.
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Securities are weighted in the Index based on dividends paid over the prior annual cycle. Companies that pay a greater total dollar amount of dividends are more heavily weighted. To derive a company’s initial Index weight, (i) multiply the U.S. dollar value of the company’s annual gross dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company (the “Cash Dividend Factor”); (ii) calculate the Cash Dividend Factor for each company; (iii) add together all of the companies’ Cash Dividend Factors; and (iv) divide the company’s Cash Dividend Factor by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors. At the time of the Index’s annual screening date, the maximum weight of any one sector and any one country in the Index is capped at 25%; however, sector and country weights may fluctuate above the specified cap in response to market conditions and/or the application of volume factor adjustments. If a component security no longer meets applicable trading volume thresholds as of the annual Index screening date, the Index methodology applies a volume factor adjustment to reduce such component security’s weight in the Index and reallocates the reduction in the weight pro rata among the other remaining securities.
WisdomTree Investments, Inc., as index provider, currently uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Index: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, real estate, communication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of September 30, 2019, companies in the financial and information technology sectors comprised a significant portion of the Index.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Because securities held by the Fund trade on, or have exposure to, foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
Capital Controls and Sanctions Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to foreign government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments,
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  economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities or other assets, which may potentially include derivative instruments related thereto. Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to, foreign securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy will require it to redeem shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments 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 recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may also change quickly, unpredictably, and without warning, and you may lose money.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Dividend Paying Securities Risk. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform the overall equity market or stocks of companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by the Fund or the capital resources available for such company’s dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund.
Financial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the financial sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The financial sector includes, for example, banks and financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, the availability and cost of capital, and fallout from the housing and sub-prime mortgage crisis.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments and may be heightened in connection with investments in developing or emerging markets countries.
Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Fund expects to invest a significant portion of its assets in companies incorporated and/or domiciled in Taiwan and China, although this may change from time to time.
Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
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Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the information technology sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The information technology sector includes, for example, internet, semiconductor, software, hardware, and technology equipment companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development, and government regulation.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
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The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 7.29%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 9.43% 1Q/2017
Lowest Return (8.46)% 2Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund 1 Year Since Inception
April 7, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (10.69)% 9.19%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (11.24)% 8.45%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (5.64)% 7.20%
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (10.75)% 9.29%
MSCI Emerging Markets Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (14.58)% 9.28%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
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Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P China 500 Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.55%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.55%
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 56 $ 176 $ 307 $ 689
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal period, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 28% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund's capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexinginvestment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index selects the largest 500 eligible companies from the broader S&P Total China BMI Index, which represents the entire investment universe of Chinese companies that meet certain minimum market capitalization and trading volume thresholds, and is weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization. All Chinese share classes, including A-Shares and offshore listings, are eligible for inclusion in the Index. The Index seeks to maintain the same sector weights as the S&P Total China BMI Index and uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Index: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, real estate, communication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum
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industries. As of September 30, 2019, companies in the financial and consumer discretionary sectors comprised a significant portion of the Index.
The following chart provides an overview of the different share classes eligible for inclusion in the Index:
Share Class Definition
A-Shares These are shares of Chinese companies incorporated in
mainland China that trade in Chinese Renminbi on the
Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchanges.
B-Shares These are shares of Chinese companies incorporated in
mainland China that trade in U.S. dollars on the Shanghai
Stock Exchange and in Hong Kong dollars on the Shenzhen
Stock Exchange.
H-Shares These are shares of Chinese companies incorporated in
mainland China that trade in Hong Kong dollars on the Hong
Kong Stock Exchange. H-Shares are available to non-residents
of China.
Red Chips These are shares of Chinese companies incorporated outside
of mainland China that trade in Hong Kong dollars on the
Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Red Chips, which are controlled
by mainland Chinese entities, are available to non-residents
of China.
P Chips These are shares of non-state-owned Chinese companies
incorporated outside of mainland China in domiciles of
convenience such as the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, etc. and
listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
U.S. Listed or Foreign Listed Chinese Companies U.S. listed or foreign listed Chinese companies are defined
as companies that primarily operate in mainland China but
whose primary listings are on a U.S. or foreign exchange
(i.e., all exchanges outside of mainland China).
The Index consists of companies that as of the semi-annual Index screening date: (i) are constituents of the S&P Total China BMI Index; (ii) have a float-adjusted market capitalization of at least $300 million ($250 million for existing constituents) (“float-adjusted” means that the share amounts reflect only shares available to investors); and (iii) have a six-month median daily dollar trading volume of at least $1 million ($0.8 million for existing constituents). It is anticipated that A-Shares will comprise the largest portion of the Index. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in investments that are not included in the Index, including futures contracts, swaps and other derivative instruments that the sub-adviser believes will help the Fund achieve its investment objective.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
The Fund seeks to track the performance of the Index by investing directly in the A-Shares of China domestic equity securities listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) or Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”) via the Shanghai-Hong Kong or Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect programs (“Stock Connect”) and through the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“RQFII”) quota of ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited (“ICBCCS”), the Fund’s sub-adviser, as well as by investing in the other share classes of equity securities, set forth above, issued by Chinese companies that are listed on exchanges outside of mainland China.
Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing linked program between either SSE or SZSE, and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“SEHK”), Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”), and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (“ChinaClear”), with an aim to achieve mutual stock market access between the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and Hong Kong. Stock Connect comprises a Northbound Trading Link (for investment in China A-Shares) by which investors, through their Hong Kong
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brokers and a securities trading service company established by SEHK, may place orders to trade eligible shares listed on SSE or SZSE by routing orders to the applicable exchange. Through Stock Connect, overseas investors (including the Fund) may be allowed, subject to rules and regulations issued and/or amended by the applicable regulatory authority from time to time, to trade China A-Shares listed on the SSE or SZSE (together, the “Mainland Securities”) through the Northbound Trading Link. The Mainland Securities include all of the constituent stocks from time to time of the SSE 180 Index and SSE 380 Index, all of the constituent stocks of the SZSE Component Index and SZSE Small/Mid Cap Innovation Index that have a market capitalization of not less than 6 billion Renminbi (“RMB”), and all of the SSE- and SZSE-listed China A-Shares that are not included as constituent stocks of the relevant indices but which have corresponding H-Shares listed on SEHK, except those SSE- and SZSE-listed shares which are (i) not traded in RMB and (ii) included in the “risk alert board”. The list of eligible securities may be changed subject to the review and approval by the relevant PRC regulators from time to time.
To the extent the Fund invests in China A-Shares other than through Stock Connect, under current regulations in the PRC, generally foreign investors can invest only through certain qualified foreign institutional investors, such as the Fund’s sub-adviser, that have obtained status as a Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“QFII”) or a RQFII from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) and have been granted quota(s) by the PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) to remit foreign freely convertible currencies (in the case of a QFII) and RMB (in the case of a RQFII) into the PRC for the purpose of investing in the PRC's domestic securities markets.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Geographic Concentration in China. Because the Fund concentrates its investments in China, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within China and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. Although the Chinese economy has grown rapidly during recent years and the Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment, and reduce government control of the economy, there can be no guarantee that economic growth or these reforms will continue. The Chinese economy may also experience slower growth if global or domestic demand for Chinese goods decreases significantly and/or key trading partners apply trade tariffs or implement other protectionist measures. The Chinese economy is also susceptible to rising rates of inflation, economic recession, market inefficiency, volatility, and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of publicly-available information and/or political and social instability. The government of China maintains strict currency controls in order to achieve economic, trade and political objectives and regularly intervenes in the currency market. The Chinese government also plays a major role in the country’s economic policies regarding foreign investments. Foreign investors are subject to the risk of loss from expropriation or nationalization of their investment assets and property, governmental restrictions on foreign investments and the repatriation of capital invested. The Chinese securities markets are subject to more frequent trading halts and low trading volume, resulting in substantially less liquidity and greater price volatility. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market
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  price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Because securities held by the Fund trade on, or have exposure to, foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Fund shares may trade at a material premium or discount to NAV (or not trade at all) and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business, have a business disruption or otherwise become unable or unwilling to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business, have a business disruption or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Capital Controls and Sanctions Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to foreign government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments, economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities or other assets, which may potentially include derivative instruments related thereto. Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to, foreign securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy will require it to redeem shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments 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 recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The consumer discretionary sector includes, for example, automobile, textile and retail companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, economic growth, worldwide demand, social trends, consumers’ disposable income levels, and propensity to spend.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a relatively large percentage of its assets in investments denominated in Renminbi and/or Hong Kong dollars or in securities that provide exposure to such currency, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of Renminbi and/or Hong Kong dollars will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including as a substitute to gain short exposure to equity securities and equity indexes. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in
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  the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of futures contracts and/or swaps. With respect to swaps and futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of swaps and futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for swaps and futures contracts at any particular time.
Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.
Financial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the financial sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The financial sector includes, for example, banks and financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, the availability and cost of capital, and fallout from the housing and sub-prime mortgage crisis.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments and may be heightened in connection with investments in developing or emerging markets countries.
Geopolitical Risk. China has experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies
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  underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
RQFII Regime Risk. The Fund is not a RQFII but may obtain direct access to RQFII-permissible investments by using the RQFII quota of a RQFII, such as ICBCCS, the Fund’s sub-adviser. Investors should note that the sub-adviser’s RQFII status could be suspended or revoked if, among other things, the sub-adviser becomes insolvent or breaches the “Circular on Issues Related to the Pilot Scheme for Domestic Securities Investment through Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors” (the “RQFII Measures”), which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's performance as the Fund may be required to dispose of certain of its securities holdings. In addition, restrictions may be imposed by the Chinese government on RQFIIs and/or quotas may become inadequate, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity and performance.
Stock Connect Risk. The Fund’s ability to invest in China A-Shares through Stock Connect, or on such other stock exchanges in China that participate in Stock Connect from time to time or in the future, is subject to trading limits, rules and regulations by the applicable regulatory authority. These restrictions and regulations may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. For example, daily quotas that limit the Fund’s maximum daily net purchases through Stock Connect may restrict the Fund’s ability to invest in A-Shares through Stock Connect on a timely basis. Investments through Stock Connect are also subject to trading, clearance and settlement procedures that are relatively untested in mainland China. Stock Connect only operates on days when both the PRC and Hong Kong markets are open for trading and when banks in both markets are open on the corresponding settlement days. Accordingly, the Fund may be subject to price fluctuations at times when Stock Connect is not open for trading. SEHK, SSE and SZSE also reserve the right to suspend trading through Stock Connect, if necessary, to ensure an orderly and fair market and manage risks prudently. Halts may adversely affect the Fund’s access to the PRC market. In addition, investments through Stock Connect are subject to the laws and rules of the PRC. As such, they are not covered by Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund, which compensates investors of any nationality who suffer pecuniary losses as a result of the default of a licensed intermediary or authorized financial institution in relation to exchange-traded products in Hong Kong. Investing through Stock Connect is also premised on the proper functioning of operational systems maintained by each market participant and the connectivity of differing securities regimes and legal systems in the PRC and Hong Kong. Investments through Stock Connect are also governed by departmental regulations that have legal effect in the PRC but have not been tested in the PRC courts. Moreover, the current regulations are subject to change. There can be no assurance that Stock Connect will not be abolished. The Fund, which may invest in the PRC markets through Stock Connect, may be adversely affected as a result of such changes.
Tax Risk in China. Uncertainties in PRC tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from investments in A-Shares could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund. The Fund’s investments in securities, including A-Shares, issued by PRC companies may cause the Fund to become subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by the PRC.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns,
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both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 14.42%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 1.10% 1Q/2018
Lowest Return (11.54)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund 1 Year Since Inception
December 21, 2017
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (23.12)% (21.69)%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (23.31)% (21.88)%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (13.31)% (16.35)%
S&P China 500 Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (23.30)% (22.09)%
MSCI China Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (18.88)% (17.65)%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund. ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited (“ICBCCS”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Manager
Ada Yin, Senior Portfolio Manager of Index and Quantitative Investment of ICBCCS, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2017.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as NYSE Arca, and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
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The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Corporate Bond Fund)

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Index (the “Index”) (formerly, the WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Corporate Bond Index).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.28%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.28%
Fee Waivers (0.10)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.18% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.18% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 18 $ 80 $ 147 $ 346
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 22% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is designed to capture the performance of selected issuers in the U.S. investment grade corporate bond market that are deemed to have favorable fundamental and income characteristics. The Index employs a multi-step process, which screens based on fundamentals to identify bonds with favorable characteristics and then tilts to those
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which offer favorable income characteristics. The goal is to improve the risk-adjusted performance of traditional market capitalization-weighted approaches of corporate bond indices.
The Index is comprised of corporate bonds of public issuers domiciled in the United States. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, bonds must meet the following criteria: (i) pay fixed-rate coupons; (ii) have at least $350 million in par amount outstanding; (iii) have a remaining maturity of at least one year; and (iv) rated investment grade (at least BBB- or Baa3) by Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s. All bonds are denominated in U.S. dollars.
The Index utilizes a “screen and tilt” rules-based approach to isolate bonds that have favorable fundamentals and tilts to those bonds with favorable income and valuation characteristics. Once the Index universe is defined from the eligibility criteria, individual bonds are assigned a factor score against their broad sector peers (e.g., industrials, financials and utilities) based on rules-based fundamental metrics distinguishing cash flow, profitability and leverage. Bonds are ranked within each sector based on their factor score and then screened so that bonds receiving the lowest 20% of factor scores in each sector are removed from the Index. Each remaining bond is then assigned an income tilt score based on its probability of default and duration relative to the other remaining bonds in its sector. Income tilt scores are then used to determine a bond’s weight in the Index, with bonds receiving higher income tilt scores being more heavily weighted. Issuer exposure is capped at 5%, with excess exposure distributed to the remaining bonds on a pro-rata basis. The Index is rebalanced quarterly.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in other securities and/or derivatives. Derivative investments may include interest rate futures, swaps, forward contracts and repurchase agreements. The Fund’s use of derivatives will be underpinned by investments in cash or other liquid assets.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The
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  return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts, futures contracts and/or swaps. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts and/or swaps, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities and the prices of futures contracts and/or swaps; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts and/or swaps at any particular time.
Geopolitical Risk. The United States has experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of the United States) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates and changes to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. For example, the price of a security with a seven-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 7% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument may cause such issuer to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the
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Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 12.38%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 2.58% 2Q/2017
Lowest Return (2.40)% 1Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund 1 Year Since Inception
April 27, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (2.71)% 1.20%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (3.98)% (0.13)%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (1.61)% 0.33%
WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (2.21)% 1.72%
ICE BofA ML U.S. Corporate Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (2.25)% 1.87%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Voya Investment Management Co., LLC (“Voya IM”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by Voya IM’s Investment Grade Credit Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Travis King, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Anil Katarya, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Kurt Kringelis, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
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Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund)

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index (the “Index”) (formerly, the WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.48%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.48%
Fee Waivers (0.10)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.38% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.38% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 39 $ 144 $ 259 $ 594
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 14% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is designed to capture the performance of selected issuers in the U.S. non-investment-grade corporate bond (“junk bonds”) market that are deemed to have favorable fundamental and income characteristics. The Index employs a multi-step process, which screens based on fundamentals to identify bonds with favorable characteristics
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and then tilts to those individual securities which offer favorable income characteristics. The goal is to improve the risk-adjusted performance of traditional market capitalization-weighted approaches of high-yield corporate bond indices.
The Index is comprised of corporate bonds of public issuers domiciled in the United States. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, bonds must meet the following criteria: (i) pay fixed-rate coupons; (ii) have at least $500 million in par amount outstanding; (iii) have a remaining maturity of at least one year; (iv) rated non-investment grade by Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s. In addition, the issuer cannot have defaulted or be in distress. For the purposes of the Index, bonds issued under Regulation S are excluded from eligibility. All bonds are denominated in U.S. dollars.
The Index utilizes a “screen and tilt” rules-based approach to isolate bonds that have favorable fundamentals and tilts to those bonds with favorable income and valuation characteristics. Once the Index universe is defined from the eligibility criteria, individual bonds are assigned a factor score against their broad sector peers (e.g., industrials, financials, utilities, consumer and energy) based on rules-based fundamental metrics distinguishing cash flow characteristics and discards the securities with poor cash flow performance. Remaining bonds are ranked within each sector based on their liquidity scores and then screened so that the bonds receiving the lowest 5% of liquidity scores in each sector are removed from the Index. Each remaining bond is then assigned an income tilt score based on its probability of default relative to the other remaining bonds in its sector. Income tilt scores are then used to determine a bond’s weight in the Index, with bonds receiving higher income tilt scores being more heavily weighted. Issuer exposure is capped at 2%, with excess exposure distributed to the remaining bonds on a pro-rata basis. The Index is rebalanced semi-annually.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in other securities and/or derivatives. Derivative investments may include interest rate futures, swaps, forward contracts and repurchase agreements. The Fund’s use of derivatives will be underpinned by investments in cash or other liquid assets.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
High Yield Securities Risk. Higher yielding, high risk debt securities, sometimes referred to as junk bonds, may present additional risk because these securities may be less liquid and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be more susceptible to issuer-specific operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security,
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  intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts, futures contracts and/or swaps. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts and/or swaps, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities and the prices of futures contracts and/or swaps; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts and/or swaps at any particular time.
Geopolitical Risk. The United States has experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of the United States) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates and changes to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. For example, the price of a security with a five-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 5% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument may cause such issuer to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the
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  extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 12.65%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 2.53% 3Q/2018
Lowest Return (4.15)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund 1 Year Since Inception
April 27, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (1.75)% 4.11%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (3.97)% 1.49%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (1.00)% 2.02%
WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (1.48)% 5.31%
ICE BofA ML U.S. High Yield Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (2.26)% 5.50%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Voya Investment Management Co., LLC (“Voya IM”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
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Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by Voya IM’s High Yield Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Randall Parrish, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Rick Cumberledge, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund)

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index (the “Index”) (formerly, the WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.28%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.28%
Fee Waivers (0.10)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.18% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.18% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 18 $ 80 $ 147 $ 346
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 28% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is designed to capture the performance of selected issuers in the short-term U.S. investment grade corporate bond market that are deemed to have favorable fundamental and income characteristics. The Index employs a multi-step process, which screens based on fundamentals to identify bonds with favorable characteristics
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and then tilts to those which offer favorable income characteristics. The goal is to improve the risk-adjusted performance of traditional market capitalization- weighted approaches of corporate bond indices.
The Index is comprised of corporate bonds of public issuers domiciled in the United States. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, bonds must meet the following criteria: (i) pay fixed-rate coupons; (ii) have at least $350 million in par amount outstanding; (iii) have a remaining maturity of at least one year and at most five years; and (iv) rated investment grade (at least BBB- or Baa3) by Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s. All bonds are denominated in U.S. dollars.
The Index utilizes a “screen and tilt” rules-based approach to isolate bonds that have favorable fundamentals and tilts to those bonds with favorable income and valuation characteristics. Once the Index universe is defined from the eligibility criteria, individual bonds are assigned a factor score against their broad sector peers (e.g., industrials, financials and utilities) based on rules-based fundamental metrics distinguishing cash flow, profitability and leverage. Bonds are ranked within each sector based on their factor scores and then screened so that the bonds receiving the lowest 20% of factor scores in each sector are removed from the Index. Each remaining bond is then assigned an income tilt score based on its probability of default and duration relative to the other remaining bonds in its sector. Income tilt score are then used to determine a bond’s weight in the Index, with bonds receiving higher income tilt scores being more heavily weighted. Issuer exposure is capped at 5%, with excess exposure distributed to the remaining bonds on a pro-rata basis. The Index is rebalanced quarterly.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in other securities and/or derivatives. Derivative investments may include interest rate futures, swaps, forward contracts and repurchase agreements. The Fund’s use of derivatives will be underpinned by investments in cash or other liquid assets.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
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Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts, futures contracts and/or swaps. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts and/or swaps, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities and the prices of futures contracts and/or swaps; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts and/or swaps at any particular time.
Geopolitical Risk. The United States has experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of the United States) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates and changes to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. For example, the price of a security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument may cause such issuer to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
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Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 5.05%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 0.71% 2Q/2017
Lowest Return (0.68)% 1Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree U.S. Short Term Corporate Bond Fund 1 Year Since Inception
April 27, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV 1.08% 1.23%
Return After Taxes on Distributions 0.15% 0.43%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 0.63% 0.58%
WisdomTree U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 1.38% 1.69%
ICE BofA ML 1-5 Year U.S. Corporate Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 1.00% 1.66%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Voya Investment Management Co., LLC (“Voya IM”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by Voya IM’s Investment Grade Credit Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
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Travis King, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Anil Katarya, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Kurt Kringelis, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund)

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index (the “Index”) (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.48%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.48%
Fee Waivers (0.10)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.38% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.38% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 39 $ 144 $ 259 $ 594
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 18% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is designed to capture the performance of selected issuers in the short-term U.S. non-investment-grade corporate bond (“junk bonds”) market that are deemed to have favorable fundamental and income characteristics.
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The Index employs a multi-step process, which screens based on fundamentals to identify bonds with favorable characteristics and then tilts to those individual securities which offer favorable income characteristics. The goal is to improve the risk-adjusted performance of traditional market capitalization-weighted approaches of high-yield corporate bond indices.
The Index is comprised of corporate bonds of public issuers domiciled in the United States. To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, bonds must meet the following criteria: (i) pay fixed-rate coupons; (ii) have at least $350 million in par amount outstanding; (iii) have a remaining maturity of at least one year and at most five years; (iv) rated non-investment grade by Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s. In addition, the issuer cannot have defaulted or be in distress. For the purposes of the Index, bonds issued under Regulation S are excluded from eligibility. All bonds are denominated in U.S. dollars.
The Index utilizes a “screen and tilt” rules-based approach to isolate bonds that have favorable fundamentals and tilts to those bonds with favorable income and valuation characteristics. Once the Index universe is defined from the eligibility criteria, individual bonds are assigned a factor score against their broad sector peers (e.g., industrials, financials, utilities, consumer and energy) based on rules-based fundamental metrics distinguishing cash flow characteristics and discards the securities with poor cash flow performance. Remaining bonds are ranked within each sector based on their liquidity scores and then screened so that the bonds receiving the lowest 5% of liquidity scores in each sector are removed from the Index. Each remaining bond is then assigned an income tilt score based on its probability of default relative to the other remaining bonds in its sector. Income tilt scores are then used to determine a bond’s weight in the Index, with bonds receiving higher income tilt scores being more heavily weighted. Issuer exposure is capped at 3%, with excess exposure distributed to the remaining bonds on a pro-rata basis. The Index is rebalanced semi-annually.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in other securities and/or derivatives. Derivative investments may include interest rate futures, swaps, forward contracts and repurchase agreements. The Fund’s use of derivatives will be underpinned by investments in cash or other liquid assets.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
High Yield Securities Risk. Higher yielding, high risk debt securities, sometimes referred to as junk bonds, may present additional risk because these securities may be less liquid and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be more susceptible to issuer-specific operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
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Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts, futures contracts and/or swaps. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to futures contracts and/or swaps, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities and the prices of futures contracts and/or swaps; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the futures contracts and/or swaps at any particular time.
Geopolitical Risk. The United States has experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of the United States) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates and changes to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. For example, the price of a security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument may cause such issuer to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
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Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 8.01%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 2.39% 3Q/2018
Lowest Return (3.06)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree U.S. Short Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund 1 Year Since Inception
April 27, 2016
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV 1.88% 4.60%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (0.15)% 2.13%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 1.12% 2.45%
WisdomTree U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 1.33% 5.67%
ICE BofA ML 1-5 Year U.S. High Yield Constrained Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (0.05)% 6.39%
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Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Voya Investment Management Co., LLC (“Voya IM”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by Voya IM’s High Yield Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Randall Parrish, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Rick Cumberledge, CFA, Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in April 2016.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.53%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.53%
Fee Waivers (0.05)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.48% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.48% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 49 $ 165 $ 291 $ 660
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 249% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index includes: (i) long U.S. equity positions (the “Long Equity Basket”) or long U.S. Treasury positions (the “Long Treasury Basket”); and (ii) short U.S. equity positions (the “Short Equity Basket”). The Long Equity Basket consists of approximately 100 U.S. large-capitalization stocks that meet Index eligibility requirements and have the best combined score based on fundamental growth and value signals. The starting universe of companies eligible for inclusion in the Long Equity Basket includes companies that meet the following criteria as of the quarterly Index screening date: (i) incorporated and headquartered in the United States; (ii) listed on a U.S. stock exchange;
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(iii) market capitalization of at least $2 billion; and (iv) average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for the preceding three months. Eligible securities for the Long Equity Basket are organized by sector such that the sectors within the Long Equity Basket are weighted the same (i.e., sector neutral) as the eleven (11) sectors in a market capitalization weighted portfolio of the largest 500 U.S. companies. Within the sector designations, stocks are selected based on a sector-specific indicator which scores companies based on fundamental growth and value signals, as described below, and the stocks with the highest scores within each sector are selected for a total of approximately 100 stocks in the Long Equity Basket. Stocks are then weighted within each sector of the Long Equity Basket according to their volatility characteristics with greater weight given to stocks with lower volatility. Weighting is determined by using the standard deviation (a measure of volatility) and beta (a measure of correlation) of such stocks. The Long Treasury Basket consists of U.S. Treasury bills with maturities of up to one (1) year.
The Short Equity Basket consists of short positions in the largest 500 U.S. companies, weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization, designed to act as a market risk hedge. Short selling involves selling a security that is not owned but has been borrowed from a third party with the intention of buying an identical security at the market price at a later date to return to that third party. Unlike long positions which profit from increases in the price of a security, short positions profit from the falling price of a security.
The Index provides a dynamic allocation of either (i) 100% exposure to the Long Equity Basket and 0% exposure to the Long Treasury Basket, or (ii) 0% exposure to the Long Equity Basket and 100% exposure to the Long Treasury Basket, while employing a variable hedge of either 75% or 100% exposure to the Short Equity Basket, based on a quantitative rules-based market indicator that scores growth and value market signals. Accordingly, the Index is designed to have favorable returns during a declining U.S. equity market (a “bear” market”). The growth and value signals are determined by the following criteria: (i) the growth indicator is predicated on the change of the profit margin (e.g., operating income to sales) and profit quality (e.g., operating cash flow over operating income) of the securities in the starting universe of companies; and (ii) the value indicator is predicated on the value of the price multiples (e.g., market capitalization to equity) of the securities in the starting universe of companies. The resulting value and growth scores are equally weighted and calculated using rolling three- month averages. During times when the market indicator model shows attractive readings (high score) on valuation and growth characteristics, which are designed to indicate more favorable conditions for the U.S. equity market environment, the Index provides 100% exposure to the Long Equity Basket (and, accordingly, 0% exposure to the Long Treasury Basket) and a hedge with 75% exposure to the Short Equity Basket. During times when the market indicator model shows unattractive readings (low score) on valuation and growth characteristics, which are designed to indicate less favorable conditions for the U.S. equity market environment, the Index provides 0% exposure to the Long Equity Basket (and, accordingly, 100% exposure to the Long Treasury Basket) and a hedge with 100% exposure to the Short Equity Basket.
The stocks within the Index’s Long Equity Basket are reconstituted and rebalanced on a quarterly basis. The amount of exposure to the Index’s Short Equity Basket is reset on a monthly basis; however, the stocks within the Index’s Short Equity Basket are reconstituted and rebalanced annually.
The Fund will generally hold long positions (and may hold short positions) in a manner similar to the Index, although the Fund’s exposure to short positions is expected to be obtained through derivatives, such as futures contracts and swaps.
WisdomTree Investments, Inc., as index provider, currently uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Index: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, real estate, communication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of September 30, 2019, a significant portion of the Long Equity Basket was comprised of companies in the information technology sector.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share
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(“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Hedging Risk. Derivatives used by the Fund to offset its exposure to market volatility may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The value of an investment in the Fund could be significantly and negatively impacted if securities shorted by the Fund appreciate at the same time the Fund's long positions decrease in value.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer or counterparty to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund invests in derivatives, including as a substitute to gain short exposure to equity securities and equity indexes. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of futures contracts and/or swaps. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to swaps and futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual indexes or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the indexes or securities and the prices of swaps and futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for swaps and futures contracts at any particular time.
Geopolitical Risk. The United States has experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of the United States) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
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Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. The Index is heavily dependent on quantitative models and data from one or more third parties and the Index may not perform as intended.If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the information technology sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The information technology sector includes, for example, internet, semiconductor, software, hardware, and technology equipment companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development, and government regulation.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may result in a high portfolio turnover rate. Higher portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and the distribution of additional capital gains, which generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders. These factors may negatively affect the Fund’s performance.
Short Sales Risk. The Fund engages in “short sale” transactions. The Fund will lose value if the security or instrument that is the subject of a short sale increases in value. The Fund also may enter into short positions in
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  equities as well as a short derivative position through swaps and futures contracts on equities. If the price of the security or derivative that is the subject of a short sale increases, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to a third party in connection with the short sale. The risk of loss on a shorted position arises from the increase in value of the security sold short and is potentially unlimited unlike the risk of loss on a long position, which is limited to the amount paid for the investment plus transaction costs. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund. Further, in times of unusual or adverse economic, market or political conditions, the Fund may not be able to fully or partially implement its short selling strategy.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. If WisdomTree Asset Management had not waived certain fees during certain periods, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was (11.46)%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 2.02% 3Q/2016
Lowest Return (5.87)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund 1 Year Since Inception
December 23, 2015
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (4.38)% 0.80%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (4.38)% 0.80%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (2.60)% 0.61%
WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (5.93)% (0.04)%
S&P 500 Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (4.38)% 8.83%
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WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund 1 Year Since Inception
December 23, 2015
S&P 500 Inverse Daily Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 5.48% (7.64)%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2015.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2015.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2015.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.53%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.53%
Fee Waivers (0.05)% 1
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.48% 1
1 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.48% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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
  $ 49 $ 165 $ 291 $ 660
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 184% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index includes long U.S. equity positions (the “Long Equity Basket”) and, at times, short U.S. equity positions (the “Short Equity Basket”). The Long Equity Basket consists of approximately 100 U.S. large-capitalization stocks that meet Index eligibility requirements and have the best combined score based on fundamental growth and value signals. The starting universe of companies eligible for inclusion in the Long Equity Basket includes companies that meet the following criteria as of the quarterly Index screening date: (i) incorporated and headquartered in the United States; (ii) listed on a U.S. stock exchange; (iii) market capitalization of at least $2 billion; and (iv) average
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daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for the preceding three months. Eligible securities for the Long Equity Basket are organized by sector such that the sectors within the Long Equity Basket are weighted the same (i.e., sector neutral) as the eleven (11) sectors in a market capitalization weighted portfolio of the largest 500 U.S. companies. Within the sector designations, stocks are selected based on a sector-specific indicator which scores companies based on fundamental growth and value signals, as described below, and the stocks with the highest scores within each sector are selected for a total of approximately 100 stocks in the Long Equity Basket. Stocks are then weighted within each sector of the Long Equity Basket according to their volatility characteristics with greater weight given to stocks with lower volatility. Weighting is determined by using the standard deviation (a measure of volatility) and beta (a measure of correlation) of such stocks.
The Short Equity Basket consists of short positions in the largest 500 U.S. companies, weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization, designed to act as a market risk hedge. Short selling involves selling a security that is not owned but has been borrowed from a third party with the intention of buying an identical security at the market price at a later date to return to that third party. Unlike long positions which profit from increases in the price of a security, short positions profit from the falling price of a security.
The Index maintains 100% exposure to the Long Equity Basket while employing a variable hedge ranging from 0% to 100% exposure to the Short Equity Basket based on a quantitative rules-based market indicator that scores growth and value market signals. The growth and value signals are determined by the following criteria: (i) the growth indicator is predicated on the change of the profit margin (e.g., operating income to sales) and profit quality (e.g., operating cash flow over operating income) of the securities in the starting universe of companies; and (ii) the value indicator is predicated on the value of the price multiples (e.g., market capitalization to equity) of the securities in the starting universe of companies. The resulting value and growth scores are equally weighted and calculated using rolling three-month averages. During times when the market indicator model shows attractive readings (high score) on valuation and growth characteristics, which are designed to indicate more favorable conditions for the broader U.S. equity market, the Index is unhedged with 0% exposure to the Short Equity Basket. During times when the market indicator model shows unattractive readings (low score) on valuation and growth characteristics, which are designed to indicate less favorable conditions for the broader U.S. equity market, the Index seeks to hedge broader U.S. equity market risk by increasing exposure to the Short Equity Basket.
The stocks within the Index’s Long Equity Basket are reconstituted and rebalanced on a quarterly basis. The amount of exposure to the Index’s Short Equity Basket is reset on a monthly basis; however, the stocks within the Index’s Short Equity Basket are reconstituted and rebalanced annually.
The Fund will generally hold long positions (and may hold short positions) in a manner similar to the Index, although the Fund’s exposure to short positions is expected to be obtained through derivatives, such as futures contracts and swaps.
WisdomTree Investments, Inc., as index provider, currently uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Index: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, real estate, communication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of September 30, 2019, a significant portion of the Long Equity Basket was comprised of companies in the information technology sector.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
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Hedging Risk. Derivatives used by the Fund to offset its exposure to market volatility may not perform as intended. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The value of an investment in the Fund could be significantly and negatively impacted if securities shorted by the Fund appreciate at the same time the Fund's long positions decrease in value.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer or counterparty to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund invests in derivatives, including as a substitute to gain short exposure to equity securities and equity indexes. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of futures contracts and/or swaps. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to swaps and futures contracts, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual indexes or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the indexes or securities and the prices of swaps and futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for swaps and futures contracts at any particular time.
Geopolitical Risk. The United States has experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of the United States) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to
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  cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. The Index is heavily dependent on quantitative models and data from one or more third parties and the Index may not perform as intended. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the information technology sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The information technology sector includes, for example, internet, semiconductor, software, hardware, and technology equipment companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development, and government regulation.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. Securities of mid-capitalization companies are often less stable and more vulnerable to market volatility and adverse economic developments than securities of larger companies.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may result in a high portfolio turnover rate. Higher portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and the distribution of additional capital gains, which generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders. These factors may negatively affect the Fund’s performance.
Short Sales Risk. The Fund engages in “short sale” transactions. The Fund will lose value if the security or instrument that is the subject of a short sale increases in value. The Fund also may enter into short positions in equities as well as a short derivative position through swaps and futures contracts on equities. If the price of the security or derivative that is the subject of a short sale increases, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to a third party in connection with the short sale. The risk of loss on a shorted position arises from the increase in value of the security sold short and is potentially unlimited unlike the risk of loss on a long position, which is limited to the amount paid for the investment plus transaction costs. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. Also, there is
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  the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund. Further, in times of unusual or adverse economic, market or political conditions, the Fund may not be able to fully or partially implement its short selling strategy.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. If WisdomTree Asset Management had not waived certain fees during certain periods, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was (4.47)%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 6.88% 3Q/2018
Lowest Return (15.92)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund 1 Year Since Inception
December 23, 2015
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (8.39)% 7.02%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (8.91)% 6.45%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (4.69)% 5.32%
WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (8.14)% 7.50%
S&P 500 Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (4.38)% 8.83%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
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Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2015.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2015.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2015.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc., and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Balanced Income Index (the "Index").
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.40%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 0.32%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.72% 1
Fee Waivers (0.37)% 2
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers 0.35% 2
1 The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s financial highlights and financial statements because the financial highlights and financial statements reflect only the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which are fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund through its investments in certain underlying investment companies.
2 WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”) has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its Management Fee in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments in Underlying Funds, as defined below, as well as an additional amount such that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers equals 0.35%, through December 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of WisdomTree Trust for any reason at any time.
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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 $ 193 $ 364 $ 860
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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal period, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 3% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund's capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
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The Index is designed to provide a balanced exposure to global equities and fixed income, including developed and emerging markets. The Index is comprised of exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) with approximately a 60% allocation to equities and a 40% allocation to fixed income. The ETFs comprising the Index, which may include WisdomTree ETFs and non-WisdomTree ETFs, must trade on a U.S. stock exchange and the Index is reconstituted and rebalanced annually to approximately a 60% equity exposure and a 40% fixed income exposure. The fixed income exposure includes government bonds and corporate bonds (including high yield bonds, commonly referred to as “junk bonds”), as well as mortgage-backed securities and other mortgage-related products. A quarterly rebalance will occur to the extent such exposures deviate by greater than 2% in order to maintain an approximate 60% equity exposure and 40% fixed income exposure. The Fund expects to operate as a fund-of-funds and invest in ETFs comprising the Index (each, an “Underlying Fund”).
WisdomTree Investments, Inc., as Index provider, currently uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define equity securities within a sector. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of September 30, 2019, companies in the financial sector comprised a significant portion of the Index.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity and fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. Because securities held by the Fund trade on, or have exposure to, foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
Capital Controls and Sanctions Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to foreign government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments, economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities or other assets, which may potentially include derivative instruments related thereto. Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to, foreign securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value.
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Currency Exchange Rate Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may also change quickly, unpredictably, and without warning, and you may lose money.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.
Financial Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the financial sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The financial sector includes, for example, banks and financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, the availability and cost of capital, and fallout from the housing and sub-prime mortgage crisis.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments and may be heightened in connection with investments in developing or emerging markets countries.
Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies organized in the United States and Europe, although this may change from time to time. In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”). After two years of negotiating the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, the date for withdrawal has currently been extended until October 31, 2019. Although it is unclear how withdrawal negotiations will be conducted or concluded, United Kingdom businesses are increasingly preparing for a disorderly Brexit, which could have severe consequences for the people, businesses and economies of the United Kingdom and the EU, as well as those of the broader global economy. Withdrawal is expected to be followed by a transition period during which businesses and others prepare for the new post-Brexit rules to take effect on January 1, 2021.
Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
High Yield Securities Risk. Higher yielding, high risk debt securities, sometimes referred to as junk bonds, may present additional risk because these securities may be less liquid and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be more susceptible to issuer-specific operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions.
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Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates and changes to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. For example, the price of a security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates.
Investment in Underlying Funds Risk. The Fund’s investment performance and risks may be directly related to the investment performance and risks of Underlying Funds.
Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.
Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument may cause such issuer to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain types of mortgage- and asset-backed securities. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities can also be subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgages or other assets. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are subject to fluctuations in yield due to prepayment rates that may be faster or slower than expected. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a mortgage-related transaction would expose the Fund to possible loss.
Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for each full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns,
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both before and after taxes. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2019 was 13.10%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in the bar chart above)
  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 2.48% 3Q/2018
Lowest Return (6.02)% 4Q/2018
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2018
WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund 1 Year Since Inception
December 21, 2017
Return Before Taxes Based on NAV (6.58)% (5.86)%
Return After Taxes on Distributions (7.48)% (6.81)%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (3.42)% (4.53)%
WisdomTree Balanced Income Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (6.59)% (5.90)%
60/40 MSCI AC World/Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (5.67)% (5.12)%
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2017.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2017.
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Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in December 2017.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as NYSE Arca, and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund

Investment Objective
The WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund (the “Fund”) seeks total return.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.20%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.20%
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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 result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal period, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 11% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund's capital shares.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund is actively managed using a models-based approach. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in large-capitalization U.S. equity securities and U.S. Treasury futures contracts.
The Fund invests in a representative basket of U.S. equity securities of large-capitalization companies generally weighted by market capitalization. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest approximately 90% of its net assets in U.S. equity securities.
The remainder of the net assets, which WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., the Fund’s investment adviser (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”), expects to be in cash and cash equivalents, will serve as collateral for U.S. Treasury futures contracts’ positions of varying maturities ranging from 2 to 30 years, which are selected to achieve a target duration of 3 to 8 years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a portfolio to changes in interest rates with a longer duration portfolio being more sensitive to changes in interest rates. Under normal circumstances, the notional exposure to the aggregate U.S. Treasury futures contracts’ positions will represent approximately 60% of the Fund’s net assets. The Adviser expects that the level of interest rate risk offered by the weighted positions in the U.S. Treasury futures contracts will be set and maintained at risk levels consistent with intermediate term fixed income securities. It is anticipated that the U.S. Treasury futures contracts will be rolled as they near expiry into new contracts, with the size of the futures positions at different maturity points adjusted to maintain the desired interest rate risk exposure.
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To the extent exposure of the equity and fixed income portions of the Fund deviates from the targeted 90% equity and 60% U.S. Treasury futures contracts allocations noted above by 5% or greater, it is anticipated that the Fund will be rebalanced to more closely align with the original target allocations.
WisdomTree Asset Management uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Fund: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, real estate, communication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of September 30, 2019, companies in the information technology sector comprised a significant portion of the Fund.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
Leveraging Risk. The risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as the use of derivative instruments, will give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss.
Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.
Market Risk. The trading prices of equity securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy will require it to redeem shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments 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 recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund invests in derivatives to gain exposure to U.S. Treasuries. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as leverage, counterparty and issuer credit risk, interest rate risk, market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.
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Futures Contracts Risk. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement for the future sale by one party and the purchase by another of a specified security or instrument at a specified price and time. The risks of futures contracts include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time.
Geopolitical Risk. The United States has experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of the United States) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the information technology sector, and therefore the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The information technology sector includes, for example, internet, semiconductor, software, hardware, and technology equipment companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development, and government regulation.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities, and financial instruments related to fixed income securities, will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates and changes to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. Funds with longer durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. For example, the price of a security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest in the securities of large-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. Large-capitalization companies may adapt more slowly to new competitive challenges and be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Models and Data Risk. While the Fund is actively managed, the Fund’s investment process is expected to be heavily dependent on quantitative models and the models may not perform as intended. Errors in data used in the models may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.
Fund Performance
The Fund commenced operations on August 2, 2018, and therefore does not have performance history for a full calendar year. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund’s return based on net assets and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance. Updated performance information for the Fund is available online on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.
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Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in August 2018.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in August 2018.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in August 2018.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as NYSE Arca, and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains.
Payments 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) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.
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Additional Information About the Funds
Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Objectives
The 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund, Europe Multifactor Fund and Japan Multifactor Fund are actively-managed funds (each, an "Active Fund" and, collectively, the "Active Funds"). Each Fund, except the Active Funds, is a passively-managed fund (each, an "Index Fund" and, collectively, the "Index Funds") that seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of an underlying index (each, an "Index"). Each Index Fund, except the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund, uses an Index developed by WisdomTree Investments. Each such Index consists of securities in the market suggested by its name that meet specific criteria developed by WisdomTree Investments. The ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P China 500 Index, which is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or its affiliates. 
Since each Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy, each Fund’s investment objective may be changed without a vote of shareholders upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies
Index Funds. Each Index Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the types of securities suggested by its name (i.e., investments connoted by its Index), as applicable. Each Index Fund anticipates meeting this policy because, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of each Index Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in component securities of its underlying Index (including indirect investments through the Underlying Funds for each of the Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund and the Balanced Income Fund (the “Funds of Funds”)) and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities, such as TBA Transactions and depositary receipts based on component securities. WisdomTree Asset Management expects that, over time, the correlation between an Index Fund’s performance and that of its Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. A number of factors may affect an Index Fund’s ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with its Index, and there can be no guarantee that an Index Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation.
The quantity of holdings in an Index Fund, each of which generally uses a representative sampling strategy, will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. In addition, from time to time, securities are added to or removed from an Index and consequently the attributes of an Index, such as sectors, industries or countries represented in an Index and weightings, may change. Each Index Fund may sell securities that are represented in an Index, or purchase securities that are not yet represented in an Index, in anticipation of their removal from or addition to an Index or to reflect various corporate actions or other changes to an Index. Further, each Index Fund may overweight or underweight securities in an Index, purchase or sell securities not in the Index, or utilize various combinations of other available techniques, in seeking to track an Index.
Indices. Each Index, except for the S&P China 500 Index, is either (i) “fundamentally weighted” and differs from most traditional indexes in that the proportion, or “weighting,” of the securities in each Index is based on a measure of fundamental value, such as dividends or volatility, or (ii) modified market capitalization weighted based on a combination of market cap and a correlation rank factor based on equity performance. Most traditional indexes and index funds weight their securities by looking simply at the market capitalization of such securities.
For each “Dividend Index” only regular dividends (i.e., established or quarterly dividends as opposed to non-recurring or special dividends) are included in the determination of cash dividends or dividend yield.
Multifactor Funds. Each of the Europe Multifactor Fund and Japan Multifactor Fund (each, a "Multifactor Fund" and, together, the "Multifactor Funds") will normally invest at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings, in investments that are tied economically to the particular country or geographic region suggested by that Fund’s name. To be eligible for inclusion in the model for each Multifactor Fund, two or more of the following factors must be met to determine whether an investment is tied economically to a particular country or region: the source of government guarantees (if any); the primary trading market; the issuer’s domicile, country of incorporation, sources of revenue, and location of assets; whether the investment is included in an index representative of a particular country or region; and whether the investment is exposed to the economic fortunes and risks of a particular country or region.
International Equity Funds. For U.S. investors, international equity investments include two components of return. The first is the return attributable to stock prices in the non-U.S. market or markets in which an investment is made. The second is the return attributable to the value of non-U.S. currencies in these markets relative to the U.S. dollar.
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Funds designated as “International” generally invest in developed markets outside the United States. Funds designated as “Global” generally invest in developed and emerging markets throughout the world, including the United States and other regions.
Hedged Equity Funds. The Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund, Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund and Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund (collectively, the “Dynamic Hedged Equity Funds”) employ strategies to “hedge” against fluctuations in the relative value of non-U.S. currencies included in its underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. The Dynamic Hedged Equity Funds and the Multifactor Funds seek to track the performance of equity securities in foreign markets while dynamically hedging currency fluctuations in the relative value of applicable foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar using quantitative signals to determine hedge ratios on the foreign currencies. While currency hedging seeks to reduce or eliminate losses from currency, it can also reduce or eliminate gains from currency to the extent a currency hedge is applied at an inopportune time.
Non-Principal Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies
Each Index Fund may invest in other investments that the Fund believes will help it track its Index, including cash and cash equivalents, as well as in shares of other investment companies (including affiliated investment companies, such as ETFs), forward contracts, futures contracts and swaps.
Each Active Fund may invest in other investments that the Fund believes will help it achieve its investment objective, including cash and cash equivalents, as well as in shares of other investment companies (including affiliated investment companies, such as ETFs).
Securities Lending. Each Fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount not to exceed one-third (33 1/3%) of the value of its total assets via a securities lending program through its securities lending agent, State Street Bank and Trust Company, to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions desiring to borrow securities to complete transactions and for other purposes. A securities lending program allows a Fund to receive a portion of the income generated by lending its securities and investing the respective collateral. A Fund will receive collateral for each loaned security which is at least equal to the market value of that security, marked to market each trading day. In the securities lending program, the borrower generally has the right to vote the loaned securities; however, a Fund may call loans to vote proxies if a material issue affecting the Fund’s economic interest in the investment is to be voted upon. Security loans may be terminated at any time by a Fund.
Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds
This section provides additional information regarding the principal risks described under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Fund Summaries. Risk information may not be applicable to each Fund. Please consult each Fund's Summary sections to determine which risks are applicable to a particular Fund. Each of the factors below could have a negative impact on Fund performance and trading prices.
Active Management Risk
The Active Funds are actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. Each Active Fund is subject to active management or security-selection risk and its performance therefore will reflect, in part, the ability of the Sub-Adviser to select investments and to make investment decisions that are suited to achieving a Fund’s investment objective. The Sub-Adviser’s assessment of a particular investment, company, sector or country and/or assessment of broader economic, financial or other macro views, may prove incorrect, including because of factors that were not adequately foreseen, and the selection of investments may not perform as well as expected when those investments were purchased or as well as the markets generally, resulting in Fund losses or underperformance. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will produce the intended results and no guarantee that the Active Funds will achieve their investment objective or outperform other investment strategies over the short- or long-term market cycles. This risk is exacerbated when an investment or multiple investments made as a result of such decisions are significant relative to an Active Fund’s net assets.
Capital Controls and Sanctions Risk
Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions, may, without prior warning, lead to government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments, economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities or other assets, which may potentially include derivative instruments related thereto. Levies may be placed on profits repatriated by foreign
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entities (such as the Funds). Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to, foreign securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of a Fund, and cause a Fund to decline in value.
Cash Redemption Risk
When a Fund's investment strategy requires it to redeem shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds, it may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause a Fund to recognize capital gains that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind (i.e., distribute securities as payment of redemption proceeds). As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. In addition, to the extent redemptions are received when a Fund is unable to sell certain of its portfolio investments, either due to the closure of markets where such portfolio investments trade or otherwise, the Fund and its remaining investors will bear the risk associated with fluctuations in the value of such portfolio investments when they would otherwise not be required to do so, which could result in a disproportionate reduction in the Fund's NAV applicable to the Fund's remaining investors to the extent the value of such portfolio investments materially decreases prior to their ultimate sale. You should be aware that such reductions could potentially be extreme, to the extent the Fund experiences significant redemption requests during a period when it is unable to liquidate a material portion of its portfolio holdings.
In addition, transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease a Fund’s NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant, and such decrease may be particularly significant in the event of material redemptions as a result of the Fund’s need to sell or unwind investments to meet redemption requests, and could also adversely affect the Fund’s trading price, bid/ask spreads, yield and total return and could lead to higher tracking error.
Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk
Each Fund that engages in investment transactions or enters into derivative or other contracts with third parties (i.e., “counterparties”) bears the risk that the counterparty to such contracts may default on its obligations or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer or counterparty to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. If a counterparty defaults on its payment obligations the Fund will lose money and the value of an investment in Fund shares may decrease. In addition, the Fund may engage in such investment transactions with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Listed futures contracts can be traded on futures exchanges without material counterparty credit. After a trade is cleared, the exchange is the ultimate counterparty for all contracts, so the counterparty risk on a listed futures contract ultimately is the creditworthiness of the exchange’s clearing corporation.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk
Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of a Fund’s investments and the value of the Fund’s shares. Because each Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in a Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. This is true even if the local currency value of securities in the Fund’s holdings goes up. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the 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, 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 country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in a Fund may change quickly, unpredictably, and without warning, and you may lose money.
Dynamic Hedged Equity and Multifactor Funds Only: Each of the Funds employs various strategies to minimize the impact of changes in the value of applicable currencies, such as the euro and the Japanese yen, against the U.S. dollar. Each of the Funds employs various strategies to attempt to limit losses when a foreign currency depreciates
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against the U.S. dollar while participating in gains when a foreign currency appreciates against the U.S. dollar. However, these strategies may not be successful. In addition, a Fund may not be fully hedged at all times or hedged to the extent indicated by any or all of its quantitative signals, as applicable, in order to minimize transaction costs or for other reasons.
Cyber Security Risk
The Funds and their service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Funds in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of a Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data maintained online or digitally, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting a Fund’s third-party service providers, including the investment adviser, sub-adviser, administrator, custodian, and transfer agent, may subject a Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches and adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may impact a Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of confidential business information, impede trading, cause a Fund to incur additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, subject a Fund to regulatory fines or other financial losses, and/or cause reputational damage to a Fund. Cyber security breaches of market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which a Fund invests could also have material adverse consequences on a Fund’s business operations and cause financial losses for a Fund and its shareholders. While the Funds and their service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to address cyber security risks, prevent cyber-attacks and mitigate the impact of cyber security breaches, there are inherent limitations on such plans and systems. In addition, the Funds have no control over the cyber security protections put in place by their service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Funds or their shareholders.
Derivatives Risk
Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or currency exchange rate. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as market risk and issuer-specific risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in a Fund may change quickly and without warning, and you may lose money. Derivatives include forward currency contracts, futures contracts and swaps.
Forward Currency Contracts
A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A non-deliverable forward currency contract is a contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity. Rather, based on the movement of the currencies, a net cash settlement will be made by one party to the other. The risks of forward currency contracts include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations.
Futures Contracts
A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement for the future sale by one party and the purchase by another of a specified security or instrument at a specified price and time. A currency futures contract is a contract to exchange one currency for another at a specified date in the future at an agreed upon exchange rate. The risks of futures contracts include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of futures contracts; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time.
Swaps
A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. An interest rate swap typically involves the exchange of a floating interest rate payment for a fixed interest payment. A total return swap is an agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return of a reference asset in return for payments equal to a rate of interest on another reference asset. The risks of swaps include but are not limited to the potential to increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund’s investments and its share price.
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Foreign Securities Risk
Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. With respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries. Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in a Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell a Fund’s shares. Conversely, Fund shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are closed. Each of these factors can make investments in a Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments and may be heightened in connection with investments in developing or emerging market countries. Foreign securities also include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which 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. Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), which are similar to ADRs, represent shares of foreign-based corporations and are generally issued by international banks in one or more markets around the world. Investments in ADRs and GDRs may be less liquid and more volatile than underlying shares in their primary trading markets.
Geographic Investment Risk
To the extent that a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. 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 Fund’s performance. Currency developments or restrictions, political and social instability, and changing economic conditions have resulted in significant market volatility.
Emerging Markets Risk
Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. For example, developing and emerging markets may be subject to (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume and liquidity, (iii) greater social, political and economic uncertainty, (iv) governmental controls on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital, (v) lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards, (vi) fewer protections of property rights, (vii) restrictions on the transfer of securities or currency or payment of dividends and (viii) settlement and trading practices that differ from U.S. markets. Each of these factors may impact the Fund’s ability to buy, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to, emerging market securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund and cause a Fund to decline in value. The volatility of emerging markets may be heightened by the actions (such as significant buying and selling) of a few major investors. For example, substantial increases or decreases in cash flows of funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local securities’ prices and cause Fund share prices to decline. For these and other reasons, investments in emerging markets are often considered speculative.
Investments in Asia and the Pacific Region
While certain economies in this region are exemplars of growth and development, others have been and continue to be subject, to some extent, to over-extension of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, high unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports, and economic recessions. Each of these factors may impact the ability of a Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares and cause Fund shares to decline in value.
Investments in China
Although the Chinese economy has grown rapidly during recent years and the Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment, and reduce government control of the economy, there can be no guarantee that economic growth or these reforms will continue. Economic liberalization in China may also result in disparities of wealth that lead to social disorder,
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including violence and labor unrest. The Chinese economy may also experience slower growth if global or domestic demand for Chinese goods decreases significantly and/or key trading partners apply trade tariffs or implement other protectionist measures. The Chinese economy is also susceptible to rising rates of inflation, economic recession, market inefficiency, volatility, and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of publicly-available information and/or political and social instability. Strained relationships with neighboring countries, including any military conflicts in response to such confrontations, may negatively impact China’s economic development and destabilize the region. The government of China maintains strict currency controls in order to achieve economic, trade and political objectives and regularly intervenes in the currency market. The Chinese government places strict regulation on the Renminbi and Hong Kong dollar and manages the Renminbi and Hong Kong dollar so that they have historically traded in a tight range relative to the U.S. dollar. The Chinese government has been under pressure to manage the currency in a less restrictive fashion so that it is less correlated to the U.S. dollar. It is expected that such action would increase the value of the Renminbi and the Hong Kong dollar relative to the U.S. dollar. Of course, there can be no guarantee that this will occur, or that the Renminbi or the Hong Kong dollar will move in relation to the U.S. dollar as expected. The Chinese government also plays a major role in the country’s economic policies regarding foreign investments. Foreign investors are subject to the risk of loss from expropriation or nationalization of their investment assets and property, governmental restrictions on foreign investments and the repatriation of capital invested. China’s authoritarian government has also used force in the past to suppress civil dissent, and China’s foreign and domestic policies remain in conflict with those of Hong Kong as well as nationalist and religious groups in Xinjiang and Tibet. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Chinese economy as a whole.
Valuation Risk
Independent market quotations for the Chinese securities held by a Fund may not be readily available, and such securities may be fair valued. Fair valuation is subjective and different market participants may assign different prices to the same security. As a result, there is a risk that a Fund may not be able to sell a security at the price assigned to the security by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which a Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund shares.
RQFII Regime Risk
The ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund is not a RQFII but may obtain direct access to RQFII-permissible investments by using the RQFII quota of a RQFII, such as ICBCCS, the Fund’s sub-adviser. Investors should note that the sub-adviser’s RQFII status could be suspended or revoked if, among other things, the sub-adviser becomes insolvent or breaches the RQFII Measures, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund's performance as the Fund may be required to dispose of its securities holdings. In addition, restrictions may be imposed by the Chinese government on RQFIIs that may have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity and performance. Further, the sub-adviser’s RQFII quota could be reduced or cancelled by Chinese regulators if the sub-adviser fails to observe RQFII Measures and/or use its quota effectively within one year after the quota is granted.
Custody Risk
In accordance with Chinese regulations and the terms of a RQFII license, A-Shares purchased via the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund’s sub-adviser’s RQFII quota will be held in the joint names of the Fund and the sub-adviser. While the sub-adviser may not use such an account for any purpose other than for maintaining the Fund’s applicable assets, the Fund’s assets may not be as well protected as they would be if it were possible for them to be registered and held solely in the name of the Fund. There is a risk that creditors of the sub-adviser may assert that the applicable securities are owned by the sub-adviser and that regulatory actions taken against the sub-adviser may affect the Fund. The risk is particularly acute in the case of cash deposited with a PRC sub-custodian (‘‘PRC Custodian’’) because it will not be segregated and may be treated as a debt owing from the PRC Custodian to the Fund as a depositor. Thus, in the event of a PRC Custodian bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar event, the Fund may face difficulties and/or encounter delays in recovering its cash.
PRC Broker Risk
Currently, only a limited number of brokers are available to trade A-Shares with the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. As a result, the sub-adviser will have more limited flexibility to choose among brokers on behalf of the Fund than is typically the case for investment advisers. If the sub-adviser is unable to use a particular broker in the PRC, the operation of the Fund may be adversely affected. Further, the operation of the Fund may be adversely affected in case of any acts or omissions of the PRC broker, which may result in higher tracking error or the Fund being traded at a significant premium or discount to its NAV. If a single PRC broker is appointed,
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the Fund may not necessarily pay the lowest commission available in the market. There is also a risk that the Fund may suffer losses from the default, bankruptcy or disqualification of the PRC broker.
Investments in Europe
Most developed countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union (“EU”), many are also members of the European Economic and Monetary Union (“EMU”), and most EMU members are part of the euro zone, a group of EMU countries that share the euro as their common currency. Members of the EMU must comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls. The implementation of any of these EMU restrictions or controls, as well as any of the following events in Europe, may have a significant impact on the economies of some or all European countries: (i) the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, (ii) economic recession in an EU member country, (iii) changes in EU or governmental regulations on trade, (iv) substantial changes in currency exchange rates of the euro, the British pound, and other European currencies, (v) significant changes in the supply and demand for European imports or exports, and (vi) high unemployment rates.
In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the EU. As a result of the referendum, S&P downgraded the United Kingdom’s credit rating from “AAA” to “AA” and the EU’s credit rating from “AA+” to “AA” in the days that followed the vote. Other credit ratings agencies have taken similar actions. On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom invoked article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, notifying the European Council of the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the EU by March 29, 2019. However, after two years of negotiating the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, this date has been extended until October 31, 2019. Although it is unclear how withdrawal negotiations will be conducted or concluded, United Kingdom businesses are increasingly preparing for a disorderly Brexit, which could have severe consequences for the people, businesses and economies of the United Kingdom and the EU, as well as those of the broader global economy. Withdrawal is expected to be followed by a transition period during which businesses and others prepare for the new post-Brexit rules to take effect on January 1, 2021. It is possible that measures could be taken to revote the issue of Brexit, or that portions of the United Kingdom could seek to separate and remain a part of the EU. As a result of the uncertain consequences of Brexit and the political divisions both within the United Kingdom and between the United Kingdom and the EU highlighted by the referendum vote, the economies of the United Kingdom and Europe as well as the broader global economy could be significantly impacted, which may result in increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth on markets in the United Kingdom, Europe and globally that could potentially have an adverse effect on the value of the Fund’s investments.
Investments in Japan
Economic growth in Japan is heavily dependent on international trade, government support, and consistent government policy supporting its export market. Slowdowns in the economies of key trading partners such as the United States, China and countries in Southeast Asia could have a negative impact on the Japanese economy as a whole. Trade tariffs and other protectionist measures could also have an adverse impact on the Japanese export market. The Japanese economy has in the past been negatively affected by, among other factors, government intervention and protectionism and an unstable financial services sector. While the Japanese economy has recently emerged from a prolonged economic downturn, some of these factors, as well as other adverse political developments, increases in government debt, changes to fiscal, monetary or trade policies, escalating political tension in the region, or other events, such as natural disasters, could have a negative impact on Japanese securities.
Investments in Taiwan
The economy of Taiwan is heavily dependent on exports. Currency fluctuations, increasing competition from Asia’s other emerging economies, and conditions that weaken demand for Taiwan’s export products worldwide could have a negative impact on the Taiwanese economy as a whole. Concerns over Taiwan’s history of political contention and its current relationship with China may also have a significant impact on the economy of Taiwan.
Geopolitical Risk
Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally. Such geopolitical and other events may also disrupt securities markets and, during such market disruptions, a Fund’s exposure to the other risks described herein will likely increase. For
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example, a market disruption may adversely affect the orderly functioning of the securities markets. Each of the foregoing may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.
Hedging Risk
Derivatives used by the Fund to offset its exposure to foreign currencies or to market volatility may not perform as intended. When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the hedging transaction and the risk sought to be hedged. Since the derivatives used by the Fund to offset foreign currency exposure are generally reset on a monthly basis, currency risk can develop intra-month. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The Fund does not attempt to mitigate other factors which may have a greater impact on the Fund’s equity holdings and its performance than currency exposure. The value of an investment in the Fund could be significantly and negatively impacted if foreign currencies appreciate at the same time that the value of the Fund’s equity holdings fall or securities shorted by a Fund appreciate at the same time that the Fund's long positions decrease in value.
High Yield Securities Risk
Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield securities typically entail higher price volatility and may be less liquid than securities with higher ratings. High yield securities may be regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Funds may lose its entire investment.
Index and Data Risk
The Funds that employ a “passive management” or indexing investment approach are not “actively” managed and seek to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the applicable Index. The Index Provider has the right to make adjustments to the Indexes or to cease making the Indexes available without regard to the particular interests of the Funds or the Funds' shareholders. While the Index Provider provides a rules-based methodology that describes what each Index is designed to achieve within a particular set of rules, neither the Index Provider, its agents nor data providers provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the applicable Index, its calculation, valuation or its related data, and they do not guarantee that the applicable Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology, regardless of whether or not the Index Provider is affiliated with the Adviser. The composition of the Index is dependent on data from one or more third parties and/or the application of such data within the rules of the Index methodology, which may be based on assumptions or estimates. If the computers or other facilities of the Index Provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index computations and/or the construction of the Indexes may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index Provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Funds and their shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Indexes, which are generally not used as benchmarks by other funds or managers. Any of the foregoing may lead to the inclusion of securities in an Index, exclusion of securities from an Index or the weighting of securities in an Index that would have been different had data or other information been correct or complete, which may lead to a different investment outcome than would have been the case had such events not occurred. The Adviser, through a Sub-Adviser, seeks to manage each Fund to correspond to the applicable Index provided by the Index Provider. Consequently, losses or costs associated with an Index’s errors or other risks described above will generally be borne by the Funds and their shareholders and neither the Adviser nor its affiliates or agents make any representations or warranties regarding the foregoing.
Interest Rate Risk
The market value of fixed income securities, and financial instruments related to fixed income securities, will change in response to changes in interest rates and may change in response to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. As interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities is likely to decrease. Similarly, if interest rates decline, the value of fixed income securities is likely to increase. While securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields, the prices of longer maturity securities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates and thus subject to greater volatility than securities with shorter maturities. The “average portfolio maturity” of the Fund is the average of all the current maturities of the individual securities in the Fund’s
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portfolio. Average portfolio maturity is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with longer portfolio maturities generally are subject to greater interest rate risk.
Investment Risk
As with all investments, an investment in a Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in a Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time. An investment in a Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Investment in an Underlying Fund Risk
Because the Funds of Funds may invest a substantial portion of their assets in Underlying Funds, the Fund’s investment performance and risks may be directly related to the investment performance and risks of the applicable Underlying Fund(s). Fund shareholders indirectly bear a proportionate share of the fees and expenses of an Underlying Fund in addition to the Fund’s expenses absent a waiver. These risks include the possibility that an Underlying Fund may experience a lack of liquidity that can result in greater volatility than its underlying securities; an Underlying Fund may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value; or an Underlying Fund may not replicate exactly the performance of the benchmark index it seeks to track.
Investment Style Risk
Each Index Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Index Funds do not attempt to outperform their Indexes or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, each Index Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index. The returns from the types of securities in which a Fund invests may underperform returns from the various general securities markets or different asset classes. This may cause a Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes. Different types of securities (for example, large-, mid- and small-capitalization stocks) tend to go through cycles of doing better or worse than the general securities markets. In the past, these periods have lasted for as long as several years.
Dividend Paying Securities Risk
Securities that pay dividends, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform the overall equity market or stocks of companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend policies of the companies held by a Fund or the capital resources available for such company’s dividend payments may adversely affect the Fund. In the event a company reduces or eliminates its dividend, a Fund may not only lose the dividend payout but the stock price of the company may also fall.
Growth Investing Risk
Growth stocks, as a group, may be out of favor with the market and underperform value stocks or the overall equity market. Growth stocks generally are priced higher than non-growth stocks, in relation to the issuer’s earnings and other measures, because investors believe they have greater growth potential, but there is no guarantee that their growth potential will be realized. Growth stocks are generally more sensitive to market movements than other types of stocks primarily because their prices are based heavily on future expectations. If investors believe an issuing company’s future earnings expectations will not be met, growth stock prices can decline rapidly and significantly. An investment in growth stocks may also be susceptible to rapid price swings during periods of economic uncertainty.
Issuer Credit Risk
The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument may cause such issuer to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security, or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The Funds cannot collect interest and principal payments on a security if the issuer defaults. Recent events in the financial sector have resulted in increased concerns about credit risk and exposure. Well-known financial institutions have experienced significant liquidity and other problems and have defaulted on their debt. The degree of credit risk for a particular debt security or other issuer may be reflected in its credit rating. A credit rating is a measure of a bond issuer’s ability to make timely payments of interest and principal. Rating agencies (such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., Standard & Poor’s Corporation, or Fitch) assign letter designations typically ranging from AAA to A- (lower default risk) through CCC to C (higher default risk) or D (in default). A credit rating of BBB- or higher generally is considered “investment grade.” Credit ratings are subjective, do not remove market risk, and represent the opinions of the rating agencies as to the quality of the securities they rate. Credit ratings can change quickly and may not accurately reflect the risk of an issuer. Generally, investment risk and
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price volatility increase as the credit rating of a security declines. The value of an investment in the Funds may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Funds’ portfolio investments.
Issuer-Specific Risk
Changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of security or issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can affect a security’s or instrument’s value. The value of securities of smaller, less well-known issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers. Issuer-specific events can have a negative impact on the value of a Fund.
Leveraging Risk
The risk that certain transactions of the 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund, such as the use of derivative instruments, will give rise to leverage, magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss.
Market Capitalization Risk
Small-Capitalization Investing
The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some small capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization companies. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. Small-capitalization companies also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings.
Mid-Capitalization Investing
The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some medium capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources, and management personnel and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to large-capitalization companies.
Large-Capitalization Investing
Securities of large-capitalization companies may underperform securities of smaller companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.
Market Risk
The trading prices of equity securities, fixed income securities, currencies, and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. These factors include events impacting the entire market or specific market segments, such as political, market and economic developments, including, but not limited to, changes in interest rates, government regulation, and the outlook for economic growth or recession, as well as events that impact specific issuers, such as changes to an issuer’s actual or perceived creditworthiness. A Fund’s NAV and market price, like security and commodity prices generally, may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Models and Data Risk
The Active Funds are actively managed based upon the Adviser’s quantitative model, which is heavily dependent on data from one or more third parties and may not perform as intended. If the computers or other facilities of the data providers malfunction for any reason, model calculation and dissemination may be delayed, and trading of Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in the model data, calculations and/or the construction of the model may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Adviser or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
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The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the model, which will likely not be used by other funds or managers.
Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk
Movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain types of mortgage- and asset-backed securities. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities can also be subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgages or other assets. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are subject to fluctuations in yield due to prepayment rates that may be faster or slower than expected. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA Transaction would expose a fund to possible loss.
Non-Correlation Risk
As with all index funds, the performance of an Index Fund and its Index may vary somewhat for a variety of reasons. For example, each Index Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs, while also managing cash flows and potential operational inefficiencies, not incurred by its Index. In addition, an Index Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of its Index at all times or may hold securities not included in its Index or may be subject to pricing differences, differences in the timing of dividend accruals, tax gains or losses, currency convertibility and repatriation, operational inefficiencies and the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. For example, it may take several business days for additions and deletions to an Index to be reflected in the portfolio composition of an Index Fund. The use of sampling techniques may affect an Index Fund’s ability to achieve close correlation with its Index. By using a representative sampling strategy, an Index Fund generally can be expected to have a greater non-correlation risk and this risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions.
Non-Diversification Risk
Each Fund is considered to be non-diversified. This means that each Fund may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase a Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on a Fund’s performance. However, each Fund intends to satisfy the asset diversification requirements under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”) for qualification as a regulated investment company (“RIC”). See the “Taxes Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company” section of the SAI for detail regarding the asset diversification requirements.
Portfolio Turnover Risk
The Alternative Funds and Multifactor Funds' investment strategies may result in high portfolio turnover rates for those Funds. High portfolio turnover would result in correspondingly greater transaction expenses and may result in the distribution to shareholders of additional capital gains for tax purposes. These factors may negatively affect a Fund’s performance.
Sector Risks
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk
The consumer discretionary sector includes, for example, automobile, textile and retail companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, worldwide demand, competition, consumers’ disposable income levels, propensity to spend and consumer preferences, social trends, and marketing campaigns. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector have historically been characterized as relatively cyclical and therefore more volatile in times of change.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk
The consumer staples sector includes, for example, food and drug retail and companies whose primary lines of business are food, beverage and other household items, including agricultural products. This sector can be affected by, among other things, changes in price and availability of underlying commodities, rising energy prices and global economic conditions. Unlike the consumer discretionary sector, companies in the consumer staples sector have historically been characterized as non-cyclical in nature and therefore less volatile in times of change.
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Financial Sector Risk
The financial sector includes, for example, banks and financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, the availability and cost of capital, and fallout from the housing and sub-prime mortgage crisis. These factors and events have had, and may continue to have, a significant negative impact on the valuations and stock prices of companies in this sector and have increased the volatility of investments in this sector.
Industrial Sector Risk
The industrial sector includes, for example, aerospace and defense, non-residential construction, engineering, machinery, transportation, and commercial and professional services companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, business cycle fluctuations, worldwide economic growth, government and corporate spending, supply and demand for specific products and manufacturing, rapid technological developments, international political and economic developments, environmental issues, and tax and governmental regulatory policies. As the demand for, or prices of, industrials increase, the value of a Fund’s investments generally would be expected to also increase. Conversely, declines in the demand for, or prices of, industrials generally would be expected to contribute to declines in the value of such securities. Such declines may occur quickly and without warning and may negatively impact the value of a Fund and your investment.
Information Technology Sector Risk
The information technology sector includes, for example, internet, semiconductor, software, hardware, and technology equipment companies. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, the supply and demand for specific products and services, the pace of technological development, and government regulation. Challenges facing companies in the information technology sector include 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 that make existing products and services obsolete, and satisfying consumer demand.
Shares of the Funds May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV
As with all ETFs, Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of a Fund will not materially differ from a Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly, including due to timing reasons, perceptions about the NAV, supply and demand of a Fund’s shares (including disruptions in the creation/redemption process), during periods of market volatility and/or other factors. Because securities held by the International Equity Funds and Balanced Income Fund trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Funds' primary listing exchange is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of an underlying security and the security's last quoted price from the closed foreign market. This may result in premiums and discounts that are greater than those experienced by domestic ETFs. Thus, you may pay more (or less) than NAV when you buy shares of a Fund in the secondary market, and you may receive more (or less) than NAV when you sell those shares in the secondary market. If an investor purchases Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV of the Fund’s shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of the Fund’s shares, an investor may sustain losses.
Short Sales Risk
The Alternative Funds engage in “short sale” transactions. A short sale involves the sale by a Fund of an instrument or security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. Short sales are designed to profit from a decline in the price of a security or instrument. A Fund will lose value if the security or instrument that is the subject of a short sale increases in value. This is the opposite of traditional “long” investments where the value of the Fund increases as the value of a portfolio security or instrument increases. A Fund may enter into short positions in equities as well as short derivative positions through swaps and futures contracts on equities. If the price of the security or derivative that is the subject of a short sale increases, then a Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to a third party in connection with the short sale. The risk of loss on a shorted position arises from the increase in value of the security sold short and is potentially unlimited unlike the risk of loss on a long position, which is limited to the amount paid for the investment plus transaction costs. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a
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loss to a Fund. Further, in times of unusual or adverse economic, market or political conditions, the Fund may not be able to fully or partially implement its short selling strategy.
Stock Connect Risks
Quota limitations risk. Stock Connect is subject to daily quota limitations on investments, which may restrict the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund’s ability to invest in China A-Shares through Stock Connect on a timely basis, and the Fund may not be able to effectively pursue its investment policies. In addition, an investor cannot purchase and sell the same security on the same trading day, which may restrict the Fund’s ability to invest in A-Shares through Stock Connect and to enter into or exit trades on a timely basis.
Suspension risk. SEHK, SSE and SZSE reserve the right to suspend trading if necessary to ensure an orderly and fair market and manage risks prudently which could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to access the PRC market.
Differences in trading day. Stock Connect only operates on days when both the PRC and Hong Kong markets are open for trading and when banks in both markets are open on the corresponding settlement days. So it is possible that there are occasions when it is a normal trading day for the PRC market but Hong Kong investors (such as the Fund) cannot carry out any China A-Shares trading. The Fund may be subject to a risk of price fluctuations in China A-Shares during the time when Stock Connect is not trading as a result.
Restrictions on selling imposed by front-end monitoring. PRC regulations require that before an investor sells any share, there should be sufficient shares in the account; otherwise SSE or SZSE will reject the sell order concerned. SEHK will carry out pre-trade checking on China A-Shares sell orders of its participants (i.e., the stock brokers) to ensure there is no over-selling.
Clearing settlement and custody risks. HKSCC and ChinaClear establish the clearing links and each is a participant of the other to facilitate clearing and settlement of cross-boundary trades. As the national central counterparty of the PRC’s securities market, ChinaClear operates a comprehensive network of clearing, settlement and stock holding infrastructure. ChinaClear has established a risk management framework and measures that are approved and supervised by the CSRC. The chances of a ChinaClear default are considered to be remote.
Should the remote event of a ChinaClear default occur and ChinaClear be declared as a defaulter, HKSCC will, in good faith, seek recovery of the outstanding stocks and monies from ChinaClear through available legal channels or through ChinaClear’s liquidation. In that event, the Fund may suffer a delay in the recovery process or may not be able to fully recover its losses from ChinaClear.
The China A-Shares traded through Stock Connect are issued in scriptless form, so investors, such as the Fund, will not hold any physical China A-Shares. Hong Kong and overseas investors, such as the Fund, who have acquired Mainland Securities through Northbound trading maintain the Mainland Securities with their brokers’ or custodians’ stock accounts with the Central Clearing and Settlement System operated by HKSCC for the clearing securities listed or traded on SEHK.
Nominee arrangements in holding China A-Shares. HKSCC is the “nominee holder” of the Mainland Securities acquired by overseas investors (including the Fund) through Stock Connect. The CSRC Stock Connect rules expressly provide that investors enjoy the rights and benefits of the Mainland Securities acquired through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable laws. The CSRC has clarified that (i) the concept of nominee shareholding is recognized in China, (ii) overseas investors shall hold Mainland Securities through HKSCC and are entitled to proprietary interests in such securities as shareholders, (iii) China law does not expressly provide for a beneficial owner under the nominee holding structure to bring legal proceedings, nor does it prohibit a beneficial owner from doing so, (iv) as long as certification issued by HKSCC is treated as lawful proof of a beneficial owner’s holding of Mainland Securities under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region law, it would be fully respected by CSRC, and (v) as long as an overseas investor can provide evidential proof of direct interest as a beneficial owner, the investor may take legal actions in its own name in PRC courts. However, the courts in the PRC may consider that any nominee or custodian as registered holder of the Mainland Securities would have full ownership thereof, and even if the concept of beneficial owner is recognized under PRC law, those Mainland Securities would form part of the pool of assets of such entity available for distribution to creditors of such entities and/or that a beneficial owner may have no rights whatsoever in respect thereof. Consequently, neither a Fund nor its custodian can ensure that the Fund’s ownership of these securities or title thereto is assured.
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Under the rules of the Central Clearing and Settlement System operated by HKSCC for the clearing of securities listed or traded on SEHK, HKSCC as nominee holder shall have no obligation to take any legal action or court proceeding to enforce any rights on behalf of the investors in respect of the Mainland Securities in the PRC or elsewhere. Therefore, although the Fund’s ownership may be ultimately recognized and the HKSCC confirmed that it is prepared to provide assistance to the beneficial owners of Mainland Securities where necessary, the Fund may suffer difficulties or delays in enforcing its rights in China A-Shares. Moreover, whether PRC courts will accept the legal action independently initiated by the overseas investor with the certification of holding Mainland Securities issued by HKSCC has yet to be tested. To the extent that HKSCC is deemed to be performing safekeeping functions with respect to assets held through it, it should be noted that a Fund and its custodian will have no legal relationship with HKSCC and no direct legal recourse against HKSCC in the event that the Fund suffers losses resulting from the performance or insolvency of HKSCC.
China A-Share market suspension risks. Only certain A-Shares are eligible to be accessed through Stock Connect. Such securities may lose their eligibility at any time, in which case they could be sold but could no longer be purchased through Stock Connect. China A-Shares may only be bought or sold where the relevant A-Shares are traded on the SSE or the SZSE, as appropriate. Given that the A-Share market is considered volatile and unstable (with the risk of suspension of a particular stock, and/or the whole market, and/or government intervention), the subscription and redemption of shares may also be disrupted. An Authorized Participant is unlikely to redeem or subscribe shares if it considers that A-Shares may not be available.
Investor compensation. Investments of the Fund through Northbound trading via Stock Connect will not be covered by Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund. Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund is established to pay compensation to investors of any nationality who suffer pecuniary losses as a result of default of a licensed intermediary or authorized financial institution in relation to exchange-traded products in Hong Kong.
Since default matters in Northbound trading via Stock Connect do not involve products listed or traded in SEHK or Hong Kong Futures Exchange Limited, they will not be covered by the Investor Compensation Fund. Further, since the Fund is carrying out Northbound trading through securities brokers in Hong Kong but not PRC brokers, it is also not protected by the China Securities Investor Protection Fund in the PRC.
Trading costs. In addition to paying trading fees and stamp duties in connection with China A-Share trading, the Fund may be subject to new portfolio fees, dividend tax and tax concerned with income arising from stock transfers which are yet to be determined by the relevant authorities.
Operational risk. Stock Connect provides a new channel for investors from Hong Kong and overseas, such as the Fund, to access the China stock market directly. Stock Connect is premised on the functioning of the operational systems of the relevant market participants. Market participants are able to participate in this program subject to meeting certain information technology capability, risk management and other requirements as may be specified by the relevant exchange and/or clearing house.
The securities regimes and legal systems of the two markets differ significantly and in order for the trial program to operate, market participants may need to address issues arising from the differences on an on-going basis. Further, the “connectivity” in Stock Connect program requires routing of orders across the border. This has and will continue to require the development of new information technology systems on the part of the SEHK and exchange participants. There is no assurance that the systems of the SEHK and market participants will function properly or will continue to be adapted to changes and developments in both markets. In the event that the relevant systems failed to function properly, trading in both markets through the program could be disrupted. The Fund’s ability to access the China A-Share market (and hence to pursue their investment strategy) will be adversely affected.
Regulatory risk. The CSRC Stock Connect rules are departmental regulations having legal effect in the PRC. However, the application of such rules is untested, and there is no assurance that PRC courts will recognize such rules, e.g., in liquidation proceedings of PRC companies.
Stock Connect is novel in nature and is subject to regulations promulgated by regulatory authorities and implementation rules made by the stock exchanges in the PRC and Hong Kong. Further, new regulations may be promulgated from time to time by the regulators in connection with operations and cross-border legal enforcement in connection with cross-border trades through Stock Connect.
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The regulations are untested so far and there is no certainty as to how they will be applied. Moreover, the current regulations are subject to change. There can be no assurance that Stock Connect will not be abolished. The Fund, which may invest in the PRC markets through Stock Connect, may be adversely affected as a result of such changes.
Tax Risk in China
Uncertainties in PRC tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from investments in A-Shares could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. The Fund’s investments in securities, including A-Shares, issued by PRC companies may cause the Fund to become subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by the PRC.
If the Fund were considered to be a tax resident of the PRC, it would be subject to PRC corporate income tax at the rate of 25% on its worldwide taxable income. If the Fund were considered to be a non-resident enterprise with a “permanent establishment” in the PRC, it would be subject to PRC corporate income tax of 25% on the profits attributable to the permanent establishment. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser intend to operate the Fund in a manner that will prevent it from being treated as a tax resident of the PRC and from having a permanent establishment in the PRC. It is possible, however, that the PRC could disagree with that conclusion or that changes in PRC tax law could affect the PRC corporate income tax status of the Fund.
The PRC generally imposes withholding income tax at a rate of 10% on dividends, premiums, interest and capital gains originating in the PRC and paid to a company that is not a resident of the PRC for tax purposes and that has no permanent establishment in China. The withholding is in general made by the relevant PRC tax resident company making such payments. In the event the relevant PRC tax resident company fails to withhold the relevant PRC withholding income tax or otherwise fails to pay the relevant withholding income tax to the PRC tax authorities, the competent PRC tax authorities may, at their sole discretion, impose tax obligations on the Fund.
The Ministry of Finance of the PRC, the State Administration of Taxation of the PRC and the CSRC (collectively, the “PRC Tax Authorities”) issued the “Notice on the Pilot Program of Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect” Caishui [2014] No.81 (Notice 81), on October 31, 2014, which states that the capital gain from disposal of A-Shares by foreign investors enterprises via the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program will be temporarily exempt from withholding income tax. Notice 81 also states that the dividends derived from A-Shares by foreign investor enterprises is subject to 10% withholding income tax.
The PRC Tax Authorities issued the “Notice on the Pilot Program of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect” Caishui [2016] No.127 (Notice 127)” on November 5, 2016, which states that the capital gain from disposal of A-Shares by foreign investors enterprises via the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program will be temporarily exempt from withholding income tax. Notice 127 also states that the dividends derived from A-Shares by foreign investor enterprises is subject to 10% withholding income tax.
There is no indication of how long the temporary exemption will remain in effect and the Fund may be subject to such withholding income tax in the future. If, in the future, China begins applying tax rules regarding the taxation of income from investments through Stock Connect and/or begins collecting capital gains taxes on such investments, the Fund could be subject to withholding income tax liability if the Fund determines that such liability cannot be reduced or eliminated by applicable tax treaties. The PRC Tax Authorities may, in the future, issue further guidance in this regard and with potential retrospective effect. The negative impact of any such tax liability on the Fund’s return could be substantial.
In light of the uncertainty as to how gains or income that may be derived from the Fund’s investments in the PRC will be taxed, the Fund reserves the right to provide for withholding tax on such gains or income and withhold tax for the account of the Fund. Withholding tax may already be withheld at a broker/custodian level. If the Fund expects such withholding tax on trading in A-Shares to be imposed, it reserves the right to establish a reserve for such tax. If the Fund establishes such a reserve but is not ultimately subject to the tax, shareholders who redeemed or sold their shares while the reserve was in place will effectively bear the tax and may not benefit from the later release, if any, of the reserve. Conversely, if the Fund does not establish such a reserve but ultimately is subject to the tax, shareholders who redeemed or sold their shares prior to the tax being withheld, reserved or paid will have effectively avoided the tax, even if they benefited from the trading that precipitated the Fund’s payment of it. Investors should note that such provision may be excessive or inadequate to meet actual withholding tax liabilities (which could include interest and penalties) on the Fund’s investments. As a result, investors may be advantaged or disadvantaged depending on the final rules of the relevant PRC tax authorities.
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Any tax provision, if made, will be reflected in the NAV of the Fund at the time of debit or release of such provision and thus will impact shares which remain in the Fund at the time of debit or release of such provision. If the actual applicable tax levied by PRC tax authorities is greater than that provided for by the Fund so that there is a shortfall in the tax provision amount, investors should note that the NAV of the Fund may suffer more than the tax provision amount as the Fund will ultimately have to bear the additional tax liabilities. In this case, the then-existing and subsequent investors will be disadvantaged. On the other hand, if the actual applicable tax levied by PRC tax authorities is less than that provided for by the Fund so that there is an excess in the tax provision amount, investors who have redeemed Fund shares before the PRC tax authorities’ ruling, decision or guidance in this respect will be disadvantaged as they would have borne the loss from the Fund’s overprovision. In this case, the then-existing and subsequent investors may benefit if the difference between the tax provision and the actual taxation liability can be returned to the account of the Fund as assets thereof. In case of having excess in the tax provision amount (for example, the actual applicable tax levied by PRC tax authorities is less than the tax provision amount or due to a change in provisioning by the Fund), such excess shall be treated as property of the Fund and investors who have already transferred or redeemed their shares in the Fund will not be entitled or have any right to claim any part of the amount representing the excess.
Stamp duty under the PRC laws generally applies to the execution and receipt of taxable documents, which include contracts for the sale of A-Shares traded on PRC stock exchanges. In the case of such contracts, the stamp duty is currently imposed on the seller but not on the purchaser, at the rate of 0.1%. While overseas investors currently are exempt from value added taxes (currently at the rate of 6%) on capital gains derived from trading of A-Shares through Stock Connect, the PRC tax rules could be changed which could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund. In addition, urban maintenance and construction tax (currently at rates ranging from 1% to 7%), educational surcharge (currently at the rate of 3%) and local educational surcharge (currently at the rate of 2%) (collectively, the “surtaxes”) are imposed based on value added tax liabilities, so if the Fund were liable for value added tax it would also be required to pay the applicable surtaxes.
The PRC rules for taxation of Stock Connect are evolving and certain of the tax regulations to be issued by the PRC State Administration of Taxation and/or PRC SAFE to clarify the subject matter may apply retrospectively, even if such rules are adverse to the Fund and its investors. The imposition of such taxes, particularly on a retrospective basis, could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s returns. Before further guidance is issued and is well established in the administrative practice of the PRC tax authorities, the practices of the PRC tax authorities that collect PRC taxes relevant to the Fund may differ from, or be applied in a manner inconsistent with, the practices with respect to the analogous investments described herein or any further guidance that may be issued. The value of the Fund’s investment in the PRC and the amount of its income and gains could be adversely affected by an increase in tax rates or change in the taxation basis.
The above information is only a general summary of the potential PRC tax consequences that may be imposed on the Fund and its investors either directly or indirectly and should not be taken as a definitive, authoritative or comprehensive statement of the relevant matter. Investors should seek their own tax advice on their tax position with regard to their investment in the Fund.
The PRC government has implemented a number of tax reform policies in recent years. The current tax laws and regulations may be revised or amended in the future. Any revision or amendment in tax laws and regulations may affect the after-taxation profit of PRC companies and foreign investors in such companies, such as the Fund.
Additional Non-Principal Risk Information
Trading. Although each Fund’s shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. or Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (each, a "Listing Exchange") and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the Listing Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained. The trading market in a Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for a Fund’s holdings or due to irregular trading activity in the markets. Trading in shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Listing Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in shares on the Listing Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to Listing Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of a Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that Fund shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling Fund shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively
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small amounts of Fund shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price that an investor is willing to buy shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for shares based on trading volume and market liquidity (including for the underlying securities held by a Fund), and is generally lower if a Fund’s shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if a Fund’s shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in a Fund, asset swings in a Fund and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Shares of the Funds, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling. Due to the costs of buying or selling Fund shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Fund shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Securities Lending. Although the Funds are indemnified by the Funds' lending agent for losses incurred in connection with a borrower’s default with respect to a loan, the Funds bear the risk of loss of investing cash collateral and may be required to make payments to a borrower upon return of loaned securities if invested collateral has declined in value. Furthermore, because of the risks in delay of recovery, a Fund may lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price, and the Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities while they are being loaned. These events could also trigger negative tax consequences for a Fund.
Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Funds have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Fund shares may trade at a prolonged and material premium or discount to NAV (or not trade at all) and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting: (i) APs exit the business, have a business disruption (including through the types of disruptions described under “Cyber Security Risk” and “Operational Risk”) or otherwise become unable or unwilling to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business, have a business disruption (including through the types of disruptions described under “Cyber Security Risk” and “Operational Risk”) or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
This risk may be heightened for Funds that invest in markets that require foreign securities settlement and/or because Authorized Participants may be required to post collateral in relation to securities settlement, which only certain Authorized Participants may be able to do.
Operational Risk. The Funds and their service providers, including the investment adviser, sub-adviser, administrator, custodian, and transfer agent, may experience disruptions that arise from human error, processing and communications errors, counterparty or third-party errors, technology or systems failures, any of which may have an adverse impact on the Funds. Although the Funds and their service providers seek to mitigate these operational risks through their internal controls and operational risk management processes, these measures may not identify or may be inadequate to address all such risks.
Portfolio Holdings Information
Information about each Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is available at www.wisdomtree.com. In addition, each Fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings as of the end of its fiscal year (June 30) and its second fiscal quarter (December 31) in its reports to shareholders. Each Fund files its complete portfolio holdings as of the end of its first and third fiscal quarters (March 31 and September 30, respectively) with the SEC on Form N-Q no later than 60 days after the relevant fiscal period. Beginning in April 2019, the Funds have ceased filing Form N-Q and have commenced filing Form N-PORT. Part F of each Fund’s Form N-PORT filings for the first and third fiscal quarters will contain the complete schedule of portfolio holdings in the same manner as previously filed on Form N-Q. You can find the SEC filings on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov, or by calling WisdomTree Trust at 1-866-909-WISE (9473). A summarized description of each Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
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Management
Investment Adviser
As investment adviser, WisdomTree Asset Management has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the WisdomTree Trust (the “Trust”) and each of its separate investment portfolios called “Funds.” WisdomTree Asset Management is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10167, and is a leader in ETF management. As of September 30, 2019, WisdomTree Asset Management had assets under management totaling approximately $37.6 billion. WisdomTree Investments* is the parent company of WisdomTree Asset Management. WisdomTree Asset Management provides an investment program for each Fund. The Adviser provides proactive oversight of the Sub-Adviser, defined below, daily monitoring of the Sub-Adviser’s buying and selling of securities for each Fund, and regular review of the Sub-Adviser’s performance. In addition, the Adviser arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending, and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Funds to operate.
* “WisdomTree” is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments and has been licensed for use by the Trust. WisdomTree Investments has been issued a patent and has a patent application pending on the methodology and operation of its Indexes and the Funds.
For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, the Funds paid advisory fees to the Adviser, as a percentage of average daily net assets, in the amounts listed below.
Name of Fund Management Fee
Europe Multifactor Fund 0.48% 1
Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund 0.40% 2
Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund 0.30% 3
Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund 0.48% 1
Japan Multifactor Fund 0.48% 1
Emerging Markets Dividend Fund 0.32%
ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund 0.55%
U.S. Corporate Bond Fund 0.28% 5
U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund 0.48% 6
U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund 0.28% 5
U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund 0.48% 6
Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund 0.53% 4
Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund 0.53% 4
Balanced Income Fund 0.40% 7
90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund 0.20%
(1) The Adviser has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.43% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) for any reason at any time.
(2) The Adviser has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.35% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board for any reason at any time.
(3) The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its Management Fee in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments in the Underlying Fund, as well as an additional 0.10%, through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board for any reason at any time.
(4) The Adviser has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.48% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board for any reason at any time.
(5) The Adviser has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.18% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board for any reason at any time.
(6) The Adviser has contractually agreed to limit the Management Fee to 0.38% through October 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board for any reason at any time.
(7) The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its Management Fee in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in Underlying Funds, as well as an additional amount such that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Waivers equals 0.35%, through December 31, 2020, unless earlier terminated by the Board for any reason at any time.
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement for each Fund, WisdomTree Asset Management has agreed to pay generally all expenses of each Fund, subject to certain exceptions. For a detailed description of the Investment Advisory Agreement for each Fund, please see the “Management of the Trust” section of the SAI. Pursuant to a separate contractual arrangement, WisdomTree Asset Management arranges for the provision of chief compliance
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officer (“CCO”) services with respect to each Fund, and is liable and responsible for, and administers, payments to the CCO, the Independent Trustees and counsel to the Independent Trustees. WisdomTree Asset Management receives a fee of up to 0.0044% of each Fund’s average daily net assets for providing such services and paying such expenses. WisdomTree Asset Management provides CCO services to the Trust.
The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for each Fund, except the 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund, is available in the Trust’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ending June 30, 2019. The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for the 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund is available in the Trust’s Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ended December 31, 2018.
Sub-Advisers
Mellon Investments Corporation (formerly, BNY Mellon Asset Management North America Corporation): Mellon is responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund, except for the Fixed Income Funds and the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. Mellon, a registered investment adviser, is a leading innovator in the investment industry and manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. Its principal office is located at 201 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108. As of September 30, 2019, Mellon had assets under management totaling approximately $521 billion. Mellon is an independently operated indirect subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, a publicly traded financial holding company. Mellon chooses each Fund’s portfolio investments and places orders to buy and sell the portfolio investments. WisdomTree Asset Management pays Mellon for providing sub-advisory services to the Funds.
Voya Investment Management Co., LLC: Voya IM is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fixed Income Funds. Voya IM, a registered investment adviser, is a leading innovator in the investment industry and manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. Its principal office is located at 230 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10169. As of June 30, 2019, Voya IM had assets under management totaling approximately $220 billion. The Sub-Adviser is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Voya Financial, Inc. (formerly, ING U.S., Inc.), a publicly traded financial holding company. Voya IM chooses the portfolio investments of each Fixed Income Fund and places orders to buy and sell the portfolio investments. WisdomTree Asset Management pays Voya IM for providing sub-advisory services to the Fixed Income Funds.
ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited: ICBCCS is responsible for the day-to-day management of the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. ICBCCS is a registered investment adviser with its principal office located at ICBC Tower, 3 Garden Road, Suite 801, Hong Kong. As of September 30, 2019, ICBCCS had assets under management totaling approximately $2.1 billion. ICBCCS operates in Hong Kong and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management Co., Ltd. (“ICBCCS Co.”), where ICBCCS Co. is one of the largest asset managers in China with approximately $174.76 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2019. ICBCCS chooses the Fund’s portfolio investments in seeking to track its Index and places orders to buy and sell the portfolio investments. WisdomTree Asset Management pays ICBCCS for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund.
The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement for each Fund, except the 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund, is available in the Trust’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ending June 30, 2019. The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Sub-Advisory Agreement for the 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund is available in the Trust’s Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ended December 31, 2018.
WisdomTree Asset Management, as the investment adviser for the Funds, may hire one or more sub-advisers to oversee the day-to-day activities of the Funds. The sub-advisers are subject to oversight by WisdomTree Asset Management. WisdomTree Asset Management and the Trust have received an exemptive order from the SEC that permits WisdomTree Asset Management, with the approval of the Independent Trustees of the Trust, to retain unaffiliated investment sub-advisers for each Fund, without submitting the sub-advisory agreement to a vote of the Fund’s shareholders. The Trust will notify shareholders in the event of any change in the identity of such sub-adviser or sub-advisers. WisdomTree Asset Management has ultimate responsibility for the investment performance of the Funds due to its responsibility to oversee each sub-adviser and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. WisdomTree Asset Management is not required to disclose fees paid to any sub-adviser retained pursuant to the order.
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Portfolio Managers
Mellon
Each Fund is managed by the Sub-Adviser’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds’ portfolios are described below.
Ms. Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director and Head of Index Portfolio Management, has been with the Sub-Adviser since June 2000. Ms. Wong is the head of index portfolio management. She is responsible for overseeing equity and fixed income indexing and beta strategies, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs). She is also responsible for refinement and implementation of the index portfolio management process. Ms. Wong developed and launched the Carbon Efficiency strategy in 2014, the firm’s first green beta product. Previously, Ms. Wong was the head of equity portfolio management at the Sub-Adviser, responsible for the equity index portfolio management process. Ms. Wong has been working in the investment industry since 1999. Prior to joining the firm in 2000, she worked as a security analyst at Redwood Securities. She is a member of CFA Institute and CFA Society San Francisco, as well as the S&P Index Advisory Panel, MSCI Index Client Advisory Committee and FTSE Russell Policy Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for xBK LLC, an affiliated company. Ms. Wong earned an MBA in finance and a BS in accounting and statistics from San Francisco State University.
Mr. Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been with the Sub-Adviser since August 1995. Mr. Brown leads a team of portfolio managers covering domestic and international equity indexing portfolios and is responsible for the refinement and implementation of the equity index portfolio management process. Mr. Brown began his investment career at the firm in 1995. Mr. Brown is a member of CFA Institute and CFA Society San Francisco. He earned an MBA from California State University at Hayward.
Mr. Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Managing Director, Co-Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management and Senior Portfolio Manager, has been with the Sub-Adviser since January 2000. Mr. Durante leads a team of portfolio managers covering domestic and international equity indexing portfolios and is responsible for the refinement and implementation of the equity index portfolio management process. Mr. Durante has been in the investment industry since 1982. Prior to joining the firm in 2000, he worked in the fund accounting department at Dreyfus. Mr. Durante is a member of CFA Institute and CFA Society Pittsburgh. Mr. Durante earned a BA in accounting at Fairfield University.
Voya IM
U.S. Corporate Bond Fund and U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund
Each Fund is managed by Voya IM’s Investment Grade Credit Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds’ portfolios are described below.
Mr. Travis King, CFA, Co-Head of the Investment Grade Credit Team, joined Voya IM in 2005. Prior to that Mr. King was a senior fixed income analyst with Reams Asset Management.
Mr. Anil Katarya, CFA, Co-Head of the Investment Grade Credit Team, joined Voya IM in 2000 and is responsible for managing the credit allocation for external client business across multi-sector and credit portfolios.
Mr. Kurt Kringelis, CFA, Head Macro Credit Strategist, joined Voya IM in 1998 and provides credit market insight and macro research broadly across the Fixed Income Team. Prior to his tenure with Voya, he was an associate portfolio manager with the high-yield group at Equitable Investment Services from 1995 to 1997.
U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund and U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund
Each Fund is managed by Voya IM’s High Yield Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds’ portfolios are described below.
Mr. Randall Parrish, CFA, Head of Credit and Senior High Yield Portfolio Manager, joined Voya IM in 2001. Before being named a portfolio manager in 2007, Mr. Parrish served as a high-yield analyst focused on the media and retail/consumer sectors. Prior to joining Voya IM, Mr. Parrish was a corporate banker in leveraged finance with Sun Trust Bank and predecessors to Bank of America.
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Mr. Rick Cumberledge, CFA, Head of High Yield and Senior High Yield Portfolio Manager, joined Voya IM in 2007. Prior to joining Voya IM, Mr. Cumberledge was a senior high-yield credit analyst at Federated Investors (20012007).
ICBCCS
ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund
Ms. Ada Yin is the Senior Portfolio Manager of Index and Quantitative Investment at ICBCCS. She has over 14 years of ETF and Index portfolio management experience. She has worked and managed a wide range of physical and synthetic replication ETFs and index funds in Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong. Prior to her joining ICBCCS, she was the senior portfolio manager at Enhanced Investment Products Limited where she launched and managed various physical and synthetic replication emerging market ETFs and enhanced index funds. Previously, she was the senior ETF and Index portfolio manager at BNP Paribas Asset Management Asia Ltd. where she managed global ETFs and structured products. Ms. Yin has also previously worked at Canada and Singapore's Barclays Global Investors Limited for a total of 8 years, where she managed a variety of iShares ETFs and index funds with AUM over $15 billion. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting from University of Waterloo, Canada.
The Funds’ SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of shares in the Funds.
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Additional Information on Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Funds through brokers. Shares of the Funds trade on the Listing Exchange and elsewhere during the trading day and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other shares of publicly traded securities. When buying or selling shares through a broker, most investors will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Shares of the Funds trade under the trading symbols listed on the cover of this Prospectus.
Share Trading Prices
Transactions in Fund shares will be priced at NAV only if you are an institutional investor (e.g., broker-dealer) that has signed an agreement with the Distributor (as defined below) and you thereafter purchase or redeem shares directly from a Fund in Creation Units. As with other types of securities, the trading prices of shares in the secondary market can be affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. The price you pay or receive when you buy or sell your shares in the secondary market may be more or less than the NAV of such shares.
The approximate value of shares of each Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” or IOPV, is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the Listing Exchange or by other information providers. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Funds’ NAV because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once per day. The approximate value generally is determined by using current market quotations, price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the securities and instruments held by the Funds, and/or amortized cost for securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less, based on securities and/or cash as reflected in the basket for a Creation Unit. If applicable, each approximate value also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency. The approximate value is based on applicable quotes or closing prices from the securities’ local market and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close. The approximate value does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time (e.g., the securities in the basket for a Creation Unit may include securities that are not part of the Fund’s portfolio) or the precise valuation of the current portfolio. The Funds, the Adviser and their affiliates are not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and make no warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV of each Fund’s shares is calculated each day the national securities exchanges are open for trading as of the close of regular trading on the Listing Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m. New York time (the “NAV Calculation Time”). NAV per share is calculated by dividing a Fund’s net assets by the number of Fund shares outstanding.
In calculating its NAV, a Fund generally values: (i) equity securities (including preferred stock) traded on any recognized U.S. or non-U.S. exchange at the last sale price or official closing price on the exchange or system on which they are principally traded; (ii) unlisted equity securities (including preferred stock) at the last quoted sale price or, if no sale price is available, at the mean between the highest bid and lowest ask price; and (iii) fixed income securities at current market quotations or mean prices obtained from broker-dealers or independent pricing service providers. In addition, a Fund may invest in money market funds which are valued at their NAV per share and affiliated ETFs which are valued at their last sale or official closing price on the exchange on which they are principally traded or at their NAV per share in instances where the affiliated ETF has not traded on its principal exchange.
Fair value pricing is used by the Funds when reliable market valuations are not readily available or are not deemed to reflect current market values. Securities that may be valued using “fair value” pricing may include, but are not limited to, securities for which there are no current market quotations or whose issuer is in default or bankruptcy, securities subject to corporate actions (such as mergers or reorganizations), securities subject to non-U.S. investment limits or currency controls, and securities affected by “significant events.” An example of a significant event is an event occurring after the close of the market in which a security trades but before a Fund’s next NAV Calculation Time that may materially affect the value of the Fund’s investment (e.g., government action, natural disaster, or significant market fluctuation). When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by a Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.
Dividends and Distributions
The Fixed Income Funds intend to pay out dividends on a monthly basis. The International Equity Funds and the Asset Allocation Funds intend to pay out dividends on a quarterly basis. Nonetheless, these Funds may not make a
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dividend payment every month or quarter, as applicable. The Alternative Funds intend to pay out dividends on an annual basis.
Each Fund intends to distribute its net realized capital gains to investors annually. The Funds occasionally may be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
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 each Fund.
Investors owning shares of the Funds are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares of the Funds. Participants include DTC, 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 securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form. Your broker will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents Householding
Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Funds. 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. Householding for the Funds is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares
The Funds have adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Creation Units of Fund shares. Since the Funds are ETFs, only a few institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) are authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly from the Funds. Because purchase and redemption transactions with Authorized Participants are an essential part of the ETF process and may help keep ETF trading prices in line with NAV, each Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by Authorized Participants. Frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase index tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. Frequent in-kind creations and redemptions generally do not give rise to these concerns. Each Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order at any time. Each Fund reserves the right to impose restrictions on disruptive, excessive, or short-term trading.
Investments by Investment Companies
Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of each Fund. Registered investment companies and unit investment trusts that enter into a participation agreement with the Trust (“Investing Funds”) are permitted to invest in the WisdomTree Funds, except the Funds of Funds, beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust. With respect to the Funds of Funds, which invest in Underlying Funds, Investing Funds must adhere to the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) when investing in the Funds of Funds.
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Additional Tax Information
The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. Your investment in a Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) made significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules for taxation of individuals and corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. Many of the changes applicable to individuals are temporary and only apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026. There are only minor changes with respect to the specific rules applicable to a RIC, such as a Fund. The Tax Act, however, made numerous other changes to the tax rules that may affect shareholders and the Funds. You are urged to consult with your own tax advisor regarding how the Tax Act affects your investment in the Funds.
Each Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a RIC. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and consequently a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.
Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in Fund shares is made through 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;
You sell Fund shares; and
You purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).
Taxes on Distributions
For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long a Fund owned the assets that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For non-corporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally subject to tax at reduced rates. Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions reported by a Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that the Fund received in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. However, to the extent a Fund lends its securities and receives substitute dividend payments, such payments are not expected to generate qualified dividend income when distributed to shareholders. The trading strategies of certain Funds may limit their ability to distribute dividends eligible for the reduced rates applicable to qualified dividend income.
Certain dividends received by a Fund on stock of U.S. corporations (generally, dividends received by a Fund in respect of any share of stock (1) as to which the Fund has met certain holding period requirements and (2) that is held in an unleveraged position) may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction, which is generally available to corporate shareholders under the Internal Revenue Code provided such dividends are also appropriately reported as eligible for the dividends-received deduction by a Fund. In order to qualify for the dividends-received deduction, corporate shareholders must also meet minimum holding period requirements with respect to their Fund shares, taking into account any holding period reductions from certain hedging or other transactions or positions that diminish their risk of loss with respect to their Fund shares. The trading strategies of certain Funds, particularly the International Equity Funds, the Balanced Income Fund and Fixed Income Funds, may significantly limit their ability to distribute dividends eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporations.
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In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, but declared by a Fund in October, November or December of the previous year, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares).
Dividends and distributions from the Funds and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.
A Fund may include cash when paying the redemption price for Creation Units in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities. A Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause such Funds to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, such Funds may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Certain positions undertaken by the Funds, including its variable hedging strategy and its use of derivatives may result in “straddles” for federal income tax purposes. Because application of the straddle rules may affect the character of gains or losses, defer losses and/or accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions, the amount which must be distributed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a Fund that did not engage in such transactions.
Distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to individual shareholders that are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. or to foreign entities will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. A Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest related dividend” or a “short term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met.
Certain Funds may invest in REITs. The Tax Act treats “qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income eligible for capital gain tax rates) as eligible for a 20% deduction by non-corporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). Pursuant to recently proposed regulations on which the Funds may rely, distributions by a Fund to its shareholders that are attributable to qualified REIT dividends received by the Fund and which the Fund properly reports as “section 199A dividends,” are treated as “qualified REIT dividends” in the hands of non-corporate shareholders. A section 199A dividend is treated as a qualified REIT dividend only if the shareholder receiving such dividend holds the dividend-paying RIC shares for at least 46 days of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the shares become ex-dividend, and is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. A Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as section 199A dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so.
The Funds (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which shareholders own Fund shares) generally are required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and the sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.
Taxes When You Sell Fund Shares
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if you held the shares you sold 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 a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on a sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.
Taxes on Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any amount of cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange and (ii) the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will
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generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be permitted to be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for a person who does not mark-to-market their holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for non-U.S. currency will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss. Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities, or upon a redemption of Creation Units, may be capital or ordinary gain or loss depending on the circumstances. Any capital gain or loss realized upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of a Creation Unit will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares comprising the Creation Unit have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses are treated as short-term capital gains or losses.
A person subject to U.S. federal income tax with the U.S. dollar as its functional currency who receives non-U.S. currency upon a redemption of Creation Units and does not immediately convert the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars may, upon a later conversion of the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars, recognize any gains or losses resulting from fluctuations in the value of the non-U.S. currency relative to the U.S. dollar since the date of the redemption. Any such gains or losses will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss.
Persons exchanging securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rules apply and when a loss might be deductible. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Fund shares you purchased or redeemed and at what price.
Foreign Investments by the Fund
Dividends, interest and other income received by a Fund with respect to foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. The Funds may need to file special claims for refunds to secure the benefits of a reduced rate. If as of the close of a taxable year more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund consist of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund intends to elect to “pass through” to investors the amount of foreign income and similar taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund during that taxable year. If a Fund elects to “pass through” such foreign taxes, then investors will be considered to have received as additional income their respective shares of such foreign taxes, but may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating federal income tax.
Distribution
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for each Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of any Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by any Fund.
Premium/Discount and NAV Information
Information regarding a Fund’s NAV and how often shares of each Fund traded on the Listing Exchange 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 and most recent calendar quarter is available at www.wisdomtree.com.
Additional Notices
Listing Exchange
Shares of the Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Listing Exchange. The Listing Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of any Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of a Fund to track the total return performance of any Index or the ability of any Index identified herein to track stock market performance. The Listing Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of any Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the shares of any Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation
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of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Listing Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of any Fund in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the shares of the Fund.
The Listing Exchange does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of any Index or any data included therein. The Listing Exchange makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of its Funds, owners of the shares, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject Indexes or any data included therein. The Listing Exchange makes no express or implied warranties, and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Listing Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
WisdomTree and the Funds
WisdomTree Investments and WisdomTree Asset Management (together, “WisdomTree”) and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds particularly or the ability of any Index to track general stock market performance. WisdomTree Investments is the licensor of certain Indexes, trademarks, service marks and trade names of the Funds. WisdomTree Investments has no obligation to take the needs of the Funds or the owners of shares of the Funds into consideration in determining, composing, or calculating the Indexes. WisdomTree Investments is not responsible for, and has not participated in, the determination of the timing, prices, or quantities of shares of the Funds to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares of the Funds are redeemable. WisdomTree and the Funds do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or performance of any Index or the data included therein and shall have no liability in connection with any Index or Index calculation. An Index’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Index will perform in the future. WisdomTree Investments has contracted with an independent calculation agent to calculate each Index.
S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“SPDJI”)
The S&P China 500 Index is a product of SPDJI and has been licensed for use by the Sub-Adviser and sub-licensed to WisdomTree. Standard & Poor’s® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”) and Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). The trademarks have been licensed to SPDJI and its affiliates and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by WisdomTree. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates or third party licensors (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to WisdomTree with respect to the Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its licensors. The Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to WisdomTree or the Fund. S&P Dow Jones Indices has no obligation to take the needs of WisdomTree or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of the Fund or the timing of the issuance or sale of the Fund or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is to be converted into cash, surrendered or redeemed, as the case may be. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund. There is no assurance that investment products based on the Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and its subsidiaries are not investment advisors. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.
S&P DOW JONES INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY WISDOMTREE, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY
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INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND WISDOMTREE, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand each Fund’s financial performance for the past five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since a Fund’s inception. The total return in the table represents the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the respective Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been derived from the financial statements audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Funds’ financial statements, are included in the Funds’ Annual Report, which is available upon request.
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Financial Highlights
Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International
Equity Fund
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
January 7, 2016*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $ 28.96 $ 28.27 $ 24.26 $ 24.18
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 1.04 1.00 0.98 0.79
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) (0.17) 0.70 4.32 (0.35)
Total from investment operations 0.87 1.70 5.30 0.44
Dividends and distributions to shareholders:        
Net investment income (0.99) (1.01) (0.83) (0.36)
Capital gains (0.46)
Total dividends and distributions to shareholders (0.99) (1.01) (1.29) (0.36)
Net asset value, end of period $ 28.84 $ 28.96 $ 28.27 $ 24.26
TOTAL RETURN2 3.11% 6.04% 22.25% 1.82%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $252,362 $262,129 $450,964 $243,806
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.35% 0.35% 0.35% 0.35% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.40% 0.40% 0.40% 0.40% 3
Net investment income 3.68% 3.33% 3.67% 6.79% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 26% 15% 27% 28%
    
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund   For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the Period
November 3, 2016*
through
June 30, 2017
Net asset value, beginning of period   $ 24.67 $ 23.31 $19.63
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1   0.49 0.71 0.32
Net realized and unrealized gain   0.02 1.03 3.52
Total from investment operations   0.51 1.74 3.84
Dividends and distributions to shareholders:        
Net investment income   (0.29) (0.21) (0.15)
Capital gains   (0.93) (0.17)
Return of capital   (0.01)
Total dividends and distributions to shareholders   (1.22) (0.38) (0.16)
Net asset value, end of period   $ 23.96 $ 24.67 $23.31
TOTAL RETURN2   2.56% 7.44% 19.61%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)   $28,749 $19,736 $2,331
Ratios to average net assets5 of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers   0.10% 0.10% 0.10% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers   0.58% 0.58% 0.58% 3
Net investment income   2.10% 2.87% 2.23% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4   6% 4% 4%
* Commencement of operations.
1 Based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized. For the periods in which the investment advisor waived advisory fees, the total return would have been lower if certain expenses had not been waived.
3 Annualized.
4 Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of the portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares. Short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover calculation.
5 The ratios to average net assets do not include net investment income (loss) or expenses of other funds in which the Fund invests.
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Financial Highlights (continued)
Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International
SmallCap Equity Fund
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
January 7, 2016*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $ 31.50 $ 30.12 $23.87 $24.24
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 1.12 1.11 0.86 0.52
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) (2.29) 0.92 6.18 (0.41)
Total from investment operations (1.17) 2.03 7.04 0.11
Dividends to shareholders:        
Net investment income (0.73) (0.65) (0.79) (0.48)
Net asset value, end of period $ 29.60 $ 31.50 $30.12 $23.87
TOTAL RETURN2 (3.70)% 6.73% 29.80% 0.36%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $34,041 $17,327 $3,012 $2,388
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.43% 0.43% 0.43% 0.43% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 3
Net investment income 3.77% 3.41% 3.16% 4.42% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 55% 95% 75% 50%
    
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
April 7, 2016*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $ 30.95 $ 29.71 $ 25.63 $24.53
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 1.21 0.96 0.96 0.36
Net realized and unrealized gain 0.38 1.14 3.96 0.87
Total from investment operations 1.59 2.10 4.92 1.23
Dividends to shareholders:        
Net investment income (1.07) (0.86) (0.84) (0.13)
Net asset value, end of period $ 31.47 $ 30.95 $ 29.71 $25.63
TOTAL RETURN2 5.25% 7.05% 5 19.46% 5.01%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $50,353 $34,042 $11,885 $2,563
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses 0.32% 0.32% 0.32% 0.32% 3
Net investment income 3.97% 2.91% 3.38% 6.14% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 26% 22% 15% 4%
* Commencement of operations.
1 Based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized. For the periods in which the investment advisor waived advisory fees for the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund, the total return would have been lower if certain expenses had not been waived.
3 Annualized.
4 Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of the portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares. Short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover calculation.
5 Includes a reimbursement from the sub-advisor for an operational error. Excluding the reimbursement, total return would have been unchanged.
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Financial Highlights (continued)
Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:
WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
January 7, 2016*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $ 29.82 $ 29.27 $23.27 $24.25
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 0.76 1.20 0.47 0.70
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) (0.89) 0.38 6.08 (1.11)
Total from investment operations (0.13) 1.58 6.55 (0.41)
Dividends and distributions to shareholders:        
Net investment income (0.53) (0.86) (0.44) (0.57)
Capital gains (0.87) (0.17) (0.11)
Total dividends and distributions to shareholders (1.40) (1.03) (0.55) (0.57)
Net asset value, end of period $ 28.29 $ 29.82 $29.27 $23.27
TOTAL RETURN2 (0.25)% 5.41% 28.55% (1.81)%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $12,730 $16,401 $1,463 $4,655
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.43% 0.43% 0.43% 0.43% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 3
Net investment income 2.68% 3.82% 1.86% 6.02% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 109% 37% 12% 25%
* Commencement of operations.
1 Based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized. For the periods in which the investment advisor waived advisory fees, the total return would have been lower if certain expenses had not been waived.
3 Annualized.
4 Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of the portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares. Short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover calculation.
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Financial Highlights (continued)
Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:
WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund     For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the Period
December 21, 2017*
through
June 30, 2018
Net asset value, beginning of period     $ 28.53 $ 30.57
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1     0.52 0.24
Net realized and unrealized loss     (0.80) (2.18)
Total from investment operations     (0.28) (1.94)
Dividends to shareholders:        
Net investment income     (0.45) (0.10)
Net asset value, end of period     $ 27.80 $ 28.53
TOTAL RETURN2     (0.90)% (6.35)%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)     $20,848 $12,841
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses     0.55% 0.55% 3
Net investment income     1.98% 1.43% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4     28% 2%
    
WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
January 7, 2016*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $ 28.23 $27.57 $22.25 $24.38
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 0.64 0.56 0.38 0.28
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) (3.49) 1.19 5.32 (2.22)
Total from investment operations (2.85) 1.75 5.70 (1.94)
Dividends to shareholders:        
Net investment income (0.94) (1.09) (0.38) (0.19)
Net asset value, end of period $ 24.44 $28.23 $27.57 $22.25
TOTAL RETURN2 (10.20)% 6.34% 25.70% (8.00)%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $ 1,222 $2,823 $2,757 $4,449
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.43% 0.43% 0.43% 0.43% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 3
Net investment income 2.38% 1.92% 1.51% 2.50% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 104% 13% 15% 22%
* Commencement of operations.
1 Based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized. For the periods in which the investment advisor waived advisory fees for the WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund, the total return would have been lower if certain expenses had not been waived.
3 Annualized.
4 Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of the portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares. Short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover calculation.
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Financial Highlights (continued)
Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:
WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
April 27, 2016*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $47.79 $49.88 $50.69 $49.96
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 1.59 1.49 1.36 0.22
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 3.28 (2.02) (0.63) 0.72
Total from investment operations 4.87 (0.53) 0.73 0.94
Dividends and distributions to shareholders:        
Net investment income (1.57) (1.56) (1.30) (0.21)
Capital gains (0.24)
Total dividends and distributions to shareholders (1.57) (1.56) (1.54) (0.21)
Net asset value, end of period $51.09 $47.79 $49.88 $50.69
TOTAL RETURN2 10.44% (1.11)% 1.52% 1.89%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $5,109 $4,779 $4,988 $5,069
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.18% 0.18% 0.18% 0.18% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.28% 0.28% 0.28% 0.28% 3
Net investment income 3.29% 3.02% 2.74% 2.50% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 22% 21% 45% 3%
    
WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate
Bond Fund
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
April 27, 2016*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $ 49.77 $52.29 $50.41 $50.19
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 2.84 2.91 2.80 0.47
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 1.69 (2.14) 2.24 0.20
Total from investment operations 4.53 0.77 5.04 0.67
Dividends and distributions to shareholders:        
Net investment income (2.75) (2.89) (2.79) (0.45)
Capital gains (0.04) (0.40) (0.37)
Total dividends and distributions to shareholders (2.79) (3.29) (3.16) (0.45)
Net asset value, end of period $ 51.51 $49.77 $52.29 $50.41
TOTAL RETURN2 9.43% 1.49% 10.23% 1.34%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $15,453 $4,977 $5,229 $5,041
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.38% 0.38% 0.38% 0.38% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 3
Net investment income 5.68% 5.67% 5.38% 5.31% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 14% 35% 51% 0%
* Commencement of operations.
1 Based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized. For the periods in which the investment advisor waived advisory fees, the total return would have been lower if certain expenses had not been waived.
3 Annualized.
4 Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of the portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares. Short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover calculation.
122        WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Table of Contents
Financial Highlights (continued)
Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate
Bond Fund
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
April 27, 2016*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $49.03 $49.94 $50.20 $49.98
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 1.24 0.98 0.79 0.12
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 1.39 (0.88) (0.28) 0.21
Total from investment operations 2.63 0.10 0.51 0.33
Dividends to shareholders:        
Net investment income (1.23) (1.01) (0.77) (0.11)
Net asset value, end of period $50.43 $49.03 $49.94 $50.20
TOTAL RETURN2 5.44% 0.19% 1.02% 0.66%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $5,043 $4,903 $4,994 $5,020
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.18% 0.18% 0.18% 0.18% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.28% 0.28% 0.28% 0.28% 3
Net investment income 2.50% 1.98% 1.58% 1.35% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 28% 41% 38% 14%
    
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield
Corporate Bond Fund
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
April 27, 2016*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $ 49.91 $51.39 $50.32 $49.95
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 2.66 2.39 2.43 0.51
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 0.51 (0.77) 1.60 0.35
Total from investment operations 3.17 1.62 4.03 0.86
Dividends and distributions to shareholders:        
Net investment income (2.63) (2.38) (2.42) (0.49)
Capital gains (0.72) (0.54)
Total dividends and distributions to shareholders (2.63) (3.10) (2.96) (0.49)
Net asset value, end of period $ 50.45 $49.91 $51.39 $50.32
TOTAL RETURN2 6.54% 3.28% 8.19% 1.73%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $20,181 $4,991 $5,139 $5,032
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.38% 0.38% 0.38% 0.38% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 3
Net investment income 5.34% 4.73% 4.72% 5.66% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 18% 66% 69% 0%
* Commencement of operations.
1 Based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized. For the periods in which the investment advisor waived advisory fees, the total return would have been lower if certain expenses had not been waived.
3 Annualized.
4 Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of the portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares. Short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover calculation.
WisdomTree Trust Prospectus        123


Table of Contents
Financial Highlights (continued)
Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:
WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
December 23, 2015*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $ 25.96 $25.72 $24.28 $ 24.30
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 0.54 0.44 0.47 0.08
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) (4.83) (0.20) 0.97 (0.06)
Total from investment operations (4.29) 0.24 1.44 0.02
Distributions to shareholders:        
Return of capital (0.04)
Net asset value, end of period $ 21.67 $25.96 $25.72 $ 24.28
TOTAL RETURN2 (16.53)% 0.93% 5.93% 0.06%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $ 8,667 $9,085 $5,144 $10,927
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.53% 0.53% 0.53% 0.53% 3
Net investment income 2.22% 1.70% 1.90% 0.60% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 249% 158% 153% 4%
    
WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
For the Period
December 23, 2015*
through
June 30, 2016
Net asset value, beginning of period $ 33.13 $ 30.17 $ 26.70 $ 25.13
Investment operations:        
Net investment income1 0.66 0.56 0.55 0.24
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) (5.41) 2.72 3.47 1.49
Total from investment operations (4.75) 3.28 4.02 1.73
Dividends to shareholders:        
Net investment income (0.63) (0.32) (0.55) (0.16)
Net asset value, end of period $ 27.75 $ 33.13 $ 30.17 $ 26.70
TOTAL RETURN2 (14.33)% 10.90% 15.25% 6.88%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:        
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $70,767 $125,892 $52,797 $17,358
Ratios to average net assets of:        
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 0.48% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.53% 0.53% 0.53% 0.53% 3
Net investment income 2.10% 1.74% 1.95% 1.80% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 184% 152% 126% 70%
* Commencement of operations.
1 Based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized. For the periods in which the investment advisor waived advisory fees, the total return would have been lower if certain expenses had not been waived.
3 Annualized.
4 Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of the portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares. Short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover calculation.
124        WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Table of Contents
Financial Highlights (continued)
Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:
WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund   For the Period
August 2, 2018*
through
June 30, 2019
Net asset value, beginning of period   $25.08
Investment operations:    
Net investment income1   0.38
Net realized and unrealized gain   2.01
Total from investment operations   2.39
Dividends to shareholders:    
Net investment income   (0.33)
Net asset value, end of period   $27.14
TOTAL RETURN2   9.64%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:    
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)   $5,428
Ratios to average net assets of:    
Expenses   0.20% 3
Net investment income   1.68% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4   11%
    
WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund For the
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
For the Period
December 21, 2017*
through
June 30, 2018
Net asset value, beginning of period $23.81 $24.92
Investment operations:    
Net investment income1 0.92 0.53
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 0.77 (1.13)
Total from investment operations 1.69 (0.60)
Dividends to shareholders:    
Net investment income (0.87) (0.51)
Net asset value, end of period $24.63 $23.81
TOTAL RETURN2 7.27% (2.43)%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:    
Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted) $3,695 $1,191
Ratios to average net assets5 of:    
Expenses, net of expense waivers 0.03% 0.03% 3
Expenses, prior to expense waivers 0.40% 0.40% 3
Net investment income 3.85% 4.12% 3
Portfolio turnover rate4 3% 1%
* Commencement of operations.
1 Based on average shares outstanding.
2 Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized. For the periods in which the investment advisor waived advisory fees for the WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund, the total return would have been lower if certain expenses had not been waived.
3 Annualized.
4 Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of the portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares. Short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days are excluded from the portfolio turnover calculation.
5 The ratios to average net assets do not include net investment income (loss) or expenses of other funds in which the Fund invests.
WisdomTree Trust Prospectus        125


Table of Contents
WisdomTree Trust
245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor
New York, NY 10167


The Funds’ current SAI provides additional detailed information about the Funds. The Trust has electronically filed the SAI with the SEC. It is incorporated by reference in this Prospectus.
Additional information about the Funds’ investments is or will be available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds’ performance during the last fiscal year.
To make shareholder inquiries, for more detailed information on the Funds, or to request the SAI or annual or semi-annual shareholder reports, as applicable, free of charge, please:
Call: 1-866-909-9473
Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
(Eastern time)
Write: WisdomTree Trust
c/o Foreside Fund Services, LLC
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100
Portland, Maine 04101
Visit: www.wisdomtree.com    
Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site 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.
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about any Fund and its shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.
© 2019 WisdomTree Trust
WisdomTree Funds are distributed in the U.S. by
Foreside Fund Services, LLC
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100
Portland, Maine 04101
WisdomTree® is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE NO. 811-21864
WIS-PR-0630-1119


Table of Contents

WISDOMTREE® TRUST

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Dated November 1, 2019

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the following separate investment portfolios (each, a “Fund” and, collectively, the “Funds”) of WisdomTree Trust (the “Trust”), as each such Prospectus may be revised from time to time:

WISDOMTREE INTERNATIONAL EQUITY ETFs*

Europe Multifactor Fund (formerly, Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund) (EUMF)

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund (DDWM)

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund (DHDG)

Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund (DDLS)

Japan Multifactor Fund (formerly, Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund) (JAMF)

Emerging Markets Dividend Fund (DVEM)

ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund (WCHN)

WISDOMTREE FIXED INCOME ETFs*

U.S. Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, Fundamental U.S. Corporate Bond Fund) (WFIG)

U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, Fundamental U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund) (WFHY)

U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, Fundamental U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund) (SFIG)

U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, Fundamental U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund) (SFHY)

WISDOMTREE ALTERNATIVE ETFs*

Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund (DYB)

Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund (DYLS)

WISDOMTREE ASSET ALLOCATION ETFs*

Balanced Income Fund (WBAL)

90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund (NTSX)

The current Prospectus for each Fund is dated November 1, 2019. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. The Funds’ audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal year (when available) are incorporated in this SAI by reference to the Funds’ most recent Annual Reports to Shareholders (File No. 811-21864). When available, you may obtain a copy of the Funds’ Annual Reports at no charge by request to the Fund at the address or phone number noted below. Funds not included in the Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019 had not commenced operations as of June 30, 2019 and, therefore, did not have any financial information to report for the Funds’ June 30, 2019 fiscal year end.

THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (“SEC”) HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OF THIS SAI. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

A copy of the Prospectus for each Fund may be obtained, without charge, by calling 1-866-909-9473, visiting www.wisdomtree.com, or writing to WisdomTree Trust, c/o Foreside Fund Services, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

 

*

Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (except WBAL, WCHN and NTSX are listed on NYSE Arca, Inc.)


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

General Description of the Trust and the Funds

     3  

Investment Strategies and Risks

     3  

General Risks

     3  

Specific Investment Strategies

     6  

Proxy Voting Policy

     23  

Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Policies and Procedures

     24  

Index Description

     25  

Investment Limitations

     27  

Continuous Offering

     28  

Management of the Trust

     29  

Brokerage Transactions

     52  

Additional Information Concerning the Trust

     55  

Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations

     56  

Regular Holidays and Other Settlement Matters

     61  

Taxes

     65  

Determination of NAV

     72  

Dividends and Distributions

     72  

Financial Statements

     73  

Miscellaneous Information

     73  


Table of Contents

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUNDS

The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 15, 2005 and is authorized to issue multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The offering of the Trust’s shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Europe Multifactor Fund, Japan Multifactor Fund, and 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund are actively-managed funds (each, an “Active Fund” and, collectively, the “Active Funds”). Each Fund, except for the Active Funds, is a passively-managed fund (each, an “Index Fund” and, collectively, the “Index Funds”) that seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of a particular index (each, an “Index”). Each Index Fund, except the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund, tracks an Index created using proprietary methodology developed by WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree Investments”). The ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P China 500 Index, which is created using proprietary methodology developed by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or its affiliates. WisdomTree Investments is the parent company of WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management” or the “Adviser”), the investment adviser to each Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation (formerly, BNY Mellon Asset Management North America Corporation) (“Mellon”) is the investment sub-adviser to each Fund except for the Fixed Income Funds and ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. Voya Investment Management Co., LLC (“Voya IM”) is the investment sub-adviser to the U.S. Corporate Bond Fund, U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund, U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, and U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (collectively, the “Fixed Income Funds”). ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management Co., Ltd. (“ICBCCS”) is the investment sub-adviser to the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. Mellon, Voya IM and ICBCCS (each, a “Sub-Adviser” and, together, the “Sub-Advisers”) and the Adviser may be referred to collectively as the “Advisers”. Foreside Fund Services, LLC serves as the distributor (the “Distributor”) of the shares of each Fund.

Each Fund issues and redeems shares at net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in large blocks of shares, typically 25,000 shares or more (“Creation Units” or “Creation Unit Aggregations”). Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 50,000 shares (except Creation Units consist of 100,000 shares with respect to the Emerging Markets Dividend Fund, 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund, and the Fixed Income Funds), though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 25,000 shares. These transactions are usually in exchange for a basket of securities and/or an amount of cash. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of each Fund are not redeemable securities.

Shares of each Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. or NYSE Arca, Inc. (each, a “Listing Exchange”), and trade throughout the day on the Listing Exchange and other secondary markets at market prices that may differ from NAV. As in the case of other publicly traded securities, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on commission rates charged by the applicable broker.

The Trust reserves the right to adjust the prices of shares 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 applicable Fund.

“WisdomTree” is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments and has been licensed for use by the Trust. WisdomTree Investments has received a patent and has a patent application pending on the methodology and operation of its Indexes and the Funds.

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

Each Fund’s investment objective, principal investment strategies and associated risks are described in the Fund’s Prospectus. The sections below supplement these principal investment strategies and risks and describe the Funds’ additional investment policies and the different types of investments that may be made by a Fund as a part of its non-principal investment strategies. With respect to each Fund’s investments, unless otherwise noted, if a percentage limitation on investment is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a subsequent increase or decrease as a result of market movement or redemption will not result in a violation of such investment limitation.

Each Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), so that it will not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are timely distributed to Fund shareholders. Each Fund will invest its assets, and otherwise conduct its operations, in a manner that is intended to satisfy the qualifying income, diversification and distribution requirements necessary to establish and maintain eligibility for such treatment.

Each Fund is considered “non-diversified,” as such term is used in the 1940 Act.

GENERAL RISKS

An investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions

 

3


Table of Contents

that affect a particular security or issuer and changes in general economic or political conditions. A Fund may not outperform other investment strategies over short- or long-term market cycles and the Fund may decline in value. Fund shares may trade above or below their net asset value. An investor in a Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. The price of the securities and other investments held by a Fund and thus the value of the Fund’s portfolio is expected to fluctuate in accordance with general economic conditions, interest rates, political events, and other factors.

Investor perceptions may also impact the value of Fund investments and the value of an investment in Fund shares. 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.

Equity Funds. An investment in an International Equity Fund, Alternative Fund or Asset Allocation Fund should also 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 a Fund’s portfolio securities and therefore a decrease in the value of shares of the Fund). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions change.

Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with 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 (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), 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. Common stock values are subject to market fluctuations as long as the common stock remains outstanding.

An investment in the Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund, Dynamic Currency Hedged International Small Cap Equity Fund or Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund (collectively, the “Dynamic Hedged Equity Funds”), Europe Multifactor Fund or Japan Multifactor Fund (together, the “Multifactor Funds” and, collectively, with the Dynamic Hedged Equity Funds, the “Hedged Equity Funds”) should be made with the understanding that these Funds attempt to minimize or “hedge” against changes in the value of the U.S. dollar against the euro, Japanese yen, or other foreign currencies, as applicable, using quantitative signals to determine hedge ratios on the foreign currencies compared to the U.S. dollar.

Fixed Income Funds. Issuer-specific conditions may also affect the value of a Fixed Income Fund’s investments. The financial condition of an issuer of a security or counterparty to a contract may cause it to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security or contract. A Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments if the issuer or counterparty defaults. Accordingly, the value of an investment in a Fixed Income Fund may change in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of a Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.

Active Funds. The Active Funds are actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantees that these strategies and processes will produce the intended results.

Index Funds. Although all of the securities in the Indexes are generally listed on one or more U.S. or non-U.S. stock exchanges, there can be no guarantee that a liquid market for such securities will be maintained. 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 Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for a Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.

Events in the financial sector have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. Domestic and foreign fixed income and equity markets experienced extreme volatility and turmoil starting in late 2008 and volatility has continued to be experienced in the markets. Issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected, and well-known financial institutions have experienced significant liquidity and other problems. Some of these institutions have declared bankruptcy or defaulted on their debt. It is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions will continue. These events and possible continuing market turbulence may have an adverse effect on Fund performance.

 

4


Table of Contents

A Fund may be included in model portfolios developed by WisdomTree Asset Management for use by financial advisors and/or investors. The market price of shares of a Fund, costs of purchasing or selling shares of a Fund, including the bid/ask spread, and liquidity of a Fund may be impacted by purchases and sales of such Fund by one or more model-driven investment portfolios.

Authorized Participants should refer to the section herein entitled “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” for additional information that may impact them.

BORROWING. Although the Funds do not intend to borrow money as part of their principal investment strategies, a Fund may do so to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, a Fund may borrow up to 33% of its net assets, but under normal market conditions, no Fund expects to borrow greater than 10% of such Fund’s net assets. A Fund will borrow only for short-term or emergency purposes. Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of a Fund’s portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs that may or may not be recovered by earnings on the securities purchased. A Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with a borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

CAPITAL CONTROLS AND SANCTIONS RISK. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments, economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities or other assets, which may potentially include derivative instruments related thereto. Countries use these controls to, among other reasons, restrict movements of capital entering (inflows) and exiting (outflows) their country to respond to certain economic or political conditions. By way of example, such controls may be applied to short-term capital transactions to counter speculative flows that threaten to undermine the stability of the exchange trade and deplete foreign exchange reserves. Levies may be placed on profits repatriated by foreign entities (such as the Funds). Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, transfer, receive, deliver (i.e., create and redeem Creation Units) or otherwise obtain exposure to, foreign securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of a Fund (e.g., cause a Fund to trade at prices materially different from its NAV), and cause the Fund to decline in value. A Fund may change its creation and or redemption procedures without notice in response to the imposition of capital controls or sanctions. There can be no assurance a country in which a Fund invests or the U.S. will not impose a form of capital control or sanction to the possible detriment of a Fund and its shareholders.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE RISK. Investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies and investments in securities or derivatives that provide exposure to such currencies, currency exchange rates or interest rates are subject to non-U.S. currency risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of a Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Because a Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, 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 against the U.S. dollar. This is true even if the local currency value of securities in a Fund’s holdings goes up. Conversely, the U.S. 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, 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 country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currencies of emerging or developing market countries may be subject to significantly greater risks than currencies of developed countries. Many developing market countries have experienced steady declines or even sudden devaluations of their currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. Some non-U.S. market currencies may not be traded internationally, may be subject to strict limitations on foreign investment and may be subject to frequent and unannounced government intervention. Government intervention and currency controls can decrease the value and significantly increase the volatility of an investment in non-U.S. currency. Although the currencies of some developing market countries may be convertible into U.S. dollars, the achievable rates may differ from those experienced by domestic investors because of foreign investment restrictions, withholding taxes, lack of liquidity or other reasons.

The Hedged Equity Funds use various strategies in an attempt to minimize changes in the value of the applicable currency or currencies, which may not be successful. In addition, a Hedged Equity Fund may not be fully hedged at all times in order to minimize transaction costs or for other reasons.

CYBER SECURITY RISK. Investment companies, such as the Funds, and their service providers may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cyber security breaches. Cyber-attacks affecting a Fund or the Adviser, Sub-Advisers, accountant, custodian, transfer

 

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agent, index providers, market makers, Authorized Participants and other third-party service providers may adversely impact a Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of Authorized Participant transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential company information, impede trading, subject a Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses, and cause reputational damage. A Fund could incur extraordinary expenses for cyber security risk management purposes, prevention and/or resolution. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issuers of securities in which a Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose value.

FOREIGN SECURITIES RISK. The International Equity Funds and Balanced Income Fund invest a significant portion of their assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in instruments that provide exposure to such securities and instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks (including restrictions on the transfers of securities). With respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries. Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in a Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. Conversely, Fund shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are closed. Each of these factors can make investments in a Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments and may be heightened in connection with investments in developing or emerging market countries. Foreign securities also include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) which 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. Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), which are similar to ADRs, represent shares of foreign-based corporations and are generally issued by international banks in one or more markets around the world. Investments in ADRs and GDRs may be less liquid and more volatile than underlying shares in their primary trading markets. In addition, the Fund may change its creation or redemption procedures without notice in connection with restrictions on the transfer of securities. For more information on creation and redemption procedures, see “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” herein.

HIGH YIELD RISK. The U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund and U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund invest in non-investment grade securities rated lower than Baa by Moody’s Investors Services, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”) or Fitch. Such securities are sometimes referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds.” Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield securities typically entail higher price volatility and may be less liquid than securities with higher ratings. High yield securities may be regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case a Fund may lose its entire investment.

LACK OF DIVERSIFICATION. Each Fund is considered to be “non-diversified.” A “non-diversified” classification means that a Fund is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its total assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. As a result, each of the Funds may invest more of its total assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were classified as a diversified fund. Therefore, each Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a small number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely, which may have a greater impact on the Fund’s volatility and performance.

TAX RISK. To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment accorded to RICs, each Fund must, among other things, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources. The U.S. Treasury Department has authority to issue regulations that would exclude foreign currency gains from qualifying income if such gains are not directly related to a Fund’s business of investing in stock or securities. Accordingly, regulations may be issued in the future that could treat some or all of a Fund’s foreign currency gains as nonqualifying income, which might jeopardize such Fund’s status as a RIC for all years to which the regulations are applicable. If for any taxable year a Fund does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) for that year would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable to shareholders as dividend income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.

A discussion of some of the other risks associated with an investment in a Fund is contained in each Fund’s Prospectus.

SPECIFIC INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

A description of certain investment strategies and types of investments used by some or all of the Funds is set forth below.

BANK DEPOSITS AND OBLIGATIONS. The Fixed Income Funds may invest in deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks and financial institutions. Deposits and obligations of banks and financial institutions include certificates of deposit, time

 

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deposits, and bankers’ acceptances. Certificates of deposit and time deposits represent an institution’s obligation to repay funds deposited with it that earn a specified interest rate. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates, while time deposits are non-negotiable deposits. A banker’s acceptance is a time draft drawn on and accepted by a bank that becomes a primary and unconditional liability of the bank upon acceptance. Investments in obligations of non-U.S. banks and financial institutions may involve risks that are different from investments in obligations of U.S. banks. These risks include future unfavorable political and economic developments, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, currency controls, interest limitations or other governmental restrictions that might affect the payment of principal or interest on the securities held in a Fund.

COMMERCIAL PAPER. The Fixed Income Funds may invest in commercial paper. Commercial paper is an unsecured short-term promissory note with a fixed maturity of no more than 270 days issued by corporations, generally to finance short-term business needs. The commercial paper purchased by the Fund generally will be rated in the upper two short-term ratings by at least two Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (“NRSROs”) or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality by the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser. If a security satisfies the rating requirement upon initial purchase and is subsequently downgraded, the Fund is not required to dispose of the security. In the event of such an occurrence, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser will determine what action, including potential sale, is in the best interest of the Fund. The Fund may also purchase unrated commercial paper provided that such paper is determined to be of comparable quality by the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser. Commercial paper issuers in which the Fund may invest include securities issued by corporations without registration under the Securities Act in reliance on the exemption from such registration afforded by Section 3(a)(3) thereof, and commercial paper issued in reliance on the so-called “private placement” exemption from registration, which is afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act (“Section 4(2) paper”). Section 4(2) paper is restricted as to disposition under the federal securities laws in that any resale must similarly be made in an exempt transaction. Section 4(2) paper is normally resold to other institutional investors through or with the assistance of investment dealers who make a market in Section 4(2) paper, thus providing liquidity.

CORPORATE DEBT OBLIGATIONS. The Fixed Income Funds invest in corporate debt obligations. Corporate debt obligations are interest bearing securities in which the corporate issuer has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal periodically or on a specified maturity date. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities. The primary differences between the different types of corporate debt securities are their maturities and secured or un-secured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is usually unsecured.

Corporate debt may be issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated investment-grade or below investment-grade and may carry variable or floating rates of interest.

Because of the wide range of types, and maturities, of corporate debt obligations, as well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt obligations have widely varying potentials for return and risk profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated investment-grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of risk.

Like most fixed income securities, corporate debt obligations carry both credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk is the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than corporate debt securities with shorter terms. Aggregate portfolio duration is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. For example, the value of a fund with a portfolio duration of ten years would be expected to drop by 10% for every 1% increase in interest rates. The Fund’s actual portfolio duration may be longer or shorter depending upon market conditions.

CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS. The International Equity Funds and Balanced Income Fund may enter into foreign currency forward and foreign currency futures contracts to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with distributions to shareholders. The Funds, other than the Hedged Equity Funds, do not expect to engage in currency transactions for the purpose of hedging against declines in the value of a Fund’s total assets that are denominated in one or more foreign currencies. Each Hedged Equity Fund invests in various types of currency contracts to hedge against changes in the value of the U.S. dollar against the euro, Japanese yen, or other foreign currencies, as applicable.

Foreign Currency Futures Contracts. 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.

Forward Foreign Currency Contracts. A forward foreign currency exchange 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. Forward contracts are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make a payment to the other party (the counterparty) based

 

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on the market value or level of a specified currency. In return, the counterparty agrees to make payment to the first party based on the return of a different specified currency. A forward contract generally has no margin deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades. These contracts typically are settled by physical delivery of the underlying currency or currencies in the amount of the full contract value to the extent they are not agreed to be carried forward to another expiration date (i.e., rolled over).

A non-deliverable forward contract is a forward contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity. Non-deliverable forward contracts will usually be done on a net basis, with a Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of each Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each non-deliverable forward contract is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess is maintained to cover such obligations. The risk of loss with respect to non-deliverable forward contracts generally is limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make or receive.

Currency exchange transactions involve a significant degree of risk and the markets in which currency exchange transactions are effected are highly volatile, highly specialized and highly technical. Significant 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 a Fund’s return with the performance of its underlying Index and may lower the Fund’s 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.

DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS. To the extent a Fund invests in stocks of foreign corporations, a Fund’s investment in such stocks may be in the form of Depositary Receipts or other similar securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. Depositary Receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. ADRs are receipts typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) are receipts issued in Europe that evidence a similar ownership arrangement. GDRs are receipts issued throughout the world that evidence a similar arrangement. Non-Voting Depository Receipts (“NVDRs”) are receipts issued in Thailand that evidence a similar arrangement. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world. NVDRs are tradable on the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

A Fund will not generally invest in any unlisted Depositary Receipts or any Depositary Receipt that WisdomTree Asset Management or the relevant Sub-Adviser deems to be illiquid or for which pricing information is not readily available. In addition, all Depositary Receipts generally must be sponsored; however, a Fund may invest in unsponsored Depositary Receipts under certain limited circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States, and, therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts. The use of Depositary Receipts may increase tracking error relative to an underlying Index.

DERIVATIVES. Each Fund may use derivative instruments as part of its investment strategies. No Fund will use derivatives to increase leverage, and each Fund will provide margin or collateral, as applicable, with respect to investments in derivatives in such amounts as determined under applicable law, regulatory guidance or related interpretations.

Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to bonds, interest rates, currencies, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include forward currency contracts, currency and interest rate swaps, currency options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, swap agreements, and credit-linked notes.

With respect to certain kinds of derivative transactions that involve obligations to make future payments to third parties, including, but not limited to, futures contracts, forward contracts, swap contracts, the purchase of securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, or reverse repurchase agreements, under applicable federal securities laws, rules, and interpretations thereof, a Fund must “set aside” (referred to sometimes as “asset segregation”) liquid assets, or engage in other measures to “cover” open positions with respect to such transactions in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act, specifically sections 8 and 18 thereunder. In complying with such requirements, the Fund will include assets of any wholly-owned subsidiary in which that Fund invests on an aggregate basis.

For example, with respect to forward contracts and futures contracts that are not contractually required to “cash-settle,” the Fund must cover its open positions by having available liquid assets equal to the contracts’ full notional value. The Funds treat deliverable forward contracts for currencies that are liquid as the equivalent of “cash-settled” contracts. As such, a Fund may have available liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market (net) obligation (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability, if any) rather than the full notional amount under such deliverable forward contracts. Similarly, with respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to “cash-settle,” including U.S. Treasury futures contracts in which the 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund invests, the Fund may have available liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market (net) obligation rather than the notional value. The Fund reserves the right to modify these policies in the future.

 

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Forwards, swaps and certain other derivatives are subject to regulation under The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) in the U.S. and certain non-U.S. jurisdictions. Physically-settled forwards entered into between eligible contract participants, such as the Fund, are generally subject to fewer regulatory requirements in the U.S. than non-deliverable forwards. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, non-deliverable forwards are regulated as swaps and are subject to rules requiring central clearing and mandatory trading on an exchange or facility that is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). Under the Dodd-Frank Act, non-deliverable forwards, swaps and certain other derivatives traded in the over the counter (“OTC”) market are subject to initial and variation margin requirements. The Fund’s counterparties may be subject to additional regulatory requirements and/or apply the regulatory requirements more broadly than is required for administrative and other reasons, including, for example, by (i) applying the stricter regulatory requirements to physically-settled forwards that are applicable to non-deliverable forwards even though the stricter rules are not technically applicable to such physically-settled forwards; and (ii) applying smaller thresholds for the delivery of variation margin than required. As such, a Fund using currency forwards, and particularly a currency hedged Fund that uses currency forwards, may need to hold more cash than it has historically, which may include raising cash by selling securities and/or obtaining cash through other arrangements in order to meet margin requirements, which may, among other potential consequences, cause increased index tracking error, cause an increase in expense ratio, lead to the realization of taxable gains, increase costs to a Fund of trading or otherwise affect returns to investors in such Fund.

Effective April 24, 2012, the CFTC revised, among other things, CFTC Rule 4.5 and rescinded CFTC Rule 4.13(a)(4). The CFTC has adopted amendments to its regulations of commodity pool operators (“CPOs”) managing funds registered under the 1940 Act that “harmonize” the SEC’s and the CFTC’s regulatory schemes. The adopted amendments to the CFTC regulations allow CPOs to registered investment companies to satisfy certain recordkeeping, reporting and disclosure requirements that would otherwise apply to them under Part 4 of the CFTC’s regulations by continuing to comply with comparable SEC requirements. To the extent that the CFTC recordkeeping, disclosure and reporting requirements deviate from the comparable SEC requirements, such deviations are not expected to materially adversely affect the ability of the Funds to continue to operate and achieve their investment objectives. If, however, these requirements or future regulatory changes result in a Fund having difficulty in achieving its investment objectives, the Trust may determine to reorganize or close the Fund, materially change the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies, or operate the Fund as a regulated commodity pool pursuant to WisdomTree Asset Management’s CPO registration.

With regard to each Fund, WisdomTree Asset Management will continue to claim relief from the definition of CPO under revised CFTC Rule 4.5. Specifically, pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5, WisdomTree Asset Management may claim exclusion from the definition of CPO, and thus from having to register as a CPO, with regard to a Fund that enters into commodity futures, commodity options or swaps solely for “bona fide hedging purposes,” or that limits its investment in commodities to a “de minimis” amount, as defined in CFTC rules, so long as the shares of such Fund are not marketed as interests in a commodity pool or other vehicle for trading in commodity futures, commodity options or swaps.

Credit-Linked Notes. Each Fund may invest in credit-linked notes. A credit-linked note is a type of structured note whose value is linked to an underlying reference asset. Credit-linked notes typically provide periodic payments of interest as well as payment of principal upon maturity. The value of the periodic payments and the principal amount payable upon maturity are tied (positively or negatively) to a reference asset, such as an index, government bond, interest rate or currency exchange rate. The ongoing payments and principal upon maturity typically will increase or decrease depending on increases or decreases in the value of the reference asset. A credit-linked note typically is issued by a special purpose trust or similar entity and is a direct obligation of the issuing entity. The entity, in turn, invests in bonds or derivative contracts in order to provide the exposure set forth in the credit-linked note. The periodic interest payments and principal obligations payable under the terms of the note typically are conditioned upon the entity’s receipt of payments on its underlying investment. If the underlying investment defaults, the periodic payments and principal received by a Fund will be reduced or eliminated. The buyer of a credit-linked note assumes the risk of default by the issuer and the underlying reference asset or entity. Generally, investors in credit-linked notes assume the risk of default by the issuer and the reference entity in return for a potentially higher yield on their investment or access to an investment that they could not otherwise obtain. In the event the issuer defaults or there is a credit event that relates to the reference asset, the recovery rate is generally less than a Fund’s initial investment and the Fund may lose money.

Swap Agreements. Each Fund may enter into swap agreements, including currency swaps, interest rate swaps, credit default swaps, and total return swaps. A typical foreign currency swap involves the exchange of cash flows based on the notional differences among two or more currencies (e.g., the U.S. dollar and the euro). A typical interest rate swap involves the exchange of a floating interest rate payment for a fixed interest payment. A typical credit default swap (“CDS”) involves an agreement to make a series of payments by the buyer in exchange for receipt of payment by the seller if the loan defaults. In the event of default the buyer of the CDS receives compensation (usually the face value of the loan), and the seller of the CDS takes possession of the defaulted loan. In the event that the Fund acts as a protection seller of a CDS, the Fund will segregate assets equivalent to the full notional value of the CDS. In the event that the Fund acts as a protection buyer of a CDS, the Fund will cover the total amount of required premium payments plus the pre-payment penalty. Total return swaps involve the exchange of payments based on the total return on an underlying reference asset. The total return includes appreciation or depreciation on the

 

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reference asset, plus any interest or dividend payments. Inflation-linked swaps are typically an agreement between two parties to exchange payments at a future date based on the difference between a fixed payment and a payment linked to the inflation rate at a future date. Swaps agreements can be structured to provide for periodic payments over the term of the swap contract or a single payment at maturity (also known as a “bullet swap”). Swap agreements may be used to hedge or achieve exposure to, for example, currencies, interest rates, and money market securities without actually purchasing such currencies or securities. Each Fund may use swap agreements to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of the underlying securities in circumstances in which direct investment is restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impracticable. Swap agreements will tend to shift a Fund’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another or from one payment stream to another.

Depending on their structure, swap agreements may increase or decrease a Fund’s exposure to long- or short-term interest rates (in the United States or abroad), foreign currencies, corporate borrowing rates, or other factors, and may increase or decrease the overall volatility of a Fund’s investments and its share price. When a Fund purchases or sells a swap contract, the Fund is required to “cover” its position in order to limit the risk associated with the use of leverage and other related risks. To cover its position, the Fund will maintain with its custodian bank (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) a segregated account consisting of cash or liquid securities that, when added to any amounts deposited as margin, are equal to the market value of the swap contract or otherwise “cover” its position in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and SEC interpretations thereunder. If the Fund continues to engage in the described securities trading practices and properly segregates assets, the segregated account will function as a practical limit on the amount of leverage which the Fund may undertake and on the potential increase in the speculative character of the Fund’s outstanding portfolio securities. Additionally, such segregated accounts will generally ensure the availability of adequate funds to meet the obligations of the Fund arising from such investment activities.

Certain Funds may also enter into options with respect to swap agreements (“swaptions”). A swaption is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) in return for payment of a premium, to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, on specified terms at a designated future time. Depending on the particular terms, the Fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes (sells) a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When the Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing the amount of premium paid should the option expire unexercised, but when the Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the swaption the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.

Futures, Options and Options on Futures Contracts. Each Fund may enter into U.S. or foreign futures contracts, options and options on futures contracts. When a Fund purchases a futures contract, it agrees to purchase a specified underlying instrument at a specified future date. When a Fund sells a futures contract, it agrees to sell the underlying instrument at a specified future date. The price at which the purchase and sale will take place is fixed when the Fund enters into the contract. Futures can be held until their delivery dates, or can be closed out before then if a liquid secondary market is available.

Each Fund may purchase and write call or put options on an exchange or OTC. A put option on a security gives the purchaser of the option, in exchange for payment of a premium, the right, but not the obligation, to sell, and the writer of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying security at a stated price (the “exercise price”) at any time before the option expires. A call option on a security gives the purchaser of the option, in exchange for payment of a premium, the right, but not the obligation, to buy, and the writer the obligation to sell, the underlying security at the exercise price at any time before the option expires. A premium is paid to the writer of an option as consideration for undertaking the obligation in the contract. OTC options differ from exchange-traded options in several respects. They are transacted directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation, and therefore entail the risk of non-performance by the dealer. OTC options are available for a greater variety of securities and for a wider range of expiration dates and exercise prices than are available for exchange-traded options. Because OTC options are not traded on an exchange, pricing is done normally by reference to information from a market maker. It is the SEC’s position that OTC options are generally illiquid.

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 Funds, however, intend to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit their risk exposure to levels comparable to direct investment in stocks.

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 a Fund’s 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 Fund as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.

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 options is unlimited.

 

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Although each Fund intends to enter into futures contracts only if there is an active market for such contracts, there is no assurance that an active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time.

EQUITY SECURITIES. The International Equity Funds, Alternative Funds and Asset Allocation Funds invest in, but any Fund may invest in, equity securities. Equity securities, such as the common stocks of an issuer, are subject to stock market fluctuations and therefore may experience volatile changes in value as market conditions, consumer sentiment or the financial condition of the issuers change. A decrease in value of the equity securities in a Fund’s portfolio may also cause the value of a Fund’s shares to decline.

EXCHANGE TRADED PRODUCTS. Each Fund may invest in exchange traded products (“ETPs”), which include exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) registered under the 1940 Act, exchange traded commodity trusts and exchange traded notes (“ETNs”). The Adviser may receive management or other fees from the ETPs in which the Fund may invest (“Affiliated ETPs”), as well as a management fee for managing the Fund. It is possible that a conflict of interest among the Fund and Affiliated ETPs could affect how the Adviser fulfills its fiduciary duties to the Fund and the Affiliated ETPs. Although the Adviser takes steps to address the conflicts of interest, it is possible that the conflicts could impact the Fund. A Fund may invest in new ETPs or ETPs that have not yet established a deep trading market at the time of investment. Shares of such ETPs may experience limited trading volume and less liquidity, in which case the spread (the difference between bid price and ask price) may be higher.

Exchange Traded Funds. Each Fund may invest in ETFs. ETFs are investment companies that trade like stocks on a securities exchange at market prices rather than NAV. As a result, ETF shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). A Fund that invests in an ETF indirectly bears fees and expenses charged by the ETF in addition to the Fund’s direct fees and expenses. Investments in ETFs are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs that could result in greater expenses for the Fund.

Exchange Traded Commodity Trusts. Each Fund may invest in exchange traded commodity trusts. An exchange traded commodity trust is a pooled trust that invests in physical commodities or commodity futures, and issues shares that trade on a securities exchange at a discount or premium to the value of the trust’s holdings. Investments in exchange traded commodity trusts are also subject to brokerage and other trading costs, which could result in greater expenses to the Fund. Exchange traded commodity trusts are not investment companies registered under the 1940 Act. As a result, in connection with any such investments, a Fund will not have the protections associated with ownership of shares in an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. Investments in exchange traded commodity trusts, like investments in other commodities, may increase the risk that a Fund may not qualify as RIC under the Code. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC, the Fund will be subject to tax, which will reduce returns to shareholders. Such a failure will also alter the treatment of distributions to its shareholders.

Exchange-Traded Notes. Each Fund may invest in ETNs. ETNs generally are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities issued by a sponsor, such as an investment bank. ETNs are traded on exchanges and the returns are linked to the performance of market indexes. In addition to trading ETNs on exchanges, investors may redeem ETNs directly with the issuer on a periodic basis, typically in a minimum amount of 50,000 units, or hold the ETNs until maturity. The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in the underlying market, changes in the applicable interest rates, and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the referenced market. Because ETNs are debt securities, they are subject to credit risk. If the issuer has financial difficulties or goes bankrupt, a Fund may not receive the return it was promised. If a rating agency lowers an issuer’s credit rating, the value of the ETN may decline and a lower credit rating reflects a greater risk that the issuer will default on its obligation. There may be restrictions on a Fund’s right to redeem its investment in an ETN. There are no periodic interest payments for ETNs, and principal is not protected. A Fund’s decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market.

FINANCIAL SECTOR INVESTMENTS. Each Fund may engage in transactions with or invest in companies that are considered to be in the financial sector, including commercial banks, brokerage firms, diversified financial services, a variety of firms in all segments of the insurance industry (such as multi-line, property and casualty, and life insurance) and real estate-related companies. There can be no guarantee that these strategies may be successful. A Fund may lose money as a result of defaults or downgrades within the financial sector.

Events in the financial sector have resulted in increased concerns about credit risk and exposure. Well-known financial institutions have experienced significant liquidity and other problems and have defaulted on their debt obligations. Issuers that have exposure to real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected. It is uncertain whether or how long these conditions will continue. These events and possible continuing market turbulence may have an adverse effect on Fund performance.

Rule 12d3-1 under the 1940 Act limits the extent to which a fund may invest in the securities of any one company that derives more than 15% of its revenues from brokerage, underwriting or investment management activities. A Fund may purchase securities of an issuer that derived more than 15% of its gross revenues in its most recent fiscal year from securities-related activities, subject to the following conditions: (1) the purchase cannot cause more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets to be invested in securities of that issuer; (2) for any equity security, the purchase cannot result in the Fund owning more than 5% of the issuer’s outstanding securities in

 

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that class; and (3) for a debt security, the purchase cannot result in the Fund owning more than 10% of the outstanding principal amount of the issuer’s debt securities. An Index Fund, in seeking to comply with this rule, may experience greater index tracking error because an Index is not subject to the rule.

In applying the gross revenue test, an issuer’s own securities-related activities must be combined with its ratable share of securities-related revenues from enterprises in which it owns a 20% or greater voting or equity interest. All of the above percentage limitations, as well as the issuer’s gross revenue test, are applicable at the time of purchase. With respect to warrants, rights, and convertible securities, a determination of compliance with the above limitations shall be made as though such warrant, right, or conversion privilege had been exercised. A Fund will not be required to divest its holdings of a particular issuer when circumstances subsequent to the purchase cause one of the above conditions to not be met. The purchase of a general partnership interest in a securities-related business is prohibited.

FIXED INCOME SECURITIES. The Fixed Income Funds and the Asset Allocation Funds invest in, but any Fund may invest in, fixed income securities, such as corporate debt, U.S. Treasury notes and bonds, and/or instruments related to fixed income securities. Fixed income securities change in value in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as the perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. For example, the value of fixed income securities will generally decrease when interest rates rise, which may cause the value of the Fund to decrease. In addition, investments in fixed income securities with longer maturities will generally fluctuate more in response to interest rate changes. The capacity of traditional dealers to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace with the bond market’s growth and dealer inventories of bonds are at or near historic lows relative to market size. Because market makers provide stability to fixed income markets, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility, which may become exacerbated during periods of economic or political stress. In addition, liquidity risk may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment in which investor redemptions (or selling of fund shares in the secondary market) from fixed income funds may be higher than normal.

FLOATING AND ADJUSTABLE RATE NOTES. The Fixed Income Funds may purchase floating-rate and adjustable rate obligations, such as demand notes, bonds, and commercial paper. Variable- and floating-rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating-rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. When the Fund holds variable- or floating-rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating-rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value of the Fund’s shares.

These securities may bear interest at a rate that resets based on standard money market indices or are remarketed at current market rates. They may permit the holder to demand payment of principal at any time or at specified intervals not exceeding 397 days. The issuer of such obligations may also have the right to prepay, in its discretion, the principal amount of the obligations plus any accrued interest. The “reset date” of securities held by the Fund may not be longer than 397 days (and therefore would be considered to be within the Fund’s general maturity restriction of 397 days). Given that most floating-rate securities reset their interest rates prior to their final maturity date, the Fund uses the period to the next reset date to calculate the securities contribution to the average portfolio maturity of the Fund.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. The Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) may, in the future, authorize a Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the Fund’s Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies.

ILLIQUID SECURITIES. Although the Funds do not intend to do so, as a matter of policy, each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. An illiquid investment is any investment that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. The liquidity of a security will be determined based on the relevant market, trading and investment specific conditions. Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets to the extent the Adviser or relevant Sub-Adviser has not deemed such securities to be liquid. The inability of a Fund to dispose of illiquid or not readily marketable investments readily or at a reasonable price could impair a Fund’s ability to raise cash for redemptions or other purposes. The liquidity of securities purchased by a Fund which are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act, except for certain 144A bonds, will be monitored by each Fund on an ongoing basis. In the event that more than 15% of the Fund’s net assets are invested in illiquid investments, the Fund, in accordance with Rule 22e-4(b)(1)(iv) of the 1940 Act, will report the occurrence to both the Board and the SEC and seek to reduce its holdings of illiquid investments within a reasonable period of time.

INFLATION-LINKED BONDS. The Fixed Income Funds and the Balanced Income Fund may invest in inflation-indexed bonds. Inflation-indexed bonds are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed bonds. However, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate with market conditions. Investments in other inflation-linked bonds may not provide a similar guarantee and the principal amount repaid could be less than the original principal if inflation falls over the period.

 

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The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if the rise in inflation exceeds the rise in nominal rates, real rates are likely to decline, leading to an increase in the market value of the bonds. Conversely, if the rise in nominal interest rates outpaces the pickup in the rate of inflation, real interest might rise, generating a decline in the market value of the inflation-linked security.

The periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation-indexed bonds generally is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), which is calculated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable country or regional inflation measure calculated by that government. There can be no assurance that the CPI-U or any foreign inflation index will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the rate of inflation in a foreign country will be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United States. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

Inflation-linked bonds held by a Fund may experience an increase in original issue value due to inflation-linked adjustments. The inflation-linked growth in the value of these bonds may be reflected in the Fund’s gross income. While inflation-adjusted growth does not result in cash payments to the Fund, the Fund may be required to make distributions to shareholders for any increase in value in excess of the cash actually received by the Fund during the taxable year. The Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities to make these distribution payments. This may lead to higher transaction costs, losses from sale during unfavorable market conditions and higher capital gains taxes. If deflation-linked adjustments decrease the value of inflation-linked bonds held by the Fund, income distributions previously made by the Fund during the taxable year may be deemed a return of capital.

INVESTMENT COMPANY SECURITIES. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds and certain ETPs). The 1940 Act generally prohibits a Fund from acquiring more than 3% of the outstanding voting shares of an investment company and limits such investments to no more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets in any single investment company and no more than 10% in any combination of two or more investment companies although a Fund may invest in excess of these limits in Affiliated ETPs and to the extent it enters into agreements and abides by certain conditions of the exemptive relief issued to non-Affiliated ETPs. Each Fund may purchase or otherwise invest in shares of Affiliated ETPs and affiliated money market funds.

MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. Each Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. The instruments in which a Fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued by the U.S. government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1+” or “A-1” by S&P or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Fund; and (iv) repurchase agreements. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

MORTGAGE-BACKED AND ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES. The Fixed Income Funds and the Balanced Income Fund may invest in mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities are secured (or backed) by pools of commercial or residential mortgages. Asset-backed securities are secured (or backed) by other types of assets, such as automobile loans, installment sale contracts, credit card receivables or other similar assets. Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities are issued by entities such as Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, commercial banks, trusts, special purpose entities, finance companies, finance subsidiaries of industrial companies, savings and loan associations, mortgage banks and investment banks. Investing in mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities is subject to credit risk and interest rate risk. They are also subject to the risk of prepayment, which can change the nature and extent of the Fund’s interest rate risk. The market for mortgage-backed securities may not be liquid under all interest rate scenarios, which may prevent the Fund from selling such securities held in its portfolio at times or prices that it desires.

MUNICIPAL SECURITIES. The Fixed Income Funds and the Balanced Income Fund may invest in municipal securities (including taxable municipal securities), the interest payments of which are subject to U.S. federal income tax. Such investments may include securities issued in the U.S. market by U.S. states and territories, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies or authorities. The municipal securities which the Fund may purchase also include general obligation bonds and limited obligation bonds (or revenue bonds), including industrial development bonds issued pursuant to former U.S. federal tax law. General obligation bonds are obligations involving the credit of an issuer possessing taxing power and are payable from such issuer’s general revenues and not from any particular source. Limited obligation bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Industrial development bonds generally are also revenue bonds and thus are not payable from the issuer’s general revenues. The credit and quality of industrial development bonds are usually related to the credit of the corporate user of the facilities. Payment of interest on and repayment of principal of such bonds is the responsibility of the corporate user (and/or any guarantor). The Fund may invest in private activity bonds, which are bonds issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds

 

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to provide privately operated housing facilities, airport, mass transit or port facilities, sewage disposal, solid waste disposal or hazardous waste treatment or disposal facilities and certain local facilities for water supply, gas or electricity. Other types of private activity bonds, the proceeds of which are used for the construction, equipment, repair or improvement of privately operated industrial or commercial facilities, may constitute municipal securities, although the current U.S. federal tax laws place substantial limitations on the size of such issues.

NON-U.S. SECURITIES. The International Equity Funds and Balanced Income Fund invest in non-U.S. equity securities. Investments in non-U.S. equity securities involve certain risks that may not be present in investments in U.S. securities. For example, non-U.S. securities may be subject to currency risks or to foreign government taxes. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than about a U.S. issuer, and a foreign issuer may or may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to those in the U.S. Other risks of investing in such securities include political or economic instability in the country involved, the difficulty of predicting international trade patterns and the possibility of imposition of exchange controls. The prices of such securities may be more volatile than those of domestic securities. With respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of expropriation of assets or nationalization, imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments, difficulty in obtaining and enforcing judgments against foreign entities or diplomatic developments which could affect investment in these countries. Losses and other expenses may be incurred in converting between various currencies in connection with purchases and sales of foreign securities.

Non-U.S. stock markets may not be as developed or efficient as, and may be more volatile than, those in the U.S. While the volume of shares traded on non-U.S. stock markets generally has been growing, such markets usually have substantially less volume than U.S. markets. Therefore, a Fund’s investment in non-U.S. equity securities may be less liquid and subject to more rapid and erratic price movements than comparable securities listed for trading on U.S. exchanges. Non-U.S. equity securities may trade at price/earnings multiples higher than comparable U.S. securities and such levels may not be sustainable. There may be less government supervision and regulation of foreign stock exchanges, brokers, banks and listed companies abroad than in the U.S. Moreover, settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in U.S. markets. Such differences may include delays beyond periods customary in the U.S. and practices, such as delivery of securities prior to receipt of payment, that increase the likelihood of a failed settlement, which can result in losses to a Fund. The value of non-U.S. investments and the investment income derived from them may also be affected unfavorably by changes in currency exchange control regulations. Foreign brokerage commissions, custodial expenses and other fees are also generally higher than for securities traded in the U.S. This may cause the International Equity Funds and Balanced Income Fund to incur higher portfolio transaction costs than domestic equity funds. Fluctuations in exchange rates may also affect the earning power and asset value of the foreign entity issuing a security, even one denominated in U.S. dollars. Dividend and interest payments may be repatriated based on the exchange rate at the time of disbursement, and restrictions on capital flows may be imposed.

Set forth below for certain markets in which the International Equity Funds and Balanced Income Fund may invest, consistent with their principal investment strategies, are brief descriptions of some of the conditions and risks in each such market.

Investments in Australia. The economy of Australia is heavily dependent on the economies of Asian countries and the price and demand for natural resources and commodities as well as its exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. Conditions that weaken demand for such products worldwide could have a negative impact on the Australian economy as a whole. Australia is also increasingly dependent on the economies of its key trading partners, including China, the United States, and Japan. These and other factors could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investments in Emerging Markets Securities. Investments in securities listed and traded in emerging markets are subject to additional risks that may not be present for U.S. investments or investments in more developed non-U.S. markets. Such risks may include: (i) greater market volatility; (ii) lower trading volume; (iii) greater social, political and economic uncertainty; (iv) governmental controls on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; (v) the risk that companies may be held to lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards than companies in more developed markets; and (vi) the risk that there may be less protection of property rights than in other countries. Emerging markets are generally less liquid and less efficient than developed securities markets.

Investments in China and Hong Kong. In addition to the aforementioned risks of investing in non-U.S. securities, investing in securities listed and traded in China or Hong Kong involves special considerations not typically associated with investing in countries with more democratic governments or more established economies or securities markets. Such risks may include: (i) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (ii) greater social, economic and political uncertainty and unrest (including mass protests and the risk of war); (iii) dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (iv) increasing competition from Asia’s other low-cost emerging economies; (v) currency exchange rate fluctuations and the lack of available currency hedging instruments; (vi) higher rates of inflation; (vii) controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital and on the Fund’s ability to exchange local currencies for U.S. dollars; (viii) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy; (ix) the risk that the Chinese government may decide not to continue to support the economic reform programs implemented since 1978 and could return to the prior, completely centrally planned, economy; (x) the fact that Chinese companies, particularly those located in China, may be smaller, less seasoned and newly organized; (xi) the differences in, or lack of, auditing and financial reporting standards which

 

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may result in unavailability of material information about issuers, particularly in China; (xii) the fact that statistical information regarding the economy of China may be inaccurate or not comparable to statistical information regarding the U.S. or other economies; (xiii) the less extensive, and still developing, regulation of the securities markets, business entities and commercial transactions; (xiv) the fact that the settlement period of securities transactions in foreign markets may be longer; (xv) the fact that the willingness and ability of the Chinese government to support the Chinese and Hong Kong economies and markets is uncertain; (xvi) the risk that it may be more difficult, or impossible, to obtain and/or enforce a judgment than in other countries; (xvii) the rapid and erratic nature of growth, particularly in China, resulting in inefficiencies and dislocations; (xviii) the risk that, because of the degree of interconnectivity between the economies and financial markets of China and Hong Kong, any sizable reduction in the demand for goods from China, or an economic downturn in China, could negatively affect the economy and financial market of Hong Kong as well; and (xix) the risk that certain companies in a Fund’s Index may have dealings with countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government or identified as state sponsors of terrorism.

After many years of steady growth, the growth rate of China’s economy has recently slowed. Although this slowdown was to some degree intentional, the slowdown has also slowed the once rapidly growing Chinese real estate market and left local governments with high debts with few viable means to raise revenue, especially with the fall in demand for housing. Despite its attempts to restructure its economy towards consumption, China remains heavily dependent on exports. Accordingly, China is susceptible to economic downturns abroad, including any weakness in demand from its major trading partners, including the United States, Japan, and Europe. In addition, China’s aging infrastructure, worsening environmental conditions, rapid and inequitable urbanization, quickly widening urban and rural income gap, domestic unrest and provincial separatism all present major challenges to the country. Further, China’s territorial claims, including its land reclamation projects and the establishment of an Air Defense Identification Zone over islands claimed and occupied by Japan, are another source of tension and present risks to diplomatic and trade relations with certain of China’s regional trade partners.

Investments in Hong Kong are also subject to certain political risks not associated with other investments. Following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China by the Communist Party in 1949, the Chinese government renounced various debt obligations incurred by China’s predecessor governments, which obligations remain in default, and expropriated assets without compensation. There can be no assurance that the Chinese government will not take similar action in the future. Investments in China and Hong Kong involve risk of a total loss due to government action or inaction. China has committed by treaty to preserve Hong Kong’s autonomy and its economic, political and social freedoms for 50 years from the July 1, 1997 transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to China. However, if China would exert its authority so as to alter the economic, political or legal structures or the existing social policy of Hong Kong, investor and business confidence in Hong Kong could be negatively affected, which in turn could negatively affect markets and business performance. In addition, the Hong Kong dollar trades at a fixed exchange rate in relation to (or, is “pegged” to) the U.S. dollar, which has contributed to the growth and stability of the Hong Kong economy. However, it is uncertain how long the currency peg will continue or what effect the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system would have on the Hong Kong economy. Because each Fund’s NAV is denominated in U.S. dollars, the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system could result in a decline in a Fund’s NAV. These and other factors could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investments in China A-Shares and Stock Connect Risks. Certain Funds invest in China A-Shares (“A-Shares”). A-Shares are issued by companies that are incorporated in mainland China, and listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (“SSE”) or Shenzhen Stock Exchange (“SZSE”) via the Shanghai-Hong Kong or Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect (“Stock Connect”) programs in Chinese renminbi. Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing linked program between either SSE or SZSE, and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“SEHK”), Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”), and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (“ChinaClear”), with an aim to achieve mutual stock market access between the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and Hong Kong. A Fund’s ability to invest in China A-Shares through Stock Connect, or on such other stock exchanges in China that participate in Stock Connect from time to time or in the future, is subject to trading limits, rules and regulations by the applicable regulatory authority. These restrictions and regulations may adversely affect a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

Remittance and repatriation of funds risk. A Fund may also be subject to repatriation restrictions. It may repatriate funds from the PRC daily according to the net difference between the subscription amount and redemption amount. However, there is no assurance that PRC rules and regulations will not change or that repatriation restrictions will not be imposed in the future. Further, such changes to the PRC rules and regulations may be applied retroactively. A Fund may be exposed to potential loss from any restriction or delay in the applicable Sub-Adviser’s ability to convert U.S. dollars from RMB and/or to repatriate funds from the PRC.

Quota limitations risk. The Stock Connect programs are subject to daily quota limitations on investments, which may restrict a Fund’s ability to invest in China A-Shares through Stock Connect on a timely basis, and a Fund may not be able to effectively pursue its investment policies. In addition, an investor cannot purchase and sell the same security on the same trading day, which may restrict a Fund’s ability to invest in A-Shares through Stock Connect and to enter into or exit trades on a timely basis.

 

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Suspension risk. SEHK, SSE and SZSE reserve the right to suspend trading if necessary to ensure an orderly and fair market and manage risks prudently which could adversely affect a Fund’s ability to access the PRC market.

Differences in trading day. Stock Connect only operates on days when both the PRC and Hong Kong markets are open for trading and when banks in both markets are open on the corresponding settlement days. So it is possible that there are occasions when it is a normal trading day for the PRC market but Hong Kong investors (such as the Fund) cannot carry out any China A-Shares trading. A Fund may be subject to a risk of price fluctuations in China A-Shares during the time when Stock Connect is not trading as a result.

Restrictions on selling imposed by front-end monitoring. PRC regulations require that before an investor sells any share, there should be sufficient shares in the account; otherwise SSE or SZSE will reject the sell order concerned. SEHK will carry out pre-trade checking on China A-Shares sell orders of its participants (i.e., the stock brokers) to ensure there is no over-selling.

Clearing settlement and custody risks. HKSCC and ChinaClear establish the clearing links and each is a participant of each other to facilitate clearing and settlement of cross-boundary trades. As the national central counterparty of the PRC’s securities market, ChinaClear operates a comprehensive network of clearing, settlement and stock holding infrastructure. ChinaClear has established a risk management framework and measures that are approved and supervised by the CSRC. The chances of a ChinaClear default are considered to be remote.

Should the remote event of a ChinaClear default occur and ChinaClear be declared as a defaulter, HKSCC will, in good faith, seek recovery of the outstanding stocks and monies from ChinaClear through available legal channels or through ChinaClear’s liquidation. In that event, the Fund may suffer a delay in the recovery process or may not be able to fully recover its losses from ChinaClear.

The China A-Shares traded through Stock Connect are issued in scriptless form, so investors, such as a Fund, will not hold any physical China A-Shares. Hong Kong and overseas investors, such as a Fund, who have acquired China A-Shares listed on the SSE or SZSE (together, the “Mainland Securities”) through Northbound trading should maintain the Mainland Securities with their brokers’ or custodians’ stock accounts with the Central Clearing and Settlement System operated by HKSCC for the clearing securities listed or traded on SEHK.

Nominee arrangements in holding China A-Shares. HKSCC is the “nominee holder” of the Mainland Securities acquired by overseas investors (including the Fund) through Stock Connect. The CSRC Stock Connect rules expressly provide that investors enjoy the rights and benefits of the Mainland Securities acquired through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable laws. The CSRC has clarified that (i) the concept of nominee shareholding is recognized in China, (ii) overseas investors shall hold Mainland Securities through HKSCC and are entitled to proprietary interests in such securities as shareholders, (iii) China law does not expressly provide for a beneficial owner under the nominee holding structure to bring legal proceedings, nor does it prohibit a beneficial owner from doing so, (iv) as long as certification issued by HKSCC is treated as lawful proof of a beneficial owner’s holding of Mainland Securities under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region law, it would be fully respected by CSRC, and (v) as long as an overseas investor can provide evidential proof of direct interest as a beneficial owner, the investor may take legal actions in its own name in PRC courts. However, the courts in the PRC may consider that any nominee or custodian as registered holder of the Mainland Securities would have full ownership thereof, and even if the concept of beneficial owner is recognized under PRC law, those Mainland Securities would form part of the pool of assets of such entity available for distribution to creditors of such entities and/or that a beneficial owner may have no rights whatsoever in respect thereof. Consequently, neither a Fund nor its custodian can ensure that the Fund’s ownership of these securities or title thereto is assured.

Under the rules of the Central Clearing and Settlement System operated by HKSCC for the clearing of securities listed or traded on SEHK, HKSCC as nominee holder shall have no obligation to take any legal action or court proceeding to enforce any rights on behalf of the investors in respect of the Mainland Securities in the PRC or elsewhere. Therefore, although a Fund’s ownership may be ultimately recognized and the HKSCC confirmed that it is prepared to provide assistance to the beneficial owners of Mainland Securities where necessary, a Fund may suffer difficulties or delays in enforcing their rights in China A-Shares. Moreover, whether PRC courts will accept the legal action independently initiated by the overseas investor with the certification of holding Mainland Securities issued by HKSCC has yet to be tested. To the extent that HKSCC is deemed to be performing safekeeping functions with respect to assets held through it, it should be noted that a Fund and its custodian will have no legal relationship with HKSCC and no direct legal recourse against HKSCC in the event that the Fund suffers losses resulting from the performance or insolvency of HKSCC.

China A-Share market suspension risks. Only certain A-Shares are eligible to be accessed through Stock Connect. Such securities may lose their eligibility at any time, in which case they could be sold but could no longer be purchased through Stock Connect. China A-Shares may only be bought or sold where the relevant A-Shares are traded on the SSE or the SZSE, as appropriate. Given that the A-Share market is considered volatile and unstable (with the risk of suspension of a particular stock, and/or the whole market, and/or government intervention), the subscription and redemption of shares may also be disrupted. An Authorized Participant is unlikely to redeem or subscribe shares if it considers that A-Shares may not be available.

 

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Investor compensation. Investments of a Fund through Northbound trading via Stock Connect will not be covered by Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund. Hong Kong’s Investor Compensation Fund is established to pay compensation to investors of any nationality who suffer pecuniary losses as a result of default of a licensed intermediary or authorized financial institution in relation to exchange-traded products in Hong Kong.

Since default matters in Northbound trading via Stock Connect do not involve products listed or traded in SEHK or Hong Kong Futures Exchange Limited, they will not be covered by the Investor Compensation Fund. Further, since the Fund is carrying out Northbound trading through securities brokers in Hong Kong but not PRC brokers, it is also not protected by the China Securities Investor Protection Fund in the PRC.

Trading costs. In addition to paying trading fees and stamp duties in connection with China A-Share trading, a Fund may be subject to new portfolio fees, dividend tax and tax concerned with income arising from stock transfers which are yet to be determined by the relevant authorities.

Operational risk. Stock Connect provides a new channel for investors from Hong Kong and overseas, such as a Fund, to access the China stock market directly. Stock Connect is premised on the functioning of the operational systems of the relevant market participants. Market participants are able to participate in this program subject to meeting certain information technology capability, risk management and other requirements as may be specified by the relevant exchange and/or clearing house.

The securities regimes and legal systems of the two markets differ significantly and in order for the trial program to operate, market participants may need to address issues arising from the differences on an ongoing basis. Further, the “connectivity” in the Stock Connect program requires routing of orders across the border. This has and will continue to require the development of new information technology systems on the part of the SEHK and the exchange participants. There is no assurance that the systems of the SEHK and market participants will function properly or will continue to be adapted to changes and developments in both markets. In the event that the relevant systems failed to function properly, trading in both markets through the program could be disrupted. A Fund’s ability to access the China A-Share market (and hence to pursue their investment strategy) will be adversely affected.

Regulatory risk. The CSRC Stock Connect rules are departmental regulations having legal effect in the PRC. However, the application of such rules is untested, and there is no assurance that PRC courts will recognize such rules, e.g., in liquidation proceedings of PRC companies.

Stock Connect is novel in nature and is subject to regulations promulgated by regulatory authorities and implementation rules made by the stock exchanges in the PRC and Hong Kong. Further, new regulations may be promulgated from time to time by the regulators in connection with operations and cross-border legal enforcement in connection with cross-border trades through Stock Connect.

The regulations are untested so far and there is no certainty as to how they will be applied. Moreover, the current regulations are subject to change. There can be no assurance that Stock Connect will not be abolished. A Fund that may invest in the PRC markets through Stock Connect may be adversely affected as a result of such changes.

Tax risk. Uncertainties in PRC tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from investments in A-Shares could result in unexpected tax liabilities for a Fund. A Fund’s investments in securities, including A-Shares, issued by PRC companies may cause the Fund to become subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by the PRC. If the Fund were considered to be a tax resident of the PRC, it would be subject to PRC corporate income tax at the rate of 25% on its worldwide taxable income. If the Fund were considered to be a non-resident enterprise with a “permanent establishment” in the PRC, it would be subject to PRC corporate income tax of 25% on the profits attributable to the permanent establishment. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser intend to operate such Fund in a manner that will prevent it from being treated as a tax resident of the PRC and from having a permanent establishment in the PRC. It is possible, however, that the PRC could disagree with that conclusion or that changes in PRC tax law could affect the PRC corporate income tax status of the Fund.

The PRC generally imposes withholding income tax at a rate of 10% on dividends, premiums, interest and capital gains originating in the PRC and paid to a company that is not a resident of the PRC for tax purposes and that has no permanent establishment in China. The withholding is in general made by the relevant PRC tax resident company making such payments. In the event the relevant PRC tax resident company fails to withhold the relevant PRC withholding income tax or otherwise fails to pay the relevant withholding income tax to the PRC tax authorities, the competent PRC tax authorities may, at their sole discretion, impose tax obligations on the Fund.

The Ministry of Finance of the PRC, the State Administration of Taxation of the PRC and the CSRC (collectively, the “PRC Tax Authorities”) issued the “Notice on the Pilot Program of Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect” Caishui [2014] No.81 (Notice 81), on October 31, 2014, which states that the capital gain from disposal of A-Shares by foreign

 

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investors enterprises via the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program will be temporarily exempt from withholding income tax. Notice 81 also states that the dividends derived from A-Shares by foreign investor enterprises is subject to 10% withholding income tax.

The PRC Tax Authorities issued the “Notice on the Pilot Program of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect” Caishui [2016] No.127 (Notice 127)” on November 5, 2016, which states that the capital gain from disposal of A-Shares by foreign investors enterprises via the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program will be temporarily exempt from withholding income tax. Notice 127 also states that the dividends derived from A-Shares by foreign investor enterprises is subject to 10% withholding income tax.

There is no indication of how long the temporary exemption will remain in effect and a Fund may be subject to such withholding income tax in the future. If, in the future, China begins applying tax rules regarding the taxation of income from investments through Stock Connect and/or begins collecting capital gains taxes on such investments, the Fund could be subject to withholding income tax liability if the Fund determines that such liability cannot be reduced or eliminated by applicable tax treaties. The PRC Tax Authorities may, in the future, issue further guidance in this regard and with potential retrospective effect. The negative impact of any such tax liability on the Fund’s return could be substantial.

In light of the uncertainty as to how gains or income that may be derived from a Fund’s investments in the PRC will be taxed, the Fund reserves the right to provide for withholding tax on such gains or income and withhold tax for the account of the Fund. Withholding tax may already be withheld at a broker/custodian level. If the Fund expects such withholding tax on trading in A-Shares to be imposed, it reserves the right to establish a reserve for such tax. If the Fund establishes such a reserve but is not ultimately subject to the tax, shareholders who redeemed or sold their shares while the reserve was in place will effectively bear the tax and may not benefit from the later release, if any, of the reserve. Conversely, if the Fund does not establish such a reserve but ultimately is subject to the tax, shareholders who redeemed or sold their shares prior to the tax being withheld, reserved or paid will have effectively avoided the tax, even if they benefited from the trading that precipitated the Fund’s payment of it. Investors should note that such provision may be excessive or inadequate to meet actual withholding tax liabilities (which could include interest and penalties) on the Fund’s investments. As a result, investors may be advantaged or disadvantaged depending on the final rules of the relevant PRC tax authorities.

Any tax provision, if made, will be reflected in the NAV of such Fund at the time of debit or release of such provision and thus will impact shares which remain in the Fund at the time of debit or release of such provision. If the actual applicable tax levied by PRC tax authorities is greater than that provided for by the Fund so that there is a shortfall in the tax provision amount, investors should note that the NAV of the Fund may suffer more than the tax provision amount as the Fund will ultimately have to bear the additional tax liabilities. In this case, the then-existing and subsequent investors will be disadvantaged. On the other hand, if the actual applicable tax levied by PRC tax authorities is less than that provided for by the Fund so that there is an excess in the tax provision amount, investors who have redeemed Fund shares before the PRC tax authorities’ ruling, decision or guidance in this respect will be disadvantaged as they would have borne the loss from the Fund’s overprovision. In this case, the then-existing and subsequent investors may benefit if the difference between the tax provision and the actual taxation liability can be returned to the account of the Fund as assets thereof. In case of having excess in the tax provision amount (for example, the actual applicable tax levied by PRC tax authorities is less than the tax provision amount or due to a change in provisioning by the Fund), such excess shall be treated as property of the Fund and investors who have already transferred or redeemed their shares in the Fund will not be entitled or have any right to claim any part of the amount representing the excess.

Stamp duty under the PRC laws generally applies to the execution and receipt of taxable documents, which include contracts for the sale of A-Shares traded on PRC stock exchanges. In the case of such contracts, the stamp duty is currently imposed on the seller but not on the purchaser, at the rate of 0.1%. While overseas investors currently are exempt from value added taxes (currently at the rate of 6%) on capital gains derived from trading of A-Shares through Stock Connect, the PRC tax rules could be changed which could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund. In addition, urban maintenance and construction tax (currently at rates ranging from 1% to 7%), educational surcharge (currently at the rate of 3%) and local educational surcharge (currently at the rate of 2%) (collectively, the “surtaxes”) are imposed based on value added tax liabilities, so if the Fund were liable for value added tax it would also be required to pay the applicable surtaxes. The PRC rules for taxation of Stock Connect are evolving and certain of the tax regulations to be issued by the PRC State Administration of Taxation and/or PRC SAFE to clarify the subject matter may apply retrospectively, even if such rules are adverse to the Fund and its investors. The imposition of such taxes, particularly on a retrospective basis, could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s returns. Before further guidance is issued and is well established in the administrative practice of the PRC tax authorities, the practices of the PRC tax authorities that collect PRC taxes relevant to the Fund may differ from, or be applied in a manner inconsistent with, the practices with respect to the analogous investments described herein or any further guidance that may be issued. The value of the Fund’s investment in the PRC and the amount of its income and gains could be adversely affected by an increase in tax rates or change in the taxation basis.

 

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The above information is only a general summary of the potential PRC tax consequences that may be imposed on the Fund and its investors either directly or indirectly and should not be taken as a definitive, authoritative or comprehensive statement of the relevant matter. Investors should seek their own tax advice on their tax position with regard to their investment in the Fund.

The PRC government has implemented a number of tax reform policies in recent years. The current tax laws and regulations may be revised or amended in the future. Any revision or amendment in tax laws and regulations may affect the after-taxation profit of PRC companies and foreign investors in such companies, such as the Funds.

RQFII Regime Risk. Under current regulations in the PRC, generally foreign investors can invest only in the domestic securities market through certain qualified foreign institutional investors that have obtained status as a Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“QFII”) or a Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“RQFII”) from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) and have been granted quota(s) by the PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) to remit foreign freely convertible currencies (in the case of a QFII) and Renminbi (“RMB”) (in the case of a RQFII) into the PRC for the purpose of investing in the PRC’s domestic securities markets.

RQFII license and quota risk. The ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund is not a RQFII but may obtain direct access to RQFII-permissible investments using the RQFII quota of a RQFII, such as the Fund’s Sub-Adviser, ICBCCS.

Investors should note that the RQFII status could be suspended or revoked if, among other things, the RQFII Sub-Adviser becomes insolvent or breaches the “Circular on Issues Related to the Pilot Scheme for Domestic Securities Investment through Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors” (the “RQFII Measures”), which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s performance as the Fund may be required to dispose of certain of its securities holdings. In addition, restrictions may be imposed by the Chinese government on RQFIIs and/or quotas may become inadequate, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s liquidity and performance. Investors should also note that, pursuant to the QFII regulations, the size of the RQFII quota granted to the RQFII Sub-Adviser may be reduced or cancelled entirely under certain circumstances which in turn will have an adverse effect on the Fund. Such circumstances include: (i) illegal use of the foreign exchange – namely transfer or sale of the investment quota, (ii) provision of false information or materials to the SAFE, (iii) failing to carry out investment-related conversion, purchase or payment of foreign exchange in accordance with the applicable provisions, (iv) failing to provide relevant information and materials on its conversion of funding and securities investments in the PRC as required by the SAFE, (v) failing to carry out foreign exchange derivatives business in accordance with the applicable provisions, and (vi) such other acts in violation of the rules on foreign exchange control.

Investments in Europe. Most developed countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union (“EU”), many are also members of the European Economic and Monetary Union (“EMU”), and most EMU members are part of the euro zone, a group of EMU countries that share the euro as their common currency. Members of the EMU must comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls. The implementation of any of these EMU restrictions or controls, as well as any of the following events in Europe, may have a significant impact on the economies of some or all European countries: (i) the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, (ii) economic recession in an EU member country, (iii) changes in EU or governmental regulations on trade, (iv) changes in currency exchange rates of the euro, the British pound, and other European currencies, (v) changes in the supply and demand for European imports or exports, and (vi) high unemployment rates. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These concerns have also negatively affected the euro’s exchange rate. A significant decline in the value of the euro may produce unpredictable effects on trade and commerce generally and could lead to increased volatility in financial markets worldwide. In the event that an EMU member defaults on its sovereign debt or exits from the EMU, especially if either such event occurs in a disorderly manner, the default or exit may adversely affect the value of the euro as well as the performance of other European economies and issuers.

In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the EU. As a result of the referendum, S&P downgraded the United Kingdom’s credit rating from “AAA” to “AA” and the EU’s credit rating from “AA+” to “AA” in the days that followed the vote. Other credit ratings agencies have taken similar actions. On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom invoked article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, notifying the European Council of the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the EU by March 29, 2019. However, after two years of negotiating the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, this date has been extended until October 31, 2019. Although it is unclear how withdrawal negotiations will be conducted or concluded, United Kingdom businesses are increasingly preparing for a disorderly Brexit, which could have severe consequences for the people, businesses and economies of the United Kingdom

 

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and the EU, as well as those of the broader global economy. Withdrawal is expected to be followed by a transition period during which businesses and others prepare for the new post-Brexit rules to take effect on January 1, 2021. It is possible that measures could be taken to revote the issue of Brexit, or that portions of the United Kingdom could seek to separate and remain a part of the EU. As a result of the uncertain consequences of Brexit and the political divisions both within the United Kingdom and between the United Kingdom and the EU highlighted by the referendum vote, the economies of the United Kingdom and Europe as well as the broader global economy could be significantly impacted, which may result in increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth on markets in the United Kingdom, Europe and globally that could potentially have an adverse effect on the value of the Fund’s investments.

Investments in France. France is a member of the EMU. Members of the EMU must comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls. The implementation of any such restrictions or controls, the default of an EU member country on its sovereign debt, significant fluctuations in the euro’s exchange rate, or a change in EU or governmental trade regulations could each have a significant impact on the French economy as well as the economies of some or all European countries. These and other factors, including the potential consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU as described above, could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investments in Germany. Germany is a member of the EMU. Members of the EMU must comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls. The implementation of any such restrictions or controls, the default of an EU member country on its sovereign debt, significant fluctuations in the euro’s exchange rate, or a change in EU or governmental trade regulations could each have a significant impact on the German economy as well as the economies of some or all European countries. In addition, challenges related to the rebuilding of infrastructure and unemployment in the former area of East Germany may also impact the economy of Germany. These and other factors, including the potential consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU as described above, could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investments in Italy. Italy is a member of the EMU. Members of the EMU must comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls. The implementation of any such restrictions or controls, the default of an EU member country on its sovereign debt, significant fluctuations in the euro’s exchange rate, or a change in EU or governmental trade regulations could each have a significant impact on the Italian economy as well as the economies of some or all European countries. Recently, the Italian economy has experienced volatility due to concerns about economic downturn and rising government debt levels. These and other factors, including the potential consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU as described above, could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investments in Japan. Although Japan continues to recover from a prolonged economic downturn dating back to 2000, Japan’s economic growth rate has remained relatively low and it may remain low in the future and/or continue to lag the growth rates of other developed nations and its Asian neighbors. Economic growth in Japan is heavily dependent on international trade, government support of the financial services sector and other troubled sectors, and consistent government policy supporting its export market. In the past, Japanese exports have been adversely affected by trade tariffs and other protectionist measures as well as increased competition from developing nations. Japan has few natural resources and is heavily dependent on oil imports. Higher commodity prices could therefore have a negative impact on the Japanese economy. Slowdowns in the economies of key trading partners such as the United States, China and/or countries in Southeast Asia, including economic, political or social instability in such countries, could also have a negative impact on the Japanese economy as a whole. Despite the emergence of China as an important trading partner of Japan, strained relationships between Japan and its neighboring countries, including China, Russia, South Korea and North Korea, based on historical grievances, territorial disputes, and defense concerns, may also inject uncertainty into Japanese markets. Increased political tension between countries in the region could adversely affect the Japanese economy and, in the event of a crisis, destabilize the region. The Japanese economy is also vulnerable to concerns of economic slowdown from within the Japanese financial system, including high levels of nonperforming loans, over-leveraged corporate balance sheets, extensive cross-ownership by major corporations, a changing corporate governance structure, and large government deficits. Japanese currency fluctuations may also adversely impact the Japanese economy and its export market. In the past, the Japanese government has intervened in its currency market to maintain or reduce the value of the yen. Any such intervention in the currency markets could cause the value of the yen to fluctuate sharply and unpredictably and could cause losses to investors. In addition, Japan’s labor market is adapting to an aging workforce, declining population, and demand for increased labor mobility. These demographic shifts and fundamental structural changes to the labor market may negatively impact Japan’s economic competitiveness.

In March 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan causing major damage to the country’s domestic energy supply, including damage to nuclear power plants. In the wake of this natural disaster, Japan’s financial markets fluctuated dramatically and the resulting economic distress affected Japan’s recovery from its recession. The government

 

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injected capital into the economy and proposed plans for massive spending on reconstruction efforts in disaster-affected areas in order to stimulate economic growth. The full extent of the disaster’s impact on Japan’s economy and foreign investment in Japan is difficult to estimate. The risks of natural disasters of varying degrees, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, and the resulting damage, continue to exist. These and other factors could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investments in Korea. The economy of Korea is heavily dependent on exports and the demand for certain finished goods. Korea’s main industries include electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, and food processing. Conditions that weaken demand for such products worldwide or in other Asian countries could have a negative impact on the Korean economy as a whole. The Korean economy’s reliance on international trade makes it highly sensitive to fluctuations in international commodity prices, currency exchange rates and government regulation, and vulnerable to downturns of the world economy, particularly with respect to its four largest export markets (the EU, Japan, United States, and China). Korea has experienced modest economic growth in recent years, but such continued growth may slow due, in part, to the economic slowdown in China and the increased competitive advantage of Japanese exports with the weakened yen. Relations with North Korea could also have a significant impact on the economy of Korea. Relations between South Korea and North Korea remain tense, as exemplified in periodic acts of hostility, and the possibility of serious military engagement still exists. These and other factors could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investments in Spain. Spain is a member of the EMU. EMU member countries share coordinated economic policies and a common currency. Members of the EMU must comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls. The implementation of any such restrictions or controls, the default of an EU member country on its sovereign debt, significant fluctuations in the euro’s exchange rate, or a change in EU or governmental trade regulations could each have a significant impact on the Spanish economy as well as the economies of some or all European countries. Spain, along with certain other EU economies, experienced a significant economic slowdown during the recent financial crisis. The Spanish economy has been characterized by slow growth in recent years due to factors such as low housing sales, construction declines, and the international credit crisis. The rate of unemployment, inflation and productivity in Spain is relatively lower than other European countries. As a result, the Spanish government has introduced austerity reforms to reduce the fiscal deficit. While these reforms may stimulate the Spanish economy in the long term, they could have negative short-term effects on the Spanish financial market. Moreover, the Spanish government is involved in a long-running campaign against terrorism. Therefore, acts of terrorism on Spanish soil or against Spanish interests abroad may cause uncertainty in the Spanish financial markets. These and other factors, including the potential consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU as described above, could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investments in Taiwan. The economy of Taiwan is heavily dependent on exports. Currency fluctuations, increasing competition from Asia’s other emerge economies, and conditions that weaken demand for Taiwan’s export products worldwide could have a negative impact on the Taiwanese economy as a whole. Concerns over Taiwan’s history of political contention and its current relationship with China may also have a significant impact on the economy of Taiwan. These and other factors could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investments in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has one of the largest economies in Europe and trades heavily with other European countries and the United States. The economy of the United Kingdom may be impacted by changes to the economic health of other European countries and the United States. The United Kingdom also relies heavily on the export of financial services. Accordingly, a slowdown in the financial services sector may have an adverse impact on the United Kingdom’s economy. In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the EU. For more information about “Brexit” and the associated risks, see the above description of “Investments in Europe.” These and other factors could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS. Each Fund may invest in the securities of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) to the extent allowed by law. Risks associated with investments in securities of REITs include decline in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, variations in rental income, changes in neighborhood values, the appeal of properties to tenants, and increases in interest rates. In addition, equity REITs may be affected by changes in the values of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of credit extended. REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified and are subject to the risks of financing projects. REITs are also subject to heavy cash-flow dependency, defaults by borrowers, self-liquidation and the possibility of failing to maintain exemption from the 1940 Act, and, for U.S. REITs, the possibility of failing to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment available to U.S. REITs under the Code. If an issuer of debt securities collateralized by real estate defaults, it is conceivable that the REITs could end up holding the underlying real estate.

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which a Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer (or its affiliate) and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations. This is designed to result in a fixed rate of return for the Fund insulated from market fluctuations during the holding period. Because they are

 

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collateralized by securities, including mortgage-backed securities, repurchase agreements are subject to market and credit risk. As discussed herein, a Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. A repurchase agreement maturing in more than seven days may be considered an illiquid security. A Fund maintains custody of the underlying obligations prior to their repurchase, either through its regular custodian or through a special “tri-party” custodian or sub-custodian that maintains separate accounts for both the Fund and its counterparty. Thus, the obligation of the counterparty to pay the repurchase price on the date agreed to or upon demand is, in effect, secured by such obligations.

Repurchase agreements carry certain risks not associated with direct investments in securities, including a possible decline in the market value of the underlying obligations. If their value becomes less than the repurchase price, plus any agreed-upon additional amount, the counterparty must provide additional collateral so that at all times the collateral is at least equal to the repurchase price plus any agreed-upon additional amount. The difference between the total amount to be received upon repurchase of the obligations and the price that was paid by a Fund upon acquisition is accrued as interest and included in its net investment income. Repurchase agreements involving obligations other than U.S. government securities (such as commercial paper and corporate bonds) may be subject to special risks and may not have the benefit of certain protections in the event of the counterparty’s insolvency. If the seller or guarantor becomes insolvent, the Fund may suffer delays, costs and possible losses in connection with the disposition of collateral.

REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities held by a Fund subject to its agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to each Fund’s limitation on borrowings and may be entered into only with banks or securities dealers or their affiliates. While a reverse repurchase agreement is outstanding, a Fund will maintain the segregation, either on its records or with the Trust’s custodian, of cash or other liquid securities, marked-to-market daily, in an amount at least equal to its obligations under the reverse repurchase agreement.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the buyer of the securities sold by a Fund might be unable to deliver them when that Fund seeks to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the buyer or trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce a Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities, and the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision.

SECURITIES LENDING. Each Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers, including the Fund’s securities lending agent. Loans of portfolio securities provide the Funds with the opportunity to earn additional income on the Fund’s portfolio securities. All securities loans will be made pursuant to agreements requiring the loans to be continuously secured by collateral in cash, or money market instruments, money market funds or U.S. government securities at least equal at all times to the market value of the loaned securities. The borrower pays to the Funds an amount equal to any dividends or interest received on loaned securities. The Funds retain all or a portion of the interest received on investment of cash collateral or receive a fee from the borrower. Lending portfolio securities involves risks of delay in recovery of the loaned securities or in some cases loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. Furthermore, because of the risks of delay in recovery, the Fund may lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price. A Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities while they are being loaned.

SHORT SALE TRANSACTIONS. The Alternative ETFs will, and the 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund may, engage in “short sale” transactions. A short sale involves the sale by a Fund of a listed futures contract, security or commodity that it does not own at a specified price on a future date. Entering into a short sale transaction, the Fund would generally expect the trading price of the subject listed futures contract, security or commodity to be lower on the specified future date than the price at which it agreed to sell the security or commodity. The Fund would hope to acquire the listed futures contract, security or commodity at a lower price on such date, thereby realizing a gain equal to the difference in the acquisition price and the sale price (less any costs). The Fund may also enter into a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the listed futures contract, security, commodity or derivative subject to a short sale transaction increases during the period covered by the contract, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered (plus any costs). Because it requires little or no money to enter into a short sale transaction, a Fund could potentially lose more money than the actual cost of entering into the transaction.

Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to a Fund. A Fund engaging in short sale transactions may be subject to expenses related to short sales that are not typically associated with investing in securities directly, such as costs of borrowing and margin account maintenance costs associated with the Fund’s open short positions. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. A Fund’s investment performance may also suffer if the Fund is required to close out a short position earlier than it had intended. The Fund is required to segregate cash and other assets on its books to cover its short sale obligations. This means that such cash and other assets may not be available to meet the Fund’s needs for immediate cash or other liquidity.

SOVEREIGN DEBT OBLIGATIONS. The Balanced Income Fund may invest in sovereign debt obligations. Sovereign debt obligations involve special risks that are not present in corporate debt obligations. The foreign issuer of the sovereign debt or the foreign governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt, and the Fund’s net asset value, to the extent it invests in such securities, may be more volatile than prices of debt

 

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obligations of U.S. issuers. In the past, certain foreign countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debt. A sovereign debtor’s willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign currency reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange, the relative size of the debt service burden, the sovereign debtor’s policy toward principal international lenders and local political constraints. Sovereign debtors may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and other entities to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The failure of a sovereign debtor to implement economic reforms, achieve specified levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of third party commitments to lend funds to the sovereign debtor, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to service its debts.

SUPRANATIONAL SECURITIES. The Balanced Income Fund may invest in securities issued by supranational entities. A supranational entity is formed by two or more central governments to promote economic development for the member countries. Supranational entities finance their activities by issuing bond debt and are usually considered part of the sub-sovereign debt market. Some well-known examples of supranational entities are the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and other regional multilateral development banks. These securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk and interest rate risk.

TRACKING STOCKS. Each Fund may invest in 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 company’s common stock.

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. Each Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or the agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government. Such obligations may be short-, intermediate- or long-term. U.S. government securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. U.S. government securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, and may be subject to varying degrees of credit risk. U.S. government securities include inflation-indexed fixed income securities, such as U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS). U.S. government securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

PROXY VOTING POLICY

The Trust has adopted as its proxy voting policies for each Fund the proxy voting guidelines of each Fund’s applicable Sub-Adviser. The Trust has delegated to the Sub-Advisers the authority and responsibility for voting proxies on the portfolio securities held by each Fund. The remainder of this section discusses each Fund’s proxy voting guidelines and each Sub-Adviser’s role in implementing such guidelines.

All Mellon Managed Funds. As a registered investment adviser, Mellon is often entrusted with the fiduciary responsibility to vote proxies for shares of corporate stock held on behalf of its clients. Proxy voting is an integral part of the management of the investment in those shares. In voting proxies, Mellon takes into account long term economic value as it evaluates issues relating to corporate governance, including structures and practices, the nature of long-term business plans, including sustainability policies and practices to address environmental and social factors that are likely to have an impact on shareholder value, and other financial and non-financial measures of corporate performance.

For clients that have delegated proxy authority, Mellon will make every reasonable effort to ensure that proxies are received and are voted in accordance with this policy and related procedures. To assist Mellon in that process, it retains Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) to provide various services related to proxy voting, such as research, analysis, voting services, proxy vote tracking, recordkeeping, and reporting. In addition, Mellon also retains Glass Lewis for research services only.

Mellon seeks to avoid potential material conflicts of interest through its participation on The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation’s (“BNY Mellon”) Proxy Voting and Governance Committee (“Committee”). As such, Mellon has adopted and implemented BNY Mellon’s Proxy Voting Policy and proxy voting guidelines. The guidelines are applied to all client accounts for which Mellon has been delegated the authority to vote in a consistent manner and without consideration of any client relationship factors.

Under this policy, the Committee permits member firms (such as Mellon) to consider specific interests and issues and cast votes differently from the collective vote of the Committee where the member firm determines that a different vote is in the best interests of the affected account(s).

Mellon will furnish a copy of its Proxy Voting Policy and its proxy voting guidelines upon request to each advisory client that has delegated voting authority.

Voting BNY Mellon Stock. It is the policy of Mellon not to vote or make recommendations on how to vote shares of BNY Mellon stock, even where Mellon has the legal power to do so under the relevant governing instrument. In order to avoid any appearance of conflict relating to voting BNY Mellon stock, Mellon has contracted with an independent fiduciary (ISS) to direct all voting of BNY Mellon Stock held by any Mellon accounts on any matter in which shareholders of BNY Mellon Stock are required or permitted to vote.

 

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Proxy Voting Disclosure. Clients who have delegated proxy voting authority to Mellon may obtain the proxy voting records for their account upon written or verbal request.

Oversight Activities. Mellon performs periodic oversight of the operational and voting processes implemented on behalf of clients to ensure that proxy ballots are voted in accordance with established guidelines. These activities may include, but are not limited to, monthly account reconciliation between the voting agent and Mellon records and forensic testing of the application of vote instruction in relation to policy vote recommendations at the ballot level. These efforts are completed as a component of Mellon’s Rule 206(4)-7 compliance program.

All Voya IM Managed Funds. The Trust has adopted as its proxy voting policies for each Voya IM Managed Fund the proxy voting guidelines of Voya IM. Voya IM, has adopted a Proxy Voting Policy, related procedures, and voting guidelines which are applied to those client accounts over which it has been delegated the authority to vote proxies. In voting proxies, Voya IM seeks to act in the best interest of its clients and in accordance with its fiduciary duties. Specific votes depend on the particular facts and circumstances of each proxy vote. Voya IM generally votes in support of decisions reached by independent boards of directors. The policy establishes additional guidance to promote independence, alignment of compensation with long-term performance, and prudent fiscal management with respect to votes on specific matters, such as individual board elections, executive compensation, and capitalization. Voya IM seeks to avoid material conflicts of interest through the application of detailed predetermined proxy voting guidelines in an objective and consistent manner across client accounts, based on internal and external research and recommendations provided by a third-party vendor, and without consideration of any client relationship factors.

ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. ICBCCS has adopted a proxy voting policy, related procedures, and voting guidelines governing conflict of interest resolution, disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping, which are applied to those client accounts over which it has been delegated the authority to vote proxies. In voting proxies, ICBCCS seeks to act solely in the best financial and economic interest of the applicable client, which generally means voting with a view to enhancing the value of client securities. ICBCCS will carefully review proposals that would limit shareholder control or could affect the value of a client’s investment. It may refrain from voting in the circumstances where ICBCCS believes that the matters to be voted on have no significant effect on clients’ interests or if there is a pending sell order for the security. It may also refrain from voting where the costs of voting would be unreasonable or ICBCCS is of the view that the proxy statement has not provided sufficient information to justify a vote in favor.

In the absence of evidence to the contrary, ICBCCS will give considerable weight to management recommendations, except in the case of issues directly affecting the interests of management itself, such as management compensation. ICBCCS will in general support management recommendations about the internal operations of the company. A proposal which is likely to have significant economic effect on the relevant company and its security holders will be subject to greater scrutiny on a case-by-case basis. Proposals for re-capitalizations, mergers, corporate restructuring and anti-takeover will be under scrutiny to ascertain possible benefits and disadvantages to security holders. Management recommendations with respect to such transactions will be reviewed in the light of possible management self-interest. Proposals regarding stock option plans and other compensation issues will be carefully scrutinized. As ICBCCS believes in long term capital appreciation, ICBCCS will take into account the relevant company’s positioning for the achievement of long-term goals as well as short-term performances. The above principles are general guidelines only and not exhaustive of all potential voting issues. ICBCCS may also make reference to third party research materials and reports on specific voting issues in order to vote in the best interests of clients.

Proxy voting proposals are reviewed, categorized, analyzed and voted in accordance with ICBCCS’s voting guidelines. These guidelines are reviewed periodically and updated as necessary to reflect new issues and any changes in policies on specific issues.

For any voting proposals where ICBCCS determines that it has a material conflict of interest, ICBCCS will take steps designed to ensure a decision is made to vote based on the client’s best interest and is not a product of the conflict. ICBCCS may determine how to vote the proposals in which it has a conflict, disclose the conflict to the client, and seek its consent before exercising a proxy. ICBCCS may also take such other action, such as consulting an independent third party such as external legal counsel, as the Sub-Adviser reasonably deems appropriate.

All Funds. A complete copy of each Sub-Adviser’s proxy voting policy may be obtained by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by writing to: WisdomTree Trust, c/o Foreside Fund Services, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

The Trust is required to disclose annually the Funds’ complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX covering the period from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the next year and to file Form N-PX with the SEC no later than August 31 of each year. The current Form N-PX for the Funds may be obtained at no charge upon request by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The Trust has adopted a Portfolio Holdings Policy (the “Policy”) designed to govern the disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings and the use of material non-public information about Fund holdings. The Policy applies to all officers, employees, and agents of the Funds, including the Advisers. The Policy is designed to ensure that the disclosure of information about each Fund’s portfolio holdings is consistent with applicable legal requirements and otherwise in the best interest of each Fund.

 

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As ETFs, information about each Fund’s portfolio holdings is made available on a daily basis in accordance with the provisions of any Order of the SEC applicable to the Funds, regulations of a Fund’s Listing Exchange and other applicable SEC regulations, orders and no-action relief. Such information typically reflects all or a portion of a Fund’s anticipated portfolio holdings as of the next Business Day. A “Business Day” with respect to each Fund is any day on which its respective Listing Exchange is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, each Listing Exchange observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. This information is used in connection with the creation and redemption process and is disseminated on a daily basis through the facilities of the Listing Exchange, the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) and/or third-party service providers.

Daily access to each Fund’s portfolio holdings with no lag time is permitted to personnel of the Advisers, the Distributor and the Fund’s administrator (the “Administrator”), custodian and accountant and other agents or service providers of the Trust who have need of such information in connection with the ordinary course of their respective duties to the Fund. The Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings.

Each Fund may disclose its complete portfolio holdings or a portion of its portfolio holdings online at www.wisdomtree.com. Online disclosure of such holdings is publicly available at no charge.

Each Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings schedule in public filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis, based on the Fund’s fiscal year, within sixty (60) days of the end of the quarter, and will provide that information to shareholders, as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.

No person is authorized to disclose a Fund’s portfolio holdings or other investment positions except in accordance with the Policy. The Board reviews the implementation of the Policy on a periodic basis.

INDEX DESCRIPTION

A description of each Index on which each Index Fund’s investment strategy is based is provided in the relevant Fund’s Prospectus under “Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund” with certain additional details provided below. Additional information about each Index (with the exception of the underlying index of the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund), including the components and weightings of the Indexes, as well as the Index methodology, which contains the rules that govern inclusion and weighting in each of the Indexes, is available at www.wisdomtree.com under “WisdomTree Resources” in the Resource Library. Additional information about the S&P China 500 Index, including the components and weightings of the Index, as well as the Index methodology, which contains the rules that govern inclusion and weighting in the Index, is available on the Index provider’s website.

Index Screening/Rebalance Dates.

All Equity Index Funds, except Alternative ETFs and ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. Each Index is “rebalanced” or “reconstituted” on an annual basis (except the Balanced Income Index, which may be rebalanced or reconstituted on a quarterly basis, as described in the Prospectus). New securities are added to the Index only on the annual screening date. The annual screening date of the Dynamic Currency Hedged Equity Indexes takes place after the close of trading on the last trading day in June of each year. The annual screening date of the Balanced Income Index takes place after the close of trading on the last trading day in December of each year.

Alternative ETFs. The stocks within each Index’s Long Equity Basket are reconstituted and rebalanced on a quarterly basis. The quarterly screening date of each Index takes place in March, June, September and December of each year. The amount of exposure to each Index’s Short Equity Basket is reset on a monthly basis; however, the stocks within the Index’s Short Equity Basket are reconstituted and rebalanced annually.

Fixed Income Funds. The U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index and the U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Index are “rebalanced” or “reconstituted” on a semi-annual basis on the last business days of May and November. New securities are added to the Index only during the semi-annual rebalance. The U.S. Corporate Bond Index and the U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Index are rebalanced on a quarterly basis on the last business days of February, May, August and November. New securities are added to the Index only during the quarterly rebalance.

ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. The S&P China 500 Index is “rebalanced” or “reconstituted” on a semi-annual basis in June and December. New securities are added to the Index only during the semi-annual rebalance. The semi-annual screening date of the Index

 

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takes place on the last trading day of May and November. During the semi-annual screening date, securities are screened to determine whether they comply with S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC’s Index methodology and are eligible to be included in the Index. This date is sometimes referred to as the “Index measurement date” or the “Screening Point.” Based on this screening, securities that meet Index requirements are added to the Index, and securities that do not meet such requirements are dropped from the Index.

All Index Funds except ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. During the rebalance on the annual, semi-annual, or quarterly screening date, as applicable, securities are screened to determine whether they comply with WisdomTree’s proprietary Index methodology and are eligible to be included in the Index. This date is sometimes referred to as the “Index measurement date” or the “Screening Point.” Based on this screening, securities that meet Index requirements are added to the Index, and securities that do not meet such requirements are dropped from the Index. In response to market conditions, security, country and sector weights may fluctuate above or below a specified cap between Index screening dates.

All Index Funds – Number of Index Components.

The approximate number of components of each Index is disclosed herein as of September 30, 2019.

 

Name of Index

   Approximate Number of
Components
 

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index

     2,721  

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index

     2,99  

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index

     1,653  

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index

     1,634  

WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Index (formerly, the WisdomTree Fundamental
U.S. Corporate Bond Index)

     3,284  

WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index (formerly, the WisdomTree Fundamental
U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index)

     467  

WisdomTree U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index (formerly, the WisdomTree Fundamental
U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index)

     1,237  

WisdomTree U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index (formerly, the WisdomTree
Fundamental U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index)

     260  

WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Index

     500  

WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Index

     99  

WisdomTree Balanced Income Index

     2,524  

S&P China 500 Index

     565  

International Equity Funds (except ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund) – Applying the Calculated Volume Factor Adjustment. After applying the initial Index eligibility criteria screens and weighting scheme, each Index component’s “calculated volume factor” is determined for each International Equity Index. The calculated volume factor is the security’s average daily dollar trading volume for the three months preceding the Index screening date divided by the security’s weight in the Index. If a component security’s calculated volume factor is:

 

(i)

at least $400 million, the security is included in the Index and its weight in the Index is not reduced.

 

(ii)

less than $200 million and the security was not in the Index immediately prior to the Index screening date, the security is deleted from the Index and its weight is allocated pro rata among the remaining component securities. For example, if a security’s weight in the Index is 2%, but its calculated volume factor is only $100 million, the security is deleted from the Index. Accordingly, 2% of the Index’s weight would be reallocated among the other Index components on a pro rata basis.

 

(iii)

less than $200 million and the security was in the Index immediately prior to the Index screening date, the security’s weight in the Index will be reduced in the manner described in (iv) below.

 

(iv)

$200 million or more, but less than $400 million, the security’s weight in the Index will be reduced. The component security’s reduced weight is calculated by dividing its calculated volume factor by $400 million and multiplying this fraction by the company’s weight. For example, if a security’s weight in the Index is 2%, but its calculated volume factor is only $300 million, the security’s weight in the Index is reduced to 1.5% (i.e., the outcome of dividing $300 million by $400 million and multiplying by 2%). The reduction in weight is reallocated pro rata among the other component securities in the Index. Accordingly, 0.5% of the Index’s weight would be reallocated among the other Index components on a pro rata basis.

 

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In response to market conditions and volume factor adjustments, security, country, and sector weights may fluctuate above or below a specified cap between annual Index screening dates.

All Index Funds (except ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund).

Index Maintenance. Index maintenance occurs throughout the year and includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company additions and deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spin-offs, corporate restructurings and other corporate actions. Corporate actions are generally implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. To the extent reasonably practicable, such changes will be announced at least two days prior to their implementation.

For each Index, should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24% of the Index, its weighting will be reduced at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced. Moreover, for each Index, should the collective weight of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5% of an Index, when added together, exceed 50% of such Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced so that their collective weight equals 40% of the Index as of the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced.

Index Availability. Although U.S. and European WisdomTree Indexes are calculated and disseminated throughout each day the Listing Exchange is open for trading, all Global, International, Emerging Markets, and Asia Pacific Funds’ Indexes are calculated only on an end-of-day basis due to differences in time zone and the fact that these markets are not open during the Listing Exchanges’ market hours.

Changes to the Index Methodology. The WisdomTree Indexes are governed by published, rules-based methodologies. Changes to a methodology will be publicly disclosed at www.wisdomtree.com/etfs/index-notices.aspx prior to implementation. Sixty days’ notice will be given prior to the implementation of any such change.

Index Calculation Agent. In order to minimize any potential for conflicts caused by the fact that WisdomTree Investments and its affiliates act as Index provider and investment adviser to the Funds, WisdomTree Investments has retained an unaffiliated third party to calculate each Index (the “Calculation Agent”). The Calculation Agent, using the applicable rules-based methodology, will calculate and disseminate the Indexes on a daily basis. WisdomTree Investments will monitor the results produced by the Calculation Agent to help ensure that the Indexes are being calculated in accordance with the applicable rules-based methodology. In addition, WisdomTree Investments and WisdomTree Asset Management have established policies and procedures designed to prevent non-public information about pending changes to the Indexes from being used or disseminated in an improper manner. Furthermore, WisdomTree Investments and WisdomTree Asset Management have established policies and procedures designed to prevent improper use and dissemination of non-public information about the Funds’ portfolio strategies.

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

The following fundamental investment policies and limitations supplement those set forth in each Fund’s Prospectus. Unless otherwise noted, whenever a fundamental investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of a Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the Fund’s acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, other than with respect to a Fund’s limitations on borrowings, any subsequent change in values, net assets, or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether the investment complies with a Fund’s investment policies and limitations.

Each Fund’s fundamental investment policies cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of that Fund’s outstanding voting securities as defined under the 1940 Act. Each Fund, however, may change the non-fundamental investment policies described below, its investment objective, and its underlying Index without a shareholder vote provided that it obtains Board approval and notifies its shareholders with at least sixty (60) days’ prior written notice of any such change.

Fundamental Policies. The following investment policies and limitations are fundamental and may NOT be changed without shareholder approval.

Each Fund, as a fundamental investment policy, may not:

Senior Securities

Issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

Borrowing

Borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

Underwriting

Act as an underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent that each Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act in the disposition of portfolio securities.

 

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Concentration

All Index Funds, Europe Multifactor Fund and Japan Multifactor Fund. Purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its respective agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry, except that each Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of the same industry to approximately the same extent that each Fund’s underlying Index (as applicable) concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries.

90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund. Purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, or any non-U.S. government, or their respective agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry.

Real Estate

Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate, real estate investment trusts or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business).

Commodities

Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent each Fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).

Loans

Lend any security or make any other loan except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

This means that no more than 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets would be lent to other parties. This limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities or to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments, permissible under each Fund’s investment policies.

Non-Fundamental Policies. The following investment policy is not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. Prior to any change in a Fund’s 80% policy, the Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days’ notice.

Each applicable 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 the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the types of securities suggested by the Fund’s name, including investments that are tied economically to the particular country or geographic region suggested by the Fund’s name. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, such Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. A Fund’s investment in derivatives will be included in its net assets when determining whether the Fund satisfies the 80% test described above.

CONTINUOUS OFFERING

The method by which Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are issued and sold by the Funds on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. 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 which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Unit Aggregations after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Funds are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with the sale on the Listing Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Listing Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.

 

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WisdomTree Investments or its affiliates (the “Selling Shareholder”) may purchase Creation Unit Aggregations through a broker-dealer to “seed” Funds as they are launched or thereafter, may purchase shares from other broker-dealers that have previously provided “seed” for Funds when they were launched or otherwise in secondary market transactions, and because the Selling Shareholder may be deemed an affiliate of such Funds, the shares are being registered to permit the resale of these shares from time to time after purchase. The Funds will not receive any of the proceeds from the resale by the Selling Shareholders of these shares.

The Selling Shareholder intends to sell all or a portion of the shares owned by it and offered hereby from time to time directly or through one or more broker-dealers, and may also hedge such positions. The shares may be sold on any national securities exchange on which the shares may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, in the over-the-counter market or in transactions other than on these exchanges or systems at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. These sales may be effected in transactions, which may involve crosses or block transactions. The Selling Shareholder may use any one or more of the following methods when selling shares:

 

   

ordinary brokerage transactions through brokers or dealers (who may act as agents or principals) or directly to one or more purchasers;

 

   

privately negotiated transactions;

 

   

through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether such options are listed on an options exchange or otherwise; and

 

   

any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.

The Selling Shareholder may also loan or pledge shares to broker-dealers that in turn may sell such shares, to the extent permitted by applicable law. The Selling Shareholder may also enter into options or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or the creation of one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of shares, which shares such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell.

The Selling Shareholder and any broker-dealer or agents participating in the distribution of shares may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(11) of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. In such event, any commissions paid to any such broker-dealer or agent and any profit on the resale of the shares purchased by them may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. The Selling Shareholder who may be deemed an “underwriter” within the meaning of Section 2(11) of the Securities Act will be subject to the applicable prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act.

The Selling Shareholder has informed the Funds that it is not a registered broker-dealer and does not have any written or oral agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the shares. Upon the Funds being notified in writing by the Selling Shareholder that any material arrangement has been entered into with a broker-dealer for the sale of shares through a block trade, special offering, exchange distribution or secondary distribution or a purchase by a broker or dealer, a supplement to this SAI will be filed, if required, pursuant to Rule 497 under the Securities Act, disclosing (i) the name of each Selling Shareholder and of the participating broker-dealer(s), (ii) the number of shares involved, (iii) the price at which such shares were sold, (iv) the commissions paid or discounts or concessions allowed to such broker-dealer(s), where applicable, (v) that such broker-dealer(s) did not conduct any investigation to verify the information set out or incorporated by reference in the Fund’s Prospectus and SAI, and (vi) other facts material to the transaction.

The Selling Shareholder and any other person participating in such distribution will be subject to applicable provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the rules and regulations thereunder, including, without limitation, to the extent applicable, Regulation M of the Exchange Act, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the shares by the Selling Shareholder and any other participating person. To the extent applicable, Regulation M may also restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of the shares to engage in market-making activities with respect to the shares. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the shares and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to the shares. There is a risk that the Selling Shareholder may redeem its investments in the Fund or otherwise sell its shares to a third party that may redeem. As with redemptions by other large shareholders, such redemptions could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its shares.

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

Board Responsibilities. The Board is responsible for overseeing the management and affairs of the Funds and the Trust. The Board has considered and approved contracts, as described herein, under which certain companies provide essential management and administrative services to the Trust. Like most ETFs, the day-to-day business of the Trust, including the day-to-day management of risk, is performed by third-party service providers, such as the Advisers, Distributor and Administrator. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, has oversight responsibility with respect to the risk management performed by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and eliminate or mitigate the potential effects of risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Trust or the Funds. Under the overall supervision of the Board and the Audit Committee (discussed in more detail below), the service providers to the Funds employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify risks relevant to the

 

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operations of the Trust and the Funds to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the Trust’s business (e.g., the Advisers are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds’ portfolio investments) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that activity.

The Board’s role in risk management oversight begins before the inception of a Fund, at which time the Fund’s Adviser presents the Board with information concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of the Fund. Additionally, the Fund’s Adviser and Sub-Advisers provide the Board periodically with an overview of, among other things, its investment philosophy, brokerage practices and compliance infrastructure. Thereafter, the Board oversees the risk management of the Fund’s operations, in part, by requesting periodic reports from and otherwise communicating with various personnel of the Fund and its service providers, including the Trust’s CCO and the Fund’s independent accountants. The Board and, with respect to identified risks that relate to its scope of expertise, the Audit Committee, oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage risks to which the Fund may be exposed.

The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Funds by the Adviser and receives information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on at least an annual basis, in connection with its consideration of whether to renew any Advisory Agreements and Sub-Advisory Agreements with the Adviser and Sub-Advisers, respectively, the Board meets with the Adviser and Sub-Advisers to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Adviser’s and Sub-Adviser’s adherence to each Fund’s investment restrictions and compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about each Fund’s performance and investments.

The Trust’s CCO meets regularly with the Board to review and discuss compliance and other issues. At least annually, the Trust’s CCO provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the Adviser and Sub-Advisers. The report addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider since the date of the last report; material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the policies and procedures; and material compliance matters since the date of the last report.

The Board receives reports from the Trust’s service providers regarding operational risks, portfolio valuation and other matters. Annually, an independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of the Funds’ financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the Fund and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Funds’ internal controls.

The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect a Fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, despite the periodic reports the Board receives and the Board’s discussions with the service providers to a Fund, it may not be made aware of all of the relevant information related to a particular risk. Most of the Trust’s investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Funds’ Adviser, Sub-Advisers and other service providers, each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the Trust’s and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to substantial limitations.

Members of the Board and Officers of the Trust. Set forth below are the names, birth years, positions with the Trust, term of office, number of portfolios overseen, and principal occupations and other directorships held during the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as members of the Board and as Executive Officers of the Trust. Also included below is the term of office for each of the Executive Officers of the Trust. The members of the Board serve as Trustees for the life of the Trust or until retirement, removal, or their office is terminated pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust. The address of each Trustee and Officer is c/o WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10167.

The Chairman of the Board, Victor Ugolyn, is not an interested person of the Funds as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. The Board is composed of a super-majority (83.3%) of Trustees who are not interested persons of the Funds (i.e., “Independent Trustees”). There is an Audit Committee, Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee, Contracts Review Committee, and Investment Committee of the Board, each of which is chaired by an Independent Trustee and comprised solely of Independent Trustees. The Committee chair for each is responsible for running the Committee meetings, formulating agendas for those meetings, and coordinating with management to serve as a liaison between the Committee members and management on matters within the scope of the responsibilities of the Committee as set forth in its Board-approved charter. The Funds have determined that this leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Funds. The Funds made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the fact that the Independent Trustees of the Funds constitute a super-majority of the Board, the assets under management of the Funds, the number of Funds overseen by the Board, the total number of Trustees on the Board, and the fact that an Independent Trustee serves as Chairman of the Board.

 

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Table of Contents

Name and Year of
Birth of Trustee/Officer

  

Position(s) Held with

the Trust, Term of

Office and Length of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

   Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee/
Officer+
  

Other

Directorships

Held by Trustee

During Past 5 Years

Trustees Who Are Interested Persons of the Trust
Jonathan Steinberg
(1964)
   Trustee, 2005-present; President, 2005-present    Chief Executive Officer, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management since 2005; President, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management from 2012 to 2019.    81    Director, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management.
Trustees Who Are Not Interested Persons of the Trust
David G. Chrencik*
(1948)
   Trustee, 2014-present    Chief Financial Officer of Sarus Indochina Select LP (hedge fund) since 2012; Chief Financial Officer of GeoGreen BioFuels, Inc. (biodiesel fuel producer) from 2010 to 2014; Audit Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (public accounting firm) from 1972 to 2009 (includes positions prior to becoming Audit Partner and predecessor firms).    81    Trustee, Vericimetry Funds (2011 to 2014).
Joel Goldberg**, ***
(1945)
   Trustee, 2012-present   

Attorney, Partner at Stroock & Stroock &

Lavan LLP

from 2010 to

2018; Attorney, Partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher

LLP from 2006 to 2010.

   81    Director, Better Business Bureau (Metropolitan New York, Long Island and the Mid-Hudson Region).
Toni Massaro***
(1955)
   Trustee, 2006-present    Dean Emerita at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law (“Rogers College of Law”) since 2009 (distinguished Emerita in July 2009); Dean of the Rogers College of Law from 1999 to 2009; Regents’ Professor since 2006; Milton O. Riepe Chair in Constitutional Law since 1997; Professor at the Rogers College of Law since 1990.    81    None

Melinda A. 
Raso Kirstein****

(1955)

   Trustee, 2014-present    Retired since 2004, Merrill Lynch Investment Management, Vice President; Senior Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income Management; Director, Tax Exempt Fund Management.    81    Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, Chair of Investment Committee.
Victor Ugolyn
(1947)
   Trustee, 2006-present; Chairman of the Board, 2006-present    Private Investor, from 2005 to present; President and Chief Executive Officer of William D. Witter, Inc. from 2005 to 2006; Consultant to AXA Enterprise in 2004; Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Capital Management (subsidiary of The MONY Group, Inc.) and Enterprise Group of Funds, Chairman of MONY Securities Corporation, and Chairman of the Fund Board of Enterprise Group of Funds from 1991 to 2004.    81    Member of the Board of Governors of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2001-2016).

 

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Table of Contents

Name and Year of
Birth of Trustee/Officer

  

Position(s) Held with

the Trust, Term of

Office and Length of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

   Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee/
Officer+
  

Other

Directorships

Held by Trustee

During Past 5 Years

Officers of the Trust   

Jonathan Steinberg*****

(1964)

  

President, 2005-

present; Trustee, 2005-present

   Chief Executive Officer, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management since 2005; President, WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and WisdomTree Asset Management from 2012 to 2019.    81   

David Castano*****

(1971)

   Treasurer, 2013-present    Director of Fund Accounting & Administration, WisdomTree Asset Management, since 2011.    81   

Terry Jane Feld*****

(1960)

   Chief Compliance Officer, 2012-present    Chief Compliance Officer WisdomTree Asset Management since 2012; Senior Compliance Officer, WisdomTree Asset Management since 2011.    81   

Ryan Louvar*****

(1972)

   Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, 2013-present    General Counsel, WisdomTree Asset Management since 2013; Vice President and Senior Managing Counsel, State Street, 2005 to 2013.    81   

Joanne Antico*****

(1975)

  

Assistant Secretary,

2018-present

   Assistant General Counsel, WisdomTree Asset Management since 2016; Executive Director and Assistant Secretary, Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., 2005 to 2016.    81   

Clint Martin*****

(1977)

   Assistant Treasurer, 2015-present    Fund Manager, Fund Accounting & Administration, WisdomTree Asset Management, since 2012.    81   

 

*

Chair of the Audit Committee.

**

Chair of the Contracts Review Committee.

***

Co-Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee.

****

Chair of the Investment Committee.

*****

Elected by and serves at the pleasure of the Board.

+

As of the date of this SAI.

Audit Committee. Ms. Raso Kirstein and Messrs. Chrencik and Ugolyn, each an Independent Trustee, are members of the Board’s Audit Committee. The principal responsibilities of the Audit Committee are the appointment, compensation and oversight of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, including the resolution of disagreements regarding financial reporting between Trust management and such independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include, without limitation, to (i) oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Trust and to receive reports regarding the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting; (ii) oversee the quality and integrity of the Funds’ financial statements and the independent audits thereof; (iii) oversee, or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of, the Trust’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting, and independent audits; (iv) approve prior to appointment the engagement of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm; and (v) act as a liaison between the Trust’s independent auditors and the full Board. The Independent Trustees’ independent legal counsel assists the Audit Committee in connection with these duties. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, the Audit Committee held four meetings.

Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee. Ms. Massaro and Messrs. Goldberg and Ugolyn, each an Independent Trustee, are members of the Board’s Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee. The principal responsibilities of the Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee are to (i) provide assistance to the Board in fulfilling its responsibility with

 

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respect to the oversight of appropriate and effective governance of the Trust; (ii) identify individuals qualified to serve as Independent Trustees of the Trust and to recommend its nominees for consideration by the full Board; and (iii) provide assistance to the Board in fulfilling its responsibility with respect to overseeing the CCO and overseeing compliance matters involving the Funds and their service providers as reported to the Board. While the Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee is solely responsible for the selection and nomination of the Trust’s Independent Trustees, the Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee may consider nominations for the office of Trustee made by Trust shareholders as it deems appropriate. The Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee considers nominees recommended by shareholders if such nominees are submitted in accordance with Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”), in conjunction with a shareholder meeting to consider the election of Trustees. Trust shareholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send nominations to the Secretary of the Trust that include biographical information and set forth the qualifications of the proposed nominee. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, the Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee held four meetings.

Contracts Review Committee. Ms. Massaro and Messrs. Goldberg and Ugolyn, each an Independent Trustee, are members of the Board’s Contracts Review Committee. The principal responsibilities of the Contracts Review Committee are to provide assistance to the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities under Section 15 of the 1940 Act, and other applicable Sections, rules and interpretative guidance related thereto, with respect to reviewing the performance of, and reasonableness of fees paid to, the Adviser, Sub-Advisers, and core service providers for each series of the Trust, and to make recommendations to the Board regarding the contractual arrangements for such services. On March 12, 2014, the Board created the Contracts Review Committee. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Contracts Review Committee. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, the Contracts Review Committee held four meetings.

Investment Committee. Ms. Raso Kirstein and Messrs. Goldberg and Ugolyn, each an Independent Trustee, are members of the Board’s Investment Committee. The principal responsibilities of the Investment Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for overseeing Fund performance and related matters (it being the intention of the Board that the ultimate oversight of Fund performance shall remain with the full Board), address such other matters that the Board shall determine and provide recommendations to the Board as needed in respect of the foregoing matters. On December 11, 2015, the Board created the Investment Committee. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Investment Committee. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, the Investment Committee held four meetings.

Individual Trustee Qualifications. The Board has concluded that each of the Trustees is qualified to serve on the Board because of his or her ability to review and understand information about the Trust and the Funds provided by management, to identify and request other information he or she may deem relevant to the performance of the Trustees’ duties, to question management and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and administration of the Funds, and to exercise his or her business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of the Funds’ shareholders. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees is qualified to serve as a Trustee based on his or her own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.

The Board has concluded that Mr. Steinberg is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Funds because of the experience he has gained as President, Chief Executive Officer and director of WisdomTree Investments and the Adviser, his knowledge of and experience in the financial services industry, and the experience he has gained serving as President and Trustee of the Trust since 2005.

The Board has concluded that Mr. Chrencik is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Funds because of the experience he gained as an audit partner of a public accounting firm as well as his experience in and knowledge of the financial services industry, including his service as the chief financial officer of a hedge fund and his prior service as a board member of several other investment funds, and the experience he has gained serving as an Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2014.

The Board has concluded that Mr. Goldberg is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Funds because of the experience he has gained as a member of the staff of the SEC, including his service as Director of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management, his experience as legal counsel for many mutual funds, investment advisers, and independent directors as well as the experience he has gained serving as an Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2012.

The Board has concluded that Ms. Massaro is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Funds because of the experience she has gained as a law professor, dean and advisor at various universities, and the experience she has gained serving as Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2006.

The Board has concluded that Ms. Raso Kirstein is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Funds because of her experience in and knowledge of the financial services industry, including her service as a vice president, senior portfolio manager of fixed income management and director of tax exempt fund research of an investment advisory firm, as well as the experience she has gained serving as an Independent Trustee of the Trust since 2014.

The Board has concluded that Mr. Ugolyn is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Funds because of the experience he gained as chief executive officer of a firm specializing in financial services, his experience in and knowledge of the financial services industry, his experience as a member of the Board of Directors of The New York Society of Security Analysts, Inc., his service as chairman for another mutual fund family, and the experience he has gained serving as an Independent Trustee and Chairman of the Board of the Trust since 2006.

 

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Fund Shares Owned by Board Members. The following table shows the dollar amount range of each Trustee’s “beneficial ownership” of shares of the Funds and each series of the Trust as of the end of the most recently completed calendar year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. “Beneficial ownership” is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act. The Trustees and officers of the Trust collectively own less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Trust.

 

Name of Trustee

  

Name of Fund

  

Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in the Fund*

  

Aggregate Dollar Range of

Equity Securities in All Registered

Investment Companies Overseen

by Trustee in Family of

Investment Companies*

Interested Trustee         

Jonathan L. Steinberg

   N/A    None    Over $100,000
Independent Trustees         

David G. Chrencik

   N/A    None    Over $100,000

Joel H. Goldberg

   N/A    None    Over $100,000

Toni M. Massaro

   N/A    None    Over $100,000

Melinda A. Raso Kirstein

   WisdomTree Dynamic
Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund
   $10,001 – $50,000      Over $100,000

Victor Ugolyn

   N/A    None    $50,001 – $100,000

 

*

These values are based on the Trustees’ ownership as of December 31, 2018.

Board Compensation. The following table sets forth the compensation paid by the Trust to each Trustee for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019.

 

Name of Interested

Trustee

   Aggregate
Compensation
from the Trust
     Pension or Retirement
Benefits Accrued As
Part of Company
Expenses
     Estimated Annual
Benefits upon
Retirement
     Total Compensation
from the Funds and
Fund Complex*
 

Jonathan Steinberg

   $ 0        None        None      $ 0  

 

Name of Independent

Trustee

   Aggregate
Compensation
from the Trust
     Pension or Retirement
Benefits Accrued as
Part of Company
Expenses
     Estimated Annual
Benefits upon
Retirement
     Total Compensation
from the Funds and
Fund Complex*
 

David G. Chrencik

   $ 322,946        None        None      $ 322,946  

Joel Goldberg

   $ 333,950        None        None      $ 333,950  

Toni Massaro

   $ 311,941        None        None      $ 311,941  

Melinda A. Raso Kirstein

   $ 322,946        None        None      $ 322,946  

Victor Ugolyn

   $ 440,381        None        None      $ 440,381  

 

*

The Trust is the only trust in the “Fund Complex.”

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. Although the Trust does not have information concerning the beneficial ownership of shares held in the names of Depository Trust Company participants (“DTC Participants”), as of September 30, 2019, 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:

 

Fund Name

    

Participant Name

   Percentage of
Ownership
 
WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund     

JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association

14201 Dallas Parkway

Dallas, TX 75254

     33.33%  
    

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

180 Maiden Lane

New York, NY 10038

     27.93%  

 

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Table of Contents

Fund Name

    

Participant Name

   Percentage of
Ownership
 
    

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC

1 Harborside Financial Center, Plaza II

Jersey City, NJ 07311

     11.97%  
    

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC/JPMC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10179

     9.17%  
      

BOFA Securities, Inc.

1 Bryant Park

New York, NY, 10036

     7.40%  
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged
International Equity Fund
    

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     25.86%  
    

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     22.84%  
    

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     14.23%  
    

State Street Bank And Trust Company

1776 Heritage Drive

North Quincy, MA 02171

     8.50%  
      

Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

880 Carillon Parkway

St. Petersburg, FL 33733

     5.72%  
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged
International SmallCap Equity Fund
    

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     65.62%  
    

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     13.81%  
      

Pershing LLC

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399

     8.15%  

 

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Table of Contents

Fund Name

    

Participant Name

   Percentage of
Ownership
 
      

Fifth Third Bank (The)

38 Fountain Square Plaza, MD 116311

Cincinnati, OH 45263

     7.90%  
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund     

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     45.34%  
    

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     40.66%  
      

Pershing LLC

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399

     5.27%  
WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund     

SG Americas Securities LLC/ Sub 608

480 Washington Boulevard

Jersey City, NJ 07310

     50.00%  
    

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC/JPMC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10179

     19.64%  
    

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     8.31%  
      

Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC

One North Jefferson Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63103

     7.39%  
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund     

CIBC World Markets Inc./CDS

161 Bay Street

Toronto, OT Canada M5J2S8

     18.72%  
    

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     18.30%  
    

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     16.49%  
    

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.

1 Bryant Park

New York, NY 10036

     13.92%  
      

Pershing LLC

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399

     12.00%  

 

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Fund Name

    

Participant Name

   Percentage of
Ownership
 
WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund     

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC/JPMC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10179

     31.44%  
    

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     25.32%  
    

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     15.43%  
    

Pershing LLC

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399

     12.83%  
      

Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC

One North Jefferson Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63103 

     5.67%  
WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund     

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     53.87%  
    

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     19.46%  
      

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC/JPMC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10179

     12.21%  
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund     

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC/JPMC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10179

     45.49%  
    

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     38.68%  
      

Pershing LLC

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399 

     6.35%  

 

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Fund Name

    

Participant Name

   Percentage of
Ownership
 
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund     

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     44.71%  
    

LPL Financial Corporation

4707 Executive Drive

San Diego, CA 92121

     18.36%  
    

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC/JPMC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10179

     10.01%  
    

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     7.78%  
    

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     6.97%  
      

Pershing LLC

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399

     5.84%  
WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund     

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     28.62%  
    

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.

1 Bryant Park

New York, NY 10036

     13.52%  
    

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     10.51%  
    

Citibank, N.A.

3800 Citigroup Center Tampa

Tampa, FL 33610

     8.95%  
    

Vanguard Marketing Corporation

100 Vanguard Boulevard

Malvern, PA 1935

     8.28%  
      

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     8.20%  

 

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Fund Name

    

Participant Name

   Percentage of
Ownership
 
      

E*Trade Clearing, LLC

10951 White Rock Road

Rancho Cordova, CA 95670

     5.20%  
WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S.
Equity Fund
    

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     28.80%  
    

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     25.15%  
    

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     8.62%  
      

Citibank, N.A.

3800 Citigroup Center Tampa

Tampa, FL 33610

     5.66%  
WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund     

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     22.81%  
    

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     15.00%  
    

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     12.71%  
    

Pershing LLC

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399

     8.36%  
    

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.

1 Bryant Park

New York, NY 10036

     6.84%  
      

E*Trade Clearing, LLC

10951 White Rock Road

Rancho Cordova, CA 95670

     6.43%  
WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund     

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127 

     20.15%  

 

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Fund Name

    

Participant Name

   Percentage of
Ownership
 
    

BOFA Securities, Inc.

1 Bryant Park

New York, NY, 10036

     13.71%  
    

Pershing LLC

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399

     10.69%  
    

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     10.41%  
    

LPL Financial Corporation

4707 Executive Drive

San Diego, CA 92121

     10.33%  
    

Vanguard Marketing Corporation

100 Vanguard Boulevard

Malvern, PA 1935

     9.77%  
    

RBC Capital Markets Corporation

200 Vesey Street

New York, NY 10281

     6.31%  
    

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     6.11%  
      

RBC Dominion Securities Inc./CDS

Commerce Court South

P.O. Box 50

Toronto, OT Canada

     6.10%  
WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund     

TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.

4211 South 102nd Street

Omaha, NE 68127

     57.97%  
    

National Financial Services Corporation

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

     12.78%  
    

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

101 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94104

     8.58%  
     State Street Bank & Trust/State Street Total ETF      7.14%  
    

Pershing LLC

One Pershing Plaza

Jersey City, NJ 07399

     6.12%  

Certain officers, employees, accounts or affiliates of WisdomTree Asset Management (such as WisdomTree Investments, 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, NY), including other funds advised by WisdomTree Asset Management or third parties, may from time to time own a substantial amount of a Fund’s shares, including as an initial or seed investor. Such positions may be held for a limited period of time, including to facilitate commencement of a Fund, to facilitate the Funds’ achieving size or scale or in seeking to track model portfolios of ETFs developed and maintained by the Adviser. Such shareholders, individually and/or collectively, could at times be considered to control the Fund (i.e., own greater than 25% of the Fund’s shares) and may purchase or sell shares, including large blocks of shares, at any given time. There can be no assurance that any such entity or person would not redeem or sell its investment, that the size of that Fund would be maintained at such levels or that a Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements, which could negatively impact that Fund and its shares. In addition, such transactions may account for a large percentage of secondary market trading volume and may, therefore, not be sustainable and/or may have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the shares.

Investment Adviser. WisdomTree Asset Management serves as investment adviser to each Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust and WisdomTree Asset Management (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”). WisdomTree Asset Management is a Delaware corporation registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and has offices located at 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10167.

 

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Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, WisdomTree Asset Management is responsible for the overall management and administration of the Trust. WisdomTree Asset Management provides an investment program for each Fund. The Adviser also provides proactive oversight of the Sub-Advisers’ daily monitoring of the Sub-Advisers’ buying and selling of securities for each Fund, and regular review of the Sub-Advisers’ performance. In addition, the Adviser arranges for, and oversees, sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending, and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Funds to operate. The Adviser furnishes to the Trust all office facilities, equipment, services and executive and administrative personnel necessary for managing the investment program of the Trust for each Fund, including:

 

   

Overseeing the Trust’s insurance program;

 

   

Overseeing and coordinating all governance matters for the Trust;

 

   

Coordinating meetings of the Board of Trustees;

 

   

Devoting time and resources to maintaining an efficient market for each Fund’s shares;

 

   

Coordinating with outside counsel on all Trust related legal matters;

 

   

Coordinating the preparation of the Trust’s financial statements;

 

   

Coordinating all regulatory filings and shareholder reporting;

 

   

Overseeing each Fund’s tax status and tax filings;

 

   

Maintaining and updating a website for certain required disclosures; and

 

   

Providing shareholders with additional information about the Funds.

Each Fund pays WisdomTree Asset Management the Management Fee, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, indicated below.

 

Name of Fund

   Management Fee  

Europe Multifactor Fund

     0.48 %* 

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

     0.40 %* 

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

     0.58 %* 

Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

     0.48 %* 

Japan Multifactor Fund

     0.48 %* 

Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

     0.32

U.S. Corporate Bond Fund

     0.28 %* 

U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

     0.48 %* 

U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund

     0.28 %* 

U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

     0.48 %* 

Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

     0.53 %* 

Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

     0.53 %* 

ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund

     0.55

Balanced Income Fund

     0.40 %** 

90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund

     0.20

 

*

Reflects a contractual expense limitation in place through at least October 31, 2020.

**

Reflects a contractual expense limitation in place through at least December 31, 2020.

Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement on behalf of the Funds, WisdomTree Asset Management has agreed to pay all expenses of the Trust, except for: (i) brokerage expenses and other fees, charges, taxes, levies or expenses (such as stamp taxes) incurred in connection with the execution of portfolio transactions or in connection with creation and redemption transactions (including without limitation any fees, charges, taxes, levies or expenses related to the purchase or sale of an amount of any currency, or the patriation or repatriation of any security or other asset, related to the execution of portfolio transactions or any creation or redemption transactions); (ii) legal fees or expenses in connection with any arbitration, litigation or pending or threatened arbitration or litigation, including any settlements in connection therewith; (iii) compensation and expenses of each Independent Trustee; (iv) compensation and expenses of counsel to the Independent Trustees; (v) compensation and expenses of the Trust’s CCO; (vi) extraordinary expenses (in each case as determined by a majority of the Independent Trustees); (vii) distribution fees and expenses paid by the Trust under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act; (viii) interest and taxes of any kind or nature (including, but not limited to, income, excise, transfer and withholding taxes); (ix) fees and expenses related to the provision of securities lending services; and (x) the advisory fee payable to WisdomTree Asset Management. The internal expenses of pooled investment vehicles in which the New Investment Advisory Agreement Funds may invest (acquired fund fees and expenses) are not expenses of such Funds and are not paid by WisdomTree Asset Management.

 

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Pursuant to a separate contractual arrangement, WisdomTree Asset Management arranges for the provision of CCO services with respect to each Fund, and is liable and responsible for, and administers, payments to the CCO, the Independent Trustees and counsel to the Independent Trustees. WisdomTree Asset Management receives a fee of up to 0.0044% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for providing such services and paying such expenses. WisdomTree Asset Management provides CCO services to the Trust.

For the following periods, the Adviser received the following fees from the Funds:

 

          For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2019     For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2018     For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2017  

Name of Fund

  Commencement
of Operations
    Gross
Advisory Fee
    Advisory Fee
Waived /
Expenses
Reimbursed
    Net Advisory
Fee
    Gross
Advisory Fee
    Advisory Fee
Waived /
Expenses
Reimbursed
    Net Advisory
Fee
    Gross
Advisory Fee
    Advisory Fee
Waived /
Expenses
Reimbursed
    Net Advisory
Fee
 

Europe Multifactor Fund

    1/7/16     $ 68,331     $ (7,118   $ 61,213     $ 63,531     $ (6,618   $ 56,913     $ 18,414     $ (1,918   $ 16,496  

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

    1/7/16       933,906       (116,738     817,168       1,887,053       (235,882     1,651,171       1,328,928       (166,116     1,162,812  

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

    11/3/16       122,623       (101,481     21,142       30,097       (24,907     5,190       8,239       (6,818     1,421  

Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

    1/7/16       117,860       (12,277     105,583       50,937       (5,306     45,631       9,203       (959     8,244  

Japan Multifactor Fund

    1/7/16       11,898       (1,239     10,659       13,912       (1,449     12,463       21,080       (2,196     18,884  

Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

    4/7/16       123,151             123,151       77,957             77,957       20,319             20,319  

U.S. Corporate Bond Fund

    4/27/16       13,543       (4,837     8,706       13,843       (4,944     8,899       13,931       (4,976     8,955  

U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

    4/27/16       47,739       (9,946     37,793       24,615       (5,128     19,487       24,970       (5,202     19,768  

U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund

    4/27/16       13,834       (4,941     8,893       13,887       (4,960     8,927       13,985       (4,995     8,990  

U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

    4/27/16       57,839       (12,050     45,789       24,218       (5,045     19,173       24,690       (5,144     19,546  

Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

    12/23/15       62,513       (5,897     56,616       32,903       (3,104     29,799       26,100       (2,462     23,638  

Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

    12/23/15       705,631       (66,569     639,062       516,305       (48,708     467,597       158,162       (14,921     143,241  

ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund

    12/21/17       81,633             81,633       34,640             34,640       n/a       n/a       n/a  

Balanced Income Fund

    12/21/17       11,197       (10,357     840       5,171       (4,783     388       n/a       n/a       n/a  

90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund

    8/2/18       7,532             7,532                                      

 

 

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The Adviser, from its own resources, including profits from advisory fees received from the Funds, provided such fees are legitimate and not excessive, may make payments to broker-dealers and other financial institutions for their expenses in connection with the distribution of Fund shares, and otherwise currently pays all distribution costs for Fund shares.

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 Fund, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. If the shareholders of any Fund fail to approve the Investment Advisory Agreement, WisdomTree Asset Management may continue to serve in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder.

The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to any Fund is terminable without any penalty, by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of that Fund, or by WisdomTree Asset Management, in each case on not less than thirty (30) days’ nor more than sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party; provided that a shorter notice period shall be permitted for a Fund in the event its shares are no longer listed on a national securities exchange. The Investment Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).

Sub-Advisers.

Mellon Investments Corporation. Mellon serves as sub-adviser to, and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the International Equity Funds (except ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund), Alternative Funds and Asset Allocation Funds (the “Mellon Managed Funds”). Mellon, a registered investment adviser, manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. Its principal office is located at One Boston Place, 201 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108. MBC Investments Corporation owns between 80% and 100% of Mellon Investments Corporation (Mellon), with up to 20% owned by certain Mellon employees through authorized employee class restricted shares. MBC Investments Corporation is 100% owned by BNY Mellon IHC, LLC, which is 100% owned by The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. Mellon manages each Fund’s portfolio investments and places orders to buy and sell each Fund’s portfolio investments. WisdomTree Asset Management pays Mellon for providing sub-advisory services to the Mellon Managed Funds.

Mellon believes that it may perform sub-advisory and related services for the Trust without violating applicable banking laws or regulations. However, the legal requirements and interpretations about the permissible activities of banks and their affiliates may change in the future. These changes could prevent Mellon from continuing to perform services for the Trust. If this happens, the Board would consider selecting other qualified firms.

The Sub-Advisory Agreement, with respect to the Mellon Managed Funds, 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 is also approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. If the shareholders of a Fund fail to approve that Fund’s Sub-Advisory Agreement, WisdomTree Asset Management may continue to serve in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder. The Sub-Advisory Agreement is terminable without any penalty, by vote of the Board of or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, or by WisdomTree Asset Management, in each case on not less than thirty (30) days’ nor more than sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party; provided that a shorter notice period shall be permitted for the Funds in the event its shares are no longer listed on a national securities exchange. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).

Portfolio Managers. Each Fund is managed by Mellon’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund’s portfolio are Karen Q. Wong, Richard A. Brown, and Thomas J. Durante.

Including the WisdomTree ETFs, as of September 30, 2019, Mellon’s Equity Index Strategies Portfolio Management team managed 126 registered investment companies with approximately $103 billion in assets; 101 pooled investment vehicles with approximately $87 billion in assets and 81 other accounts with approximately $92 billion in assets.

Portfolio Manager Fund Ownership. As of June 30, 2019, none of the portfolio managers owned shares of the Equity Funds.

Portfolio Manager Compensation.

The firm’s rewards program is designed to be market-competitive and align our compensation with the goals of our clients. This alignment is achieved through an emphasis on deferred awards, which incentivizes our investment personnel to focus on long-term alpha generation.

Our incentive model is designed to compensate for quantitative and qualitative objectives achieved during the performance year. An individual’s final annual incentive award is tied to the firm’s overall performance, the team’s investment performance, as well as individual performance.

 

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Awards are paid in cash on an annual basis; however, some portfolio managers may receive a portion of their annual incentive award in deferred vehicles. Annual incentive as a percentage of fixed pay varies with the profitability of the firm and the product team.

The following factors encompass our investment professional rewards program.

 

   

Base salary

 

   

Annual cash incentive

 

   

Long-Term Incentive Plan

– Deferred cash for investment

– BNY Mellon restricted stock units and/or

– Mellon equity

Awards for selected senior portfolio managers are based on a two-stage model: an opportunity range based on the current level of business and an assessment of long-term business value. A significant portion of the opportunity awarded is structured and based upon the performance of the portfolio manager’s accounts relative to the performance of appropriate peers, with longer-term performance more heavily weighted.

Voya Investment Management Co., LLC serves as sub-adviser and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fixed Income Funds. Voya IM, a registered investment adviser, manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. Its principal office is located at 230 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10169. Voya IM is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Voya Financial, Inc. (formerly, ING U.S., Inc.), a publicly traded financial holding company. Voya IM chooses the portfolio investments of each Fixed Income Fund and places orders to buy and sell the portfolio investments. WisdomTree Asset Management pays Voya IM for providing sub-advisory services to the Fixed Income Funds.

The Sub-Adviser believes that it may perform sub-advisory and related services for the Trust without violating applicable banking laws or regulations. However, the legal requirements and interpretations about the permissible activities of banks and their affiliates may change in the future. These changes could prevent the Sub-Adviser from continuing to perform services for the Trust. If this happens, the Board would consider selecting other qualified firms.

The Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fixed Income Funds 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 Fund, provided that in either event such continuance is also approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Sub-Advisory Agreement is terminable without any penalty, by (i) vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, in each case, on not more than sixty (60) days’ written notice to the Sub-Adviser, (ii) WisdomTree Asset Management or the Sub-Adviser for cause on at least sixty (60) days’ written notice to the other party, and (iii) WisdomTree Asset Management or the Sub-Adviser on at least 120 days’ written notice to the other party prior to any annual renewal term. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).

Portfolio Managers. The U.S. Corporate Bond Fund and U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund are managed by Voya IM’s Investment Grade Credit Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund’s portfolio are Travis King, Anil Katarya, and Kurt Kringelis.

As of June 30, 2019, the Voya Investment Grade Credit team managed 5 registered investment companies totaling $5.25 billion in assets and approximately $33.9 billion in other investment vehicles.

The U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund and U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund are managed by Voya IM’s High Yield Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund’s portfolio are Randall Parrish and Rick Cumberledge.

As of June 30, 2019, the Voya High Yield team managed 5 registered investment companies totaling $1.08 billion in assets and approximately $1.9 billion in other investment vehicles.

Portfolio Manager Fund Ownership. As of June 30, 2019, none of the portfolio managers owned shares of the Fixed Income Funds.

Portfolio Manager Compensation. The firm’s compensation philosophy is to pay for performance and to leverage the variable side of the compensation equation. Annually, the firm participates in comprehensive industry surveys and compares the relevant data to ensure that its compensation plans remain aligned to the market.

Key investment professionals are paid competitive base salaries, are eligible for discretionary bonuses, and generally participate in the firm’s long-term compensation program.

The overall design of the annual incentive plan for investment professionals was developed to tie pay to both portfolio performance and profitability and is structured to drive performance and promote retention of top talent. Individual bonus target awards are determined and set based on external market data and internal comparators.

Investment performance is measured on both relative and absolute performance in all areas, and performance goals are set to appropriately reflect requirements for the investment team. The results for overall Voya IM include a review of firm profitability, team

 

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performance and the Investment professionals’ individual performance, all of which influence the outcome of the discretionary bonus award recommendation process. The measures for each team are reviewed on an annual basis by the firm’s Executive Management, and includes the measure of investment performance versus benchmark and peer groups over one-, three- and five-year periods, and contributions to the firm’s revenue growth, and profitability.

The annual incentive bonus may be subject to a deferral mechanism into a long-term compensation plan, as determined by the plan in effect at the time of payment. In addition, if an employee’s fixed base salary compensation exceeds a particular threshold, the employee may participate in Voya Financial’s deferred compensation plan.

Voya IM’s long-term incentive plan is designed to provide ownership-like incentives to reward continued employment and to link long-term compensation to the financial performance of the business. Based on job function, internal comparators and external market data, employees may be granted long-term awards. Participants are eligible to receive annual awards determined by the Management Committee based largely on investment performance and their contribution to firm performance. Awards are based on the current year’s performance as defined by the Voya Financial long term incentive plan. Awards may include a combination of performance share units, restricted stock units, and/or a notional investment in a predefined set of Voya IM Mutual Funds. Awards are subject to a time based vesting schedule.

ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited. ICBCCS serves as sub-adviser to the WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. ICBCCS, a registered investment adviser, manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. Its principal office is located at ICBC Tower, 3 Garden Road, Suite 801, Hong Kong. ICBCCS is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management Co., Ltd. in Hong Kong, a publicly traded financial holding company. ICBCCS chooses the portfolio investments of the Fund in seeking to track the Index and places orders to buy and sell the portfolio investments. WisdomTree Asset Management pays ICBCCS for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund.

The Sub-Adviser believes that it may perform sub-advisory and related services for the Trust without violating applicable banking laws or regulations. However, the legal requirements and interpretations about the permissible activities of banks and their affiliates may change in the future. These changes could prevent the Sub-Adviser from continuing to perform services for the Trust. If this happens, the Board would consider selecting other qualified firms.

The Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to the 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 Fund, provided that in either event such continuance is also approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. If the shareholders of the Fund fail to approve the Fund’s Sub-Advisory Agreement, WisdomTree Asset Management may continue to serve in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder. The Sub-Advisory Agreement is terminable without any penalty, by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, or by WisdomTree Asset Management, in each case on not less than thirty (30) days’ nor more than sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party; provided that a shorter notice period shall be permitted for the Fund in the event its shares are no longer listed on a national securities exchange. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).

Portfolio Manager. The Fund is managed by Ada Yin, a Senior Portfolio Manager of Index and Quantitative Investment of the Sub-Adviser.

As of September 30, 2019, the Sub-Adviser’s portfolio management team did not manage any registered investment companies. The Sub-Adviser’s portfolio management team manages 5 pooled investment vehicles with approximately $0.08 billion in assets; and 4 other accounts with approximately $2.02 billion in assets.

Portfolio Manager Fund Ownership. As of the September 30, 2019, the portfolio manager did not own shares of the Fund.

Portfolio Manager Compensation. The primary objectives of the Sub-Adviser’s compensation plans are to:

 

   

Motivate and reward superior investment and business performance

 

   

Motivate and reward continued growth and profitability

 

   

Attract and retain high-performing individuals critical to the on-going success of the Sub-Adviser

 

   

Create an ownership mentality for all plan participants

Cash compensation is comprised primarily of a market-based base salary and variable incentives (cash and deferred). Base salary is determined by the employees’ experience and performance in the role, taking into account the ongoing compensation benchmark analyses. Base salary is generally a fixed amount that may change as a result of an annual review or upon assumption of new duties. Funding for the Sub-Adviser’s Annual and Long Term Incentive Plan is through a pre-determined fixed percentage of overall Sub-Adviser profitability. Therefore, all bonus awards are based initially on the Sub-Adviser’s financial performance. The performance period under which annual incentive opportunities are earned covers the January 1st through December 31st calendar year. The compensation for each individual is evaluated on a total compensation basis, in which combined salaries and incentives are reviewed

 

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against competitive market data (benchmarks) for each position annually. Awards are 100% discretionary. Factors considered in awards include individual performance, team performance, investment performance of the associated portfolio(s) (including both short and long-term returns) and qualitative behavioral factors. Other factors considered in determining the award are the asset size and revenue growth/retention of the products managed (if applicable). Awards are paid partially in cash with the balance deferred through the Long Term Incentive Plan.

Participants in the Long Term Incentive Plan have a high level of accountability and a large impact on the success of the business due to the position’s scope and overall responsibility. This plan provides for an annual award, payable in cash after a three-year cliff vesting period for senior level roles.

The Sub-Adviser’s Portfolio Managers responsible for managing the Fund are paid by the Sub-Adviser and not by the Fund. The same methodology described above is used to determine Portfolio Manager compensation with respect to the management of the Fund and other accounts. The Portfolio Managers are also eligible for the standard retirement benefits and health and welfare benefits available to all Sub-Adviser employees. In addition, Portfolio Managers whose compensation exceeds certain limits may elect to defer a portion of their salary and/or bonus under certain Deferred Compensation Plan for Employees.

Description of Material Conflicts of Interest – Mellon.

It is the policy of Mellon to make business decisions free from conflicting outside influences. Mellon’s objective is to recognize potential conflicts of interest and work to eliminate or control and disclose such conflicts as they are identified. Mellon’s business decisions are based on its duty to its clients, and not driven by any personal interest or gain. As an asset manager operating in a number of different jurisdictions with a diverse client base in a variety of strategies, conflicts of interest are inherent. Furthermore, as an indirect subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (“BNYM”), potential conflicts may also arise between Mellon and other BNYM companies.

Mellon will take steps to provide reasonable assurance that no client or group of clients is advantaged at the expense of any other client. As such, it has adopted a Code of Ethics and compliance policy manual to address such conflicts. These potential and inherent conflicts include but are not limited to: the allocation of investment opportunities, side by side management, execution of portfolio transactions, brokerage conflicts, compensation conflicts, related party arrangements, personal interests, and other investment and operational conflicts of interest. Mellon’s compliance policies are designed to ensure that all client accounts are treated equitably over time. Additionally, it has structured compensation of investment personnel to reasonably safeguard client accounts from being adversely impacted by any potential or related conflicts.

All material conflicts of interest are presented in greater detail within Part 2A of Mellon’s Form ADV.

Mellon manages numerous accounts with a variety of interests. This necessarily creates potential conflicts of interest for it. For example, Mellon or an affiliate may cause multiple accounts to invest in the same investment. Such accounts may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investment, including differing views on the operations or activities of the portfolio company, the targeted returns for the transaction, and the timeframe for and method of exiting the investment. Conflicts may also arise in cases where multiple Mellon and/or affiliate client accounts are invested in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure. For example, one of Mellon’s client accounts could acquire debt obligations of a company while an affiliate’s client account acquires an equity investment. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, Mellon may find that the interests of the debt-holding client accounts and the equity-holding client accounts may conflict. If that issuer encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of the workout could raise conflicts of interest (including, for example, conflicts over proposed waivers and amendments to debt covenants). For example, debt holding accounts may be better served by a liquidation of an issuer in which it could be paid in full, while equity holding accounts might prefer a reorganization of the issuer that would have the potential to retain value for the equity holders. As another example, holders of an issuer’s senior securities may be able to act to direct cash flows away from junior security holders, and both the junior and senior security holders may be Mellon client accounts. Any of the foregoing conflicts of interest will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis. Any such discussions will factor in the interests of the relevant parties and applicable laws.

Mellon has a fiduciary duty to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. To accomplish this, Mellon has adopted various policies and procedures including, but not limited to, policies relating to trading operations, best execution, trade order aggregation and allocation, short sales, cross-trading, code of conduct, personal securities trading, and purchases of securities from affiliated underwriters. These procedures are intended to help employees identify and mitigate potential side-by-side conflicts of interest such as those described above. Mellon has also developed a conflicts matrix listing potential side-by-side conflicts, the compliance policies and procedures reasonably designed to mitigate such potential conflicts of interest, and the corresponding compliance testing program established with the goal of confirming Mellon’s adherence to such policies and procedures.

Description of Material Conflicts of Interest – Voya IM.

A portfolio manager may be subject to potential conflicts of interest because the portfolio manager is responsible for other accounts in addition to the Funds. These other accounts may include, among others, other mutual funds, separately managed advisory accounts, commingled trust accounts, insurance separate accounts, wrap fee programs, and hedge funds. Potential conflicts may arise out of the implementation of differing investment strategies for the portfolio manager’s various accounts, the allocation of investment opportunities among those accounts or differences in the advisory fees paid by the portfolio manager’s accounts.

 

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A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio manager’s responsibility for multiple accounts with similar investment guidelines. Under these circumstances, a potential investment may be suitable for more than one of the portfolio manager’s accounts, but the quantity of the investment available for purchase is less than the aggregate amount the accounts would ideally devote to the opportunity. Similar conflicts may arise when multiple accounts seek to dispose of the same investment.

A portfolio manager may also manage accounts whose objectives and policies differ from those of the Funds. These differences may be such that under certain circumstances, trading activity appropriate for one account managed by the portfolio manager may have adverse consequences for another account managed by the portfolio manager. For example, if an account were to sell a significant position in a security, which could cause the market price of that security to decrease, while a Fund maintained its position in that security.

A potential conflict may arise when a portfolio manager is responsible for accounts that have different advisory fees – the difference in the fees may create an incentive for the portfolio manager to favor one account over another, for example, in terms of access to particularly appealing investment opportunities. This conflict may be heightened where an account is subject to a performance-based fee. As part of its compliance program, Voya IM has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to address the potential conflicts of interest described above.

Finally, a potential conflict of interest may arise because the investment mandates for certain other accounts, such as hedge funds, may allow extensive use of short sales which, in theory, could allow them to enter into short positions in securities where other accounts hold long positions. Voya IM has policies and procedures reasonably designed to limit and monitor short sales by the other accounts to avoid harm to the Funds.

Description of Material Conflicts of Interest – ICBCCS

The Sub-Adviser manages numerous accounts with a variety of interests. This necessarily creates potential conflicts of interest for us. For example, we or an affiliate may cause multiple accounts to invest in the same investment. Such accounts may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investment, including differing views on the operations or activities of the portfolio company, the targeted returns for the transaction, and the timeframe for and method of exiting the investment. Conflicts may also arise in cases where the Sub-Adviser identified an investment for acquisition that meets the investment strategy of more than one of the portfolios for which the Sub-Adviser acts as investment manager or advisor but availability is limited. Any of the foregoing conflicts of interest will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis. Any such discussions will factor in the interests of the relevant parties, all reasonable steps to avoid a conflict of interest and applicable laws.

All Funds

Performance Fees. The Portfolio Managers have entered into performance-based fee arrangements for certain client accounts and funds. Most of these arrangements provide for an asset-based management fee, based on the market value of the account at month end, quarter end or based on average market value, plus a performance fee based on the portfolio’s net return in excess of a specified benchmark and/or hurdle rate during a designated period of time. The performance is based on both realized and unrealized gains and losses. Some performance fee calculations include a high water mark, which keeps track of the highest level of performance on which a performance fee has been paid and which must be exceeded in order for an additional performance fee to be assessed. For more detailed information on how performance fees are calculated, please see the applicable private placement memorandum or the applicable investment management agreement.

Side-by-Side Management. “Side-by-side management” refers to a Portfolio Manager’s simultaneous management of multiple types of client accounts/investment products. For example, the Portfolio Managers manage separate accounts, managed accounts/wrap-fee programs, and pooled investment vehicles for clients at the same time. The Portfolio Managers’ clients have a variety of investment objectives, policies, strategies, limitations, and restrictions. Side-by-side management gives rise to a variety of potential and actual conflicts of interest for the Portfolio Managers. Below is a discussion of the conflicts that the Portfolio Managers face when engaging in side-by-side management and how they deal with them. Note that certain of the Sub-Adviser’s employees may also serve as officers or employees of one or more the Sub-Adviser’s affiliates (“dual officers”). These dual officers undertake investment management duties for the affiliates of which they are officers. When the Portfolio Managers concurrently manage client accounts/ investment products, and in particular when dual officers or dual employees are involved, this presents the same conflicts as described below. Note that Portfolio Managers manage their accounts consistent with applicable laws, and they follow procedures that are reasonably designed to treat clients fairly and to prevent any client or group of clients from being materially favored or disadvantaged.

Conflicts of Interest Relating to Side-by-Side Management of Discretionary and Non-Discretionary Accounts. In limited circumstances, Portfolio Managers may provide to a third party for which they provide non-discretionary advisory services the same model portfolio used to manage certain of the Portfolio Managers’ clients’ accounts. In those cases where Portfolio Managers are implementing the model results for only a portion of the assets affected (for example, only the assets over which Portfolio Managers have discretionary management authority) and therefore, they cannot apply their internal trade allocation procedures, Portfolio Managers will (i) use reasonable efforts to agree on procedures with such non-discretionary clients designed to prevent one group of clients from receiving preferential trading treatment over another group, or (ii) determine that, due to the nature of the assets to be traded or the market on which they are traded, no client would likely be adversely affected if such procedures are not established.

 

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Conflicts of Interest Relating to Performance-Based Fees When Engaging in Side-by-Side Management. Portfolio Managers manage accounts that are charged a performance-based fee and other accounts that are charged a different type of fee, such as a flat asset-based fee. Portfolio Managers have a financial incentive to favor accounts with performance-based fees because they (and the Sub-Adviser’s employees and supervised persons) may have an opportunity to earn greater fees on such accounts as compared to client accounts without performance-based fees. Thus, Portfolio Managers have an incentive to direct their best investment ideas to client accounts that pay performance-based fees, and to allocate, aggregate, or sequence trades in favor of such accounts. Portfolio Managers also have an incentive to give accounts with performance-based fees better execution and better brokerage commissions.

Conflicts of Interest Relating to Accounts with Different Strategies. Portfolio Managers manage numerous accounts with a variety of strategies, which may present conflicts of interest. For example, a long/short position in two client accounts simultaneously can result in a loss to one client based on a decision to take a gain in the other. Taking concurrent conflicting positions in certain derivative instruments can likewise cause a loss to one client and a gain to another. Portfolio Managers also may face conflicts of interest when they have uncovered option strategies and significant positions in illiquid securities in side-by-side accounts.

Conflicts of Interest Relating to the Management of Multiple Client Accounts. Portfolio Managers perform investment advisory services for various clients. Portfolio Managers may give advice and take action in the performance of their duties with respect to any of their other clients which may differ from the advice given, or the timing or nature of action taken, with respect another client. Portfolio Managers have no obligation to purchase or sell for a client any security or other property which they purchase or sell for their own account or for the account of any other client, if they believe it is undesirable or impractical to take such action. Portfolio Managers may give advice or take action in the performance of their duties with respect to any of their clients which may differ from the advice given, or the timing or nature of action taken, by their affiliates on behalf of their clients.

Conflicts of Interest Relating to Investment in Affiliated Accounts. To the extent permissible under applicable law, the Portfolio Managers may decide to invest some or all of their temporary investments in money market or similar accounts advised or managed by a Sub-Adviser affiliate. In addition, the Portfolio Managers may invest client accounts in affiliated pooled vehicles. The Portfolio Managers have an incentive to allocate investments to these types of affiliated accounts in order to generate additional fees for themselves or their affiliates. In certain instances, Portfolio Managers may enter into revenue sharing arrangements with affiliates where they may receive a portion of the fee, or bill the full fee to the client and reimburse the affiliate. Portfolio Managers may also enter into wholesale arrangements with affiliates where they receive only a portion of the client fee. For certain accounts with affiliates, some of the fees, such as custody fees, may be waived or rebated.

Conflicts of Interest Relating to the Discretion to Redeem from and Invest in Pooled Investment Vehicles. The Portfolio Manager’s clients may give them discretion to allocate client assets to, and/or redeem client assets from, certain pooled investment vehicles they manage or sub-advise. Sometimes, such discretionary authority is restricted by asset allocation parameters which may limit the Portfolio Manager’s discretion to allocate to a percentage range of the value of a client’s account. When a client grants Portfolio Managers that discretion, a conflict could arise with respect to such client, and also with respect to other investors in such pooled investment vehicle. The Portfolio Managers may, for example, have an incentive to maintain a larger percentage of a client’s assets in a fund in order for such assets to act as seed capital, to increase the fund’s assets under management and thus, to make investment by other investors more attractive, or to maintain the continuity of a performance record if the client is the sole remaining investor. Likewise, as the manager or sub-adviser, they will have information that investors will not have about the investments held by a fund and about other investors’ intentions to invest or redeem. Such information could potentially be used to favor one investor over another.

Conflicts of Interest Relating to “Proprietary Accounts”. The Portfolio Managers, and the Sub-Adviser’s existing and future employees may from time to time invest in products managed by the Sub-Adviser and they or related persons may establish “seeded” funds or accounts for the purpose of developing new investment strategies and products (collectively, “Proprietary Accounts”). Investment by the Sub-Adviser, or its employees in Proprietary Accounts that invest in the same securities as other client accounts may create conflicts of interest. Portfolio Managers have an incentive to favor these Proprietary Accounts by directing their best investment ideas to these accounts or allocating, aggregating, or sequencing trades in favor of such accounts, to the disadvantage of other accounts. Portfolio Managers also have an incentive to dedicate more time and attention to their Proprietary Accounts and to give them better execution and brokerage commissions than their other client accounts. The Portfolio Managers also may waive fees for Proprietary Accounts or for certain affiliated persons who invest in such Proprietary Accounts.

Valuations. A majority of the Sub-Adviser’s fees are based on the valuations provided by clients’ custodians or pooled accounts’ administrators. However, a conflict of interest may arise in overseeing the valuation of investments in the limited situations where the Sub-Adviser is involved in the determination of the valuation of an investment. In such circumstances, the Sub-Adviser requires, to the extent possible, pricing from an independent third party pricing vendor. If vendor pricing is unavailable, the Sub-Adviser then looks to other observable inputs for the valuations. In the event that a vendor price or other observable inputs are unavailable or deemed unreliable, the Sub-Adviser has established a Securities Pricing Committee to make a reasonable determination of a security’s fair value.

Other Conflicts of Interest. As noted previously, Portfolio Managers manage numerous accounts with a variety of interests. This necessarily creates potential conflicts of interest for the Portfolio Managers. For example, Portfolio Managers may cause multiple

 

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accounts to invest in the same investment. Such accounts may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investment, including differing views on the operations or activities of the portfolio company, the targeted returns for the transaction, and the timeframe for and method of exiting the investment. Conflicts may also arise in cases where multiple Sub-Adviser and/or affiliate client accounts are invested in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure. For example, one of the Portfolio Manager’s client accounts could acquire debt obligations of a company while an affiliate’s client account acquires an equity investment. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, Portfolio Managers may find that the interests of the debt-holding client accounts and the equity-holding client accounts may conflict. If that issuer encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of the workout could raise conflicts of interest (including, for example, conflicts over proposed waivers and amendments to debt covenants). For example, debt holding accounts may be better served by a liquidation of an issuer in which it could be paid in full, while equity holding accounts might prefer a reorganization of the issuer that would have the potential to retain value for the equity holders. As another example, holders of an issuer’s senior securities may be able to act to direct cash flows away from junior security holders, and both the junior and senior security holders may be the Sub-Adviser client accounts. Any of the foregoing conflicts of interest will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis. Any such discussions will factor in the interests of the relevant parties and applicable laws.

Addressing Conflicts of Interest. Portfolio Managers have a fiduciary duty to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. To accomplish this, the Sub-Adviser has adopted various policies and procedures (including, but not limited to, policies relating to trading operations, best execution, trade order aggregation and allocation, short sales, cross-trading, code of conduct, personal securities trading, and purchases of securities from affiliated underwriters). These procedures are intended to help employees identify and mitigate potential side-by-side conflicts of interest such as those described above. The Sub-Adviser has also developed a conflicts matrix listing potential side-by-side conflicts, the compliance policies and procedures reasonably designed to mitigate such potential conflicts of interest and the corresponding compliance testing program established with the goal of confirming the Sub-Adviser’s adherence to such policies and procedures.

Codes of Ethics. The Trust, the Advisers and the Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act, where applicable. Each Code of Ethics permits personnel subject to that Code of Ethics to invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds. Each Code of Ethics is on public file with, and is available from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of these codes of ethics may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

Administrator, Custodian, Transfer Agent and Securities Lending Agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as administrator, custodian, transfer agent and securities lending agent for the Funds. State Street’s principal address is One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. Under the Fund Administration Agreement with the Trust, State Street provides certain administrative, legal, tax, and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and each Fund. Under the Master Custodian Agreement with the Trust, State Street acts as custodian of assets of the Trust, including securities which the Trust, on behalf of each Fund, desires to be held in places within the United States and securities it desires to be held outside the United States, and provides accounting and other services. State Street is required, upon the order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by State Street and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust and for each Fund. Also, under the Master Custodian Agreement, State Street is authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (“HSBC”) serves as the PRC custodian for the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement with the Trust, State Street acts as transfer agent for the authorized and issued shares of beneficial interest for the Funds, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Trust. State Street also provides services, as applicable, for any wholly-owned subsidiary of a WisdomTree Fund. As compensation for the foregoing services, State Street receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly. State Street also serves as the Funds’ securities lending agent. As compensation for providing such services, State Street receives a portion of the income earned by the Funds in connection with the lending program. With respect to the foregoing agreements, the Trust has agreed to limitation of liability for State Street and/or to indemnify State Street for certain liabilities.

Securities Lending Activities. State Street serves as securities lending agent to the Trust. As securities lending agent, State Street is responsible for the implementation and administration of the securities lending program pursuant to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement (“Securities Lending Agreement”). State Street acts as agent to the Trust to lend available securities with any person on its list of approved borrowers, including State Street Bank and Trust Company and any affiliate thereof. State Street determines whether a loan shall be made and negotiates and establishes the terms and conditions of the loan with the borrower. State Street ensures that all substitute interest, dividends, and other distributions paid with respect to loan securities is credited to the Fund’s relevant account on the date such amounts are delivered by the borrower to State Street. State Street receives and holds, on the Fund’s behalf, collateral from borrowers to secure obligations of borrowers with respect to any loan of available securities. State Street marks loaned securities and collateral to their market value each business day based upon the market value of the collateral and loaned securities at the close of business employing the most recently available pricing information and receives and delivers collateral in order to maintain the value of the collateral at no less than 100% of the market value of the loaned securities. At the termination of the loan, State Street returns the collateral to the borrower upon the return of the loaned securities to State Street. State Street invests cash collateral in accordance with the Securities Lending Agreement. State Street maintains such records as are reasonably necessary to

 

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account for loans that are made and the income derived therefrom and makes available to the Fund a monthly statement describing the loans made, and the income derived from the loans, during the period. State Street performs compliance monitoring and testing of the securities lending program and, on a monthly basis, State Street will make available to the Trust’s Board of Trustees a statement describing the outstanding loans and income made on such loans during the period.

The dollar amounts of gross and net income from securities lending activities received and the related fees and/or compensation paid by each applicable Fund during the most recent fiscal year were as follows:

 

            Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services ($)         

Fund Name

   Gross
income
from
securities
lending
activities
     Fees paid to
securities
lending
agent from
a revenue
split
     Fees paid for
any cash
collateral
management
service
(including fees
deducted from
a pooled cash
collateral
reinvestment
vehicle) that
are not
included in the
revenue split
     Administrative
fees not
included in
revenue split
     Indemnification
fee not included
in revenue split
     Borrower
Rebates
     Other
fees not
included
in
revenue
split
(specify)
     Aggregate
fees/

compensation
for securities
lending
activities
     Net
income
from
securities
lending
activities
 

WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund

     11,373        2,330        n/a        n/a        n/a        1,875        n/a        4,205        7,168  

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

     170,441        33,271        n/a        n/a        n/a        35,077        n/a        68,348        102,093  

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

                   n/a        n/a        n/a               n/a                

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

     39,760        7,742        n/a        n/a        n/a        8,658        n/a        16,400        23,360  

WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund

     575        103        n/a        n/a        n/a        161        n/a        264        311  

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

     8,697        1,103        n/a        n/a        n/a        4,273        n/a        5,376        3,321  

WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund^

     4,792        1,110        n/a        n/a        n/a        308        n/a        1,418        3,374  

WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund

     177        14        n/a        n/a        n/a        124        n/a        138        39  

WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

     11,415        1,642        n/a        n/a        n/a        4,818        n/a        6,460        4,955  

WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund

     196        20        n/a        n/a        n/a        115        n/a        135        61  

 

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            Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services ($)         

Fund Name

   Gross
income
from
securities
lending
activities
     Fees paid to
securities
lending
agent from
a revenue
split
     Fees paid for
any cash
collateral
management
service
(including fees
deducted from
a pooled cash
collateral
reinvestment
vehicle) that
are not
included in the
revenue split
     Administrative
fees not
included in
revenue split
     Indemnification
fee not included
in revenue split
     Borrower
Rebates
     Other
fees not
included
in
revenue
split
(specify)
     Aggregate
fees/

compensation
for securities
lending
activities
     Net
income
from
securities
lending
activities
 

WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

     16,200        1,996        n/a        n/a        n/a        8,198        n/a        10,194        6,006  

WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

     6,297        1,300        n/a        n/a        n/a        1,018        n/a        2,318        3,979  

WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

     80,939        16,454        n/a        n/a        n/a        13,978        n/a        30,432        50,507  

WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund

     3,785        916        n/a        n/a        n/a        98        n/a        1,014        2,771  

WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund*

                   n/a        n/a        n/a               n/a                

 

*

For the period August 2, 2018 (commencement of operations) through June 30, 2019.

Distributor. Foreside Fund Services, LLC serves as Distributor for the Trust and its principal address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes shares of each Fund. The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Funds through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described in the applicable Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations section. Shares in less than Creation Unit Aggregations are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the applicable Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations 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 1934 Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). The Distributor is not affiliated with WisdomTree Investments, WisdomTree Asset Management, or any stock exchange.

The Distribution Agreement for each Fund will provide that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or (ii) by 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 Unit Aggregations of shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as defined below) or DTC Participants (as defined below).

 

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Intermediary Compensation.

WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates, out of their own resources and not out of Fund assets (i.e., without additional cost to a Fund or its shareholders), may pay or otherwise assist certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks, other financial intermediaries and platforms (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities and/or services related to the Funds, other WisdomTree Funds and/or model portfolios that include WisdomTree Funds, including for making Funds available such as without a commission or transaction fee (or to otherwise offset such commissions or fees), for participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries and investors more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Funds, for other activities, such as marketing and educational training or support (such as through conferences, webinars and printed communications), for data, for platform development and/or access, for technology support, for co-marketing and cross-promotional efforts, or to otherwise facilitate education, relationships and/or investment. Payments made pursuant to such arrangements are expected to vary in any year, can be different for different Intermediaries and third parties, and can be subject to certain minimum payment levels. Any such payments or other consideration are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fees and expenses sections of the Funds’ Prospectuses and they do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of the Funds’ shares or the amount received by a shareholder as proceeds from the redemption of Fund shares. Information regarding certain Intermediaries receiving such payments can be found by visiting www.wisdomtree.com.

WisdomTree Asset Management periodically assesses the advisability of continuing to make these payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your adviser, broker or other investment professional, if any, may also be significant to such adviser, broker or investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about what investment options it will make available or recommend, and what services to provide in connection with various products, based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients. For example, these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund over other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your financial adviser, broker or investment professionals if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.

WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates intend to engage with, and make payments to, other Intermediaries and third parties in the future. Please contact your adviser, broker, other investment professional or other type of Intermediary and ask whether they have any such arrangements with WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates and/or to receive more information regarding any payments such firm may receive. Any payments made by WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of WisdomTree Fund.

If you have any additional questions, please call 1-866-909-9473.

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS

Each Sub-Adviser assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of each Fund that it sub-advises for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. In selecting the brokers or dealers for any transaction in portfolio securities, the Sub-Adviser’s 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 Sub-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 or foreign securities, broad distributions, or other circumstances. The Sub-Adviser does not consider the provision or value of research, products or services a broker or dealer may provide, if any, as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer or the determination of the reasonableness of commissions paid in connection with portfolio transactions. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of a Fund’s shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or a dealer to execute its portfolio transactions. To the extent creation or redemption transactions are conducted on a cash or “cash in lieu” basis, a Fund may contemporaneously transact with broker-dealers for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities in connection with such transactions (see “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” herein). Such orders may be placed with an Authorized Participant in its capacity as broker-dealer or with an affiliated broker-dealer of such Authorized Participant. However, as discussed in the Prospectus and this SAI, Chinese regulations and market practice limits the PRC dealers and/or brokers that may be available to trade with the ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund.

Brokerage Commissions

The table below sets forth the brokerage commissions paid by each Fund for the fiscal years or fiscal periods ended June 30, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

 

Name of Fund

   Commissions Paid
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2019
     Commissions Paid
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2018
     Commissions Paid
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2017
 

Europe Multifactor Fund

   $ 6,354      $ 3,594      $ 372  

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

     53,032        58,661        70,340  

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

     484        140        65  

 

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Name of Fund

   Commissions Paid
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2019
     Commissions Paid
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2018
    Commissions Paid
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2017
 

Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

     12,307        10,365       1,501  

Japan Multifactor Fund

     1,150        337       577  

Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

     19,868        15,811       4,142  

U.S. Corporate Bond Fund

                   

U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

                   

U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund

                   

U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

                   

Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

     2,839        1,718       1,284  

Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

    
38,564
 
 
     25,585       8,918  

ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund

     7,841        8,835       n/a

Balanced Income Fund

     14        5       n/a

90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund

     348        n/a **      n/a ** 

 

*

The ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund and Balanced Income Fund commenced operations after June 30, 2017 and, therefore, did not pay any brokerage commissions for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017.

**

The 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund commenced operations on August 2, 2018 and, therefore, did not pay any brokerage commissions for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 and 2017.

The differences in brokerage commissions for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 as compared to the fiscal years ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 for the Europe Multifactor Fund, Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund, Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund, Emerging Markets Dividend Fund, and the Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund were due to the increase or decrease in each Fund’s assets resulting from authorized participant creation and redemption activity and the related increase or decrease in brokerage activity associated with that activity along with annual Fund rebalancing activities.

Affiliated Brokers

During the fiscal year or period ended June 30, 2019, the Funds did not pay any commissions to any affiliated brokers.

Regular Broker-Dealers

The following table lists each Fund’s acquisitions of securities of its regular brokers or dealers (as defined in the 1940 Act) or of their parents during the fiscal year or period ended June 30, 2019, the name of each such broker or dealer and the value of each Fund’s aggregate holdings of the securities of each issuer as of June 30, 2019.

 

Name of Fund

 

Name of Broker or Dealer

   Aggregate Value of
Holdings as of
June 30, 2019
 

WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund

  None   

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

  HSBC Securities Inc.    $ 3,465,715  
  UBS Group AG      855,806  
  Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC      293,603  
  Credit Suisse Group AG      232,179  
  Deutsche Bank AG      141,195  

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

  None   

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

  None   

WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund

  None   

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

  Haitong Securities Co., Ltd.      64,588  

WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund

  Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.      165,915  
  Morgan Stanley      158,443  

 

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Name of Fund

 

Name of Broker or Dealer

   Aggregate Value of
Holdings as of
June 30, 2019
 
  Citigroup, Inc.      151,898  
  HSBC Securities Inc.      102,983  
  JPMorgan Chase & Co.      64,875  

WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

  None   

WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund

  JPMorgan Chase & Co.      237,669  
  Morgan Stanley      189,965  
  Citigroup, Inc.      153,808  
  Deutsche Bank AG      137,267  
  HSBC Securities Inc.      100,025  
  Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.      81,256  

WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

  None   

WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

  Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The)      109,666  

WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

  Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The)      858,706  

WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund

  None   

WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund

  None   

WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund

  JPMorgan Chase & Co.      76,471  
  Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.      53,360  
  Citigroup, Inc.      33,964  
  Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The)      15,550  
  Morgan Stanley      11,434  

Portfolio Turnover

Portfolio turnover rates for each Fund are disclosed in each Fund’s Prospectus. Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses and may result in a substantial amount of distributions from a Fund to be taxed as ordinary income which may limit the tax efficiency of such Fund. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by each Sub-Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by the other institutional investors for comparable services.

The table below sets forth the portfolio turnover rates of each Fund for the fiscal years or fiscal periods ended June 30, 2018 and 2019.

 

Name

   Portfolio Turnover Rate
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2019
    Portfolio Turnover Rate
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2018
 

Europe Multifactor Fund

     109 %*      37

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

     26       15  

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

     6       4  

Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

     55       95  

Japan Multifactor Fund

     104     13  

Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

     26       22  

U.S. Corporate Bond Fund

     22       21  

U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

     14       35  

U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund

     28       41  

U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

     18       66  

Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

     249 **      158  

 

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Name

   Portfolio Turnover Rate
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2019
     Portfolio Turnover Rate
for Fiscal Period Ended
June 30, 2018
 

Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

     184        152  

ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund

     28        2  

Balanced Income Fund

     3        1  

90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund

     11        n/a *** 

 

*

With respect to the Europe Multifactor Fund and the Japan Multifactor Fund, the Funds’ increased portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 corresponds with each Fund’s investment objective and investment strategy change from passive to an actively-managed, model-based approach.

**

With respect to the Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund, the Fund’s increased portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 is consistent with the Fund’s investment strategy.

***

The 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund commenced operations on August 2, 2018 and, therefore, did not have a portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST

Shares. The Trust was established as a Delaware statutory trust on December 15, 2005, and consists of multiple series or “funds”. Each Fund issues shares of beneficial interest, with $0.001 par value. The Board may establish additional funds. The Trust is registered with the SEC as an open-end management investment company.

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 of Trustees 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 a shareholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all Funds within the Trust vote together as a single class except that if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund or if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter.

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 non-cumulative voting rights for 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 Aggregation(s) of shares of a Fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in such Fund’s shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. A Fund cannot accurately predict the length of time for which one or more shareholders may remain a control person or persons of the Fund.

Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to the Trust, c/o Foreside Fund Services, LLC, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of a Fund may be subject to the reporting provisions of Section 13 of the 1934 Act and the SEC’s rules promulgated thereunder. In addition, absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC staff, officers and Trustees of a Fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of a Fund (“Insiders”) may be subject to the insider reporting, short-swing profit and short-sale provisions of Section 16 of the 1934 Act and the SEC’s rules promulgated thereunder. Beneficial owners and Insiders should consult with their own legal counsel concerning their obligations under Sections 13 and 16 of the 1934 Act.

Termination of the Trust or a Fund. The Trust or a Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board of Trustees or the affirmative vote of a super-majority of the holders of the Trust or the Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Trust’s organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit Aggregation. 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 Unit Aggregations or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstances, the Trust may make redemptions in-kind, for cash, or for a combination of cash and securities.

Role of the Depositary Trust Company (“DTC”). DTC acts as Securities Depository for the shares of the Trust. 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 which (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of DTC Participants and by the NYSE 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”).

 

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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. No Beneficial Owner shall have the right to receive a certificate representing such 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 and 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. The foregoing processes may be conducted by the Trust via a third party.

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 immediately credit 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 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 UNIT AGGREGATIONS

Creation. The Trust issues and sells shares of each Fund only in Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day, of an order in proper form.

Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of Creation Unit Aggregations of a Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars (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 Aggregation of any Fund.

The Fund or Advisers may permit or require the submission of a basket of securities and other instruments, non-U.S. currency or cash denominated in U.S. dollars that differs from the composition of the published basket(s). The Fund or Advisers may permit or require the consideration for Creation Unit Aggregations to consist solely of cash. The Fund or Advisers reserve the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. currency (i.e., a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added, at its discretion, to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. For example, cash may be substituted 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 or the Clearing Process (discussed below). The Trust or Advisers reserve the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount where the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be prohibited or restricted under applicable securities laws, or in certain other situations at the sole discretion of the Trust.

The portion of the Cash Component that does not serve to replace a Deposit Security is sometimes also referred to as the “Balancing Amount.” The Balancing Amount is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation) and the value of Deposit Securities. If the Balancing Amount is a positive number, the Authorized Participant will deliver the Balancing Amount. If the Balancing Amount is a negative number, the Authorized Participant will receive the Balancing Amount. The Balancing Amount does not include any stamp duty tax or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities. These are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.

Each Fund, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the applicable Listing Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and/or applicable Cash Component to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for each Fund.

Such Deposit Securities are applicable, subject to any adjustments as described herein, in order to effect creations of Creation Unit Aggregations of a given Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities is made available.

 

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The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Fund Deposit for each Fund changes from time to time based on changes to a Fund’s Underlying Index and other factors.

Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit Aggregation of a Fund, an entity must be: (i) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant. In each case, such entity must have executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations (a “Participant Agreement”). A Participating Party or DTC Participant that has entered a Participant Agreement is referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants that have signed a Participant Agreement. All shares of a Fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

All orders to create shares must be placed for one or more Creation Unit Aggregations. All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations must be received by the Distributor by the designated closing time, which is no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the applicable Listing Exchange (“Closing Time”) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the date such orders are placed in order to receive that day’s NAV. All orders must be received in proper form. The date on which an order to create Creation Unit Aggregations is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone, online portal or other transmission method acceptable to State Street and the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement, as described below, which procedures may change from time to time without notice at the discretion of the Trust. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach State Street and the Distributor or an Authorized Participant. On days when the Listing Exchange or U.S. or non-U.S. markets close earlier than normal, the Fund may require purchase orders to be placed earlier in the day. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities and/or Cash Component to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust or Advisers, whose determination shall be final and binding.

All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations through an Authorized Participant shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and, in that case, orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations of a Fund have to be placed by each investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases, there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international capabilities.

Those placing orders for Creation Unit Aggregations through the Clearing Process should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to the Distributor prior to the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date. Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations that are effected outside the Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Securities and the Cash Component.

Placement of Creation Orders Using the Clearing Process. Fund Deposits made through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Participant Agreement authorizes the Distributor or State Street to transmit through State Street to NSCC, on behalf of the Participating Party, such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Participating Party’s creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions to NSCC, the Participating Party agrees to deliver the requisite Deposit Securities and the Cash Component to the Trust, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor. An order to create Creation Unit Aggregations through the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.

Placement of Creation Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Fund Deposits made outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order creating Creation Unit Aggregations to be effected outside the Clearing Process does not need to be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that the creation of Creation Unit Aggregations will instead be effected through a transfer of securities and cash directly through DTC. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the Fund by no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the “Settlement Date.” The Settlement Date is typically the second Business Day following the Transmittal Date. Each Fund reserves the right to settle transactions on a basis other than “T” plus two Business Days (i.e., days on which the NYSE is open) (“T+2”). In certain cases Authorized Participants will create and redeem Creation Unit Aggregations of the same Fund on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.

On days when the Listing Exchange or U.S. markets close earlier than normal, the Fund may require purchase orders to be placed earlier in the day. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities and/or Cash Component to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust or Advisers, whose

 

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determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to State Street through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by State Street no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the Settlement Date. An order to create Creation Unit Aggregations outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if State Street does not receive both the required Deposit Securities and the Cash Component by the specified time on the Settlement Date, the Trust may cancel or revoke acceptance of such order. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled or revoked order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then-current NAV of the Funds. The delivery of Creation Unit Aggregations so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date.

Creation Unit Aggregations may be created in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, U.S. cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) generally between 102%-110%, as directed by the Trust or Advisers, which the Trust or Advisers may change from time to time, of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”) with the Fund pending delivery of any missing Deposit Securities.

If an Authorized Participant determines to post an Additional Cash Deposit as collateral for any undelivered Deposit Securities, such Authorized Participant must deposit with State Street the appropriate amount of federal funds by 2:00 p.m., Eastern time (or such other time as specified by the Trust), on the Settlement Date. If the Authorized Participant does not place its purchase order by the closing time or State Street does not receive federal funds in the appropriate amount by such time, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with State Street, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount generally between 102%-110%, as directed by the Trust or Advisers, which the Trust or Advisers may change from time to time, of the daily marked-to-market value of the missing Deposit Securities. To the extent that missing Deposit Securities are not received by the specified time, on the Settlement Date or in the event a marked-to-market payment is not made within one Business Day following notification by the Distributor that such a payment is required, the Trust may use the Additional Cash Deposit to purchase the missing Deposit Securities. The Trust also requires delivery of Deposit Securities and/or an Additional Cash Deposit prior to settlement date by the Authorized Participant in relation to certain international markets.

The Authorized Participant will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the Transmittal Date plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by State Street or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a Transaction Fee, as listed below, will be charged in all cases. The delivery of Creation Unit Aggregations so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement Date. In no event will an Authorized Participant receive or be entitled to interest or other consideration associated with or in relation to the Additional Cash Deposit.

Cash Purchases. When, in the sole discretion of the Trust or Advisers, cash purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are available or specified for a Fund, such purchases shall be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a cash purchase, the Authorized Participant 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 brokerage and other costs associated with using cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities, the Authorized Participant must pay the Transaction Fees required by each Fund. If the Authorized Participant acts as a broker for the Fund in connection with the purchase of Deposit Securities, the Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain brokerage commissions, taxes, and transaction and market impact costs as discussed under the heading “Brokerage Transactions” herein.

Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations. The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke acceptance of a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor with respect to any Fund. Orders may be rejected and acceptance may be revoked if, for example: (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 are not the same as those disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Fund 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 otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or WisdomTree Asset Management, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vii) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, State Street, the Distributor or WisdomTree Asset Management make it for all practical purposes impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include acts of God; public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, WisdomTree Asset Management, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, State Street or a sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit Aggregation of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, State Street, a sub-custodian and the

 

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Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification. To the extent creations are rejected or may be otherwise limited or suspended, Fund shares could trade at a significant premium or discount to NAV and the Fund could experience substantial redemptions.

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 Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee. Each Fund imposes a “Transaction Fee” or “CU Fee” on investors purchasing or redeeming Creation Units. The purpose of the Transaction Fee is to protect the existing shareholders of the Fund from the dilutive costs associated with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. Where a Fund permits cash creations (or redemptions) or cash in lieu of depositing one or more Deposit Securities, the purchaser (or redeemer) may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee to offset the transaction cost to the Fund of buying (or selling) those particular Deposit Securities. Transaction Fees for each Fund will differ from Transaction Fees for other WisdomTree Funds, depending on the transaction expenses related to each Fund’s portfolio securities, and will be limited to amounts that have been determined by WisdomTree Asset Management to be appropriate. The maximum Transaction Fee, as set forth in the table below for each Fund, may be charged in cases where a Fund permits cash or cash in lieu of Deposit Securities. Investors purchasing or redeeming through the DTC process generally will pay a higher Transaction Fee than will investors doing so through the NSCC process. Also, investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services, in addition to the Transaction Fee imposed by a Fund.

The following table sets forth the standard and maximum creation and redemption Transaction Fee for each of the Funds. These fees may be changed by the Trust.

 

Fund
Ticker

  

Fund Name

   CU Fee*      Maximum
CU Fee*
 

EUMF

   Europe Multifactor Fund    $ 2,500      $ 10,000  

DDWM

   Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund    $ 5,500      $ 22,000  

DHDG

   Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund    $ 100      $ 7,200  

DDLS

   Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund    $ 7,000      $ 28,000  

JAMF

   Japan Multifactor Fund    $ 3,250      $ 13,000  

DVEM

   Emerging Markets Dividend Fund    $ 7,000      $ 28,000  

WFIG

   U.S. Corporate Bond Fund    $ 250      $ 1,000  

WFHY

   U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund    $ 250      $ 1,000  

SFIG

   U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund    $ 250      $ 1,000  

SFHY

   U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund    $ 250      $ 1,000  

DYB

   Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund    $ 400      $ 1,600  

DYLS

   Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund    $ 400      $ 1,600  

WCHN

   ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund**    $ 5,000      $ 20,000  

WBAL

   Balanced Income Fund    $ 100      $ 400  

NTSX

   90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund    $ 2,500      $ 10,000  

 

*

Each Fund may charge, either in lieu of or in addition to the Transaction Fees, in the sole discretion of the Trust or as determined by the Adviser, a variable fee for creations and redemptions in order to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction, up to any applicable legal limits. The Adviser may pay out of its own resources and not out of Fund assets, such Transaction Fees or variable fees from time to time in its sole discretion. Any such fees and/or payments by the Adviser may impact bid/ask spreads.

**

Due to the volatility and other aspects of the Chinese market, the variable transaction fee could at times be very significant (e.g., 10%), and will vary based on actual experience and conditions, but in any event in the case of redemptions, the variable transaction fee will be limited to 2%.

Placement of Redemption Orders for Using the Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations through the Clearing Process must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed the Participant Agreement. Except as described herein, an order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations using the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by State Street (in its capacity as Transfer Agent) not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date, and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. Such order will be effected based on the NAV of the Fund as next determined. The consideration for redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations of a Fund generally consists of (i) a portfolio of securities (the “Fund Securities”) and/or (ii) an amount of cash denominated in U.S. dollars (the “Cash Redemption Amount”) as described below. The requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount generally will be transferred by the second NSCC Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received.

Placement of Redemption Orders Outside the Clearing Process. Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations outside the Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the Participant Agreement. An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations outside the Clearing Process is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by State Street (in its capacity as Transfer Agent) not later than the Closing Time on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the Fund specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to State Street no later than instructed, which is typically one day after Transmittal Date (presuming T+2 settlement); and (iii) all

 

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other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. After the Trust has deemed an order for redemption outside the Clearing Process received, the Trust will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities which are expected to be delivered within two Business Days and the Cash Redemption Amount to the Authorized Participant on behalf of the redeeming Beneficial Owner by the Settlement Date. In certain cases Authorized Participants will redeem and create Creation Unit Aggregations of the same Fund on the same trade date. In these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.

If the requisite number of shares of the Fund is not delivered as described above or an Additional Cash Deposit is not made, as applicable, in the sole discretion of the Trust or Advisers, in no event will an Authorized Participant receive or be entitled to interest or other consideration associated with or in relation to the Additional Cash Deposit, the Fund may reject or revoke acceptance of the redemption request because the Authorized Participant has not satisfied all of the settlement requirements.

The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any Additional Cash Deposit shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds and shall be held by State Street and marked-to-market daily, and that the fees of State Street and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the Additional Cash Deposit shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant’s agreement will permit the Trust, on behalf of the affected Fund, to purchase the missing shares or acquire the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component underlying such shares at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such shares, Deposit Securities or Cash Component and the value of the collateral.

The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by State Street according to the procedures set forth under “Determination of NAV” computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the Trust.

A Fund or the Advisers may also, in their sole discretion, upon request of an Authorized Participant, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in NAV.

Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and each Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit Aggregation may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.

Because the portfolio securities of an International Fund may trade on the relevant exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange for the International Fund is closed or that are otherwise not Business Days for such International Fund, stockholders may not be able to redeem their shares of such International Fund, or to purchase and sell shares of such International Fund on the Listing Exchange for the International Fund, on days when the NAV of such International Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets.

Cash Redemptions. A Fund may pay out the proceeds of redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations solely in cash or through any combination of cash or securities. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its shares based on the NAV of shares of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). Proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares on behalf of the redeeming investor as soon as practicable after the date of redemption. If the Authorized Participant acts as a broker for the Fund in connection with the sale of Fund Securities, the Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain brokerage commissions, taxes, and transaction and market impact costs as discussed under the heading “Brokerage Transactions” herein.

Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.

In-Kind Redemptions. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle may be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within the normal settlement period. The Funds will not suspend or postpone redemption beyond seven days, except as permitted under Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act. Section 22(e) provides that the right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to any Fund (1) for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund’s portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.

 

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REGULAR HOLIDAYS AND OTHER SETTLEMENT MATTERS

Each Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Unit Aggregations and portfolio securities on a basis of T+2. Each Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Unit Aggregations and portfolio securities on a basis other than T+2 in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of security delivery practices and/or dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates, or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within two Business Days of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. New or special holidays, treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices (including lengthening settlement cycles, which may also occur in connection with a security sale and its settlement, with limitations or delays in the settlement itself and/or the convertibility or repatriation of the local proceeds associated therewith), could impede a Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests in a timely manner. In addition, other unforeseeable closings or changes in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering redemption proceeds within the normal settlement period or in a timely manner.

The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming investors, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for some funds, in certain circumstances. The holidays applicable to each Fund during such periods are listed below, as are instances where more than seven days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Although certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year is not expected to exceed the maximum number of days listed below for each Fund. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays, or changes in local securities delivery practices could affect the accuracy of information set forth herein.

Redemptions. The longest redemption cycle for a Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose securities comprise the Funds. In calendar year 2019, the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case redemption cycles* for a Fund as follows:

 

2019  

Country

   Trade
Date
     Settlement
Date
     Number of
Days to
Settle
 

Australia

     04/18/19        04/26/19        8  

Bangladesh

     05/29/19        06/09/19        11  
     05/30/19        06/10/19        11  
     06/03/19        06/11/19        8  
     08/06/19        08/14/19        8  
     08/07/19        08/18/19        11  
     08/08/19        08/19/19        11  

China

     01/30/19        02/11/19        12  
     01/31/19        02/12/19        12  
     02/01/19        02/13/19        12  
     09/26/19        10/08/19        12  
     09/27/19        10/09/19        12  
     09/30/19        10/10/19        10  

China Connect – Stock Connect

     02/01/19        02/11/19        10  
     09/30/19        10/08/19        8  

Cyprus

     04/24/19        05/02/19        8  
     04/25/19        05/03/19        8  

Eswatini

     04/12/19        04/23/19        11  
     04/15/19        04/24/19        9  
     04/16/19        04/26/19        10  
     04/17/19        04/29/19        12  
     04/18/19        04/30/19        12  

 

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2019  

Country

   Trade
Date
     Settlement
Date
     Number of
Days to
Settle
 
     04/23/19        05/02/19        9  
     04/24/19        05/03/19        9  
     04/26/19        05/06/19        10  
     04/29/19        05/07/19        8  
     04/30/19        05/08/19        8  
     05/23/19        05/31/19        8  
     05/24/19        06/03/19        10  
     05/27/19        06/04/19        8  
     05/28/19        06/05/19        8  
     05/29/19        06/06/19        8  
     07/15/19        07/23/19        8  
     07/16/19        07/24/19        8  
     07/17/19        07/25/19        8  
     07/18/19        07/26/19        8  
     07/19/19        07/29/19        10  
     08/26/19        09/03/19        8  
     08/27/19        09/04/19        8  
     08/28/19        09/05/19        8  
     08/29/19        09/09/19        11  
     08/30/19        09/10/19        11  
     09/03/19        09/11/19        8  
     09/04/19        09/12/19        8  
     09/05/19        09/13/19        8  
     12/18/19        12/27/19        9  
     12/19/19        12/30/19        11  
     12/20/19        12/31/19        11  
     12/23/19        01/02/20        10  
     12/24/19        01/03/20        10  

Hungary

     12/20/19        12/30/19        10  
     12/23/19        12/31/19        8  

Indonesia

     05/29/19        06/10/19        12  
     05/31/19        06/11/19        11  

Japan

     04/24/19        05/07/19        13  
     04/25/19        05/08/19        13  
     04/26/19        05/09/19        13  
     12/26/19        01/06/20        11  
     12/27/19        01/07/20        11  
     12/30/19        01/08/20        9  

Jordan

     08/07/19        08/15/19        8  
     08/08/19        08/18/19        10  

Kuwait

     08/06/19        08/14/19        8  
     08/07/19        08/15/19        8  
     08/08/19        08/18/19        10  

Malawi

     01/08/19        01/16/19        8  
     01/09/19        01/17/19        8  
     01/10/19        01/18/19        8  
     01/11/19        01/21/19        10  
     01/14/19        01/22/19        8  
     02/25/19        03/05/19        8  
     02/26/19        03/06/19        8  
     02/27/19        03/07/19        8  
     02/28/19        03/08/19        8  
     03/01/19        03/11/19        10  
     04/12/19        04/23/19        11  
     04/15/19        04/24/19        9  
     04/16/19        04/25/19        9  
     04/17/19        04/26/19        9  
     04/18/19        04/29/19        11  

 

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2019  

Country

   Trade
Date
     Settlement
Date
     Number of
Days to
Settle
 
     04/24/19        05/02/19        8  
     04/25/19        05/03/19        8  
     04/26/19        05/06/19        10  
     04/29/19        05/07/19        8  
     04/30/19        05/08/19        8  
     05/07/19        05/15/19        8  
     05/08/19        05/16/19        8  
     05/09/19        05/17/19        8  
     05/10/19        05/20/19        10  
     05/13/19        05/21/19        8  
     05/28/19        06/05/19        8  
     05/29/19        06/06/19        8  
     05/30/19        06/07/19        8  
     05/31/19        06/10/19        10  
     06/03/19        06/11/19        8  
     07/01/19        07/09/19        8  
     07/02/19        07/10/19        8  
     07/03/19        07/11/19        8  
     07/04/19        07/12/19        8  
     07/05/19        07/15/19        10  
     10/08/19        10/16/19        8  
     10/09/19        10/17/19        8  
     10/10/19        10/18/19        8  
     10/11/19        10/21/19        10  
     10/14/19        10/22/19        8  
     12/18/19        12/27/19        9  
     12/19/19        12/30/19        11  
     12/20/19        12/31/19        11  
     12/23/19        01/02/20        10  
     12/24/19        01/03/20        10  

Malaysia

     01/30/19        02/07/19        8  
     01/31/19        02/08/19        8  

Morocco

     08/07/19        08/15/19        8  
     08/08/19        08/16/19        8  
     08/09/19        08/19/19        10  
     11/04/19        11/13/19        9  
     11/05/19        11/14/19        9  

Namibia

     03/14/19        03/22/19        8  
     03/15/19        03/25/19        10  
     03/18/19        03/26/19        8  
     03/19/19        03/27/19        8  
     03/20/19        03/28/19        8  
     04/12/19        04/23/19        11  
     04/15/19        04/24/19        9  
     04/16/19        04/25/19        9  
     04/17/19        04/26/19        9  
     04/18/19        04/29/19        11  
     04/24/19        05/02/19        8  
     04/25/19        05/03/19        8  
     04/26/19        05/06/19        10  
     04/29/19        05/07/19        8  
     04/30/19        05/08/19        8  
     05/23/19        05/31/19        8  
     05/24/19        06/03/19        10  
     05/27/19        06/04/19        8  
     05/28/19        06/05/19        8  
     05/29/19        06/06/19        8  
     06/10/19        06/18/19        8  
     06/11/19        06/19/19        8  
     06/12/19        06/20/19        8  
     06/13/19        06/21/19        8  

 

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2019  

Country

   Trade
Date
     Settlement
Date
     Number of
Days to
Settle
 
     06/14/19        06/24/19        10  
     08/02/19        08/12/19        10  
     08/05/19        08/13/19        8  
     08/06/19        08/14/19        8  
     08/07/19        08/15/19        8  
     08/08/19        08/16/19        8  
     08/19/19        08/27/19        8  
     08/20/19        08/28/19        8  
     08/21/19        08/29/19        8  
     08/22/19        08/30/19        8  
     08/23/19        09/02/19        10  
     09/17/19        09/25/19        8  
     09/18/19        09/26/19        8  
     09/19/19        09/27/19        8  
     09/20/19        09/30/19        10  
     09/23/19        10/01/19        8  
     12/03/19        12/11/19        8  
     12/04/19        12/12/19        8  
     12/05/19        12/13/19        8  
     12/06/19        12/17/19        11  
     12/09/19        12/18/19        9  
     12/11/19        12/19/19        8  
     12/12/19        12/20/19        8  
     12/13/19        12/23/19        10  
     12/18/19        12/27/19        9  
     12/19/19        12/30/19        11  
     12/20/19        12/31/19        11  
     12/23/19        01/02/20        10  
     12/24/19        01/03/20        10  

New Zealand

     04/18/19        04/26/19        8  

Oman

     08/06/19        08/18/19        12  
     08/07/19        08/19/19        12  
     08/08/19        08/20/19        12  

Philippines

     12/23/19        01/02/20        10  
     12/26/19        01/03/20        8  
     12/27/19        01/06/20        10  

Qatar

     05/30/19        06/09/19        10  
     06/02/19        06/10/19        8  
     06/03/19        06/11/19        8  
     08/06/19        08/14/19        8  
     08/07/19        08/15/19        8  
     08/08/19        08/18/19        10  

Russia

     04/26/19        05/06/19        10  
     04/29/19        05/07/19        8  
     04/30/19        05/08/19        8  

Saudi Arabia

     08/08/19        08/18/19        10  
     08/11/19        08/19/19        8  

Serbia

     04/25/19        05/03/19        8  

Srpska

     04/25/19        05/03/19        8  

Taiwan

     01/29/19        02/11/19        13  
     01/30/19        02/12/19        13  

Tunisia

     05/30/19        06/07/19        8  

United Arab Emirates

     08/07/19        08/15/19        8  

 

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2019  

Country

   Trade
Date
     Settlement
Date
     Number of
Days to
Settle
 
     08/08/19        08/18/19        10  

Uruguay

     04/15/19        04/23/19        8  
     04/16/19        04/24/19        8  
     04/17/19        04/25/19        8  

Vietnam

     01/31/19        02/11/19        11  
     02/01/19        02/12/19        11  

Zimbabwe

     04/15/19        04/23/19        8  
     04/16/19        04/24/19        8  
     04/17/19        04/25/19        8  
     12/19/19        12/27/19        8  
     12/20/19        12/30/19        10  

 

*

These worst-case redemption cycles are based on information regarding regular holidays, which may be out of date. Based on changes in holidays, longer (worse) redemption cycles are possible.

TAXES

The following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the Funds is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, and other applicable authority, all as in effect as of the date of the filing of this SAI. These authorities are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, possibly with retroactive effect. The following discussion is only a summary of some of the important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. There may be other tax considerations applicable to particular shareholders. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding their particular situation and the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) made significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules for taxation of individuals and corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. Many of the changes applicable to individuals are temporary and only apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026. There are only minor changes with respect to the specific rules applicable to a RIC, such as a Fund. The Tax Act, however, made numerous other changes to the tax rules that may affect shareholders and the Funds. You are urged to consult with your own tax advisor regarding how the Tax Act affects your investment in the Funds.

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company. Each Fund has elected or intends to elect to be treated, and intends to qualify each year, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded RICs and their shareholders, each Fund must, among other things:

 

(a)

derive at least 90% of its gross income each year from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or 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 (ii) net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined below);

 

(b)

diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets consists of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with investments in such other securities limited with respect to any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more or more voting stock interest, in (1) the securities (other than those of the U.S. government or other RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (2) the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships; and

 

(c)

distribute with respect to each taxable year an amount equal to or greater than the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code without regard to the deduction for dividends paid – generally taxable ordinary income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income.

In general, for purposes of the 90% qualifying income test described in (a) above, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by a Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (generally, a partnership (i) interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof and (ii) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in clause (a)(i) of the description of the 90% qualifying income test applicable to RICs, above) will be treated as qualifying income.

 

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Taxation of the Funds. If a Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC, that Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are distributed in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of dividends.

If, for any taxable year, a Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC or were to fail to meet the distribution requirement described above, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In addition, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, including any distributions of net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for federal income tax purposes. However, such dividends would be eligible, subject to any generally applicable limitations, (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends-received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, the Fund would be required to pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent year. Under certain circumstances, a Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC, but in order to do so the Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may be forced to dispose of certain assets. If a Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund would generally be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year.

Each Fund intends to distribute at least annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and its net capital gain (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). Investment income that is retained by a Fund will generally be subject to tax at regular corporate rates. If a Fund retains any net capital gain, that gain will be subject to tax at the corporate rate, but the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, (ii) will be deemed to have paid their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any, and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds on a properly filed U.S. tax returns to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of that Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.

If a Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 of such year, plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amount. For these purposes, a Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar year. Each Fund intends to declare and pay dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so.

A Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining such Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, and certain other late-year losses.

The treatment of capital loss carryovers for the Funds is similar to the rules that apply to capital loss carryovers of individuals, which provide that such losses are carried over indefinitely. If a Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), for a taxable year beginning after December 22, 2010 (a “Post-2010 Loss”), the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. A Fund’s unused capital loss carryforwards that arose in taxable years that began on or before December 22, 2010 (“Pre-2011 Losses”) are available to be applied against future capital gains, if any, realized by the Fund prior to the expiration of those carryforwards, generally eight years after the year in which they arose. A Fund’s Post-2010 Losses must be fully utilized before the Fund will be permitted to utilize carryforwards of Pre-2011 Losses. In addition, the carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if a Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.

Fund Distributions. Distributions are generally taxable whether shareholders receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares. Moreover, distributions on the Funds’ shares are generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Funds’ realized income and gains, even though such distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Investors may therefore wish to avoid purchasing shares at a time when a Fund’s NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Realized income and gains must generally be distributed even when a Fund’s NAV also reflects unrealized losses.

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, if any dividend or distribution is declared by a Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to its shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month but is actually paid during the following January, such dividend or distribution will be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.

 

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Distributions by the Funds of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the assets that generated those gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from a Fund’s net capital gain that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For individuals, long-term capital gains are subject to tax at reduced maximum tax rates. Distributions of gains from the sale of investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income.

For non-corporate shareholders, distributions of investment income reported by a Fund as derived from “qualified dividend income” will be taxed at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain, provided holding period and other requirements are met at both the shareholder and Fund level. In order for some portion of the dividends received by a Fund shareholder to be “qualified dividend income,” the Fund making the distribution must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to some portion of the dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares. A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that 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 the ex-dividend date), (2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) treated as a passive foreign investment company.

In general, distributions of investment income reported by a Fund as derived from qualified dividend income will be treated as qualified dividend income by a shareholder taxed as an individual, provided the shareholder meets the holding period and other requirements described above with respect to the Fund’s shares. If the aggregate qualified dividend income received by a Fund during any taxable year represents 95% or more of its gross income (excluding net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), then 100% of the Fund’s dividends (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be eligible to be reported as qualified dividend income. To the extent that a Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders. The trading strategies of certain Funds may limit their ability to distribute dividends eligible for the reduced rates applicable to qualified dividend income.

Certain dividends received by a Fund on stock of U.S. corporations (generally, dividends received by a Fund in respect of any share of stock (1) as to which the Fund has met certain holding period requirements and (2) that is held in an unleveraged position) may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction, which is generally available to corporate shareholders under the Code, provided such dividends are also appropriately reported as eligible for the dividends-received deduction by a Fund. In order to qualify for the dividends-received deduction, corporate shareholders must also meet minimum holding period requirements with respect to their Fund shares, taking into account any holding period reductions from certain hedging or other transactions or positions that diminish their risk of loss with respect to their Fund shares. The trading strategies of certain Funds, particularly the International Equity Funds, Balanced Income Fund and Fixed Income Funds, may significantly limit their ability to distribute dividends eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporations.

Dividends and distributions from a Fund and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.

If a Fund makes distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution to each shareholder will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, and will reduce the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares. After the shareholder’s basis has been reduced to zero, any such distributions will result in a capital gain, assuming the shareholder holds his or her shares as capital assets. A reduction in a shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, will reduce any loss or increase any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of its shares.

Sale or Exchange of Shares. A sale or exchange of shares in a Fund may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be disallowed if substantially identical shares of a Fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

Backup Withholding. The Funds (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which a shareholder holds Fund shares) generally are required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption

 

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proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding tax rate is 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”).

Federal Tax Treatment of Certain Fund Investments. Transactions of the Funds in options, futures contracts, hedging transactions, forward contracts, swap agreements, straddles and foreign currencies may be subject to various special and complex tax rules, including mark-to-market, constructive-sale, straddle, wash-sale and short-sale rules. These rules could affect a Fund’s ability to qualify as a RIC, affect whether gains and losses recognized by a Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to a Fund, or defer a Fund’s ability to recognize losses. These rules may in turn affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to shareholders by a Fund.

A Fund is required, for federal income tax purposes, to mark to market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses as of the end of such year on certain regulated futures contracts, foreign currency contracts and options that qualify as Section 1256 contracts in addition to the gains and losses actually realized with respect to such contracts during the year. Except as described below under “Certain Foreign Currency Tax Issues,” gain or loss from Section 1256 contracts that are required to be marked to market annually will generally be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts, options contracts and swaps to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund. These provisions may also require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in their portfolios (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out), which may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirement and for avoiding the excise tax discussed above. Accordingly, in order to avoid certain income and excise taxes, the Fund may be required to liquidate its investments at a time when the Adviser or Sub-Adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so.

Certain Foreign Currency Tax Issues. The U.S. Treasury Department has authority to issue regulations that would exclude foreign currency gains from the 90% test described above if such gains are not directly related to a fund’s business of investing in stock or securities. Accordingly, regulations may be issued in the future that could treat some or all of the Fund’s non-U.S. currency gains as non-qualifying income, thereby potentially jeopardizing the Fund’s status as a RIC for all years to which the regulations are applicable.

Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time the Fund accrues income or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or receivables or pays such expenses or liabilities generally are treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, on disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency and on disposition of certain other instruments, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition are also treated as ordinary gain or loss. The gains and losses may increase or decrease the amount of the Fund’s income to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income.

A Fund’s gain or loss on foreign currency denominated debt securities and on certain other financial instruments, such as forward currency contracts and currency swaps, that is attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates occurring between the date of acquisition and the date of settlement or disposition of such securities or instruments generally will be treated under Section 988 of the Code as ordinary income or loss. A Fund may elect out of the application of Section 988 of the Code with respect to the tax treatment of each of its foreign currency forward contracts to the extent that (i) such contract is a capital asset in the hands of the Fund and is not part of a straddle transaction and (ii) the Fund makes an election by the close of the day the contract is entered into to treat the gain or loss attributable to such contract as capital gain or loss.

A Fund’s forward contracts may qualify as so-called “Section 1256 contracts” if the underlying currencies are currencies for which there are futures contracts that are traded on and subject to the rules of a qualified board or exchange. However, a forward currency contract that is a Section 1256 contract would, absent an election out of Section 988 of the Code as described in the preceding paragraph, be subject to Section 988. Accordingly, although such a forward currency contract would be marked to market annually like other Section 1256 contracts, the resulting gain or loss would be ordinary. If a Fund were to elect out of Section 988 with respect to forward currency contracts that qualify as Section 1256 contracts, the tax treatment generally applicable to Section 1256 contracts would apply to those forward currency contracts: that is, the contracts would be marked to market annually and gains and losses with respect to the contracts would be treated as long-term capital gains or losses to the extent of 60% thereof and short-term capital gains or losses to the extent of 40% thereof. If a Fund were to elect out of Section 988 with respect to any of its forward currency contracts that do not qualify as Section 1256 contracts, such contracts would not be marked to market annually and the Fund would recognize short-term or long-term capital gain or loss depending on the Fund’s holding period therein. A Fund may elect out of Section 988 with respect to some, all or none of its forward currency contracts.

Finally, regulated futures contracts and non-equity options that qualify as Section 1256 contracts and are entered into by a Fund with respect to foreign currencies or foreign currency denominated debt instruments will be subject to the tax treatment generally applicable to Section 1256 contracts unless the Fund elects to have Section 988 apply to determine the character of gains and losses from all such regulated futures contracts and non-equity options held or later acquired by the Fund.

 

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Foreign Investments. Income received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries (including, for example, dividends or interest on stock or 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. If more than 50% of the value of a Fund’s assets at the close of any taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, which for this purpose may include obligations of foreign governmental issuers, the Fund may elect, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to treat any foreign income or withholding taxes paid by the Fund as paid by its shareholders. For any year that a Fund is eligible for and makes such an election, each shareholder of that Fund will be required to include in income an amount equal to his or her allocable share of qualified foreign income taxes paid by the Fund, and shareholders will be entitled, subject to certain holding period requirements and other limitations, to credit their portions of these amounts against their U.S. federal income tax due, if any, or to deduct their portions from their U.S. taxable income, if any. No deductions for foreign taxes paid by a Fund may be claimed, however, by non-corporate shareholders who do not itemize deductions. No deduction for such taxes will be permitted to individuals in computing their alternative minimum tax liability. Foreign taxes paid by a Fund will reduce the return from the Fund’s investments.

If a Fund holds shares in a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”), 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 the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.

A Fund may be eligible to treat a PFIC as a qualified electing fund (“QEF”) under the Code in which case, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, such Fund will be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the QEF, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts will be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. Pursuant to recently issued Treasury regulations, such amounts included in income each year by a Fund will be “qualifying income”, even if not distributed to the Fund, to the extent such income is derived with respect to such Fund’s business of investing in stock, securities or currencies. In order to make the QEF 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 will result in such Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any gains resulting from such deemed sales as ordinary income and would deduct any losses resulting from such deemed sales as ordinary losses to the extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund and, once made, is effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of 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 excess income to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax. In order to distribute this income and avoid a tax at the Fund level, a Fund might be required to liquidate portfolio securities that it might otherwise have continued to hold, potentially resulting in additional taxable gain or loss.

A U.S. person that owns (directly, indirectly or constructively) 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock or 10% or more of the total value of shares of all classes of stock of a foreign corporation is a “U.S. Shareholder” for purposes of the Controlled Foreign Corporation (“CFC”) provisions of the Code. A foreign corporation is a CFC if, on any day of its taxable year, more than 50% of the voting power or value of its stock is owned (directly, indirectly or constructively) by “U.S. Shareholders.” If a Fund is a “U.S. Shareholder” of a CFC, the Fund will be required to include in its gross income for United States federal income tax purposes the CFCs “subpart F income” (described below), whether or not such income is distributed by the CFC. “Subpart F income” generally includes interest, original issue discount, dividends, net gains from the disposition of stocks or securities, receipts with respect to securities loans and net payments received with respect to equity swaps and similar derivatives. “Subpart F income” also includes the excess of gains over losses from transactions (including futures, forward and similar transactions) in any commodities. A Fund’s recognition of “subpart F income” will increase a Fund’s tax basis in the CFC. Distributions by a CFC to a Fund will be tax-free, to the extent of its previously undistributed “subpart F income,” and will correspondingly reduce the Fund’s tax basis in the CFC. “Subpart F income” is generally treated as ordinary income, regardless of the character of the CFC’s underlying income. Pursuant to recently issued Treasury regulations, the “Subpart F income” of each Fund attributable to its investment in a CFC is “qualifying income” to such Fund to the extent that such income is derived with respect to such Fund’s business of investing in stock, securities or currencies.

In general, each “U.S. Shareholder” is required to file IRS Form 5471 with its U.S. federal income tax (or information) returns providing information about its ownership of the CFC. In addition, a “U.S. Shareholder” may in certain circumstances be required to report a disposition of shares in the CFC by attaching IRS Form 5471 to its U.S. federal income tax (or information) return that it would normally file for the taxable year in which the disposition occurs. In general, these filing requirements will apply to investors of a Fund if the investor is a U.S. person who owns directly, indirectly or constructively (within the meaning of Sections 958(a) and (b) of the Code) 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of voting stock or 10% or more of the total value of shares of all classes of stock of a foreign corporation that is a CFC for an uninterrupted period of thirty (30) days or more during any tax year of the foreign corporation, and who owned that stock on the last day of that year.

Additional Tax Information Concerning REITs. Certain Funds may invest in entities treated as REITs for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A Fund’s investments in REIT equity securities may at times result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal

 

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income tax purposes. Dividends paid by a REIT, other than capital gain distributions, will be taxable as ordinary income up to the amount of the REIT’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Capital gain dividends paid by a REIT to a Fund will be treated as long-term capital gains by the Fund and, in turn, may be distributed by the Fund to its shareholders as a capital gain distribution. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT generally will not constitute qualified dividend income. If a REIT is operated in a manner such that it fails to qualify as a REIT, an investment in the REIT would become subject to double taxation, meaning the taxable income of the REIT would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders and the dividends would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the REIT’s current and accumulated earnings and profits..

The Tax Act treats “qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income eligible for capital gain tax rates) as eligible for a 20% deduction by non-corporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). Pursuant to recently proposed regulations on which the Funds may rely, distributions by a Fund to its shareholders that are attributable to qualified REIT dividends received by such Fund and which such Fund properly reports as “section 199A dividends,” are treated as “qualified REIT dividends” in the hands of non-corporate shareholders. A section 199A dividend is treated as a qualified REIT dividend only if the shareholder receiving such dividend holds the dividend-paying RIC shares for at least 46 days of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the shares become ex-dividend, and is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. A Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as section 199A dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so.

A Fund may invest in REITs that hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”) or which are, or have certain wholly-owned subsidiaries that are, “taxable mortgage pools” (“TMPs”). Under certain Treasury guidance, a portion of a Fund’s income from a REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a REMIC or equity interests in a TMP (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. This guidance provides that excess inclusion income of a RIC, such as a Fund, must generally be allocated to shareholders of the RIC in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related REMIC residual interest or TMP interests directly. In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on unrelated business income, thereby potentially requiring such an entity, which otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income (see “Taxes – Tax-Exempt Shareholders” below), and (iii) in the case of a foreign shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax. No Fund intends to invest a substantial portion of its assets in REITs which generate excess inclusion income.

Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Certain tax-exempt shareholders, including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, salary deferral arrangements, 401(k)s, and other tax-exempt entities, generally are exempt from federal income taxation except with respect to their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). Under current law, income of a RIC that would be treated as UBTI if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity generally will not be attributed as UBTI to a tax-exempt entity that is a shareholder in the RIC. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in a Fund if shares in that Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b) or if the Fund invests in REITs that hold residual interests in REMICs. Under the Tax Act, tax-exempt entities are not permitted to offset losses from one trade or business against the income or gain of another trade or business. Certain net losses incurred prior to January 1, 2018 are permitted to offset gain and income created by an unrelated trade or business, if otherwise available.

A Fund’s shares held in a tax-qualified retirement account will generally not be subject to federal taxation on income and capital gains distributions from the Fund until a shareholder begins receiving payments from their retirement account. Because each shareholder’s tax situation is different, shareholders should consult their tax advisor about the tax implications of an investment in the Funds.

Non-U.S. Shareholders. In general, dividends other than Capital Gain Dividends paid by a Fund to a shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions derived from taxable ordinary income. A Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest related dividend” or a “short term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax.

A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a U.S. income tax deduction for losses) realized on a sale of shares of a Fund or on Capital Gain Dividends unless (i) such gain or dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or the receipt of the Capital Gain Dividend and certain other conditions are met.

 

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Under legislation generally known as “FATCA” (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund Shares comply with IRS requirements that generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund distributions payable to such entities. In general, no such withholding will be required with respect to a U.S. person or non-U.S. individual that timely provides the certifications required by a Fund or its agent on a valid IRS Form W-9 or applicable IRS Form W-8, respectively. Shareholders potentially subject to withholding include foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”), such as non-U.S. investment funds, and non-financial foreign entities (“NFFEs”). To avoid withholding under FATCA, an FFI generally must enter into an information sharing agreement with the IRS in which it agrees to report certain identifying information (including name, address, and taxpayer identification number) with respect to its U.S. account holders (which, in the case of an entity shareholder, may include its direct and indirect U.S. owners), and an NFFE generally must identify and provide other required information to the fund or other withholding agent regarding its U.S. owners, if any. Such non-U.S. shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by regulations and other guidance. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement.

In order for a non-U.S. investor to qualify for an exemption from backup withholding, described above, the non-U.S. investor must comply with special certification and filing requirements. Non-U.S. investors in the Funds should consult their tax advisors in this regard.

A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person may be subject to state and local tax and to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the federal income tax consequences referred to above. If a shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any income or gain effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States.

Creation and Redemption of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange and (ii) the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities or non-U.S. currency surrendered and any cash paid for such Creation Units. All or a portion of any gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant exchanging a currency other than its functional currency for Creation Units may be treated as ordinary income or loss. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of any securities or non-U.S. currency received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized by an Authorized Participant upon an exchange of securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Units may not be currently deducted, under the rules governing “wash sales” (for an Authorized Participant that does not mark-to-market its holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. All or some portion of any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units in exchange for securities will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year.

Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will be treated as short-term capital gains or losses.

A person subject to U.S. federal income tax with the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who receives non-U.S. currency upon a redemption of Creation Units and does not immediately convert the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars may, upon a later conversion of the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars, or upon the use of the non-U.S. currency to pay expenses or acquire assets, recognize as ordinary gains or losses any gains or losses resulting from fluctuations in the value of the non-U.S. currency relative to the U.S. dollar since the date of the redemption.

Persons exchanging securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

Section 351. 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 any 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 Section 351 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. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.

Certain Reporting Regulations. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, generally, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Significant penalties may be imposed for the failure to comply with the reporting regulations. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s 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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Cost Basis Reporting. The cost basis of shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for the shares and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of shares. Contact the broker through whom you purchased your shares to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and elections for your account.

General Considerations. The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of shares of the Funds, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any proposed tax law changes.

DETERMINATION OF NAV

The NAV of each Fund’s shares is calculated each day a Fund is open for business as of the regularly scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (the “NAV Calculation Time”). NAV per share is calculated by dividing a Fund’s net assets by the number of Fund shares outstanding.

In calculating a Fund’s NAV, Fund investments generally are valued using market valuations. Each Fund generally values: (i) equity securities (including preferred stock) traded on any recognized U.S. or non-U.S. exchange at the last sale price or official closing price on the exchange or system on which they are principally traded; (ii) unlisted equity securities (including preferred stock) at the last quoted sale price or, if no sale price is available, at the mean between the highest bid and lowest ask price; and (iii) short-term debt securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less at current market quotations or mean prices obtained from broker-dealers or independent pricing service providers. U.S. fixed income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for such securities on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announces an early closing time. The values of any assets or liabilities of the Funds that are denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars using an exchange rate deemed appropriate by the Fund. In addition, each Fund may invest in money market funds which are valued at their NAV per share and affiliated ETFs which are valued at their last sale or official closing price on the exchange on which they are principally traded.

In certain instances, such as when reliable market valuations are not readily available or are not deemed to reflect current market values, a Fund’s investments will be valued in accordance with the Fund’s pricing policy and procedures. Securities that may be valued using “fair value” pricing may include, but are not limited to, securities for which there are no current market quotations or whose issuer is in default or bankruptcy, securities subject to corporate actions (such as mergers or reorganizations), securities subject to non-U.S. investment limits or currency controls, and securities affected by “significant events.” An example of a significant event is an event occurring after the close of the market in which a security trades but before a Fund’s next NAV Calculation Time that may materially affect the value of a Fund’s investment (e.g., government action, natural disaster, or significant market fluctuation). Price movements in U.S. markets that are deemed to affect the value of foreign securities, or reflect changes to the value of such securities, also may cause securities to be “fair valued.”

The sale price a Fund could receive for a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset and/or from the value used by its index (if applicable), particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. When fair value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by a Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. In addition, particularly for a Fund holding foreign securities or assets, the value of the securities or other assets in such Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell a Fund’s shares. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by a Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. A Fund’s ability to value its investment may also be impacted by technological issues, pricing methodology issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

Fund shares are purchased or sold on a national securities exchange at market prices, which may be higher or lower than NAV. No secondary sales will be made to brokers or dealers at a concession by the Distributor or by a Fund. Purchases and sales of shares in the secondary market, which will not involve a Fund, will be subject to customary brokerage commissions and charges. Transactions in Fund shares will be priced at NAV only if you purchase or redeem shares directly from a Fund in Creation Units.

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

The Fixed Income Funds intend to pay out dividends on a monthly basis but in any event no less frequently than annually. The International Equity Funds and the Asset Allocation Funds intend to pay out dividends, if any, on a quarterly basis but in any event no less frequently than annually. The Alternative Funds intend to pay out dividends on an annual basis. Each Fund intends to distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to investors annually. The Funds may occasionally be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.

The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of each Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

 

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The audited financial statements, including the financial highlights appearing in the Trust’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 and filed electronically with the SEC, are incorporated by reference and made part of this SAI . You may request a copy of the Trust’s Annual Report at no charge by calling 866-909-9473 or through the Trust’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Counsel. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP with offices located at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Ernst & Young LLP, with offices located at 5 Times Square, New York, New York 10036, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm to the Trust.

WIS-SAI-0630-1119

 

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PART C. Other Information

Item 28. Exhibits

 

(a)(1)    

   Trust Instrument of WisdomTree Trust (the “Trust” or the “Registrant”) dated December 15, 2005 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a) of the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 13, 2006.

(2)

   Schedule A, as last revised August 29, 2019, to the Trust Instrument dated December 15, 2005, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 716 filing, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.

(3)

   Revised Schedule A, reflecting the addition of WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund to the Trust Instrument dated December 15, 2005, to be filed by amendment.

(4)

   Certificate of Trust, as filed with the State of Delaware on December 15, 2005, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(2) of the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2006.

(b)        

   Registrant’s By-Laws, as amended June 16, 2016, are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (b) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 563 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 28, 2016.

(c)        

   Portions of the Registrant’s Trust Instrument and By-Laws defining the rights of holders of shares of the Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Article II, Sections 2, 3 and 8, and Articles III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X of the Registrant’s Trust Instrument dated December 15, 2005, filed as Exhibit (a)(1) to the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2006; and to Articles I, V, and VI of the Registrant’s By-Laws, filed as Exhibit (b) to the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with SEC on March 13, 2006.

(d)(1)    

   Investment Advisory Agreement dated November 20, 2012 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 28, 2012.

(2)

   Schedule A, dated January 31, 2013 as updated March 29, 2019, to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated November 20, 2012 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 696 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2019.

(3)

   Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 26, 2013 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(3) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 198 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2013.

(4)

   Schedule A, as last amended August 29, 2019, to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 26, 2013 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(4) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 716 filing, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.

(5)

   Revised Schedule A to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 26, 2013 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., reflecting the addition of WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund, to be filed by amendment.

(6)

   Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement dated January 1, 2013 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Mellon Investments Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(6) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 144 filing, as filed with the SEC on January 11, 2013.

(7)

   Appendix A, as last amended October 15, 2018, to the Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement dated January 1, 2013 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Mellon Investments Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(7) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 656 filing, as filed with the SEC on November 8, 2018.

 

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(8)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement dated April 4, 2016 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and Voya Investment Management Co., LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 541 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 14, 2016.

(9)

   Amendment dated August 15, 2017 to the Sub-Advisory Agreement dated April 4, 2017 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., and Voya Investment Management Co., LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(9) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 612 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 21, 2017.

(10)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Mortgage Plus Bond Fund, and Voya Investment Management Co., LLC, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 696 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2019.

(11)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund, and ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 610 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 18, 2017.

(12)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund, and Mellon Investments Corporation, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(11) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective No. 625, as filed with the SEC on June 29, 2018.

(13)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund, and Mellon Investments Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(12) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 635 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 30, 2018.

(14)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree International Multifactor Fund, and Mellon Investments Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(13) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 636 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 30, 2018.

(15)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree India ex-State Owned Enterprises Fund, and Mellon Investments Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(14) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 679 filing, as filed with the SEC on February 5, 2019.

(16)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Fund, and Mellon Investments Corporation, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(16) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 704 filing, as filed with the SEC on May 17, 2019.

(17)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund, and [SUB-ADVISER], to be filed by amendment.

(18)

   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund, and Mellon Investments Corporation, is filed herewith.

(19)

   Investment Advisory Agreement dated February 14, 2008 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and WisdomTree India Investment Portfolio, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(7) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 14 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 4, 2008.

(20)

   Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement dated November 20, 2012 between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree India Investment Portfolio Inc., and Mellon Investments Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 142 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 28, 2012.

(21)

   Fee Waiver Agreement dated December 18, 2018 between the Registrant, on behalf of the WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund, WisdomTree CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Strategy Fund, WisdomTree Managed Futures Strategy Fund, WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund and WisdomTree CBOE Russell 2000 PutWrite Strategy Fund, and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(23) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 667 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 20, 2018.

 

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(22)

   Fee Waiver Agreement dated October 25, 2019 between the Registrant, on behalf of the WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund, WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund), WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund), WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund, and WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund, and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., is filed herewith.

(23)

   Fee Waiver Agreement dated December 18, 2017 between the Registrant, on behalf of the WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(28) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 612 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 21, 2017.

(24)

   Fee Waiver Agreement dated July 26, 2019 between the Registrant, on behalf of the WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Consumer Growth Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Quality Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund and WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund, and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(25) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 711 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 30, 2019.

(25)

   Fee Waiver Agreement dated November 1, 2018 between the Registrant, on behalf of the WisdomTree Yield Enhanced Global Aggregate Bond Fund, and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(25) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 656 filing, as filed with the SEC on November 8, 2018.

(e)(1)    

   Distribution Agreement dated May 31, 2017 between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 634 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2018.

(2)

   Exhibit A, dated July 30, 2018, to the Distribution Agreement dated May 31, 2017 between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 635 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 30, 2018.

(3)

   Form of Authorized Participant Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(2) of the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A, as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2006.

(f)        

   Not applicable.

(g)(1)    

   Master Custodian Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 346 filing, as filed with the SEC on March 31, 2014.

(2)

   Appendix A, as last revised August 29, 2019, to the Master Custodian Agreement, Administration Agreement and Transfer Agency Service Agreement, each dated September 27, 2013, between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 716 filing, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.

(3)

   Revised Appendix A, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund to the Master Custodian Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, to be filed by amendment.

(h)(1)    

   Administration Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 346 filing, as filed with the SEC on March 31, 2014.

 

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(2)

   Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(5) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 346 filing, as filed with the SEC on March 31, 2014.

(3)

   Schedule A, as last revised August 29, 2019, to the Administration Agreement and Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, each dated September 27, 2013, between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(3) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 716 filing, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.

(4)

   Revised Schedule A, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund to the Administration Agreement and Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, each dated September 27, 2013, between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, to be filed by amendment.

(5)

   License Agreement dated March 21, 2006 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Investments, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(3) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 29, 2006.

(6)

   Exhibit A, as last revised May 17, 2019, to the License Agreement dated March 21, 2006 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Investments, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(6) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 704 filing, as filed with the SEC on May 17, 2019.

(7)

   Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(8) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 346 filing, as filed with the SEC on March 31, 2014.

(8)

   Tenth Amendment dated November 3, 2016 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(8) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 577 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 22, 2016.

(9)

   Twelfth Amendment and revised Schedule B dated April 27, 2017 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(9) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 596 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 28, 2017.

(10)

   Thirteenth Amendment and revised Schedule B dated October 23, 2017 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 616 filing, as filed with the SEC on February 20, 2018.

(11)

   Fourteenth Amendment dated December 19, 2017 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(11) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 616 filing, as filed with the SEC on February 20, 2018.

(12)

   Fifteenth Amendment and revised Schedule B dated January 29, 2018 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund and WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(12) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 616 filing, as filed with the SEC on February 20, 2018.

(13)

   Sixteenth Amendment and revised Schedule B dated April 18, 2018 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(13) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 622 filing, as filed with the SEC on May 29, 2018.

(14)

   Seventeenth Amendment and revised Schedule B dated August 1, 2018 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund, and WisdomTree International Multifactor Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(14) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 641 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 19, 2018.

 

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(15)

   Eighteenth Amendment and revised Schedule B dated January 29, 2019 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Yield Enhanced Global Aggregate Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(15) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 696 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2019.

(16)

   Nineteenth Amendment and revised Schedule B dated June 12, 2019 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(17) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 716 filing, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.

(17)

   Amendment and revised Schedule B to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Yield Enhanced International Aggregate Bond Fund, WisdomTree India ex-State Owned Enterprises Fund, WisdomTree Mortgage Plus Bond Fund, and WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund, to be filed by amendment.

(18)

   Twenty-First Amendment and revised Schedule B dated August 29, 2019 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Fund and WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund, is filed herewith.

(19)

   Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement dated October 1, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(10) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 15, 2009.

(20)

   Exhibit C, as last revised August 29, 2019, to the Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement dated October 1, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(21) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 716 filing, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.

(21)

   Revised Exhibit C, reflecting the addition of WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund, to the Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement dated October 1, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., to be filed by amendment.

(22)

   Fund Services Agreement dated June 15, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(11) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 131 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 10, 2012.

(23)

   Exhibit A, as last revised August 29, 2019, to the Fund Services Agreement dated June 15, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(24) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 716 filing, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.

(24)

   Revised Exhibit A, reflecting the addition of WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund, to the Fund Services Agreement dated June 15, 2009 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., to be filed by amendment.

(25)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Core Equity Methodology (formerly, the “WisdomTree Rules-Based Earnings-Weighted Methodology”), dated March 2019 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(23) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 711 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 30, 2019.

(26)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Domestic and International Dividend Indexes), dated April 2019 is filed herewith.

(27)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Global Dividend Indexes), dated November 2018 is filed herewith.

 

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(28)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (India Earnings Index), dated February 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(25) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 634 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2018.

(29)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Global ex-US Quality Dividend Growth Index), dated September 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(26) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 634 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2018.

(30)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Middle East Dividend Index), dated April 2019 is filed herewith.

(31)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (ex-State Owned Enterprises Indexes), dated April 2019 is filed herewith.

(32)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Hedged and Unhedged Equity Indexes), dated April 2019 is filed herewith.

(33)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Emerging Market Dividend Indexes), dated November 2018 is filed herewith.

(34)

   WisdomTree Index Methodology (Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Index and Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Index), dated September 2018 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(33) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 653 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 26, 2018.

(35)

   WisdomTree Index Methodology (Dynamic Hedged/Unhedged Equity Indexes: Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index, Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index, and Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index), dated April 2019 is filed herewith.

(36)

   WisdomTree Index Methodology (U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index Family: U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index and U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index), dated September 2019 is filed herewith.

(37)

   WisdomTree Index Methodology (U.S. Corporate Bond Index Family: U.S. Corporate Bond Index and U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index) dated September 2019, is filed herewith.

(38)

   WisdomTree Index Methodology (Managed Futures Index) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(38) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 577 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 22, 2016.

(39)

   WisdomTree Index Methodology (U.S. Multifactor Index), dated April 2019 is filed herewith.

(40)

   WisdomTree Index Methodology (WisdomTree Balanced Income Index) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(41) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 612 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 21, 2017.

(41)

   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Index), dated May 2019, is filed herewith.

(i)(1)  

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree CBOE S&P 500 Put Write Strategy Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(21) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 433 filing, as filed with the SEC on June 24, 2015.

(2)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree International Hedged Equity Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(22) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 434 filing, as filed with the SEC on June 24, 2015.

(3)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(16) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 490 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 10, 2015.

(4)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(17) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 491 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 10, 2015.

 

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(5)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Currency Income Funds, WisdomTree Fixed Income Funds, and WisdomTree Alternative Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(15) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 497 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 16, 2015.

(6)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(16) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 501 filing, as filed with the SEC on January 5, 2016.

(7)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(17) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 502 filing, as filed with the SEC on January 5, 2016.

(8)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(18) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 503 filing, as filed with the SEC on January 5, 2016.

(9)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund), is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(19) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 504 filing, as filed with the SEC on January 5, 2016.

(10)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(20) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 539 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 4, 2016.

(11)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(21) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 540 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 4, 2016.

(12)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(22) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 541 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 14, 2016.

(13)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(23) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 542 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 14, 2016.

(14)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(24) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 543 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 14, 2016.

(15)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(25) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 544 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 14, 2016.

(16)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(30) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 571 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 28, 2016.

(17)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(31) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 587 filing, as filed with the SEC on May 11, 2017.

(18)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(32) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 592 filing, as filed with the SEC on June 26, 2017.

 

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(19)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree CBOE Russell 2000 PutWrite Strategy Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(32) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 603 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 23, 2017.

(20)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(31) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 610 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 18, 2017.

(21)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(32) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 611 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 18, 2017.

(22)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(29) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective No. 625, as filed with the SEC on June 29, 2018.

(23)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(28) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 635 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 30, 2018.

(24)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree International Multifactor Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(29) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 636 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 30, 2018.

(25)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Yield Enhanced Global Aggregate Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(30) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 656 filing, as filed with the SEC on November 8, 2018.

(26)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Yield Enhanced International Aggregate Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(31) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 657 filing, as filed with the SEC on November 8, 2018.

(27)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree India ex-State Owned Enterprises Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(35) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 679 filing, as filed with the SEC on February 5, 2019.

(28)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Mortgage Plus Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(36) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 696 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2019.

(29)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(37) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 704 filing, as filed with the SEC on May 17, 2019.

(30)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund, to be filed by amendment.

(31)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(35) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 716 filing, as filed with the SEC on August 29, 2019.

(32)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree U.S. Equity Funds and WisdomTree International Equity Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (i)(36) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 711 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 30, 2019.

(33)

   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree International Equity, Fixed Income, Alternative and Asset Allocation ETFs is filed herewith.

(j)        

   Consent of independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young, LLP, is filed herewith.

 

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(k)        

   Not applicable.

(l)        

   Form of Letter of Representations between the Registrant and The Depository Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (l) of the Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 filing, as filed with the SEC on June 9, 2006.

(m)        

   Not applicable.

(n)        

   Not applicable.

(o)        

   Not applicable.

(p)(1)    

   Code of Ethics of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 filing, as filed with the SEC on October 15, 2009.

(2)

   Code of Ethics of WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(2) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2012.

(3)

   Code of Ethics of Mellon Investments Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(3) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 634 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 27, 2018.

(4)

   Code of Ethics of Voya Investment Management Co., LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(5) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 541 filing, as filed with the SEC on April 14, 2016.

(5)

   Code of Ethics of ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(5) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 610 filing, as filed with the SEC on December 18, 2017.

(6)

   Code of Ethics of [SUB-ADVISER], sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund, to be filed by amendment.

(q)(1)    

   Powers of Attorney dated June 13, 2017 for David Castano, David Chrencik, Joel Goldberg, Melinda Raso Kirstein, Toni Massaro, Jonathan Steinberg and Victor Ugolyn are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (q)(1) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 596 filing, as filed with the SEC on July 28, 2017.

(2)

   Secretary’s Certificate related to certain signatory authority is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (r) of the Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 filing, as filed with the SEC on September 24, 2013.

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Registrant

As of the date of this Registration Statement, the Registrant, through the Managed Futures Strategy Fund, owns 100% of the WisdomTree Managed Futures Portfolio I. WisdomTree Managed Futures Portfolio I is an exempted company organized under Cayman Islands law.

As of the date of this Registration Statement, the Registrant, through the WisdomTree India Earnings Fund, owns 100% of the WisdomTree India Investment Portfolio, Inc., an exempted company organized under the laws of the Republic of Mauritius.

Item 30. Indemnification

Reference is made to Article IX of the Registrant’s Trust Instrument included as Exhibit (a)(1) to this Registration Statement with respect to the indemnification of the Registrant’s trustees and officers, which is set forth below:

Section 1. Limitation of Liability.

All Persons contracting with or having any claim against the Trust or a particular Series shall look only to the assets of the Trust or Assets belonging to such Series, respectively, for payment under such contract or claim; and neither the Trustees nor any of the Trust’s officers, employees, or agents, whether past, present, or future, shall be personally liable

 

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therefor. Every written instrument or obligation on behalf of the Trust or any Series shall contain a statement to the foregoing effect, but the absence of such statement shall not operate to make any Trustee or officer of the Trust liable thereunder. Provided they have exercised reasonable care and have acted under the reasonable belief that their actions are in the best interest of the Trust, the Trustees and officers of the Trust shall not be responsible or liable for any act or omission or for neglect or wrongdoing of them or any officer, agent, employee, Investment Adviser, or independent contractor of the Trust, but nothing contained in this Trust Instrument or in the Delaware Act shall protect any Trustee or officer of the Trust against liability to the Trust or to Shareholders to which he would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office.

Section 2. Indemnification.

(a) Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in subsection (b) below:

(i) every Person who is, or has been, a Trustee or an officer, employee, or agent of the Trust (“Covered Person”) shall be indemnified by the Trust or the appropriate Series (out of Assets belonging to that Series) to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit, or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been a Covered Person and against amounts paid or incurred by him in the settlement thereof; provided that the transfer agent of the Trust or any Series shall not be considered an agent for these purposes unless expressly deemed to be such by the Trustees in a resolution referring to this Article.

(ii) as used herein, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit,” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, actions, suits, or proceedings (civil, criminal, or other, including appeals), actual or threatened, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include attorney’s fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties, and other liabilities.

(b) No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person:

(i) who has been adjudicated by a court or body before which the proceeding was brought:

(A) to be liable to the Trust or its Shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office or

(B) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best interest of the Trust; or

(ii) in the event of a settlement, unless there has been a determination that such Covered Person did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office (A) by the court or other body approving the settlement, (B) by at least a majority of those Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor are parties to the matter based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), or (C) by written opinion of independent legal counsel based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry).

(c) The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not be exclusive of or affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, and administrators of a Covered Person.

(d) To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, expenses in connection with the preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit, or proceeding of the character described in subsection (a) of this Section shall be paid by the Trust or applicable Series from time to time prior to final disposition thereof on receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Covered Person that such amount will be paid over by him to the Trust or applicable Series if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section, provided that either (i) such Covered Person has provided appropriate security for such undertaking, (ii) the Trust is insured against losses arising out of any such advance payments, or (iii) either a majority of the Trustees who are neither Interested Persons of the Trust nor parties to the matter, or independent legal counsel in a written opinion, has determined, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry) that there is reason to believe that such Covered Person will not be disqualified from indemnification under this Section.

(e) Any repeal or modification of this Article IX by the Shareholders, or adoption or modification of any other provision of this Trust Instrument or the By-laws inconsistent with this Article, shall be prospective only, to the extent that such repeal, modification, or adoption would, if applied retrospectively, adversely affect any limitation on the liability of any Covered Person or indemnification available to any Covered Person with respect to any act or omission that occurred prior to such repeal, modification, or adoption.

 

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Reference is made to Article VI of the Registrant’s By-Laws included as Exhibit (b) to this Registration Statement with respect to the indemnification of the Registrant’s trustees and officers, which is set forth below:

Section 6.2. Limitation of Liability.

The Declaration refers to the Trustees as Trustees, but not as individuals or personally; and no Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall be held to any personal liability, nor shall resort be had to their private property for the satisfaction of any obligation or claim or otherwise in connection with the affairs of the Trust; provided, that nothing contained in the Declaration or the By-Laws shall protect any Trustee or officer of the Trust from any liability to the Trust or its Shareholders to which he would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, may be provided to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Trust, pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the Trust has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Trust of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Trust in connection with the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding or payment pursuant to any insurance policy) is asserted against the Trust by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Trust 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 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WTAM”), 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10167, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WisdomTree Investments, Inc., is a registered investment adviser and serves as investment adviser for each series of the Trust. The description of WTAM under the caption of “Management-Investment Adviser” in the Prospectus and under the caption “Management of the Trust” in the Statement of Additional Information constituting Parts A and B, respectively, of this Registration Statement are incorporated herein by reference.

Each of the directors and officers of WTAM will also generally have substantial responsibilities (as noted below) as directors and/or officers of WisdomTree Investments, Inc., 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10167. To the knowledge of the Registrant, except as set forth below or otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information as noted above, none of the directors or executive officers of WTAM is or has been at any time during the past two fiscal years engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature.

 

Name

  

Position with WTAM

  

Principal Business(es)

During Last Two Fiscal Years

Jonathan Steinberg    Chief Executive Officer and Director    Dual officer/director of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Peter Ziemba    EVP – Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and Director    Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Amit Muni    Chief Financial Officer, EVP of Finance, Treasurer and Director    Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Marci Frankenthaler    EVP, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary    Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Stuart Bell    EVP, Chief Operating Officer, and Director    EVP of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
R. Jarrett Lilien    President    President and Chief Operating Officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Jeremy Schwartz    EVP and Global Head of Research    Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Terry Feld    Chief Compliance Officer    None
Ryan Louvar    General Counsel    None

 

11


Table of Contents

WTAM, with the approval of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, selects the sub-adviser for each of the Trust’s series, as applicable. Voya Investment Management Co., LLC serves as sub-adviser for the WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund, WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund, WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund, WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund and WisdomTree Mortgage Plus Bond Fund. ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited serves as sub-adviser for the WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund. Mellon Investments Corporation serves as sub-adviser for each other series of the Trust. To the knowledge of the Registrant, except as set forth below, none of the directors or executive officers of the sub-advisers is or has been at any time during the past two fiscal years engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature.

 

12


Table of Contents

Mellon Investments Corporation

 

Name

  

Position Held with Mellon Investments Corporation

  

Principal Business(es)

During the Last Two Fiscal Years

Thomas Loeb    Board of Directors & Chairman Emeritus    Dual officer of The Bank of New York

Linda Lillard

  

Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Board of Directors

  

Dual officer of The Bank of New York

Jeff Zhang    Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer – Multi-Asset and Multi-Factor and Index, Board of Directors    Dual officer of The Bank of New York, employee of The Dreyfus Corporation
Gregory Brisk    Board of Directors    Head of Investment Management Governance, Mellon Investments Corporation
Alexander Over    Board of Directors, Global Head of Distribution    Dual officer of The Bank of New York
Adam Joffe    Board of Directors, Chief Business Officer    Dual officer of The Bank of New York
Michael Germano    Board of Directors, Head of Strategy    International Strategy Group, The Bank of New York
David Leduc    Board of Directors, Chief Investment Officer – Active Fixed Income    Dual officer of The Bank of New York
David Daglio    Board of Directors, Chief Investment Officer – Active Equity    Dual officer of The Bank of New York
Jamie Lewin   

Board of Directors

   Manager Research, The Bank of New York
Matthew Oomen   

Board of Directors

   IM EMEA Head of Distribution, Global Distribution Admin, The Bank of New York
Edward Ladd    Board of Directors    Director, Standish Mellon Asset Management
James Desmond Mac Intyre   

President, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Directors

   Head of Investment Process Oversight, Bridgewater Associates
Jennifer Cassedy    Chief Compliance Officer    Dual officer of The Bank of New York

John Shea

  

Chief Financial Officer

  

Finance, The Bank of New York

Voya Investment Management Co., LLC

 

Name

  

Position Held with Voya

Investment Management Co., LLC

  

Principal Business(es)

During the Last Two Fiscal Years*

Gerald Thomas Lins    Managing Director and General Counsel    Managing Director and General Counsel of VIM and VAAM.
Mark Donald Weber    Senior Managing Director    Director and Senior Managing Director of VIM; Senior Managing Director of VAAM.
Shaun Patrick Mathews    Senior Managing Director    Director and Senior Managing Director of VIM.
Christopher Francis Corapi    Chief Investment Officer of Equities and Senior Managing Director    Chief Investment Officer of Equities and Senior Managing Director of VAAM.
Christine Lynn Hurtsellers    Chief Executive Officer    Chief Investment Officer of Fixed Income & Proprietary Investments and Senior Managing Director of VIM; Chief Investment Officer of Fixed Income & Proprietary Investments and Senior Managing Director of VAAM.

 

13


Table of Contents

Name

  

Position Held with Voya

Investment Management Co., LLC

  

Principal Business(es)

During the Last Two Fiscal Years*

Michael Bruce Pytosh    Co-Head of U.S. Equity Platform and Senior Managing Director    Co-Head of U.S. Equity Platform and Senior Managing Director of VIM; Co-Head of U.S. Equity Platform and Senior Managing Director of VAAM.
Paul Zemsky    Senior Managing Director    Senior Managing Director of VIM and VAAM.
Deborah Ann Hammalian    Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer    Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of VIM and VAAM.
Amir Sahibzada    Chief Risk Officer and Managing Director    Chief Risk Officer of VIM and VAAM.
Michael Allyn Bell    Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director    Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director of VIM and VAAM.
Matthew Toms    Chief Investment Officer of Fixed Income & Proprietary Investments and Senior Managing Director    Managing Director and Head of U.S. Public Investments

 

*

Voya Investment Management LLC (“VIM”), Voya Alternative Asset Management LLC (“VAAM”).

ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited

With respect to information regarding ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited (the “sub-adviser”), reference is hereby made to “Management – Sub-Adviser” in the Prospectus. For information as to the business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature of each of the officers and directors of the sub-adviser, reference is made to the current Form ADV of the sub-adviser filed under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, incorporated herein by reference and the file numbers of which are as follows:

ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Company Limited

File No. 801-107885

CRD No. 283218

[Item 31 information for sub-adviser of WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund to be filed by amendment].

Item 32. Foreside Fund Services, LLC

 

  (a)

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended:

1. ABS Long/Short Strategies Fund

2. Absolute Shares Trust

3. AdvisorShares Trust

4. American Beacon Funds

5. American Beacon Select Funds

6. Archstone Alternative Solutions Fund

7. Ark ETF Trust

8. Avenue Mutual Funds Trust

9. BP Capital TwinLine Energy Fund, Series of Professionally Managed Portfolios

10. BP Capital TwinLine MLP Fund, Series of Professionally Managed Portfolios

11. Braddock Multi-Strategy Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

12. Bridgeway Funds, Inc.

 

14


Table of Contents

13. Center Coast MLP & Infrastructure Fund

14. Center Coast MLP Focus Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

15. Context Capital Funds

16. CornerCap Group of Funds

17. Corsair Opportunity Fund

18. Direxion Shares ETF Trust

19. Eaton Vance NextShares Trust

20. Eaton Vance NextShares Trust II

21. EIP Investment Trust

22. Evanston Alternative Opportunities Fund

23. Exchange Listed Funds Trust (f/k/a Exchange Traded Concepts Trust II)

24. FEG Absolute Access Fund I LLC

25. FlexShares Trust

26. Forum Funds

27. Forum Funds II

28. FQF Trust

29. FSI Low Beta Absolute Return Fund

30. Guiness Atkinson Funds

31. Henderson Global Funds

32. Horizon Spin-off and Corporate Restructuring Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Liberty Street Horizon Fund)

33. Horizons ETF Trust

34. Infinity Core Alternative Fund

35. Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC

36. Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC

37. John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust

38. Lyons Funds

39. Manor Investment Funds

40. Miller/Howard Funds Trust

41. Miller/Howard High Income Equity Fund

42. Moerus Worldwide Value Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV

43. Montage Managers Trust

44. Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund

45. PENN Capital Funds Trust

46. Performance Trust Mutual Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

47. Pine Grove Alternative Institutional Fund

48. Plan Investment Fund, Inc.

49. PMC Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

50. Quaker Investment Trust

51. Ramius Archview Credit and Distressed Feeder Fund

52. Ramius Archview Credit and Distressed Fund

53. Recon Capital Series Trust

54. Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds

55. RMB Investors Trust (f/k/a Burnham Investors Trust)

56. Robinson Opportunistic Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

57. Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

58. Salient MF Trust

59. SharesPost 100 Fund

60. Sound Shore Fund, Inc.

61. Steben Alternative Investment Funds

62. Steben Select Multi-Strategy Fund

63. Strategy Shares

64. The 504 Fund (f/k/a The Pennant 504 Fund)

65. The Community Development Fund

 

15


Table of Contents

66. Third Avenue Trust

67. Third Avenue Variable Series Trust

68. TIFF Investment Program

69. Turner Funds

70. U.S. Global Investors Funds

71. West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Chilton Realty Income & Growth Fund)

72. Wintergreen Fund, Inc.

73. WisdomTree Trust

 

  (b)

The following are the Officers and Manager of the Distributor, the Registrant’s underwriter. The Distributor’s main business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

Name

  

Address

  

Position with

Underwriter

  

Position with

Registrant

Richard J. Berthy    Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101    President, Treasurer and Manager   

President, Principal

Executive Officer

Mark A. Fairbanks

  

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101

  

Vice President

  

None

Jennifer K. DiValerio    899 Cassatt Road, 400 Berwyn Park, Suite 110, Berwyn, PA 19312   

Vice President

   None
Nanette K. Chern    Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101    Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer    None
Jennifer E. Hoopes    Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101    Secretary    None

 

  (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 and the rules thereunder (collectively, “Records”) at its offices at 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10167.

 

  (b)

WTAM maintains all Records relating to its services as investment adviser to the Registrant at 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10167.

 

  (c)

Mellon Investments Corporation maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser at 50 Fremont Street, Suite 3900, San Francisco, California 94105.

 

  (d)

Voya Investment Management Co., LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser at 230 Park Avenue New York, New York 10169.

 

  (e)

ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management (International) Co. Ltd. maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser at Suite 801, 8/F, ICBC Tower, 3 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong.

 

  (f)

Foreside Fund Services, LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as Distributor of the Registrant at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

  (g)

State Street Bank and Trust Company maintains all Records relating to its services as administrator, transfer agent and custodian of the Registrant at 1200 Crown Colony Drive, Quincy, Massachusetts 02189.

[Location of Accounts and Records for WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Fund to be filed by amendment].

 

16


Table of Contents

Item 34. Management Services

Not applicable.

Item 35. Undertakings

Not applicable.

 

17


Table of Contents

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 No. 721 to Registration Statement No. 333-132380 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 28th day of October, 2019.

 

WISDOMTREE TRUST
(Registrant)
By:   /s/ Jonathan Steinberg
Jonathan Steinberg
President (Principal Executive Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 721 to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacity and on the dates indicated.

 

Signatures

  

Title

 

Date

/s/ Jonathan Steinberg

Jonathan Steinberg

   President (Principal Executive Officer) and Trustee   October 28, 2019

/s/ David Castano*

David Castano

   Treasurer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)   October 28, 2019

/s/ David Chrencik*

David Chrencik

   Trustee   October 28, 2019

/s/ Joel Goldberg*

Joel Goldberg

   Trustee   October 28, 2019

/s/ Toni Massaro*

Toni Massaro

   Trustee   October 28, 2019

/s/ Melinda Raso Kirstein*

Melinda Raso Kirstein

   Trustee   October 28, 2019

/s/ Victor Ugolyn*

Victor Ugolyn

   Trustee   October 28, 2019

 

*By:   /s/ Ryan Louvar
  Ryan Louvar
  (Attorney-in-Fact)

 

18


Table of Contents
Exhibit Number  

Exhibit

(d)(18)   Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., on behalf of the WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund, and Mellon Investments Corporation
(d)(22)   Fee Waiver Agreement dated October 25, 2019 between the Registrant, on behalf of the WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund, WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund), WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund), WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund, and WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund, and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.
(h)(18)   Twenty-First Amendment and revised Schedule B dated August 29, 2019 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company.
(h)(26)   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Domestic and International Dividend Indexes), dated April 2019.
(h)(27)   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Global Dividend Indexes), dated November 2018.
(h)(30)   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Middle East Dividend Index), dated April 2019.
(h)(31)   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (ex-State Owned Enterprises Indexes), dated April 2019.
(h)(32)   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Hedged and Unhedged Equity Indexes), dated April 2019.
(h)(33)   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (Emerging Market Dividend Indexes), dated November 2018.
(h)(35)   WisdomTree Index Methodology (Dynamic Hedged/Unhedged Equity Indexes: Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index, Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index, and Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index), dated April 2019.
(h)(36)   WisdomTree Index Methodology (U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index Family: U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index and U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index), dated September 2019.
(h)(37)   WisdomTree Index Methodology (U.S. Corporate Bond Index Family: U.S. Corporate Bond Index and U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index), dated September 2019.
(h)(39)   WisdomTree Index Methodology (U.S. Multifactor Index), dated April 2019.
(h)(41)   WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Index), dated May 2019.
(i)(33)   Opinion of counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to the WisdomTree International Equity, Fixed Income, Alternative and Asset Allocation ETFs.
(j)   Consent of independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young, LLP.

 

19

Exhibit (d)(18)

 

LOGO

August 27, 2019

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.

Attention: Jonathan Steinberg

245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor

New York, NY 10167

With a copy to:

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.

Attention: Legal Department

245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor

New York, NY 10167

Dear Mr. Steinberg,

Pursuant to that certain Sub-Advisory Agreement between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (the “Investment Adviser”) and Mellon Investments Corporation (the “Sub-Adviser”) dated as of January 1, 2013, as amended (the “Agreement”), the Sub-Adviser hereby provides the Investment Adviser with (i) an amended and restated Appendix A to the Agreement in the form attached hereto and (ii) amended and restated Appendices B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7, B-8 and B-9, as attached hereto.

In particular, this amendment does the following:

 

  (a)

adds one (1) fund to Appendices A and B-1, specifically the WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund;

 

  (b)

amend the Minimum Annual Fee per Fund from July 1, 2019 until July 1, 2021 in Appendices B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7, B-8, B-9;

 

  (c)

amend the Rate applied to Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses in Appendix B-6

 

Sincerely,

/s/ Alex B. Over

Name: Alex B. Over
Title: Executive Vice President


PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH ACCOUNTS OF QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A TRADING PROGRAM OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR DISCLOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS TRADING PROGRAM OR THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT.

Acknowledged and agreed:

 

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.
By:  

/s/ Jonathan Steinberg

Name:   Jonathan Steinberg
Title:   Chief Executive Officer and President
Mellon Investments Corporation
By:  

/s/ Alex B. Over

Name:   Alex B. Over
Title:   Executive Vice President


APPENDIX A

TO

SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT

Effective as of September 4, 2019

 

FUNDS FOR WHICH MELLON INVESTMENTS CORPORATION ACTS AS SUB-ADVISER

 

ALTERNATIVE FUNDS

 

WisdomTree Managed Futures Strategy Fund

WisdomTree CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Strategy Fund

WisdomTree CBOE Russell 2000 PutWrite Strategy Fund

WisdomTree High Yield Corporate Bond PutWrite Strategy Fund

 

CURRENCY AND INTERNATIONAL FIXED INCOME FUNDS

 

WisdomTree Chinese Yuan Strategy Fund

WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strategy Fund

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund

WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bullish Fund

 

DOMESTIC EQUITY FUNDS

 

WisdomTree U.S. Total Dividend Fund

WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund

WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend Fund

WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree U.S. Total Market Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. Total Earnings Fund)

WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Fund)

WisdomTree U.S. Quality Shareholder Yield Fund

WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Earnings Fund)

WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Earnings Fund)

WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund

WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Fund

WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund

WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund

 

INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUNDS

 

WisdomTree International Equity Fund

WisdomTree International High Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund

WisdomTree Global High Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree India Earnings Fund

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund

WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Asia Pacific ex-Japan Fund

WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Fund

WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Fund

 

A-1


WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Middle East Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Global ex-US Real Estate Fund

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Quality Dividend Growth Fund

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Consumer Growth Fund

WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund

WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Fund

WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Fund

WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund

WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Fund

WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned-Enterprises Fund

WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund

WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund)

WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund)

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Fund

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund

WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Fund

 

FIXED INCOME INFLATION HEDGED FUNDS

 

WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund

WisdomTree Negative Duration U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund

WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged High Yield Bond Fund

WisdomTree Negative Duration High Yield Bond Fund

 

FIXED INCOME FUNDS

 

WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund

WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund

WisdomTree Yield Enhanced Global Aggregate Bond Fund

WisdomTree Yield Enhanced International Aggregate Bond Fund

 

MULTI ASSET FUNDS

 

WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Fund

WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund

WisdomTree International Multifactor Fund

The Investment Adviser hereby appoints Mellon Investments Corporation, and Mellon Investments Corporation hereby accepts appointment, as the Sub-Adviser for the Fund(s) set forth above.

PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH ACCOUNTS OF QUALIFIED ELIGIBLE PERSONS, THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE, AND HAS NOT BEEN, FILED WITH THE

 

A-2


COMMISSION. THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN A TRADING PROGRAM OR UPON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR DISCLOSURE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT REVIEWED OR APPROVED THIS TRADING PROGRAM OR THIS BROCHURE OR ACCOUNT DOCUMENT.

 

WISDOMTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC.   MELLON INVESTMENTS CORPORATION
By:  

/s/ Jonathan Steinberg

  By:  

/s/ Alex B. Over

  Name: Jonathan Steinberg     Name: Alex B. Over
  Title: CEO and President     Title: Executive Vice President

 

A-3

Exhibit (d)(22)

FEE WAIVER AGREEMENT

AGREEMENT made as of October 25, 2019 (the “Effective Date”), by and between WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WTAM”) and WisdomTree Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”), on behalf of each series of the Trust listed on Schedule A, as amended from time to time (each, a “Fund”).

WHEREAS, WTAM serves as investment adviser to each Fund pursuant to an Investment Management Agreement with the Trust dated March 26, 2013 (“Management Agreement”); and

WHEREAS, WTAM is entitled to a fee under the Management Agreement in exchange for providing advisory and other services, and paying all of the Trust’s expenses except those specifically excluded therein (“Management Fee”); and

WHERAS, the Trust and WTAM each desire to continue to reduce the Management Fee for an additional period with respect to each Fund.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements of the parties hereto and hereinafter set forth, the parties covenant and agree as follows:

 

  1.

Fee Waiver. For the term of this Agreement, WTAM agrees to reduce its Management Fee to the percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets shown in Schedule A.

 

  2.

Duration and Termination. The term of this Agreement with respect to each Fund is for the period from the Effective Date through close of business on October 31, 2020.

This Agreement may be terminated by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, for any reason, at any time.

This Agreement shall automatically and immediately terminate with respect to each Fund if:

 

  (i)

The Adviser no longer serves as investment adviser to such Fund, or

 

  (ii)

In the event of an “assignment” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940)

The termination of this Agreement with respect to any one Fund will not cause its termination with respect to any other Fund.

 

  3.

Amendment. This Agreement may not be amended except by a writing signed by the parties.

 

  4.

Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware (without giving effect to its conflict of law principles) and the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State of Delaware, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control.

 

 

1


  5.

Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire understanding and agreement of the parties.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.

 

WISDOMTREE TRUST      WISDOMTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC.

/s/ Jonathan Steinberg

    

/s/ Stuart Bell

Jonathan Steinberg,

President

    

Stuart Bell,

Chief Operating Officer

 

2


Schedule A

 

Fund Name

  Ticker   Gross
Management
Fee
    Fee
Waiver
    Net
Management
Fee
 

WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

  DYLS     0.53     -0.05     0.48

WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

  DYB     0.53     -0.05     0.48

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

  DDWM     0.40     -0.05     0.35

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

  DDLS     0.48     -0.05     0.43

WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund

  EUMF     0.48     -0.05     0.43

WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund

  JAMF     0.48     -0.05     0.43

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund*

  DHDG     0.58     -0.10     0.48

WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

  WFHY     0.48     -0.10     0.38

WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

  SFHY     0.48     -0.10     0.38

WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund

  WFIG     0.28     -0.10     0.18

WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund

  SFIG     0.28     -0.10     0.18

 

3


 

*

The Fund operates as a fund-of-funds by investing in one or more WisdomTree ETFs (each, an “Underlying Fund”). WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. contractually agrees to waive the portion of its Management Fee in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments in an Underlying Fund.

 

4

Exhibit (h)(18)

TWENTY-FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE

SECURITIES LENDING AUTHORIZATION AGREEMENT

BETWEEN

WISDOMTREE TRUST

AND

STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY

This Twenty-First Amendment (this “Amendment”) dated as of August 29, 2019 is between WISDOMTREE TRUST (the “Trust”), ON BEHALF OF EACH OF ITS SERIES AS LISTED ON SCHEDULE B TO THE AGREEMENT, SEVERALLY AND NOT JOINTLY (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”), and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY acting either directly or through any State Street Affiliates (collectively, “State Street”).

Reference is made to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement, dated September 27, 2013 (as amended and in effect immediately prior to the date of this Amendment, the “Agreement”), between the Trust, on behalf of each of the Funds, and State Street.

WHEREAS, the parties to the Agreement desire to amend the Agreement as set forth below;

NOW, THEREFORE, for value received, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties mutually agree to amend the Agreement as follows:

 

  1.

Definitions. All capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Agreement.

 

  2.

Amendment. Schedule B to the Agreement is hereby amended by deleting it in its entirety and replacing it with the revised Schedule B attached to this Amendment.

 

  3.

Representations and Warranties. Each party hereto represents and warrants that (a) it has the legal right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Amendment, to enter into the transactions contemplated hereby, and to perform its obligations hereunder; (b) it has taken all necessary action to authorize such execution, delivery and performance; and (c) this Amendment constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation enforceable against it.

 

  4.

Governing Law; Miscellaneous. This Amendment shall be governed and construed in accordance with the governing law of the Agreement. Except to the extent specifically amended by this Amendment, the provisions of the Agreement shall remain unmodified, and the Agreement is ratified and affirmed as being in full force and effect. This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts, together, constitute only one (1) instrument.

 

  5.

Effective Date: This Amendment shall be effective as of the date first written above.

Information Classification: Limited Access


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused their duly authorized officer(s) to execute this Twenty-First Amendment.

WISDOMTREE TRUST, on behalf of each of

its series as listed on Schedule B to the Agreement,

severally and not jointly

 

By:  

/s/ Jonathan Steinberg

Name:   Jonathan Steinberg
Title:   President

 

STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
By:  

/s/ Francesco Squillacioti

Name:   Francesco Squillacioti
Title:   Senior Managing Director


Schedule B

This Schedule is attached to and made part of the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated as of the 27th day of September 2013 between WISDOMTREE TRUST, ON BEHALF OF EACH OF ITS SERIES AS LISTED ON SCHEDULE B, SEVERALLY AND NOT JOINTLY (the “Funds”) and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY acting either directly or through any State Street Affiliate (collectively, “State Street”), as amended.

 

Fund Name

  

Fund
Ticker

  

FYE

WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund)

   DEM    Mar 31

WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Fund

   DGS    Mar 31

WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree China Dividend ex-Financials Fund (CHXF))

   CXSE    Mar 31

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Quality Dividend Growth Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Growth Fund)

   DGRE    Mar 31

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Consumer Growth Fund

   EMCG    Mar 31

WisdomTree Asia-Pacific ex-Japan Fund

   AXJL    Mar 31

WisdomTree International High Dividend Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree DEFA Equity Income Fund)

   DTH    Mar 31

WisdomTree International Equity Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree DEFA Fund)

   DWM    Mar 31

WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund

   DFE    Mar 31

WisdomTree Global High Dividend Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Global Equity Income Fund)

   DEW    Mar 31

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Growth Fund)

   DNL    Mar 31

WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Fund

   DOO    Mar 31

 

1


WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Fund

   DOL    Mar 31

WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Fund

   DIM    Mar 31

WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Fund

   DLS    Mar 31

WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund

   DFJ    Mar 31

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Fund

   DRW    Mar 31

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund

   DXJ    Mar 31

WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund

   HEDJ    Mar 31

WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund

   DXJS    Mar 31

WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Fund

   DXGE    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dividend ex-Financials Fund)

   DTN    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree High Dividend Fund) (f/k/a WisdomTree Equity Income Fund)

   DHS    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree LargeCap Dividend Fund)

   DLN    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree MidCap Dividend Fund)

   DON    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree SmallCap Dividend Fund)

   DES    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. Total Dividend Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Total Dividend Fund)

   DTD    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. Earnings 500 Fund)

   EPS    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. Quality Shareholder Yield Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree LargeCap Value Fund)

   QSY    Mar 31

 

2


WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Earnings Fund)

   EZM    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Earnings Fund)

   EES    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. Total Market Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. Total Earnings Fund)

   EXT    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Growth Fund)

   DGRW    Mar 31

WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Growth Fund)

   DGRS    Mar 31

WisdomTree Negative Duration U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Barclays Negative Duration U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund)

   AGND    Aug 31

WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Barclays Interest Rate Hedged U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund)

   AGZD    Aug 31

WisdomTree Negative Duration High Yield Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield Bond Negative Duration Fund)

   HYND    Aug 31

WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged High Yield Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield Bond Zero Duration Fund)

   HYZD    Aug 31

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund

   ELD    Aug 31

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund

   EMCB    Aug 31

WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Bloomberg Floating Rate Treasury Fund)

   USFR    Aug 31

WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Europe Dividend Growth Fund)

   EUDG    Mar 31

WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree International Hedged Dividend Growth Fund)

   IHDG    Mar 31

WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State Owned Enterprises Fund

   XSOE    Mar 31

 

3


WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund

   EUSC    Mar 31

WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Barclays Yield Enhanced U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund)

   AGGY    Aug 31

WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

   DYLS    Jun 30

WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

   DYB    Jun 30

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

   DDWM    Jun 30

WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

   DDLS    Jun 30

WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund)

   EUMF    Jun 30

WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund)

   JAMF    Jun 30

WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

   IQDG    Mar 31

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

   DVEM    Jun 30

WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Fund

   XMX    Jun 30

WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Barclays Yield Enhanced U.S. Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund)

   SHAG    Aug 31

WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Fund

   USMF    Mar 31

WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund

   WBAL    Jun 30

WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund

   WCHN    Jun 30

WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Corporate Bond Fund

   WFIG    Jun 30

WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund

   SFIG    Jun 30

WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

   WFHY    Jun 30

WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

   SFHY    Jun 30

 

4


WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund

   NTSX    Jun 30

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund

   EMMF    Mar 31

WisdomTree International Multifactor Fund

   DWMF    Mar 31

WisdomTree Yield Enhanced Global Aggregate Bond Fund

   GLBY    Aug 31

WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Fund

   PLAT    Mar 31

WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund

   WCLD    Jun 30

 

5

Exhibit (h)(26)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL DIVIDEND INDEXES

Last Updated April 2019

 

 

Page 1 of 26


WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

 

  1.

Overview and Description of Methodology Guide for Domestic Dividend Indexes

WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index (“DI”), WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index (“SmallCap Dividend Index”), WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Index (“MidCap Dividend Index”), WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Index (“LargeCap Dividend Index”), WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Index (“Dividend ex-Financials Index”), WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend Index (“High Dividend Index”), WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index (“Quality Dividend Growth Index”) and WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index (“SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index”) (together, the “Domestic Dividend Indexes”) were developed by WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WTI”) to define the dividend-paying segments of the U.S. stock market and to serve as performance benchmarks for equity income investors.

 

   

The DI measures the performance of investable U.S.-based companies that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock. All of the other Domestic Dividend Indexes, defined below, are derived from the DI.

 

   

The LargeCap Dividend Index is comprised of dividend-paying companies from the large-capitalization segment of the DI.

 

   

The MidCap Dividend Index is comprised of dividend-paying companies from the mid-capitalization segment of the DI.

 

   

The SmallCap Dividend Index is comprised of dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the DI.

 

   

The High Dividend Index comprises the top 30% of the companies within the DI, with market capitalizations of at least $200 million as of the Screening Date (defined below) and average daily dollar volumes of at least $200,000 for the three months prior to the Screening Date, ranked by indicated annual dividend yield.

 

   

The Dividend ex-Financials Index is comprised of the 10 highest dividend-yielding companies in each sector, selected from three hundred largest companies by market value in the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index outside financials. Real estate and financial sectors are aggregated and excluded from the Index.

 

   

The Quality Dividend Growth Index is comprised of dividend-paying stocks with growth characteristics.

 

   

The SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index is comprised of dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the DI with growth characteristics.

 

Page 2 of 26


Each Index is reconstituted annually, at which time each component’s weight is adjusted to reflect its dividend-weighting in the Index. Dividend weighting is defined as each component’s projected cash dividends to be paid over the coming year divided by the sum of the projected cash dividends to be paid by all the components in the Index over the same period. This quotient is the percentage weight assigned to each component in the Index at the annual reconstitution. (The one exception to this weighting methodology is the Dividend ex-Financials Index, which is weighted by indicated dividend yield). Projected cash dividends to be paid is calculated by multiplying a company’s indicated annual dividend per share by common shares outstanding. Each of the Indexes is calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Indexes. The Indexes are calculated using primary market prices.

 

  2.

Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

To be eligible for inclusion in the Domestic Dividend Indexes, a company must list its shares on a U.S. stock exchange, be incorporated and headquartered in the United States and pay regular cash dividends on shares of its common stock in the 12 months preceding the annual reconstitution, which takes place in December. Companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $100 million by the “Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in November) and shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the Screening Date.

Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs are excluded, as are limited partnerships, limited liability companies, royalty trusts, Business Development Companies (BDCs), and companies that are not incorporated and headquartered in the United States (“United States” is defined herein as the 50 U.S. states plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). Preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.1 The publicly traded security for WisdomTree Investments, Inc., ticker WETF, is not eligible for inclusion in any of WisdomTree’s equity indexes.

 

  2.2.

Base Date and Base Value

Indexes covering entire regions were established with a base value of 300 on May 31, 2006. Market-cap segment and high dividend indexes were established with a base value of 200 on May 31, 2006. The WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Index was established with a base value of 200 on April 30, 2009.

 

 

1 

Beginning with the December 2006 reconstitution, Mortgage REITs will no longer be eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree Domestic and International Dividend Indexes.

 

Page 3 of 26


The WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index and WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index were established with a base value of 200 on April 11, 2013.

 

  2.3.

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Domestic Dividend Indexes:

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

D = Divisor

The Domestic Dividend Indexes are calculated whenever the US exchanges are open for trading.

If trading is suspended while one of the exchanges is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Index. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars. The price Index is updated on a real time basis, while the total return Index is calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis. Price index values are calculated and disseminated every 15 seconds to the Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC) so that such Index Values can print to the Consolidated Tape.

 

  2.4

Weighting

The Domestic Dividend Indexes are modified capitalization-weighted Indexes that employ a transparent weighting formula to magnify the effect that dividends play in the total return of the Indexes. The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is equal to the dollar value of the company’s cash dividends to be paid in the coming year based on the company’s indicated annual dividend per share. To calculate the weighting factor – Cash Dividends to be paid – indicated annual dividend per share is multiplied by common shares outstanding.2 Thus, each component’s weight in the Index at the “Weighting Date” (defined below) reflects its share of the total Dividend Stream projected to be paid in the coming year by all of the component companies in the Index. The

 

 

2 

Special Dividends are not included in the computation of Index weights.

 

Page 4 of 26


dividend stream will be adjusted for constituents with dividend yields greater than 12% at the screening date. The dividend stream of these capped securities will be their market cap multiplied by 12%. The Weighting Date is when component weights are set, and it occurs immediately after the close of trading on the second Friday of December. New components and component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of December the “Reconstitution Date.”

In the case of the Dividend ex-Financials Index, components are selected based upon indicated dividend yield at the time of the Screening Date. Components in the Dividend ex-Financials Index are weighted by indicated annual dividend yield at the time of the Weighting Date (i.e., a component company’s weight in the Index is equal to its indicated annual dividend yield divided by the sum of all the indicated annual dividend yields for all the component companies in the Index). In the event a company initially chosen for the Dividend ex-Financials Index reduces its dividend in the interval between the Screening Date and the Weighting Date so that such company’s dividend yield no longer ranks it in the top 10 yielding stocks for each sector, then the next highest yielding company in the sector is used in its place. If this occurs with more than one company (i.e. a lowering of the dividend yield resulting only from a reduction in the declared dividend), this process is reiterated until a final set of 10 companies per sector are selected. Companies that raise their dividends in the above mentioned interval but that did not make the initial selection screen on the Screening Date are not eligible for the Dividend ex-Financials, even if they would have qualified had the selection screen been run on the Weighting Date.

Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of the Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and the weights of all other components in the Index will be rebalanced proportionally. Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced proportionally to reflect their relative weights before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

 

Page 5 of 26


The following capping rules are applied in this order:

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

In the case of the WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend Index the following caps apply in this order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 5% on the annual rebalance prior to the introduction of sector caps and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Index, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

In the case of the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index, the following capping rules are applied in this order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 5% on the annual rebalance prior to the introduction of sector caps and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 20% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 20% as of the annual Screening Date.

In the case of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index the following caps apply in this order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 2% on the annual rebalance prior to the introduction of sector caps and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Index, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

The weights may fluctuate above the specified caps during the year, but will be reset at each annual rebalance date.

Note: all sector cappings are conducted based on the modified GICS sector classifications, i.e. real estate and financials are aggregated into one sector.

 

Page 6 of 26


The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after top holding, country and sector caps have been applied:

A further volume screen requires that a calculated volume factor (the average daily dollar volume for three months preceding the Screening Date / weight of security in each index) shall be greater than $200 million to be eligible for each index. If a security’s volume factor falls below $200 million at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The securities’ weight will be adjusted downwards by an adjustment factor equal to its volume factor divided by $400 million.

In the event a security has a calculated volume factor (average daily volume traded over the preceding three months / weight in the index) that is less than $400 million, its weight will be reduced such that weight after volume adjustment = weight before adjustment x calculated volume factor / $400 million. The implementation of the volume factor may cause an increase in the holding, sector and country weights above the specified caps.

 

  2.5

Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index. Special dividends are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index.

 

  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, each class of share will be included in any broad-based Index, provided that dividends are paid on that share of stock. In the event such a component company qualified for inclusion in the “High Dividend” or Dividend ex-Financials select cuts from these broad-based Indexes, only the share class of that company with the highest dividend yield would be selected for inclusion. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index. For all Mid and Small cap cuts, if a security has multiple listed share classes and the total market capitalization of the listed share classes is greater than largest market capitalization cutoff of that index, the security would not be eligible for that index. At least one share class will be eligible for inclusion in either large, mid or small size cut based on total market value of the company.

 

Page 7 of 26


  3.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spins-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits, stock dividends, and rights offerings require changes in the index shares and the stock prices of the component companies in the Domestic Dividend Indexes. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances, increases or decreases in dividend per share between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock prices of the component companies in the Domestic Dividend Indexes. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends, may require Index divisor adjustments. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate action. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

  3.1.

Component Changes

 

   

Additions

Additions to the Domestic Dividend Indexes are made at the annual reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. Changes are implemented before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the close of trading on the third Friday in December. No additions are made to any of the Domestic Dividend Indexes between annual reconstitutions.

 

   

Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Index are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. A component company that cancels its dividend payment is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day prior to the execution date.3 A component company that re-incorporates

 

 

3 

Companies being acquired will be deleted from the WisdomTree Indexes immediately before the effective date of the acquisition or upon notice of a suspension of trading in the stock of the company that is being acquired. In cases where an effective date is not publicly announced in advance, or where a notice of suspension of trading in connection with an acquisition is not announced in advance, WisdomTree reserves the right to delete the company being acquired based on best available market information.

 

Page 8 of 26


or relocates its headquarters outside of the U.S. is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e. that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification. Component companies that reclassify outside of the financial sector are deleted from the Dividend ex-Financials Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index.

 

  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company and pay a regular cash dividend, it is not allowed into Domestic Dividend Indexes until the next annual reconstitution, provided it meets all other Index inclusion requirements. Spin-off shares of publicly traded companies that are included in the same indexes as their parent company are increased to reflect the spin-off and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that pay a regular cash dividend and that meet all other inclusion requirements must wait until the next annual reconstitution to be included in the Domestic Dividend Indexes.

 

  4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WisdomTree reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy, re-incorporate or relocate headquarters outside of a defined domicile or that cancel their dividends in the intervening weeks between the Screening Date and the reconstitution date are not included in the Domestic Dividend Indexes, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

Page 9 of 26


  5.

Selection Parameters for the Domestic Dividend Indexes

 

  5.1.

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index are defined in 2.1. Companies that pass this selection criteria as of the Screening Date are included in the DI. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4. and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.2.

The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Index is created by selecting the 300 largest component companies of the DI by market capitalization. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4, and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.3.

The WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Index is created based on a defined percentage of the remaining market capitalization of the DI, once the 300 largest companies by market capitalization have been removed. The companies that comprise the top 75% of the remaining market capitalization are selected for inclusion in the MidCap Dividend Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.4.

The WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index is created based on a defined percentage of the remaining market capitalization of the DI, once the 300 largest companies by market capitalization have been removed. The companies that comprise the bottom 25% of the remaining market capitalization are selected for inclusion in the SmallCap Dividend Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.5.

The WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend Index is comprised of the highest-yielding companies within the DI. On the Screening Date, companies within the DI with market capitalizations of at least $200 million and average daily dollar volumes of at least $200,000 for the prior three months are eligible for inclusion. Component companies are then ranked by indicated annual dividend yield. Component companies that rank in the top 30% by indicated annual dividend yield are selected for inclusion. To be deleted from the Index, companies must rank outside of the top 35% by dividend yield. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

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  5.6.

The WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Index is comprised of the 10 highest dividend-yielding companies in each sector, selected from three hundred largest companies by market value in the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index outside financials. Real estate and financial sectors are aggregated and excluded from the Index. The Dividend ex-Financials Index is the only one of the Domestic Dividend Indexes that is not weighted by the dollar value of cash dividends to be paid. A component company’s weight in the Dividend ex-Financials Index is determined by dividing its indicated annual dividend yield by the sum of all the indicated annual dividend yields for all the component companies in the Index. Annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.7.

The WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index is created as a subset of the DI. On the Screening Date, companies within the DI with market capitalizations of at least $2 billion and an earnings yield greater than the dividend yield are eligible for inclusion. Eligible companies are ranked using a weighted combination of three factors: 50% weighted to the rank of long-term estimated earnings growth, 25% weighted to the rank of the historical three-year average return on equity, and 25% weighted to the rank of the historical three-year average return on assets. Companies that rank in the top 300 companies by this combined ranking will be selected for inclusion. Companies that lack long-term earnings growth estimates will be eligible for the Index but their composite rank for ultimate selection in the index will be the average ranks of their Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Assets (ROA). Eligible companies for the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index must not be a member of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index.

 

  5.8.

The WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index is created as a subset of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index (WTSDI). On the Screening Date, companies with an earnings yield greater than the dividend yield are eligible for inclusion. These companies are ranked using a weighted combination of three ranking factors: 50% weighted to the rank of long-term estimated earnings growth, 25% weighted to the rank of the historical three-year average return on equity, and 25% weighted to rank of the historical three-year average return on assets. Companies that rank in the top 50% by this combined ranking will be selected for inclusion. Companies that lack long-term earnings growth estimates will be eligible for the Index but their composite rank for ultimate selection in the index will be the average ranks of their Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Assets (ROA).

 

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METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL DIVIDEND INDEXES

 

  1.

Index Overview and Description

WTI has created a family of international indexes that track the performance of dividend-paying companies in developed markets. WisdomTree International Equity Index; WisdomTree International High Dividend Index; WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index; WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Index; WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index; WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index (“ESC”); WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index; WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index (“JDI”); WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index (“JSC”) are modified capitalization weighted indexes developed by WTI to define the dividend-paying segments of the European, Japanese, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel and Singapore stock markets. The WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Index is a dividend yield weighted index.

The International developed market indexes are sometimes referred to as the “International Dividend Indexes.”

 

   

WisdomTree International Equity Index measures the stock performance of investable companies that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock and that are incorporated in Japan, the 15 European countries, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.

 

   

The WisdomTree International High Dividend Index comprises high dividend yielding stocks from the WisdomTree International Equity Index, with market capitalizations of at least $200 million at the International Screening Date and average daily dollar volumes of at least $200,000 for the three months prior to the International Screening Date, ranked by dividend yield. Companies ranking in the top 30% by highest dividend yield are selected for new additions to the index. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the top 35% by dividend yield.

 

   

The WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the large-capitalization segment of the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

 

   

The WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the mid-capitalization segment of the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

 

   

The WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

 

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The WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Index is comprised of the 10 highest dividend-yielding companies in each sector, selected from three hundred largest companies by market value in the WisdomTree International Equity Index outside financials. Real estate and financial sectors are aggregated and excluded from the Index.

 

   

The WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the European companies in the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

 

   

The WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index is derived from the WisdomTree International Equity Index and is comprised of dividend paying European companies with growth characteristics.

 

   

The WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index measures the performance of investable Japanese companies that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock and have less than 80% of revenue come from Japan.

 

   

The WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the Japanese companies within the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

In June of each year, the International Dividend Indexes are reconstituted, with each components’ weight adjusted to reflect its dividend-weighting in its respective Index.

All of the International Dividend Indexes are calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Index. The International Dividend Indexes will be calculated using primary market prices. The International Dividend Indexes are calculated in U.S. dollars.

 

  2.

Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

To be eligible for inclusion in the above mentioned International Dividend Indexes, component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent and must meet the minimum liquidity requirements established by WisdomTree Investments. To be included in any of the International Dividend Indexes, shares of such component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the “International Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in May).

 

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WisdomTree applies a Foreign Investment Screen to exclude companies that are not available to be purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) or cannot continue to be reasonably purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) as determined by the third party independent calculation agent and a data point referred to as “Degree of Open Freedom” (DOF) or by WisdomTree based generally on the guiding principles set forth below. The first test of a stock’s investability is determining whether the market is open to foreign institutions. The third party calculation agent determines the extent to which and the mechanisms foreign institutions can use to buy and sell shares on local exchanges and repatriate capital, capital gains, and dividend income without undue constraint. Once determined that a market is open to foreign investors, the third party calculation agent then investigates each security that may be a candidate for inclusion. Each class of share is reviewed to determine whether there are any corporate bylaw, corporate charter, or industry limitations on foreign ownership of the stock. The DOF is the variable that ranges from zero to one and indicates the amount of the security foreigners may legally own (0.00 indicates that none of the stock is legally available, 1.00 indicates that 100% of the shares are available). Any company with a DOF of 0 will not be eligible for the WisdomTree Indexes.

In the case of WisdomTree International Equity Index, component companies must list their shares on one of the stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), the Tokyo Stock Exchange, on stock exchanges in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel or Singapore. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel, or Singapore and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel or Singapore are excluded. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.

The WisdomTree International High Dividend Index comprises high dividend yielding stocks from the WisdomTree International Equity Index. In addition to being a member of this Index, companies must also have market capitalizations of at least $200 million at the International Screening Date and average daily dollar volumes of at least $200,000 for the three months prior to the International Screening Date, ranked by

 

Page 14 of 26


dividend yield. Companies ranking in the top 30% by highest dividend yield are selected as new additions to the index. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the top 35% by dividend yield. The WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index is derived by selecting the 300 largest companies by market capitalization from the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

The WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Index is derived from the WisdomTree International Equity Index using the same selection methodology previously described for the domestic midcap dividend index.

The WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index is derived from the WisdomTree International Equity Index using the same selection methodology previously described for the domestic smallcap dividend index.

The WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Index is derived from the WisdomTree International Equity Index by selecting the 300 companies with the highest market values outside the financial sector and then selecting the 10 highest dividend yielding stocks within each sector. Real estate and financial sectors are aggregated and excluded from the Index.

In the case of ESC component companies must have their shares listed on a stock exchange in one of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom (“Europe”). Companies must be incorporated in one of these European countries and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.4 The WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index is derived from the WisdomTree International Equity Index by selecting European companies using the same selection

 

 

4 

Beginning with the December 2006 reconstitution, Mortgage REITs will no longer be eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree Domestic and International Dividend Indexes. For the WisdomTree International Dividend Indexes this rule change will take effect at the June 2007 reconstitution.

 

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methodology previously described for the domestic smallcap dividend index. To be deleted from the Index, companies must fall outside of the bottom 30% of the total market capitalization of securities after the 300 largest European companies are removed.

In the case of the WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index component companies must have their shares listed on a stock exchange in one of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom (“Europe”). Companies must be incorporated in one of these European countries and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $1 billion on the International Screening Date, an earnings yield greater than the dividend yield and shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $200,000 for each of the three months preceding the International Screening Date. Eligible companies in the WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index are ranked using a weighted combination of three factors: 50% weighted to the rank of long-term estimated earnings growth, 25% weighted to the rank of the historical three-year average Return on Equity (ROE), and 25% weighted to the rank of the historical three-year average Return on Assets (ROA). Companies that lack long-term earnings growth estimates will be eligible for the Index but their composite rank for ultimate selection in the index will be the average ranks of their Return on Equity and Return on Assets. Top 300 companies by this combined ranking will be selected for inclusion. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.

In the case of JDI and JSC, component companies must list their shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Companies must be incorporated in Japan and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. An additional filter is placed on components of the JDI (not the JSC) that companies must have less than 80% of their revenue come from Japan.

 

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The WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index is created by removing the 300 largest companies by market capitalization from Japanese companies within the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

For purposes of both selection and weighting the following definitions would apply:

Gross Cash Dividends are based on dividends paid over latest annual cycle as determined by the ex-date of the dividends. In the case of Australia, gross dividends do not reflect the franking credit for Australian investors. The currency rate used to translate the dividends to U.S. dollars is the exchange rate on the screening date. Shares outstanding for the total dividend calculation are based on the shares outstanding at the time of each dividend payment.

Liquidity and market cap screens are based on the shares outstanding of the security in question for each company.

 

  2.2.

Base Date and Base Value

Indexes covering entire regions were established with a base value of 300 on May 31, 2006. Market-cap segment and high dividend indexes were established with a base value of 200 on May 31, 2006. The WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Index was established with a base value of 200 on April 30, 2009. The WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index was established with a base value of 200 on February 28, 2014.

 

  2.3.

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the International Dividend Indexes:

 

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

Ei = Cross rate of currency of Security i vs. USD. If security price in USD, Ei = 1

D = Divisor

The International Dividend Indexes are calculated every weekday. If trading is suspended while the exchange the component company trades on is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is

 

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suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Index. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars. The price Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an intra-day basis. The total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis. Price index values are calculated and disseminated every 15 seconds.

The price indexes are calculated on an end of day basis for the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index.

 

  2.4.

Weighting

The International Dividend Indexes are modified capitalization-weighted indices that employ a transparent weighting formula to magnify the effect that dividends play in the total return of the Indexes. The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is derived by multiplying the U.S. dollar value of the company’s annual gross dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company, “The Cash Dividend Factor.” 5 The Cash Dividend Factor is calculated for every component in the Index and then summed. Each component’s weight, at the International Weighting Date, is equal to its Cash Dividend Factor divided by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors for all the components in that Index. The dividend stream will be adjusted for constituents with dividend yields greater than 12% at the screening date. The dividend stream of these capped securities will be their market cap multiplied by 12%. The International Weighting Date is when component weights are set, it occurs immediately after the close of trading on the second Friday of June. New Component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of June (the “International Reconstitution Date”).

In the WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Index, components are weighted by dividend yield at the time of the International Weighting Date (i.e. a component company’s weight in the Index is equal to its dividend yield divided by the sum of all the dividend yields for all the component companies in the Index.)

In the event a company initially chosen for the WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Index reduces its dividend in the interval between the Screening Date and the Weighting Date so that such company’s dividend yield no longer ranks it in the top 10 yielding stocks for each sector, then the next highest yielding company in the sector is used in its place. If this occurs with more than one company (i.e. a lowering of the

 

 

5 

Special Dividends are not included in the computation of Index weights.

 

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dividend yield resulting only from a reduction in the declared dividend), this process is reiterated until a final set of 10 companies per sector are selected. Companies that raise their dividends in the above mentioned interval but that did not make the initial selection screen on the Screening Date are not eligible for the International Dividend ex-Financials, even if they would have qualified had the selection screen been run on the Weighting Date.

All Indexes will be modified should the following occur. Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of its Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and the weight of all other components in the Index will be rebalanced proportionally. Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced proportionally to reflect their relative weights before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

The following capping rules are applied in this order:

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the indexes, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

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For the International High Dividend Index, the following capping rules apply in this order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 5% on the annual rebalance, prior to the implementation of the sector and country caps, and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the indexes, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening date.

For the Japan Dividend Index, the following capping rules apply in this order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 5% on the annual rebalance, prior to the implementation of the sector caps, and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening date.

 

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For the Japan SmallCap Dividend Index, the following capping rules apply in this order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 2% on the annual rebalance, prior to the implementation of the sector caps, and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening date.

For the Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index, the following capping rules apply in this order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 5% on the annual rebalance, prior to the implementation of the sector caps, and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the indexes, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 20% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 20% as of the annual Screening date.

The weights may fluctuate above the specified caps during the year, but will be reset at each annual rebalance date.

Note: all sector cappings are conducted based on the modified GICS sector classifications, i.e. real estate and financials are aggregated into one sector.

The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after top holding, country and sector caps have been applied:

 

   

A further volume screen requires that a calculated volume factor (the average daily dollar volume for three months preceding the Screening Date / weight of security in each index) shall be greater than $200 million to be eligible for each index. In the case of the Japan SmallCap Dividend Index, the calculated volume factor shall be greater than $100 million. If a security’s volume factor falls below $200 million or $100 million for the Japan SmallCap Dividend Index at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The securities’ weight will be adjusted downwards by an adjustment factor equal to its volume factor divided by $400 million.

 

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In the event a security has a calculated volume factor (average daily volume traded over the preceding three months / weight in the index) that is less than $400 million, its weight will be reduced such that weight after volume adjustment = weight before adjustment x calculated volume factor / $400 million. The implementation of the volume factor may cause an increase in the holdings, sector and country weights above the specified caps.

 

  2.5.

Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index.6 However, special dividends that are not reinvested in the total return index require index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price index.

 

  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, each class of share will be included in any broad-based Index, provided that dividends are paid on that share of stock. In the event such a component company qualified for inclusion in the “High Dividend” or Dividend ex-Financial select cuts from these broad-based Indexes, only the share class of that company with the highest dividend yield would be selected for inclusion. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index. For all Mid and Small cap cuts, if a security has multiple listed share classes and the total market capitalization of the listed share classes is greater than largest market capitalization cutoff of that index, the security would not be eligible for that index. At least one share class will be eligible for inclusion in either large, mid or small size cut based on total market value of the company.

 

  3.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spins-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits, stock dividends, and rights offerings require changes in the index shares and the stock prices of the component companies in the International Dividend Indexes. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances, increases or decreases in dividend per share between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock

 

 

6 

For the International total return indexes, where information is available about both gross and net dividends, the Indexes assume re-investment of net dividends.

 

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prices of the component companies in the International Dividend Indexes. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends and entitlements, may require Index divisor adjustments. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

  3.1.

Component Changes

 

   

Additions

Additions to the International Dividend Indexes are made at the annual reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. Changes are implemented before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the closing of trading on the third Friday in June. No additions are made to any of the International Dividend Indexes between annual reconstitutions.

 

   

Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Index are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. A component company that cancels its dividend payment is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day prior to the execution date.7 Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e. that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification. Component companies that reclassify outside of the financial sector are deleted from the International Dividend ex-Financials Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index.

 

 

7 

Companies being acquired will be deleted from the WisdomTree indexes immediately before the effective date of the acquisition or upon notice of a suspension of trading in the stock of the company that is being acquired. In cases where an effective date is not publicly announced in advance, or where a notice of suspension of trading in connection with an acquisition is not announced in advance, WisdomTree reserves the right to delete the company being acquired based on best available market information

 

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  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company and pay a regular cash dividend, it is not allowed into the International Dividend Indexes until the next annual reconstitution, provided it meets all other inclusion requirements. Spin-off shares of publicly traded companies that are included in the same indexes as their parent company are increased to reflect the spin-off and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that pay regular cash dividends and that meet all other Index inclusion requirements must wait until the next annual reconstitution to be included in the International Dividend Indexes.

 

  4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WisdomTree reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy, re-incorporate outside of a defined domicile or that cancel their dividends in the intervening weeks between the International Screening Date and the International Reconstitution Date are not included in the International Dividend Indexes, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

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  5.

Selection Parameters for International Dividend Indexes

 

  5.1.

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree International Equity Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in WisdomTree International Equity Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.2.

The WisdomTree International High Dividend Index is comprised of the highest dividend-yielding companies within WisdomTree International Equity Index. On the International Screening Date, companies within WisdomTree International Equity Index with market capitalizations of at least 200 million U.S. dollars and average daily dollar volumes of at least 200,000 U.S. dollars for the preceding three months are eligible for inclusion. Component companies are then ranked by dividend yield; those ranking in the top 30% by dividend yield on the International Screening Date are selected for any new additions to the index. A company will only be deleted from the index if its dividend yield ranking falls outside of the top 35% of companies. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.3.

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1 Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in the WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.4.

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in the WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.5.

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in the WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.6.

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree International Dividend ex- Financials Index are defined in section 2.1 Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in the WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

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  5.7.

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in the Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1. To be deleted from the index, companies must fall outside of the bottom 30% of the total market capitalization of securities after the 300 largest European companies are removed.

 

  5.8.

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in the Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.9.

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1 . Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in JDI. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.10

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in the Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

Page 26 of 26

Exhibit (h)(27)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

WISDOMTREE GLOBAL DIVIDEND INDEXES

Last Updated November 2018

 

Page 1 of 12


WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

 

  1.

Overview and Description of Methodology Guide for Global Dividend Indexes

The WisdomTree Global Dividend Indexes, were developed by WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WTI”) to measure the performance of dividend-paying stocks in the global markets.

 

   

The Global Dividend Index comprises companies included in the WisdomTree Dividend Index, which measures the performance of dividend paying companies in the United States; and the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Index, which measures the performance of dividend-paying companies in developed and emerging markets outside the U.S.

 

   

The Global High Dividend Index comprises high dividend yielding stocks from the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index. In addition to being a member of this Index, companies must also have a market capitalization of at least $2 billion as of the Screening Date (defined below) to be eligible for the Index. The resulting universe of companies after the market cap screen is applied is ranked by dividend yield and the top 30% of companies, ranked by highest dividend yield, are selected as additions to the Global High Dividend Index. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the top 35% by dividend yield.

 

   

The WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Index comprises the 1000 largest small capitalization companies that rank within the bottom 5% of the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index by market capitalization.

 

   

The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index comprises dividend-paying companies included in the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Index that are classified by WTI as being a part of the Global Real Estate sector.

 

   

The WisdomTree Asia Pacific ex-Japan Index comprises dividend paying companies included in the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index by selecting three hundred largest companies by market capitalization.

Each Index is reconstituted annually, at which time each component’s weight is adjusted to reflect its dividend-weighting in the Index. Dividend weighting is defined as each component’s cash dividends paid in the prior annual cycle divided by the sum of the cash dividends paid by all the components in the Index over the same period. This quotient is the percentage weight assigned to each component in the Index at the annual reconstitution. Each of the Indexes is calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Indexes. The Indexes are calculated using primary market prices.

 

Page 2 of 12


  2.

Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

To be included in the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index, companies must be included in one of the following WisdomTree indexes:

1) The WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index: (United States)

2) The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Index: (Developed World, outside the U.S., and Emerging Markets)

The selection methodologies for these indexes are listed below.

 

  a.

WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index:

To be eligible for inclusion in the Domestic Dividend Indexes, a company must list its shares on a U.S. stock exchange, be incorporated and headquartered in the United States and pay regular cash dividends on shares of its common stock. Companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $100 million by the “Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in November) and shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs are excluded, as are limited partnerships, limited liability companies, royalty trusts, Business Development Companies (BDCs) and companies that are not incorporated and headquartered in the United States (“United States” is defined herein as the 50 U.S. states plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). Preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.1

 

  b.

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Index:

In the developed world, component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent and must list their shares on one of the stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), the Tokyo Stock Exchange, or on stock exchanges in Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore

 

 

1 

Mortgage REITs are not eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree Domestic and International Dividend Indexes.

 

Page 3 of 12


or Canada. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore or Canada and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on the “Global Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in September) and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the Global Screening Date. Shares of such component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the Global Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Europe, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada are excluded. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.

In the developing world, component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent and must have their shares listed on a stock exchange in one of the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, or Turkey. Securities must be incorporated in one of these Emerging Market Countries. In the case of China, companies that are incorporated or domiciled in China and traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are eligible for inclusion. In India, only securities whose foreign ownership restriction limits have yet to be breached are eligible for inclusion in the index. Companies must have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution in October. Securities need to have a market capitalization of at least $200 million on the “Global Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in September) and securities need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $200,000 for each of the six months preceding the Global Screening Date. Shares of such component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the Global Screening Date. Local exchange shares are included in the index for all countries with the exception of Russia, which include only American Depository Receipts (ADRs) or Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs or GDRs are eligible in Russia but no other country. Security types that are excluded from the index are: Limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights.

 

Page 4 of 12


WisdomTree applies a Foreign Investment Screen to exclude companies that are not available to be purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) or cannot continue to be reasonably purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors), as determined by the third party independent calculation agent, and a data point referred to as “Degree of Open Freedom” (DOF) or by WisdomTree based generally on the guiding principles set forth below. The first test of a stock’s investability is determining whether the market is open to foreign institutions. The third party independent calculation agent determines the extent to which and the mechanisms foreign institutions can use to buy and sell shares on local exchanges and repatriate capital, capital gains, and dividend income without undue constraint. Once determined that a market is open to foreign investors, the calculation agent then investigates each security that may be a candidate for inclusion. Each class of share is reviewed to determine whether there are any corporate bylaw, corporate charter, or industry limitations on foreign ownership of the stock. The DOF is the variable that ranges from zero to one and indicates the amount of the security foreigners may legally own (0.00 indicates that none of the stock is legally available, 1.00 indicates that 100% of the shares are available). Any company with a DOF of 0 will not be eligible for the WisdomTree Indexes.

WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index

The Global High Dividend Index comprises high dividend yielding stocks from the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index. In addition to being a member of this Index, companies must also have a market capitalization of at least $2 billion as of the Screening Date (defined below) to be eligible for inclusion. The resulting universe of companies after the market cap screen is applied is ranked by dividend yield and the top 30% of companies, ranked by highest dividend yield, are selected as additions to the Global High Dividend Index. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the top 35% by dividend yield.

WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Index

The Global SmallCap Dividend Index includes smallcap companies selected from the Global Dividend Index. The WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Index comprises the 1000 largest small capitalization companies that rank within the bottom 5% of the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index by market capitalization.

 

Page 5 of 12


WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index

The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index is derived from the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Index and measures the performance of dividend-paying companies from the developed and emerging markets outside of the United States that are classified by WisdomTree Investments as being part of the “Global Real Estate’ sector. The Index is comprised of companies with market capitalization greater than $1 billion and is weighted based on regular cash dividends paid. The Index includes the following types of companies: real estate operating companies, real estate development companies and diversified REITs. The Index also includes companies that may be classified as Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFICs).

WisdomTree Asia Pacific ex-Japan Index

The WisdomTree Asia Pacific ex-Japan Index is derived from the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index by selecting the three hundred largest companies by market capitalization that are incorporated in the following countries: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. In the case of China, companies that are incorporated or domiciled in China and traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are eligible for inclusion. Companies are weighted in the Index based on annual cash dividends paid.

For purposes of both selection and weighting the following definitions apply: Gross Cash Dividends are based on dividends paid over latest annual cycle as determined by the ex-date of the dividends. In the case of Australia, gross dividends do not reflect the franking credit for Australian investors. The currency rate used to translate the dividends to U.S. dollars is the exchange rate on the screening date. Shares outstanding for the total dividend calculation are based on the shares outstanding at the time of each dividend payment. Liquidity and market cap screens are based on the shares outstanding of the security in question for each company.

 

  2.2.

Base Date and Base Value

 

Index

   Base Date      Base Value  

WisdomTree Global Dividend Index

     6/30/2008        300  

WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index

     11/30/2007        200  

WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Index

     7/28/2015        200  

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index

     6/3/2011        200  

WisdomTree Asia Pacific ex-Japan Index

     6/3/2011        200  

 

Page 6 of 12


  2.3.

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Indexes:

 

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

Ei = Cross rate of currency of Security i vs. USD. If security price in USD, Ei = 1

D = Divisor

The Global Dividend Indexes are calculated every weekday. If trading is suspended while one of the exchanges is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Indexes. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars. The price Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an intra-day basis. The total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis. Price index values are calculated and disseminated every 15 seconds.

The price Indexes are calculated on an end of day basis for the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index and the WisdomTree Asia Pacific ex-Japan Index.

 

  2.4

Weighting

The Global Dividend Indexes are modified capitalization-weighted Indexes that employ a transparent weighting formula to magnify the effect that dividends play in the total return of the Indexes.

The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is derived by multiplying the U.S. dollar value of the security’s annual dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that security, “The Cash Dividend Factor.” For Emerging Markets securities, the “Cash Dividend Factor” includes multiplying the same two factors above by a third factor developed by Standard & Poor’s called the “Investability Weighting Factor” (IWF). The IWF is used to scale the dividends generated of each company by factors that impose restrictions on shares available to be purchased. The Cash Dividend Factor is calculated for every component in the Index and then summed. Each component’s weight, at the Weighting Date, is equal to its Cash Dividend Factor divided by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors for all the components in that Index. The Weighting Date is when component

 

Page 7 of 12


weights are set, and it occurs immediately after the close of trading on the second Friday of October. New components and component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of October the “Reconstitution Date.”

WisdomTree Indexes will apply a dividend stream adjustment for constituents with dividend yields greater than 12% at the screening date. The dividend stream of these capped securities will be their market cap multiplied by 12%.

Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of the Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and all other components in the Index will be rebalanced. Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced to reflect their relative weights before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

The following capping rules are applied to the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index:

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

The following capping rules are applied to the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index:

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

The following capping rules are applied to the WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index and the WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Index in this order:

 

   

Individual company weights start out with the Cash Dividend Factor described in weighting section 2.4 above.

 

   

The regional weights will be adjusted by a Regional Factor such that the regional weights are equal to the float-adjusted market capitalization weight of the universe of dividend and non-dividend payers of the regional allocations of the U.S., developed and emerging markets that meet the general liquidity and market cap criteria for the base index.

 

Page 8 of 12


   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

The following capping rules are applied to the WisdomTree Asia Pacific ex-Japan Index in this order:

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

The weights may fluctuate above the specified caps during the year, but will be reset at each annual rebalance date.

Note: all sector cappings are conducted based on the old GICS sector classifications, i.e. real estate and financials are aggregated into one sector.

The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after country and sector caps have been applied:

 

   

A further volume screen requires that a calculated volume factor (the average daily dollar volume for three months preceding the Screening Date / weight of security in each index) shall be greater than $200 million to be eligible for each index. If a security’s volume factor falls below $200 million at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The securities’ weight will be adjusted downwards by an adjustment factor equal to its volume factor divided by $400 million.

 

   

In the event a security has a calculated volume factor (average daily volume traded over the preceding three months / weight in the index) that is less than $400 million, its weight will be reduced such that weight after volume adjustment = weight before adjustment x calculated volume factor / $400 million. The implementation of the volume factor may cause an increase in the sector and country weights above the specified caps.

 

Page 9 of 12


  2.5

Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index. However, special dividends that are not reinvested in the total return Index require index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price Index.

 

  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, each class of share will be included in the Indexes, provided that dividends are paid on that share of stock and that the stock passes all other inclusion requirements. For the Global High Dividend Index, in the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, the share class of that company with the greater liquidity, based on the average daily trading volume as described in section 2.1, would be selected for inclusion. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index. For the Small cap cuts, if a security has multiple listed share classes and the total market capitalization of the listed share classes is greater than largest market capitalization cutoff of that index, the security would not be eligible for that index.

 

  3.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spins-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits, stock dividends, and rights offerings require changes in the index shares and the stock prices of the component companies in the Indexes. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances, increases or decreases in dividend per share between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock prices of the component companies in the Indexes. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends, may require Index divisor adjustments. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

  3.1.

Component Changes

 

   

Additions

 

Page 10 of 12


Additions to the Indexes are made at the annual reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. Changes are implemented before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the close of trading on the third Friday in October. No additions are made to the Indexes between annual reconstitutions.

 

   

Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Index are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. A component company that cancels its dividend payment is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day prior to the execution date.2 A component company that re-incorporates outside of the defined domiciles identified above is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e. that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification.

 

  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company and pay a regular cash dividend, it is not allowed into the Index until the next annual reconstitution, provided it meets all other Index inclusion requirements. Spin-off shares of publicly traded companies that are included in the same Index as their parent company are increased to reflect the spin-off and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that pay a regular cash dividend and that meet all other inclusion requirements must wait until the next annual reconstitution to be included in the Index.

 

 

2 

Companies being acquired will be deleted from the WisdomTree indexes immediately before the effective date of the acquisition or upon notice of a suspension of trading in the stock of the company that is being acquired. In cases where an effective date is not publicly announced in advance, or where a notice of suspension of trading in connection with an acquisition is not announced in advance, WisdomTree reserves the right to delete the company being acquired based on best available market information.

 

Page 11 of 12


  4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WisdomTree reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy, re-incorporate outside of a defined domicile or that cancel their dividends in the intervening weeks between the Global Screening Date and the reconstitution date are not included in the Indexes, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

  5.

Selection Parameters

 

  5.1.

Selection parameters for the Indexes are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the Global Screening Date are included in the Indexes. The component companies are assigned weights in the Indexes as defined in section 2.4. and annual reconstitution of the Indexes takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

 

Page 12 of 12

Exhibit (h)(30)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

Middle East Dividend Index

Last Updated April 2019

 

Page 1 of 8


I. METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR MIDDLE EAST DIVIDEND INDEX

 

  1.

Index Overview and Description

WTI has created the WisdomTree Middle East Dividend Index (“MEDI”) that tracks the performance of dividend-paying companies in the Middle East region.

 

   

The WisdomTree Middle East Dividend Index measures the stock performance of companies that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock and that are incorporated in the following countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Component companies must have paid at least $5 million in cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution in October. Companies must have market capitalizations of at least $200 million and average daily dollar volumes of at least $200,000 for each of the six months prior to the Global Screening Date. Companies are ranked by market capitalization and the 100 largest companies by market capitalization (outside of Saudi) and the 30 largest Saudi stocks by market capitalization are selected for inclusion.

The Middle East Dividend Index is calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Index. The Index will be calculated using primary market prices and will be calculated in U.S. dollars.

 

  2.

Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

WisdomTree Middle East Dividend Index

To be eligible for inclusion in the Middle East Dividend Index, component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent and must have their shares listed on an eligible stock exchange in one of the following countries: Bahrain, Bahrain Stock Exchange; Egypt, Cairo Stock Exchange; Kuwait, Kuwait Stock Exchange; Jordan, Amman Stock Exchange; Morocco, Casablanca Stock Exchange; Oman, Muscat Stock Exchange; Qatar, Qatar Stock Exchange; the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi Securities Market, Dubai Financial Market, Dubai International Financial Exchange; Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Exchange. Companies must be incorporated in one of these Middle East countries and have paid at least $5 million in cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution in October.

 

Page 2 of 8


To be eligible for inclusion in the Middle East Dividend Index, shares of component companies must be available for purchase by foreign investors as of the annual index measurement date. Shares of component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the “Global Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in September). Component companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $200 million on the Global Screening Date and securities need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $200,000 for each of the six months preceding the Global Screening Date. Local exchange shares are included in the index for all countries. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Security types that are excluded from the index are: ADRs, GDRs, Limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies (PFICs), preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights.

WisdomTree applies a Foreign Investment Screen to exclude companies that are not available to be purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) or cannot continue to be reasonably purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) as determined by the third party independent index calculation agent and a data point referred to as “Degree of Open Freedom” (DOF) or by WisdomTree based generally on the guiding principles set forth below. The first test of a stock’s investability is determining whether the market is open to foreign institutions. The third party independent calculation agent determines the extent to which and the mechanisms foreign institutions can use to buy and sell shares on local exchanges and repatriate capital, capital gains, and dividend income without undue constraint. Once determined that a market is open to foreign investors, the calculation agent then investigates each security that may be a candidate for inclusion. Each class of share is reviewed to determine whether there are any corporate bylaw, corporate charter, or industry limitations on foreign ownership of the stock. The DOF is the variable that ranges from zero to one and indicates the amount of the security foreigners may legally own (0.00 indicates that none of the stock is legally available, 1.00 indicates that 100% of the shares are available). Any company with a DOF of 0 will not be eligible for the WisdomTree Index.

 

  2.2.

Base Date and Base Value

Base value for the Middle East Dividend Index was set at 200, as of June 30, 2008.

 

Page 3 of 8


  2.3.

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Middle East Dividend Index:

 

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

Ei = Cross rate of currency of Security i vs. USD. If security price in USD, Ei = 1

D = Divisor

The Middle East Dividend Index measures price changes against a fixed base period quantity weight. The Index is calculated every weekday and on Sundays. If trading is suspended while the exchange the component company trades on is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Index. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars. The price and total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis.

 

  2.4.

Weighting

The Middle East Dividend Index is a modified capitalization-weighted index that employs a transparent weighting formula to magnify the effect that dividends play in the total return of the Index.

The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is derived by multiplying the U.S. dollar value of the security’s annual dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company, “The Cash Dividend Factor.” The “Cash Dividend Factor” includes multiplying the same two factors above by a third factor developed by Standard & Poor’s called the “Investability Weighting Factor” (IWF). The IWF is used to scale the dividends generated of each company by factors that impose restrictions on shares available to be purchased. The Cash Dividend Factor is calculated for every component in the Index and then summed. Each component’s weight, at the Weighting Date, is equal to its Cash Dividend Factor divided by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors for all the components in that Index. The Weighting Date is when component weights are set, and it occurs immediately after the close of trading on the second Friday of October. New Component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of October (the “Reconstitution Date”). WisdomTree Middle East Dividend Index will apply a dividend stream adjustment for constituents with dividend yields greater than 12% at the screening date. The dividend stream of these capped securities will be their market cap multiplied by 12%.

 

Page 4 of 8


For the WisdomTree Middle East Dividend Index, the following capping rules are applied in this order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 10% and the weights of all other components are adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Index, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

The weights may fluctuate above the specified caps during the year but will be reset at each annual rebalance date.

Note: all sector cappings are conducted based on the modified GICS sector classifications, i.e. real estate and financials are aggregated into one sector.

Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of its Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and all other components in the Index will be rebalanced. Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced proportionately so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and all other components in the Index will be rebalanced in proportion to their index weightings before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

 

  2.5.

Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index. However, special dividends from non-operating income require index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price index.

 

Page 5 of 8


  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of

common stock, each class of share will be included in the Index, provided that dividends are paid on that share of stock and that the stock passes all other inclusion requirements. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index.

 

  3.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company additions and deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, corporate restructurings, spins-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits and stock dividends, require changes in the common shares outstanding and the stock prices of the component companies in the Index. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends, require index divisor adjustments as well. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate action. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

  3.1.

Component Changes

 

   

Additions

Additions to the Index are made at the annual reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. Changes are implemented before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the closing of trading on the third Friday in October. No additions are made to the Index between annual reconstitutions.

 

   

Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Index are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. A component company that cancels its dividend payment is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a company re-incorporates outside of a defined domicile it is deleted from the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of

 

Page 6 of 8


trading on the day prior to the execution date.1 Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e. that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification.

 

  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company and pay a regular cash dividend, it is not allowed into the Index until the next annual reconstitution, provided it meets all other inclusion requirements. The weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that pay regular cash dividends and that meet all other Index inclusion requirements must wait until the next annual reconstitution to be included in the Index.

 

  4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Corporate actions may affect the share capital of component stocks and therefore trigger increases or decreases in the Index value. To avoid distortion, the divisor is adjusted accordingly. Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WisdomTree reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

 

 

1 

Companies being acquired will be deleted from the WisdomTree index immediately before the effective date of the acquisition or upon notice of a suspension of trading in the stock of the company that is being acquired. In cases where an effective date is not publicly announced in advance, or where a notice of suspension of trading in connection with an acquisition is not announced in advance, WisdomTree reserves the right to delete the company being acquired based on best available market information.

 

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Companies that are acquired, de-listed or that re-incorporate outside of a defined domicile or that cancel their dividends in the intervening weeks between the Screening Date and the Reconstitution Date are not included in the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

  5.

Selection Parameters

 

  5.1

Selection parameters for the Middle East Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1 Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the Global Screening Date are included in the Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

 

Page 8 of 8

Exhibit (h)(31)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

ex-State-Owned Enterprises Indexes

Last Updated April 2019

 

Page 1 of 11


WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

Methodology Guide for ex-State-Owned Enterprises Indexes

 

1.

Index Overview and Description

WisdomTree Investments (WTI) has created the WisdomTree Emerging Markets–ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index, the WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index and the WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index [referred to as “the Indexes”].

 

   

The WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index is comprised of emerging market stocks that are not state-owned enterprises. State owned enterprises are defined as government ownership of more than 20% of a company’s shares outstanding.

 

   

The WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index is derived from the WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index and is comprised of Chinese companies that are not state owned.

 

   

The WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index is derived from the WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index and is comprised of Indian companies that are not state owned.

The Indexes are modified float-adjusted market capitalization weighted and are reconstituted annually in October of each year. “Float-adjusted” means that the share amounts used in calculating the Indexes reflect only shares available to investors.

The Indexes are calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Indexes. The Indexes are calculated in U.S. dollars.

 

2.

Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

To be eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent, must be incorporated or domiciled and have their shares listed on a stock exchange in one of the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand or Turkey. Companies domiciled or incorporated in those countries and trading primarily on a U.S. stock exchange are also eligible for inclusion. In addition, fifty largest Chinese domestic companies by float adjusted market capitalization that are part of the connect program

 

Page 2 of 11


and meet index requirements will be selected for inclusion1. In India, only securities whose foreign ownership restriction limits have yet to be breached are eligible for inclusion in the index. In all other cases, local exchange shares are included in the index for all countries with the exception of Russia, which includes only American Depository Receipts (ADRs) or Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). Passive foreign investment companies (PFICs) are excluded, as are limited partnerships, limited liability companies, royalty trusts, preferred stock, rights, and other derivative securities.

To be eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index, component companies must be incorporated or domiciled in China and have their shares listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Companies domiciled or incorporated in China and trading primarily on a U.S. stock exchange are also eligible for inclusion. To be eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index, component companies must be incorporated or domiciled in India and have their shares listed on a stock exchange in India.

To be eligible for inclusion in the Indexes, component companies must meet the minimum liquidity requirements established by WisdomTree Investments. To be included in the Indexes, shares of such component securities need to have a float-adjusted market capitalization of at least $1 billion as of the Index “Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in September). Companies must have an average daily trading volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the Index Screening Date and trading of at least either 250,000 shares per month or $25 million notional for each of the six months preceding the Index Screening Date.

WTI applies a Foreign Investment Screen to exclude companies that are not available to be purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) or cannot continue to be reasonably purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors), as determined by the third party independent calculation agent, and a data point referred to as “Degree of Open Freedom” (DOF) or by WTI based generally on the guiding principles set forth below. The first test of a stock’s investability is determining whether the market is open to foreign institutions. The third party independent calculation agent determines the extent to which and the mechanisms foreign institutions can use to buy and sell shares on local exchanges and repatriate capital, capital gains, and dividend income without undue

 

 

1 

Chinese domestic listed equities were added during the special reconstitution in August 2017, in lieu of the annual reconstitution in October

 

Page 3 of 11


constraint. Once determined that a market is open to foreign investors, the third party independent calculation agent then investigates each security that may be a candidate for inclusion. Each class of share is reviewed to determine whether there are any corporate bylaw, corporate charter, or industry limitations on foreign ownership of the stock. The DOF is the variable that ranges from zero to one and indicates the amount of the security foreigners may legally own (0.00 indicates that none of the stock is legally available, 1.00 indicates that 100% of the shares are available). Any company with a DOF of 0 will not be eligible for the Indexes.

 

  2.2

Base Date and Base Value

WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index was established with a base value of 200 on August 15, 2014. The first annual reconstitution took place in 2015.

WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index was established with a base value of 200 on March 31, 2015.

WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index was established with a base value of 200 on November 19, 2018.

 

  2.3

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Indexes:

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

Ei = Cross rate of currency of Security i vs. USD. If security price in USD, Ei = 1

D = Divisor

The Indexes are calculated every weekday. If trading is suspended while the exchange the component company trades on is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Indexes. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars. The Price Index for the Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index is calculated and disseminated on an intra-day basis every 15 seconds. The price index for the China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index and India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index is calculated on an end of day basis. The total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) so that such Index Values can print to the Consolidated Tape.

 

Page 4 of 11


  2.4

Weighting

The companies in the Indexes are weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization. “Float-adjusted” means that the share amounts used in calculating the Index reflect only shares available to investors. Shares held by control groups, public companies and government agencies are excluded. The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is derived by multiplying the company’s market capitalization by a second factor developed by Standard & Poor’s called the “Investability Weighting Factor” (IWF). The IWF is used to scale the market capitalization of each company by restrictions on shares available to be purchased. This “Float-adjusted Factor” is calculated for every component in the Index and then summed. Each component’s weight, at the Weighting Date, is equal to its Float-adjusted Factor divided by the sum of all Float-adjusted Factors for all the components in that Index. The Weighting Date is when component weights are set, and it occurs immediately after the close of trading on the second Friday of October. New Component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of October (the “Reconstitution Date”).

All Indexes will be modified should the following occur. Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of its Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and the weights of all other components in the Index will be rebalanced proportionally. For the WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index, should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 20% of the Index, its weighting will be reduced at the close of the current calendar quarter to the initial 10% cap, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced.

Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced proportionally to reflect their relative weights before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

 

Page 5 of 11


The following capping and weight re-distribution rules are applied in this order:

WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index

 

   

The country weights after the State-Owned Enterprises have been removed will be adjusted by a Country Factor such that the float-adjusted market capitalization weights equal the float-adjusted market capitalization of the universe prior to the State-Owned Enterprises being removed. The Country Factor of the universe prior to the removal of State-Owned Enterprises is calculated excluding China A shares. The maximum Country Factor is set at 3.0, or no country’s weight can be increased more than 3x after state owned enterprises have been removed.

 

   

After the previous country adjustment is implemented, should any sector have a weight that is 3% higher or lower than its original starting universe float-adjusted market capitalization weight, its weight will be adjusted by a factor to 3% higher or lower than its original starting universe weight.

 

   

Chinese domestic stock market exposure will be capped at 5% and any additional weight will be distributed proportionally among China H shares.

WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index

 

   

The maximum weight in the top held security will be capped at 10% prior to the implementation of the sector caps. Security caps are implemented at a company level, not share class.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 30% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 30% as of the annual Screening Date

 

   

Chinese domestic stock market exposure will be capped at 25%.

WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index

 

   

The maximum weight in the top held security will be capped at 10% prior to the implementation of the sector caps. Security caps are implemented at a company level, not share class.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 30% of the Index, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 30% as of the annual Screening Date

 

Page 6 of 11


The weights may fluctuate above the specified caps during the year, but will be reset at each annual rebalance date.

Note: all sector cappings are conducted based on the old GICS sector classifications, i.e. real estate and financials are aggregated into one sector.

The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after top holding, country and sector caps have been applied:

 

   

A further volume screen requires that a calculated volume factor (the average daily dollar volume for three months preceding the Screening Date / weight of security in each index) shall be greater than$200 million to be eligible for each index. If a security’s volume factor falls below $200 million at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The security’s weight will be adjusted downwards by an adjustment factor equal to its volume factor divided by $400 million.

 

   

In the event a security has a calculated volume factor (average daily volume traded over the preceding three months / weight in the index) that is less than $400 million, its weight will be reduced such that weight after volume adjustment = weight before adjustment x calculated volume factor / $400 million. The implementation of the volume factor may cause an increase in the sector and country weights above the specified caps.

2.5 Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index.2 However, special dividends that are not reinvested in the total return Index require Index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price Index.

 

 

2 

For the International total return indexes, where information is available about both gross and net dividends, the Indexes assume re-investment of net dividends.

 

Page 7 of 11


 

  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, each class of share will be included. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index.

 

3.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spins-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits, stock dividends, and rights offerings require changes in the index shares and the stock prices of the component companies in the Index. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances, and increases or decreases in dividend per share between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock prices of the component companies in the Index. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends and entitlements, may require Index divisor adjustments. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

IWF Changes

(1) The timing of adjustments to share counts or investable weight factors depends on the event causing the change, the public availability of source data, local market practices, and whether the change is larger than 5% of the float-adjusted share count.

(2) Changes of less than 5% of the float-adjusted shares are accumulated and made quarterly on the third Friday of March, June, September and December.

(3) Changes to the Index constituent’s float-adjusted shares of 5% or more:

 

   

Changes due to mergers or acquisitions of publicly held companies are implemented when the transaction occurs, even if both of the companies are not in the same headline index, and regardless of the size of the change. The share change is applied so that it coincides with the deletion date of the target company if both the acquirer and the target are in the same Index.

 

   

Changes due to secondary public offerings (also known as placements), tender offers, Dutch auctions, exchange offers, bought deal equity offerings, or prospectus offerings are done as soon as reasonably possible after the data are verified.

 

Page 8 of 11


   

Other changes of 5% or more (for example, due to company stock repurchases, private placements, redemptions, exercise of options, warrants, conversion of preferred stock, notes, debt, equity participations, at-the-market stock offerings or other recapitalizations) are made weekly.

If a 5% or more change in shares outstanding causes a company’s IWF to change by 5 percentage points or more, the IWF is updated at the same time as the share change. IWF changes resulting from partial tender offers are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Exception: when total shares outstanding increase by more than 5%, but the new share issuance is directed to a strategic or major shareholder, it implies that there is no change in float-adjusted shares. However, in such instances, a total shares outstanding and resulting IWF change will be implemented regardless of whether the float-adjusted shares change by more than 5%.

 

  3.1.

Component Changes

Additions

Additions to the Index are made at the annual reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. Changes are implemented before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the closing of trading on the third Friday in October. No additions are made to the Indexes between annual reconstitutions, except in the cases of certain spin-off companies, defined below.

Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Index are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day prior to the execution date.3 Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e. that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification.

 

 

3 

Companies being acquired will be deleted from the WisdomTree indexes immediately before the effective date of the acquisition or upon notice of a suspension of trading in the stock of the company that is being acquired. In cases where an effective date is not publicly announced in advance, or where a notice of suspension of trading in connection with an acquisition is not announced in advance, WTI reserves the right to delete the company being acquired based on best available market information

 

Page 9 of 11


WTI applies a Foreign Investment Screen to exclude companies that are not available to be purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) or cannot continue to be reasonably purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) as determined by WTI, generally based on the principles set forth above describing index eligibility.

 

  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company, it is allowed into the indexes that its parent company is in until the next annual reconstitution. Spin-off shares of publicly traded companies that are included in the same Indexes as their parent company are increased to reflect the spin-off and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that meet all other Index inclusion requirements must wait until the next annual reconstitution to be included in the Index.

 

4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WTI reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy or reincorporate outside of a defined domicile in the intervening weeks between the Screening Date and the Reconstitution Date are not included in the Indexes, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

Page 10 of 11


5.

Selection Parameters

Selection parameters for the Indexes are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass this selection criterion as of the Screening Date are included in the Indexes. The component companies are assigned weights in the Indexes as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Indexes takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

Page 11 of 11

Exhibit (h)(32)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

WisdomTree Hedged and Unhedged Equity Indexes:

International Equity Index, International High Dividend Index, International Quality Dividend Growth index, Europe Equity Index, Europe SmallCap Equity Index, Germany Equity Index, Japan Dividend Index, Japan SmallCap Equity Index, Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index, Global High Dividend Index

Last Updated April 2019

 

Page 1 of 21


WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

Methodology Guide for Hedged and Unhedged Equity Indexes

 

1.

Index Overview and Description

WisdomTree International Equity Index, WisdomTree International High Dividend Index, WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index, WisdomTree Europe Equity Index, WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Equity Index, WisdomTree Germany Equity Index, WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index, WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Equity Index, WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index, and WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index [referred to as “the Indexes”] are modified capitalization weighted indexes developed by WisdomTree Investments (WTI) to define the respective dividend-paying segments.

The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Hedged Equity Indexes is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree Unhedged Equity Indexes.

For U.S. investors, international equity investments include two components of return. The first is the return attributable to stock prices in the non-U.S. market or markets in which an investment is made. The second is the return attributable to the value of non-U.S. currencies in these markets relative to U.S. dollar. The following Hedged Equity Indexes are designed to remove from index performance the impact of their respective currencies relative to U.S. dollar.

 

   

The WisdomTree International Equity Index measures the stock performance of investable companies that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock and that are incorporated in Japan, the 15 European countries, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Singapore.

 

   

The WisdomTree International Hedged High Dividend Index comprises high dividend yielding stocks from the WisdomTree International Equity Index and is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of foreign currencies relative to U.S. dollar.

 

   

The WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of foreign currencies relative to U.S. dollar.

 

   

The WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of Euro relative to U.S. dollar.

 

Page 2 of 21


   

The WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of Euro relative to U.S. dollar.

 

   

The WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of Euro relative to U.S. dollar.

 

   

The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of Japanese Yen relative to U.S. dollar.

 

   

The WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of Japanese Yen relative to U.S. dollar.

 

   

The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Hedged Real Estate Index comprises dividend-paying companies included in the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Index that are classified by WTI as being a part of the Global Real Estate sector and is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of foreign currencies relative to U.S. dollar.

 

   

The Global Hedged High Dividend Index comprises high dividend yielding stocks from the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index and is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. In addition to being a member of this Index, companies must also have a market capitalization of at least $2 billion as of the Screening Date (defined below) to be eligible for the Index. The resulting universe of companies after the market cap screen is applied is ranked by dividend yield and the top 30% of companies from each region, i.e. the U.S., developed and emerging markets, ranked by highest dividend yield, are selected as additions to the Index. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the top 35% by dividend yield.

In this sense, the Indexes “hedge” against fluctuations in the relative value of non-U.S. currencies against the U.S. dollar. The Indexes are designed to have higher returns than their equivalent non-currency hedged indexes when the U.S. Dollar is going up in value relative to foreign currencies. Conversely, the Indexes are designed to have lower returns than their equivalent non-hedged indexes when the U.S. dollar is falling in value relative to foreign currencies (e.g., Euro is rising relative to U.S. dollar). Calculation of the Indexes is discussed in section 2.3.

The Indexes are calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Indexes. The Indexes are calculated using primary market prices and are calculated in U.S. dollars.

 

Page 3 of 21


2.

Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

To be eligible for inclusion in the Indexes, component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent and must meet the minimum liquidity requirements established by WisdomTree Investments, including the requirement that shares of such component securities must have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the “Screening Date”. Screening date for the International Equity Indexes occurs after the close of trading on the last trading day in May; for Global Dividend Indexes after the close of trading on the last trading day in September.

WisdomTree International Equity Index

In the case of WisdomTree International Equity Index, component companies must list their shares on one of the major stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), the Tokyo Stock Exchange, on the major stock exchanges in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore or Israel. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel, or Singapore and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. Common stocks, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel or Singapore are excluded. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs1, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.

 

 

1 

Exceptions apply. A depository receipt may be included in cases where the depository receipt is trading on the local exchange and the trading volume is higher than in the ordinary local listings.

 

Page 4 of 21


WisdomTree International High Dividend Index

The WisdomTree International High Dividend Index comprises high dividend yielding stocks from the WisdomTree International Equity Index. In addition to being a member of this Index, companies must also have market capitalizations of at least $200 million at the International Screening Date and average daily dollar volumes of at least $200,000 for the three months prior to the International Screening Date, ranked by dividend yield. Companies ranking in the top 30% by highest dividend yield are selected for new additions to the index. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the top 35% by dividend yield. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree International Hedged High Dividend Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree International High Dividend Index.

WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index

WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index is derived from the WisdomTree International Equity Index. Component companies must list their shares on one of the major stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), the Tokyo Stock Exchange, on the major stock exchanges in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore or Israel. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel, or Singapore and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $1 billion on the International Screening Date, earnings yield greater than the dividend yield and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. Eligible companies are ranked using a weighted combination of three factors: 50% weighted to the rank of long-term estimated earnings growth, 25% weighted to the rank of the historical three-year average return on equity, and 25% weighted to the rank of the historical three-year average return on assets.

Top 300 companies by this combined ranking will be selected for inclusion. Companies that lack long-term earnings growth estimates will be eligible for the Index but their composite rank for ultimate selection in the index will be the average ranks of their Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Assets (ROA) for the purposes of stock ranking criteria. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel or Singapore are excluded. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index.

 

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WisdomTree Europe Equity Index

WisdomTree Europe Equity Index component companies must list their shares on one of the major stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal or Spain). Companies must be domiciled in Europe and trade in Euros, derive at least 50% of their revenue from countries outside of Europe2 and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $1 billion on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. To be deleted from the Index, companies must derive less than 47% of their revenue from countries outside of Europe. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Europe are excluded. American Depository Receipts (ADRs), Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) and European Depository Receipts (EDRs), limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. 3 The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree Europe Equity Index.

WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Equity Index

WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Equity Index component companies must list their shares on one of the major stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal or Spain). Companies must be domiciled in Europe, trade in Euros and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Europe are excluded. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts,

 

 

2 

With Europe defined in broad fashion as developed and emerging markets Europe.

3 

Beginning with the December 2006 reconstitution, Mortgage REITs were no longer eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree Domestic and International Dividend Indexes. For the WisdomTree International Dividend Indexes, this rule change took effect at the June 2007 reconstitution.

 

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passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. New additions to the index are those companies that rank in the bottom 10% of total market capitalization of the European companies traded in Euros within the WisdomTree International Equity Index as of the International Screening Date. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the bottom 13% of total market capitalization of the European companies traded in Euros within the WisdomTree International Equity Index as of the International Screening Date. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Equity Index.

WisdomTree Germany Equity Index

WisdomTree Germany Equity Index component companies must list their shares in Germany, be incorporated in Germany and trade in Euros. Companies must have less than 80% of their revenue from Germany and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $1 billion on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. To be deleted from the Index, companies must derive more than 82% of their revenue from Germany. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Germany are excluded. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree Germany Equity Index.

Euro Contingency Planning: If any of the following scenarios were to occur, the following membership criteria would change:

 

  1)

If any of the countries in the Index were to no longer designate the Euro as their official currency, the country would remain in the Index and the Index would hedge such country’s local currency as soon as practicable after forward rates in such country’s local currency are available.

 

  2)

If Germany, France and then Netherlands were to all adopt their own currencies in lieu of the Euro, the requirement that stocks must be traded in Euros would be dropped and an intra-year Index re- constitution would be scheduled to re-balance the Index at the end of the month.

 

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  3)

If the Euro were to no longer be traded as a currency, the requirement that stocks must be traded in Euros would be dropped and an intra-year Index re-constitution would be scheduled to re-balance the Index at the end of the month.

WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index

In the case of WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index, component companies must list their shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Companies must be incorporated in Japan and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution and have less than 80% of revenue from Japan. Companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. To be deleted from the Index, companies must derive more than 82% of their revenue from Japan. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index.

WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Equity Index

In the case of WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Equity Index, component companies must list their shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Companies must be incorporated in Japan and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. Companies must fall outside of the three hundred largest securities by market capitalization from this primary starting screening universe. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Equity Index.

 

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WisdomTree Global Dividend Index

To be included in the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index, companies must be included in one of the following WisdomTree Indexes:

1) The WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index: (United States)

2) The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Index: (Developed World outside the U.S.)

The selection methodologies for these indexes are listed below.

 

  a.

WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index:

To be eligible for inclusion in the Domestic Dividend Indexes, a company must list its shares on a U.S. stock exchange, be incorporated and headquartered in the United States and pay regular cash dividends on shares of its common stock. Companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $100 million by the “Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in November) and shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs are excluded, as are limited partnerships, limited liability companies, royalty trusts, Business Development Companies (BDCs) and companies that are not incorporated and headquartered in the United States (“United States” is defined herein as the 50 U.S. states plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). Preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.

 

  b.

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Index:

In the developed world, component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent and must list their shares on one of the major stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), the Tokyo Stock Exchange, or on the major stock exchanges in Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore or Canada. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore or Canada and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on

 

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the Global Screening Date and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the Global Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Europe, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada are excluded. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. Shares of such component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the Global Screening Date.

In the developing world, component companies must have their shares listed on a stock exchange in one of the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, or Turkey. Securities must be incorporated in one of these Emerging Market Countries and have positive earnings over the past year. In the case of China, companies that are incorporated or domiciled in China and that trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are eligible for inclusion. In India, only securities whose foreign ownership restriction limits have yet to be breached are eligible for inclusion in the index. Companies must have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution in October. Securities need to have a market capitalization of at least $200 million on the Global Screening Date and securities need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $200,000 for each of the six months preceding the Global Screening Date. Shares of such component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the Global Screening Date. Local exchange shares are included in the index for all countries with the exception of Russia, which include only American Depository Receipts (ADRs) or Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs or GDRs are eligible in Russia but no other country. Security types that are excluded from the index are: Limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights.

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index

The WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index is derived from the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Dividend Index and measures the performance of dividend-paying companies from the developed and emerging markets outside of the United States that are classified by

 

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WisdomTree Investments as being part of the “Global Real Estate” sector. The Index is comprised of companies with market capitalization greater than $1 billion and is weighted based on regular cash dividends paid. The Index includes the following types of companies: real estate operating companies, real estate development companies and diversified REITs. The Index also includes companies that may be classified as Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFICs). The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Hedged Real Estate Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index.

WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index

The WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index comprises high dividend yielding stocks from the WisdomTree Global Dividend Index. In addition to being a member of this Index, companies must also have a market capitalization of at least $2 billion as of the Global Screening Date to be eligible for the Index. The resulting universe of companies after the market cap screen is applied is ranked by dividend yield and the top 30% of companies from each region, i.e. the U.S., developed and emerging markets, ranked by highest dividend yield, are selected as additions to the Index. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the top 35% by dividend yield. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Global Hedged High Dividend Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index.

WisdomTree applies a Foreign Investment Screen to exclude companies that are not available to be purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) or cannot continue to be reasonably purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors), as determined by the third party independent calculation agent, and a data point referred to as “Degree of Open Freedom” (DOF) or by WisdomTree based generally on the guiding principles set forth below. The first test of a stock’s investability is determining whether the market is open to foreign institutions. The third party independent calculation agent determines the extent to which and the mechanisms foreign institutions can use to buy and sell shares on local exchanges and repatriate capital, capital gains, and dividend income without undue constraint. Once determined that a market is open to foreign investors, the calculation agent then investigates each security that may be a candidate for inclusion. Each class of share is reviewed to determine whether there are any corporate bylaw, corporate charter, or industry limitations on foreign ownership of the stock. The DOF is the variable that ranges from zero to one and indicates the amount of the security foreigners may legally own (0.00 indicates that none of the stock is legally available, 1.00 indicates that 100% of the shares are available).

 

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Any company with a DOF of 0 will not be eligible for the WisdomTree Indexes.

For purposes of both selection and weighting the following definitions would apply: Gross Cash Dividends are based on dividends paid over latest annual cycle as determined by the ex-date of the dividends. In the case of Australia, gross dividends do not reflect the franking credit for Australian investors. The currency rate used to translate the dividends to U.S. dollars is the exchange rate on the screening date. Shares outstanding for the total dividend calculation are based on the shares outstanding at the time of each dividend payment.

Liquidity and market cap screens are based on the shares outstanding of the security in question for each company.

The specified revenue filter is derived from all readily available sources at the time of screening, including recent publicly available annual company reports. In the event that revenue data is determined to be unavailable or incomplete, WisdomTree reserves the right to exclude them from the index.

 

  2.2

Base Date and Base Value

 

Index

   Base Date      Base Value  

WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index

     5/31/2006        300  

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index

     1/29/2010        100  

WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Equity Index

     4/30/2013        200  

WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Index

     4/30/2013        200  

WisdomTree Europe Equity Index

     6/29/2012        200  

WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Index

     6/29/2012        200  

WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Equity Index

     1/30/2015        200  

WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Index

     1/30/2015        200  

WisdomTree Germany Equity Index

     4/30/2013        200  

WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Index

     4/30/2013        200  

WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index

     11/29/2013        200  

WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Index

     11/29/2013        200  

WisdomTree International High Dividend Index

     5/31/2006        200  

WisdomTree International Hedged High Dividend Index

     8/31/2015        200  

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index

     6/3/2011        200  

WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Hedged Real Estate Index

     8/31/2015        200  

WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index

     11/30/2007        200  

WisdomTree Global Hedged High Dividend Index

     8/31/2015        200  

 

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  2.3

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Indexes, unhedged for foreign currency:

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

Ei = Cross rate of currency of Security i vs. USD. If security price in USD, Ei = 1

D = Divisor

WisdomTree calculates Currency Hedged International indexes. The hedged indexes are designed to approximate the investable return available to U.S. based investors that seek to neutralize currency fluctuations as a source of the international index return. The total returns for the Indexes are calculated once a day on a daily basis to remove the impact of currency and uses a WM/Reuters 1-month forward rate to do so.

WisdomTree Currency-Hedged Indices will be calculated using forward amounts and foreign currency weights determined one business day prior to the month end—in accordance with the standard currency hedged calculations of WisdomTree’s independent index calculation agent. The precise calculation for the daily hedged currency index equals:

 

LOGO

Where Forward Rate = WM/Reuters 1-month forward rate in foreign currency per U.S. dollar

Spot Rate = Spot Rate in foreign currency per U.S. dollar.

For each month m, there are d= 1, 2, 3, .. D calendar days so md is day d for month m and m0 is one business day prior to the month end of month m-1.

D=Total # days In Month

md= d day of Month m

WT_Hedged0 – previous month-end

WT_Unhedged0 – previous month-end

 

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The Indexes are calculated every weekday. If trading is suspended while the exchange the component company trades on is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Index. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars. The price Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an intra-day basis except for International Hedged High Dividend Index, Japan Hedged Equity Index, and Global Hedged High Dividend Index, which are calculated on an end-of-day basis. The total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis. Price index values are calculated and disseminated every 15 seconds to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) so that such Index Values can print to the Consolidated Tape.

 

  2.4

Weighting

The WisdomTree International Equity Indexes and the WisdomTree Global Dividend Indexes are modified capitalization-weighted indexes that employ a transparent weighting formula to magnify the effect that dividends play in the total return of the Indexes. The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is derived by multiplying the U.S. dollar value of the company’s annual gross dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company, “The Cash Dividend Factor.” 4 The Cash Dividend Factor is calculated for every component in the Index and then summed. For Emerging Markets securities, the “Cash Dividend Factor” includes multiplying the same two factors above by a third factor developed by Standard & Poor’s called the “Investability Weighting Factor” (IWF). The IWF is used to scale the dividends generated of each company by factors that impose restrictions on shares available to be purchased. Each component’s weight, at the Weighting Date, is equal to its Cash Dividend Factor divided by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors for all the components in that Index. The dividend stream will be adjusted for constituents with dividend yields greater than 12% at the screening date. The dividend stream of these capped securities will be their market cap multiplied by 12%.

The Weighting Date is when component weights are set and for the International Equity Indexes it occurs immediately after the close of trading on the second Friday of June. New Component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of June (the “Reconstitution Date”). The Weighting Date for the WisdomTree Global Dividend Indexes occurs immediately after the close of trading on the second Friday of October. New Component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of October.

 

 

4 

Special Dividends are not included in the computation of Index weights.

 

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The following adjustment will be applied to all the Indexes:

Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of the Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and all other components in the Index will be rebalanced. Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced proportionally to reflect their relative weights before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

The following capping rules are applied to the WisdomTree International Equity Index in the following order:

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the indexes, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

For the International High Dividend Index, the following capping rules apply in the following order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 5% prior to the introduction of sector caps and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

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Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

For the International Quality Dividend Growth Index, the following capping rules apply in the following order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 5% prior to the introduction of sector caps and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 20% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 20% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 20% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 20% as of the annual Screening Date.

For the Europe Equity Index, the following capping rules apply in the following order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 5% on the annual rebalance prior to the introduction of country and sector caps.

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the indexes, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

For the Europe SmallCap Equity Index, the following capping rules apply in the following order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 2% on the annual rebalance prior to the introduction of country and sector caps.

 

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Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the indexes, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

For the Germany Equity Index, the following capping rules apply:

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

For the Japan Dividend Index, the following capping rules apply in the following order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 5% on the annual rebalance prior to the introduction of sector caps and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

For the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Equity Index, the following capping rules apply in the following order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 2% on the annual rebalance prior to the introduction of sector caps and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

The following capping rules are applied to the WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index:

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the indexes, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

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The following capping rules are applied to the WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index in this order:

 

   

Individual company weights start out with the Cash Dividend Factor described in weighting section 2.4 above.

 

   

The regional weights will be adjusted by a Regional Factor such that the regional weights are equal to the float-adjusted market capitalization weight of the universe of dividend and non-dividend payers of the regional allocations of the U.S., developed and emerging markets that meet the general liquidity and market cap criteria for the base index.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

The weights may fluctuate above the specified caps during the year, but will be reset at each annual rebalance date.

Note: all sector cappings are conducted based on the modified GICS sector classifications, i.e. real estate and financials are aggregated into one sector.

The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after top holding, country and sector caps have been applied:

A further volume screen requires that a calculated volume factor (the average daily dollar volume for three months preceding the Screening Date / weight of security in each index) shall be greater than $200 million to be eligible for each index. In the case of the Japan SmallCap Equity Index, the calculated volume factor shall be greater than $100 million. If a security’s volume factor falls below $200 million or $100 million for the Japan SmallCap Equity Index at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The securities’ weight will be adjusted downwards by an adjustment factor equal to its volume factor divided by $400 million.

In the event a security has a calculated volume factor (average daily volume traded over the preceding three months / weight in the index) that is less than $400 million, its weight will be reduced such that weight after volume adjustment = weight before adjustment x calculated volume factor / $400 million. The implementation of the volume factor may cause an increase in the holding, sector and country weights above the specified caps.

 

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  2.5

Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index.5 However, special dividends that are not reinvested in the total return index require index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price index.

 

  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, each class of share will be included in any broad-based Index, provided that dividends are paid on that share of stock. For the International High Dividend Indexes, in the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, the share class of that company with the highest dividend yield would be selected for inclusion. For the Global High Dividend Index, in the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, the share class of that company with the greater liquidity, based on the average daily trading volume as described in section 2.1, would be selected for inclusion. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index.

 

3.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spins-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits, stock dividends, and rights offerings require changes in the index shares and the stock prices of the component companies in the Indexes. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances, increases or decreases in dividend per share between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock prices of the component companies in the Index. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends and entitlements, may require Index divisor adjustments. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

 

5 

For the International total return indexes, where information is available about both gross and net dividends, the Indexes assume re-investment of net dividends.

 

Page 19 of 21


  3.1.

Component Changes

Additions

Additions to the Indexes are made at the annual reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. For the International Equity Indexes, changes are implemented before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the closing of trading on the third Friday in June. For the Global Dividend Indexes, changes are implemented before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the closing of trading on the third Friday in October. No additions are made to the Indexes between annual reconstitutions.

Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Indexes are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. For the dividend indexes, a component company that cancels its dividend payment is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day prior to the execution date.6 Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e. that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification.

 

  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company and pay a regular cash dividend, it is not allowed into the indexes until the next annual reconstitution, provided it meets all other inclusion requirements. Spin-off shares of publicly traded companies that are included in the same indexes as their parent company are increased to reflect the spin-off and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that pay regular cash dividends and that meet all other Index inclusion requirements must wait until the next annual reconstitution to be included in the Index.

 

 

6 

Companies being acquired will be deleted from the WisdomTree Indexes immediately before the effective date of the acquisition or upon notice of a suspension of trading in the stock of the company that is being acquired. In cases where an effective date is not publicly announced in advance, or where a notice of suspension of trading in connection with an acquisition is not announced in advance, WisdomTree reserves the right to delete the company being acquired based on best available market information

 

Page 20 of 21


4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WisdomTree reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy, re-incorporate outside of a defined domicile or that cancel their dividends, (applicable to Dividend Indexes only), in the intervening weeks between the Screening Date and the Reconstitution Date are not included in the Indexes, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

5.

Selection Parameters

Selection parameters for the Indexes are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the Screening Date are included in the Indexes. The component companies are assigned weights in the Indexes as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Indexes takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

Page 21 of 21

Exhibit (h)(33)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

Emerging Market Dividend Indexes

Last Updated November 2018

 

Page 1 of 11


I. METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR EMERGING MARKET DIVIDEND INDEXES

1. Index Overview and Description

WisdomTree Investments (WTI) created a family of international indexes that track the performance of dividend-paying companies in emerging markets presently consisting of the: WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index (“EMDI”), the WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Index (“EMDI HDI”), and the WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Index (“EMSC”).

The emerging market indexes described above are referred to as the ‘Emerging Market Dividend Indexes.”

 

   

The WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index measures the stock performance of companies that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock with market capitalizations of at least $200 million at the Emerging Market Screening Date and average daily dollar volumes of at least $200,000 for each of the six months prior to the Emerging Markets Screening Date and that are incorporated in the following 17 emerging market nations: Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey (“Emerging Market Countries”). Securities must be incorporated in one of these Emerging Market Countries, have positive earnings over the past year and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution in October. In the case of China, only companies that are incorporated or domiciled in China and that trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are eligible for inclusion. In India, only securities whose foreign ownership restriction limits have yet to be breached are eligible for inclusion in the index. Local exchange shares are included in the index for all countries with the exception of Russia, which include only American Depository Receipts (ADRs) or Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). Passive foreign investment companies (PFICs) are excluded, as are limited partnerships, limited liability companies, royalty trusts, preferred stock, rights, and other derivative securities.

 

   

The WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of high dividend yield stocks within the emerging markets.

 

   

The WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of primarily small cap stocks selected from the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index. Companies are weighted in the Index based on annual cash dividends paid.

In October of each year, the Emerging Market Dividend Indexes are reconstituted, with each components’ weight adjusted to reflect its dividend-weighting in its respective Index.

All of the Emerging Market Dividend Indexes are calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Indexes. The Emerging Market Dividend Indexes will be calculated using primary market prices. The Emerging Market Dividend Indexes will be calculated in U.S. dollars.

 

Page 2 of 11


2. Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

To be eligible for inclusion in the above mentioned Emerging Market Dividend Indexes, component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent and must meet the minimal liquidity requirements established by WisdomTree Investments. To be included in any of the Emerging Market indexes, shares of such component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the “Emerging Market Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in September).

In the case of EMDI, EMDI HDI, and EMSC component companies must have their shares listed on a stock exchange in one of the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, or Turkey. Securities must be incorporated in one of these Emerging Market Countries and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution in October. In the case of China, only companies that are incorporated or domiciled in China and that trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are eligible for inclusion. In addition, approximately 100 largest Chinese domestic listed companies by dividend market capitalization that are part of the connect program and meet index requirements will be selected for inclusion in the Emerging Markets Dividend Index. In India, only securities whose foreign ownership restriction limits have yet to be breached are eligible for inclusion in the index.    Local exchange shares are included in the index for all countries with the exception of Russia, which include only American Depository Receipts (ADRs) or Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs).

Securities need to have a market capitalization of at least $200 million on the “Emerging Market Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in September) and securities need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $200,000 for each of the six months preceding the Emerging Market Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs or GDRs are eligible in Russia but no other country. Security types that are excluded from the index are: Limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights.

 

Page 3 of 11


The WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Index is derived from the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index. Companies are ranked by dividend yield as of the index measurement date. Companies ranking in the top 30% by highest dividend yield are selected for new additions to the index. In addition, approximately 100 Chinese domestic listed companies by highest dividend yield that are part of the connect program and meet index requirements will be selected for inclusion. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the top 35% by dividend yield.

The WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Index is derived from the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index. New additions to the index are those companies that rank in the bottom 10% of total market capitalization of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index as of the Emerging Market Screening Date. In addition, approximately 100 largest Chinese domestic listed companies that are part of the connect program and meet index requirements will be selected for inclusion based on bottom 10% market capitalization cutoff of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index without A shares. To be deleted from the index, companies must rank outside of the bottom 13% of total market capitalization of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index as of the Emerging Market Screening Date.

WisdomTree applies a Foreign Investment Screen to exclude companies that are not available to be purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) or cannot continue to be reasonably purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors), as determined by the third party independent calculation agent, and a data point referred to as “Degree of Open Freedom” (DOF) or by WisdomTree based generally on the guiding principles set forth below. The first test of a stock’s investability is determining whether the market is open to foreign institutions. The third party independent calculation agent determines the extent to which and the mechanisms foreign institutions can use to buy and sell shares on local exchanges and repatriate capital, capital gains, and dividend income without undue constraint. Once determined that a market is open to foreign investors, the third party independent calculation agent then investigates each security that may be a candidate for inclusion. Each class of share is reviewed to determine whether there are any corporate bylaw, corporate charter, or industry limitations on foreign ownership of the stock. The DOF is the variable that ranges from zero to one and indicates the amount of the security foreigners may legally own (0.00 indicates that none of the stock is legally available, 1.00 indicates that 100% of the shares are available). Any company with a DOF of 0 will not be eligible for the WisdomTree Indexes.

 

Page 4 of 11


For purposes of both selection and weighting the following definitions would apply:

Gross Cash Dividends are based on dividends paid over latest annual cycle as determined by the ex-date of the dividends. The currency rate used to translate the dividends to U.S. dollars is the exchange rate on the screening date. Shares outstanding for the total dividend calculation are based on the shares outstanding at the time of each dividend payment.

Liquidity and market cap screens are based on the shares outstanding of the security in question for each company.

 

  2.2.

Base Date and Base Value

A base value for the WisdomTree Emerging Market Dividend Index was set at 300 on the close of trading on May 31, 2007. A base value for the WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Index was set at 200 at the close of trading on May 31, 2007. A base value for the WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Index was set at 100 at the close of trading on May 31, 2007.

 

  2.3.

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Emerging Markets Indexes:

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

Ei = Cross rate of currency of Security i vs. USD. If security price in USD, Ei = 1

D = Divisor

The Emerging Market Dividend Indexes are calculated every weekday. If trading is suspended while the exchange the component company trades on is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Index. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars and disseminated on an end-of-day basis.

 

Page 5 of 11


  2.4.

Weighting

The Emerging Market Dividend Indexes are modified capitalization-weighted indices that employ a transparent weighting formula to magnify the effect that dividends play in the total return of the Indexes.

The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is derived by multiplying the U.S. dollar value of the security’s annual dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that security, “The Cash Dividend Factor.” The Cash Dividend Factor includes multiplying the same two factors above by a third factor developed by Standard & Poor’s called the “Investability Weighting Factor” (IWF). The IWF is used to scale the dividends generated of each company by factors that impose restrictions on shares available to be purchased. The Cash Dividend Factor is calculated for every component in the Index and then summed. Each component’s weight, at the International Weighting Date, is equal to its Cash Dividend Factor divided by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors for all the components in that Index. The dividend stream will be adjusted for constituents with dividend yields greater than 12% at the screening date. The dividend stream of these capped securities will be their market cap multiplied by 12%.

The Emerging Market Weighting Date is when component weights are set and it occurs after the close of trading on the second Friday of October. New component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of October (the “Emerging Market Reconstitution Date”).

All Indexes will be modified should the following occur. Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of its Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and all other components in the Index will be rebalanced. Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced proportionately so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and all other components in the Index will be rebalanced in proportion to their index weightings before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

 

Page 6 of 11


The following capping rules are applied to the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index and the WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Index in this order:

 

  1)

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the index, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Emerging Market Screening Date. Chinese domestic stock market exposure will be treated separately and will be capped at 5%.

 

  2)

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the index, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Emerging Market Screening Date.

For the Emerging Markets High Dividend Index the following capping rules are applied in this order:

 

  1)

The maximum weight in the top held security will be capped at 5% prior to the implementation of the sector and country caps.

 

  2)

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the index, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Emerging Market Screening Date. Chinese domestic stock market exposure will be treated separately and will be capped at 5%.

 

  3)

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Index, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Emerging Market Screening Date.

The weights may fluctuate above the specified caps during the year, but will be reset at each annual rebalance date.

Note: all sector cappings are conducted based on the old GICS sector classifications, i.e. real estate and financials are aggregated into one sector.

The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after top holding, country and sector caps have been applied:

 

   

A further volume screen requires that a calculated volume factor (the average daily dollar volume for three months preceding the Screening Date / weight of security in each index) shall be greater than $200 million to be eligible for each index. If a security’s volume factor falls below $200 million at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The securities’ weight will be adjusted downwards by an adjustment factor equal to its volume factor divided by $400 million.

 

   

In the event a security has a calculated volume factor (average daily volume traded over the preceding three months / weight in the index) that is less than $400 million, its weight will be reduced such that weight after volume adjustment = weight before adjustment x calculated volume factor / $400 million. The implementation of the volume factor may cause an increase in the sector and country weights above the specified caps.

 

Page 7 of 11


  2.5.

Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index. However, special dividends from non-operating income require index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price index.

 

  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of    common stock, each class of share will be included in any broad-based Index, provided that dividends are paid on that share of stock and that the stock passes all other inclusion requirements. In the event such a component company qualified for inclusion in the “High Dividend” cut from these broad-based Indexes, the share class of that company with the greater liquidity, based on the average daily trading volume as described in section 2.1, would be selected for inclusion. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index. For the Small cap cuts, if a security has multiple listed share classes and the total market capitalization of the listed share classes is greater than largest market capitalization cutoff of that index, the security would not be eligible for that index. For Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Index, the market capitalization of Chinese domestic listed equities will be considered for companies with multiple share classes.

3. Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company additions and deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, corporate restructurings, spin-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits and stock dividends, require changes in the common shares outstanding and the stock prices of the component companies in the Emerging Market Dividend Indexes. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends, require index divisor adjustments as well. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

Page 8 of 11


  3.1.

Component Changes

 

   

Additions

Additions to the Emerging Market Dividend Indexes are made at the annual reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. Changes are implemented before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the closing of trading on the third Friday in October. No additions are made to any of the Emerging Market Dividend Indexes between annual reconstitutions.

 

   

Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Index are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. A component company that cancels its dividend payment is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a company re-incorporates outside of a defined domicile, it is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day prior to the execution date. Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e. that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification.

 

  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company and pay a regular cash dividend, it is not allowed into the Emerging Market Indexes until the next annual reconstitution, provided it meets all other inclusion requirements. Spin-off shares of publicly traded companies that are included in the same indexes as their parent company are increased to reflect the spin-off and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that pay regular cash dividends and that meet all other Index inclusion requirements must wait until the next annual reconstitution to be included in the Emerging Market Indexes.

 

Page 9 of 11


  4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Corporate actions may affect the share capital of component stocks and therefore trigger increases or decreases in the Index value. To avoid distortion, the divisor is adjusted accordingly. Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WisdomTree reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy, re-incorporate outside of a defined domicile or that cancel their dividends in the intervening weeks between the International Screening Date and the International Reconstitution Date are not included in the Emerging Market Indexes, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

  5.

Selection Parameters for Emerging Market Indexes

 

  5.1

Selection parameters for the WisdomTreeSM Emerging Markets Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass this selection criteria as of the Emerging Market Screening Date are included in the Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

  5.2

Selection parameters for the WisdomTreeSM Emerging Markets High Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass this selection criteria as of the Emerging Market Screening Date are included in the Index. A company will only be deleted from the index if its dividend yield ranking falls outside of the top 35% of companies. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

Page 10 of 11


  5.3

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Index are defined in section 2.1. A company will only be deleted from the index if it falls outside the bottom 13% of the total market capitalization of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index. Companies that pass this selection criteria as of the Emerging Market Screening Date are included in the Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

Page 11 of 11

Exhibit (h)(35)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

WisdomTree Dynamic Hedged/Unhedged Equity Indexes:

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index, International Equity Index, Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index, International Quality Dividend Growth Index, Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index and International SmallCap Dividend Index

Last Updated April 2019

 

Page 1 of 13


WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

Methodology Guide for Dynamic Hedged/Unhedged Equity Indexes

 

1.

Index Overview and Description

The WisdomTree International Equity Index, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index, WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index, WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index and WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index [referred to as “the International Equity Indexes”] were developed by WisdomTree Investments (WTI) to define their respective segments in developed markets.

The annual reconstitution for the International Equity Indexes occurs in June. The Indexes are calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Indexes. The Indexes are calculated using primary market prices and are generally calculated in U.S. dollars [unless stated otherwise].

The selection and weighting methodology for the Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index, Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index and Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the International Equity Index, International Quality Dividend Growth Index and International SmallCap Dividend Index, respectively.

 

   

The WisdomTree International Equity Index measures the stock performance of investable companies that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock and that are incorporated in Japan, the 15 European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.

 

   

The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index measures the stock performance of investable companies that pay regular cash dividends on shares of common stock and that are incorporated in Japan, the 15 European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. The Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of foreign currencies relative to U.S. dollar with a hedge ratio ranging from 0 to 100% on a monthly basis.

 

   

The WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index comprises dividend-paying developed market companies with growth characteristics.

 

   

The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index comprises dividend-paying developed market companies with growth characteristics. The Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of foreign currencies relative to U.S. dollar with a hedge ratio ranging from 0 to 100% on a monthly basis.

 

Page 2 of 13


   

The WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

 

   

The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the WisdomTree International Equity Index and is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of foreign currencies relative to U.S. dollar with a hedge ratio ranging from 0 to 100% on a monthly basis.

For U.S. investors, international equity investments include two components of return. The first is the return attributable to stock prices in the non-U.S. market or markets in which an investment is made. The second is the return attributable to the value of non-U.S. currencies in these markets relative to U.S. dollar.

The Hedged Equity Indexes described above are designed to add a dynamic currency hedge that ranges from 0 to 100%.

On a monthly basis the hedge ratio for any individual currency can be adjusted to either 0.00%, 16.67%, 33.33%, 50%, 67.67%, 83.33% or 100.00% and are determined by the following signals1:

 

   

Momentum: 33.3% of the total hedge ratio is determined by momentum. When the ten-day moving average of the currency’s spot price versus U.S. dollar is weaker than the 240-day moving average (i.e. the targeted currency is depreciating), the hedge ratio of 33.3% is applied.

 

   

Interest Rate Differentials: 33.3% of the total hedge ratio is determined by measuring the difference in interest rates, as implied in one month FX forwards, between each currency and U.S. dollar. If the implied interest rate in the United States is higher than that within the targeted currency, a further 33.33% hedge ratio is applied for that currency on this signal.

 

   

Value: The final 33.3% of the total hedge ratio is determined by a value signal that utilizes the concept of purchasing power parity in order to define a measure of relative value for a currency against U.S. dollar.

 

 

1 

Israeli Shekels (ILS) and Singapore Dollars (SGD) are hedged at 50% and Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) hedged at 0% on a monthly basis.

 

Page 3 of 13


   

The full 33.3% hedge ratio for this signal is applied from the point when a currency is greater than 20% overvalued against purchasing power parity level and until it crosses the purchasing power parity level.

 

   

There is no hedge ratio applied for the value signal from the point when an individual currency is more than 20% undervalued (equivalent to saying the US Dollar is 20% overvalued versus this currency) against purchasing power parity level and until it crosses the purchasing power parity level.

 

   

If a currency is between 20% overvalued and 20% undervalued and until it crosses one of these levels, the hedge ratio for the value signal is set to 16.667% (or 12 of the value’s total hedge ratio).

The initial currency deviations versus purchasing power parity levels were measured in October 2015.

When the dynamic hedges are added, the Indexes are designed to have higher (or similar subject to costs) returns than their equivalent non-currency hedged indexes when U.S. Dollar is going up in value relative to foreign currencies. Conversely, the Indexes are designed to have lower (or similar subject to costs) returns than their equivalent non-hedged indexes when U.S. dollar is falling in value relative to foreign currencies (e.g., foreign currencies are rising relative to U.S. dollar). Calculation of the Indexes is discussed in section 2.3.

 

2.

Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

To be eligible for inclusion in the Indexes component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent and must meet the minimum liquidity requirements established by WisdomTree Investments. To be included in any of the International Indexes, shares of such component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the “International Screening Date” (after the close of trading on the last trading day in June).

WisdomTree applies a Foreign Investment Screen to exclude companies that are not available to be purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) or cannot continue to be reasonably purchased or transacted in by foreign investors (or certain segments of foreign investors) as determined by the third party independent calculation agent and a data point referred to as “Degree of Open Freedom” (DOF) or by WisdomTree based generally on the guiding principles set forth below. The first test of a stock’s investability is determining whether the market is open to foreign institutions. The third party independent calculation agent determines the extent to which and the mechanisms foreign institutions can use to buy and sell shares on local exchanges and repatriate capital, capital gains, and dividend income

 

Page 4 of 13


without undue constraint. Once determined that a market is open to foreign investors, the third party independent calculating agent then investigates each security that may be a candidate for inclusion. Each class of share is reviewed to determine whether there are any corporate bylaw, corporate charter, or industry limitations on foreign ownership of the stock. The DOF is the variable that ranges from zero to one and indicates the amount of the security foreigners may legally own (0.00 indicates that none of the stock is legally available, 1.00 indicates that 100% of the shares are available). Any company with a DOF of 0 will not be eligible for the WisdomTree Indexes.

WisdomTree International Equity Index

In the case of WisdomTree International Equity Index, component companies must list their shares on one of the major stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), the Tokyo Stock Exchange, on the major stock exchanges in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel or Singapore. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel, or Singapore and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $100 million on the International Screening Date and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel or Singapore are excluded. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree International Equity Index.

WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index

WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index is derived from the WisdomTree International Equity Index. Component companies must list their shares on one of the major stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), the Tokyo Stock Exchange, on the major stock exchanges in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore or Israel. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong

 

Page 5 of 13


Kong, Israel, or Singapore and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends on shares of their common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution. Companies must have a market capitalization of at least $1 billion on the International Screening Date, an earnings yield greater than the dividend yield and shares of such companies must have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Date.    Eligible companies are ranked using a weighted combination of three factors: 50% weighted to the rank of long-term estimated earnings growth, 25% weighted to the rank of the historical three-year average return on equity, and 25% weighted to the rank of the historical three-year average return on assets. Top 300 companies by this combined ranking will be selected for inclusion. Companies that lack long-term earnings growth estimates will be eligible for the Index but their composite rank for ultimate selection in the index will be the average ranks of their Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Assets (ROA) for the purposes of stock ranking criteria. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. Companies that are not incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Israel or Singapore are excluded. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs, limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies, preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index.

WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index

The WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index is based on a defined percentage of the remaining market capitalization of the WisdomTree International Equity Index, once the 300 largest companies by market capitalization have been removed. Companies that comprise the bottom 25% of the remaining market capitalization are selected for inclusion in the Index. The selection and weighting methodology for the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index is identical to the selection and weighting methodology used for the WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index.

For purposes of both selection and weighting (within the dividend indexes) the following definitions would apply: Gross Cash Dividends are based on dividends paid over latest annual cycle as determined by the ex-date of the dividends. In the case of Australia, gross dividends do not reflect the franking credit for Australian investors.

 

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The currency rate used to translate the dividends to U.S. dollars is the exchange rate on the screening date. Shares outstanding for the total dividend calculation are based on the shares outstanding at the time of each dividend payment.

Liquidity and market cap screens are based on the shares outstanding of the security in question for each company.

 

  2.2

Base Date and Base Value

The WisdomTree International Equity Index and the WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index were established with a base value of 300 and 200, respectively, on May 31, 2006.

The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index and the WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index were established with a base value of 200 on October 30, 2015.

The WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index was established with a base value of 200 on November 29, 2013. The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index was established with a base value of 200 on May 30, 2016.

 

  2.3

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the International Dividend Indexes, unhedged for foreign currency:

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

Ei = Cross rate of currency of Security i vs. USD. If security price in USD, Ei = 1

D = Divisor

The Indexes use quantitative signals to determine hedge ratios on the currency exposure on a monthly basis. Hedge ratios are varied each month between 0% and 100%. The hedged indexes—when hedge ratios are 100% — are designed to approximate the investable return available to U.S. based investors that seek to neutralize currency fluctuations as a source of the international index returns.

The total returns for the Indexes are calculated once a day on a daily basis to remove the impact of currency and uses a WM/Reuters 1-month forward rate to do so. All WisdomTree Currency-Hedged Indices will be calculated using forward amounts and foreign currency weights determined one business day prior to the month end—in accordance with the standard currency hedged calculations of WisdomTree’s independent index calculation agent. The precise calculation for the daily hedged currency index equals:

 

Page 7 of 13


LOGO

Where Forward Rate = WM/Reuters 1-month forward rate in foreign currency per U.S. dollar

Spot Rate = Spot Rate in foreign currency per U.S. dollar.

For each month m, there are d= 1, 2, 3, .. D calendar days so md is day d for month m and m0 is one business day prior to the month end of month m-1.

D=Total # days In Month

md= d day of Month m

WT_Hedged0 – previous month-end

WT_Unhedged0 – previous month-end

HedgeRet has a hedge ratio applied to it when determining what percentage of the currency is hedged. This is a ratio WisdomTree will send to the calculation agent every month.

The Indexes are calculated every weekday. If trading is suspended while the exchange the component company trades on is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Index. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars. The price Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an intra-day basis. The total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis. Price index values are calculated and disseminated every 15 seconds to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) so that such Index Values can print to the Consolidated Tape.

2.4 Weighting

The International Equity Indexes are modified capitalization-weighted indices that employ a transparent weighting formula to magnify the effect that dividends play in the total return of the Indexes. The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is derived by

 

Page 8 of 13


multiplying the U.S. dollar value of the company’s annual dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company, “The Cash Dividend Factor.” 2 The Cash Dividend Factor is calculated for every component in the Index and then summed. Each component’s weight, at the Weighting Date, is equal to its Cash Dividend Factor divided by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors for all the components in that Index. The dividend stream will be adjusted for constituents with dividend yields greater than 12% at the screening date. The dividend stream of these capped securities will be their market cap multiplied by 12%.

The Weighting Date is when component weights are set and occurs immediately after the close of trading on the second Friday of June. New component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of June (the “Reconstitution Date”).

The following capping rules are applied to the WisdomTree International Equity Index and the WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index:

 

   

Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the indexes, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening Date.

 

   

Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 25% of the Indexes, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 25% as of the annual Screening date.

 

 

2 

Special Dividends are not included in the computation of Index weights.

 

Page 9 of 13


The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after top holding, country and sector caps have been applied:

A further volume screen requires that a calculated volume factor (the average daily dollar volume for three months preceding the Screening Date / weight of security in each index) shall be greater than $200 million to be eligible for each index. If a security’s volume factor falls below $200 million at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The securities’ weight will be adjusted downwards by an adjustment factor equal to its volume factor divided by $400 million.

In the event a security has a calculated volume factor (average daily volume traded over the preceding three months / weight in the index) that is less than $400 million, its weight will be reduced such that weight after volume adjustment = weight before adjustment x calculated volume factor / $400 million. The implementation of the volume factor may cause an increase in the holdings, sector and country weights above the specified caps.

The weights may fluctuate above the specified caps during the year, but will be reset at each annual rebalance date.

Note: all sector cappings are conducted based on the modified GICS sector classifications, i.e. real estate and financials are aggregated into one sector.

Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of the Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and all other components in the Index will be rebalanced. Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced to reflect their relative weights before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

 

  2.5

Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index.3 However, special dividends that are not reinvested in the total return index require index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price index.

 

 

3 

For the International total return indexes, where information is available about both gross and net dividends, the Indexes assume re-investment of net dividends.

 

Page 10 of 13


  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, each class of share will be included in any broad-based Index, provided that dividends are paid on that share of stock. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index. For all mid and small cap cuts, if a security has multiple listed share classes and the total market capitalization of the listed share classes is greater than largest market capitalization cutoff of that index, the security would not be eligible for that index.

 

3.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spins-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits, stock dividends, and rights offerings require changes in the index shares and the stock prices of the component companies in the Indexes. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances, increases or decreases in dividend per share between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock prices of the component companies in the Index. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends and entitlements, may require Index divisor adjustments. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

  3.1.

Component Changes

Additions

Additions to the Indexes are made at the annual reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. For the International Equity Indexes, changes are implemented before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the closing of trading on the third Friday in June. No additions are made to the Indexes between annual reconstitutions.

 

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Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Indexes are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. For the dividend indexes, a component company that cancels its dividend payment is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day prior to the execution date.4 Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e. that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification.

 

  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company and pay a regular cash dividend, it is not allowed into the indexes until the next annual reconstitution, provided it meets all other inclusion requirements. Spin-off shares of publicly traded companies that are included in the same indexes as their parent company are increased to reflect the spin-off and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that pay regular cash dividends and that meet all other Index inclusion requirements must wait until the next annual reconstitution to be included in the Index.

 

4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WisdomTree reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

 

 

4 

Companies being acquired will be deleted from the WisdomTree indexes immediately before the effective date of the acquisition or upon notice of a suspension of trading in the stock of the company that is being acquired. In cases where an effective date is not publicly announced in advance, or where a notice of suspension of trading in connection with an acquisition is not announced in advance, WisdomTree reserves the right to delete the company being acquired based on best available market information

 

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Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy, re-incorporate outside of a defined domicile or that cancel their dividends, in the intervening weeks between the Screening Date and the Reconstitution Date are not included in the Indexes, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

5.

Selection Parameters

Selection parameters for the Indexes are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass these selection criteria as of the Screening Date are included in the Indexes. The component companies are assigned weights in the Indexes as defined in section 2.4., and annual reconstitution of the Indexes takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

Page 13 of 13

Exhibit (h)(36)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index Family

Last Updated September 2019

 

1


WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index Family

Overview of Core Index Methodology

Each index is designed to capture the performance of selected issuers in the US non-investment-grade corporate bond market with favorable fundamental and income characteristics. Each index employs a multi-step process, which screens on fundamentals to identify bonds with favorable characteristics and then tilts to those individual securities which offer favorable income characteristics (screen for favorable bonds and tilt towards income). The goal is to improve the risk-adjusted performance of traditional market-cap approaches for high-yield corporate bond indices.

Each index utilizes a screen and tilt approach to isolate bonds that have favorable fundamentals and tilts to those bonds with favorable income and valuation characteristics. Each index defines the universe, scores the individual issues across a fundamental metric distinguishing cash flow characteristics (i.e., free cash flow) and discards the securities with poor cash flow performance. An income tilt score with adjustments accounting for the probability of default and recovery values is then applied to the market capitalization of each remaining security. The income tilt score incorporates the incremental income offered over Treasuries with similar maturities within the context of the credit risk they entail. The income tilt scores are translated into a multiplier, which is applied to the market cap percentile ranking to determine the issue weight within each index. As a final step, issuer exposure is capped as described in the index methodology rules. The index is rebalanced every six months with bonds removed monthly due to ratings changes, if any.

Relevant Indices in the Family

 

   

WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index

 

   

WisdomTree U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index

 

2


Index Methodology

 

1.

Index Universe

Each index is comprised of corporate bonds of public issuers domiciled in the United States. All eligible bonds are denominated in US dollars.

 

  1.1

Liquidity

For the WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index, each issue must have at least $500 million in par amount outstanding.

For the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index, each issue must have at least $350 million in par amount outstanding.

Each issue must have a remaining maturity of at least one year, or equivalent of 365.25 days.

 

  1.2

Rating

Each issue must be rated high-yield (below BBB- or Baa3) by Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s. The final rating is determined by the lower rating from the rating agencies.

Issues in distress state (issuer rated C or below by Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s) are excluded.

 

  1.3

Short Term

For the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index, each issue must have at least one year to maturity and at most five years to maturity.

 

  1.4

Sector

Each issue is classified into one of five sectors: Industrial, Financial, Utility, Consumer, or Energy. Government, quasi government, foreign agencies, or supra-nationals issuers are excluded.

 

  1.5

Regulation S

Bonds issued under Regulation S are excluded.

 

2.

Rating Change

In the case that an issuer has defaulted or is in distress, the issue(s) would be removed at month-end of the downgrade/default event is announced. The value associated with any such issue(s) is is applied to the remaining index constituents pro rata at the end of the month.

 

3


3.

Factor Definition

 

    

Free Cash Flow

Five-year annual average of Free Cash Flow, or such lesser period based on available data.

 

4.

Fundamental Cut

All issues with a non-positive factor (i.e., non-positive free cash flow) are excluded. The issues with no factor data (i.e., no free cash flow) available are excluded.

 

5.

Liquidity Cut

A liquidity score is assigned to each issue, calculated by:

liquidity = 0.5 * ln(amount outstanding) – ln(age of issuance),

where amount outstanding is determined at index reconstitution, and the age of issuance (in years) is calculated by the number of calendar days between the index reconstitution date and the issuance date, divided by 365.25.

Issues that fall below the bottom 5% of the liquidity scores within their respective sectors, and issues with no liquidity scores are removed from the index.

The reference constituents are defined as all the remaining bonds after the fundamental cut and the liquidity cut that are applied.

 

6.

Distance-to-Default (D2D) and Probability of Default (PD) Measure

D2D is obtained using Merton’s formula. Denote ssEE as the annualized volatility of trailing 1 year daily equity price changes, the firm’s asset volatility s is given by:

 

LOGO

The distance to default of a firm is calculated as:

 

LOGO

where Default Barrier = Short Term Debt + 0.5 * Long Term Debt and RREE refers to the equity return. Correspondingly, each index uses a PD measure given by a transformation of the D2D:

 

LOGO

 

4


7.

Income Tilt and Amount Outstanding Adjustment

For each issue an income tilt score is obtained by its ROAS(1-PD), which is then ranked (in descending order) within each sector. The ROAS (in bp) is recovery-adjusted OAS calculated by:

 

LOGO

where LGD (loss given default) is determined using the following look up table

 

Senior Unsecured

     60

Senior Subordinate

     70

Subordinate

     70

Junior

     75

Junior Subordinate

     80

The amount outstanding of each issue is adjusted by 2αα (a constant between 0 and 2), where αα is the percentage rank of the issue’s income tilt score within its sector. For an issue with the top tilt score within its sector, its weight in the index would be doubled; for an issue with the worst tilt score within its sector, its weight in the index would be set to 0.

Issues with no income tilt score are excluded from each index.

 

8.

Issuer Cap

For the WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Index, an issuer cap of 2% in total market value is applied to the index. For the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term High Yield Corporate Bond Index, an issuer cap of 3% in total market value is applied to the index. Issues with the same ultimate parent ticker are aggregated under the same issuer.

If an issuer in an index exceeds the cap, the total market value of the issues under this issuer would be scaled down to conform with the cap at rebalance.

 

9.

Index Constitution and Rebalancing

Each index is rebalanced semi-annually on the last business days of May and November.

 

  9.1

Determination of the Reference Constituents

The reference constituents are determined ten business days (T-10) preceding each rebalancing date.

 

  9.2

Determination of Constituent Weights

Five business days (T-5) preceding each rebalancing date, the tilt step and the issuer cap are applied to the reference constituents based on the most current pricing data. The corresponding T-5 constituent weights are applied to the index on the rebalancing date. This allows for advanced notice concerning potential weight changes in the index.

 

5


  9.3

Exclusions prior to Rebalancing

If an issue in the T-10 reference constituents fails the index universe screening prior to the rebalancing date, it will be removed from the index.

 

  9.4

Index Rebalancing

On the rebalancing date, each index is updated to reflect the T-5 constituent weights, and the updated par amounts for the new constituents are calculated.

 

10.

Exclusion due to Delayed or Unfiled Annual Report

If a company filed an NT 10-K report stating that it is not going to file the annual 10-K report within the extension period as dictated by the SEC based on reasons involving financial or accounting aspects solely pertaining to this company, all bonds issued by this company will be excluded from the reference universe. If such company is already in the index, its bonds will be dropped on the 3rd business day after the filing.

If a company filed an NT 10-K report and subsequently did not file the annual 10-K report during the extension period based on reasons involving financial or accounting aspects solely pertaining to this company, all bonds issued by this company will be excluded from the reference universe. If such company is already in the index, its bonds will be dropped on the 3rd business day after the end of the extension period.

If a company has been excluded from the reference universe or the index due to the reasons listed above, it will need to file or restate its 10-K and then file the next 10-Q on time before the next reference universe determination date to be eligible for inclusion into the reference universe.

 

11.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for redemptions, conversions, calls, or other corporate actions.

If a bond is converted, called or redeemed early at any point between rebalancing periods, the bond will be removed from the index, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the index.

Any corporate action will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

6

Exhibit (h)(37)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

U.S. Corporate Bond Index Family

Last Updated September 2019

 

1


Overview of Core Index Methodology

Each index is designed to capture the performance of selected issuers in the US investment grade corporate bond market that are deemed to have favorable fundamental and income characteristics. Each index employs a multi-step process, which screens on fundamentals to identify bonds with favorable characteristics and then tilts to those which offer favorable income characteristics (screen for favorable bonds and tilt towards income). The goal is to improve the risk-adjusted performance of traditional market-capitalization approaches of corporate bond indices.

Each index utilizes a screen and tilt approach to isolate bonds that have favorable fundamentals and tilts to those bonds with favorable income and valuation characteristics. Each index defines the universe, scores the individual issues against their industry sector peers based on fundamental metrics distinguishing cash flow, profitability, and leverage and creates a composite rank, which aggregates these. The securities with the lowest fundamental ranks in each sector are then discarded. A valuation or income tilt score with adjustments accounting for the probability of default and the duration effect is then applied to the market capitalization of each remaining security. The valuation tilt score incorporates the incremental income offered over Treasuries with similar maturities within the context of the credit risk and the interest rate risk they entail. The valuation tilt scores are ranked by sector and this percentile ranking is translated into a multiplier, which is applied to the market cap of the securities to determine the issue’s weighting within the index. As a final step, issuer exposure within the index is capped at 5% with the excess exposure then distributed to the remaining securities on a pro-rata basis. Each index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis, with bonds removed monthly due to rating changes, if any.

Relevant Indices in the Family (Definition in Detailed Steps)

 

   

WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Index

 

   

WisdomTree U.S. BBB Corporate Bond Index

 

   

WisdomTree U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index

 

   

WisdomTree U.S. Short-term BBB Corporate Bond Index

 

2


Index Methodology

 

  1.

Index Universe

Each index is comprised of corporate bonds of public issuers domiciled in the United States. All eligible bonds are denominated in US dollars.

1.1. Coupon Type

Each issue must pay fixed-rate coupons.

1.2. Liquidity

For the WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Index or the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index or the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term BBB Corporate Bond Index, each issue must have at least $350 million in par amount outstanding. For the WisdomTree U.S. BBB Corporate Bond Index, each issue must have at least $500 million in par amount outstanding.    Each issue must have a remaining maturity of at least one year, or equivalent of 365.25 days.

1.3 Rating

Each issue must be rated investment grade (at least BBB- or Baa3) by Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s. The final rating is determined by the average rating from the two rating agencies.

For the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term BBB Corporate Bond Index or the WisdomTree U.S. BBB Corporate Bond Index, each issue must have a maximum equivalent rating of BBB+ and minimum equivalent rating of BBB- by Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s.

1.4 Short Term

For the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term Corporate Bond Index or the WisdomTree U.S. Short-term BBB Corporate Bond Index, each issue must have at least one year to maturity and at most five years to maturity.

1.5 Sector

Each issue is classified into one of three sectors: Industrial, Financial, or Utility. Government, quasi government, foreign agencies, or supra-national issuers are excluded.

 

  2.

Rating Change

In the case that an issue (i) is downgraded to junk bond status (below Baa3 or BBB-), (ii) for WisdomTree U.S. Short-term BBB Corporate Bond Index and WisdomTree U.S. BBB Corporate Bond Index, if an issue has a rating change to above BBB+, or (iii) if the issuer has defaulted, the issue(s) would be removed from the index at the end of the month when the downgrade/rating change/default event is announced. The value associated with any such issue(s) is applied to the remaining index constituents pro rata at the end of the month.

 

3


  3.

Factor Definition

3.1 Free Cash Flow over Debt Service (FCFD)

Three-year annual weighted average of free cash flow over debt service, where debt service is calculated as Short Term Debt plus Interest payments plus Lease payments.

3.2 Negative of the Leverage Ratio (NLEV)

Leveraged ratio is defined as the last four-quarter average of Total Debt over Total Asset.

3.3 Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)

Net Income over Shareholder’s Equity plus Long Term Debt.

The final factor score is determined by the average of the three factors after normalization. Normalization refers to adjusting values measured on different scales to a notionally common scale prior to averaging. If only one of the three factors is unavailable, it will not contribute to the final factor score. If more than one factor is not available for the issue, there will be no final factor score assigned to this issue and it will be excluded from the index.

 

  4.

Fundamental Cut

The final factor score is ranked within each sector, and the bonds with the lowest 20% factor scores from each sector are removed. The issues with no factor score available are excluded from the index.

The reference constituents are defined as all the remaining bonds after the fundamental cut that are still included in each index universe.

 

  5.

Distance-to-Default (D2D) and Probability of Default (PD) Measure

D2D is obtained using Merton’s formula. Denote ssEE as the annualized volatility of trailing 1 year daily equity price changes, the firm’s asset volatility ó is estimated by:

 

LOGO

The distance to default of a firm is calculated as:

 

LOGO

 

4


where Default Barrier = Short Term Debt + 0.5 * Long Term Debt and RREE refers to the equity return.

Correspondingly, each index uses a PD measure given by a transformation of the D2D:

 

LOGO

 

  6.

Income Tilt and Amount Outstanding Adjustment

For each issue an income tilt score is obtained by

 

LOGO

where OAS stands for option-adjusted spread, and PD refers to the probability of default.

The income tilt scores are ranked (in descending order) within each sector.

The amount outstanding of each issue is adjusted by 2αα (a constant between 0 and 2), where αα is the percentage rank of the issue’s tilt score within its sector. For an issue with the top tilt score within its sector, its market value weight in the index would be doubled; for an issue with the worst tilt score within its sector, its market value weight in the index would be set to 0.

Issues with no income tilt score are removed from each index.

 

  7.

Issuer Cap

An issuer cap of 5% in total market value is applied to each index. Issues with the same ultimate parent ticker are aggregated under the same issuer.

If an issuer in an index exceeds the cap, the total market value of the issues under this issuer would be scaled down to honor the cap at rebalance.

 

  8.

Index Constitution and Rebalancing

Each index is rebalanced quarterly on the last business days of February, May, August, and November.

8.1 Determination of the Reference Constituents

The reference constituents are determined ten business days (T-10) preceding each rebalancing date.

 

5


8.2 Determination of Constituent Weights

Five business days (T-5) preceding each rebalancing date, the tilt step and the issuer cap are performed on the reference constituents based on the most current pricing data. The corresponding T-5 constituent weights are applied to the index on the rebalancing date. This allows for advanced notice concerning potential weight changes in each index.

8.3 Exclusions prior to Rebalancing

If an issue in the T-10 reference constituents fails the index universe screening prior to the rebalancing date, it will be removed from each index.

8.4 Index Rebalancing

On the rebalancing date, the index is updated to reflect the T-5 constituent weights, and the updated par amounts for the new constituents are calculated.

 

  9.

Exclusion due to Delayed or Unfiled Annual Report

If a company filed an NT 10-K report stating that it is not going to file the annual 10-K report within the extension period as dictated by the SEC based on reasons involving financial or accounting aspects solely pertaining to this company, all bonds issued by this company will be excluded from the reference universe. If such company is already in the index, its bonds will be dropped on the 3rd business day after the filing.

If a company filed an NT 10-K report and subsequently did not file the annual 10-K report during the extension period based on reasons involving financial or accounting aspects solely pertaining to this company, all bonds issued by this company will be excluded from the reference universe. If such company is already in the index, its bonds will be dropped on the 3rd business day after the end of the extension period.

If a company has been excluded from the reference universe or the index due to the reasons listed above, it will need to file or restate its 10-K and then file the next 10-Q on time before the next reference universe determination date to be eligible for inclusion into the reference universe.

 

  10.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for redemptions, conversions, calls, or other corporate actions.

If a bond is converted, called or redeemed early at any point between rebalancing periods, the bond will be removed from the index, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the index.

Any corporate action will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

6

Exhibit (h)(39)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index

Last Updated April 2019

 

Page 1 of 7


WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

Methodology Guide for the WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index

 

1.

Index Overview and Description

The WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index [referred to as “the Index”] was developed by WisdomTree Investments (WTI). WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index is comprised of 200 U.S. companies with the highest composite scores based on two fundamental factors, value and quality measures, and two technical factors, momentum and correlation.

The Index is reconstituted on a quarterly basis (following the close of trading on the second Friday in March, June, September and December).

The Index is calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Index. The Index is calculated using primary market prices and calculated in U.S. dollars.

 

2.

Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent, must list shares on a U.S. stock exchange, be incorporated and headquartered in the United States. Companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $1,000,000 for each of the three months preceding the Screening Date (after the close of trading on the last trading day in February, May, August, November). Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs are excluded, as are limited partnerships, limited liability companies, royalty trusts, Business Development Companies (BDCs), mortgage REITs and companies that are not incorporated and headquartered in the United States (“United States” is defined herein as the 50 U.S. states plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). Preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. The publicly traded security for WisdomTree Investments, Inc., ticker WETF, is not eligible for inclusion in any of WisdomTree’s equity indexes.

Top 800 companies by market capitalization that meet the selection criteria are assigned a score for each of the following factors:

 

  1)

Value Factor – determined by fundamental valuation ratios, i.e. sales to price, book to price, earnings to price, estimated earnings to price, EBITDA to enterprise value, operating cash flow to price. Scores are calculated within industry groups.

 

Page 2 of 7


  2)

Quality Factor – determined by static observations and trends of return on equity (ROE), return on assets (ROA), gross profits over assets and cash flows over assets. Scores are calculated within industry groups.

 

  3)

Momentum Factor – determined by stocks’ risk adjusted total returns over historical periods (6 and 12 months)

 

  4)

Low Correlation Factor – incorporates diversification potential of stocks that are less correlated to the market over historical periods (6 and 12 months).

The score for each factor is used to calculate an overall factor score that is used to rank and select the top 25% for inclusion into the Index. The highest ranking multifactor scoring companies will be selected, subject to maximum and minimum constraints on number of components within a sector in seeking sector diversification.

 

  2.2

Base Date and Base Value

The WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index was established with a base value of 200 on June 9, 2017.

 

  2.3

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the U.S. Multifactor Index:

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

Ei = Cross rate of currency of Security i vs. USD. If security price in USD, Ei = 1

D = Divisor

The Index is calculated whenever the U.S. stock exchanges are open. If trading is suspended while the exchange the component company trades on is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Index. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars. The price Index is calculated and disseminated on an intra-day basis. The total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis.

 

Page 3 of 7


  2.4

Weighting

The WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index is weighted by a combination of the company overall factor score and inverse volatility over the prior 12 months.

The Weighting Date is when component weights are set and it occurs on Monday following the first Friday of the rebalance month. The changes will go into effect after the close of trading on the second Friday of the rebalance month.

The Index will be modified should the following occur. Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of its Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced. Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced to reflect their relative weights before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

The following capping rules are applied in this order:

 

   

The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 4% on the quarterly rebalance prior to the introduction of sector caps and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally.

 

   

Sectors are weighted to be sector neutral relative to the sector weights in the starting universe

Note: all sector cappings are conducted based on the GICS sector classifications.

The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after top holding and sector caps have been applied:

A further volume screen requires that a calculated volume factor (the average daily dollar volume for three months preceding the Screening Date / weight of security in each index) shall be greater than $200 million to be eligible for each index. If a security’s volume factor falls below $200 million at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The securities’ weight will be adjusted downwards by an adjustment factor equal to its volume factor divided by $400 million.

 

Page 4 of 7


In the event a security has a calculated volume factor (average daily volume traded over the preceding three months / weight in the index) that is less than $400 million, its weight will be reduced such that weight after volume adjustment = weight before adjustment x calculated volume factor / $400 million. The implementation of the volume factor may cause an increase in the holding, sector and country weights above the specified caps.

 

  2.5

Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index. However, special dividends that are not reinvested in the total return index require index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price index.

 

  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, the share class with the highest average daily volume will be included. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index.

 

3.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spins-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits, stock dividends, and rights offerings require changes in the index shares and the stock prices of the component companies in the Indexes. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances, increases or decreases in dividend per share between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock prices of the component companies in the Index. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends and entitlements, may require Index divisor adjustments. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

Page 5 of 7


  3.1.

Component Changes

Additions

Additions to the Indexes are made at the reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. Changes are implemented following the close of trading on the second Friday in March, June, September and December. No additions are made to the Index between reconstitutions, except in the cases of certain spin-off companies defined below.

Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Indexes are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day prior to the execution date.1 Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e. that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification.

 

  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company it is allowed to stay in the Index that its parent company is in until the next reconstitution. Spin-off shares of publicly traded companies that are included in the same indexes as their parent company are increased to reflect the spin-off and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that meet all other Index inclusion requirements must wait until the next reconstitution to be included in the Index.

 

1 

Companies being acquired will be deleted from the WisdomTree indexes immediately before the effective date of the acquisition or upon notice of a suspension of trading in the stock of the company that is being acquired. In cases where an effective date is not publicly announced in advance, or where a notice of suspension of trading in connection with an acquisition is not announced in advance, WisdomTree reserves the right to delete the company being acquired based on best available market information

 

Page 6 of 7


4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WisdomTree reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy, re-incorporate outside of a defined domicile in the intervening weeks between the Screening Date and the Reconstitution Date are not included in the Indexes, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

5.

Selection Parameters

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass these selection criteria as of the Screening Date are included in the Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

Page 7 of 7

Exhibit (h)(41)

WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Index

Last Updated May 2019

 

Page 1 of 8


WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY

Methodology Guide for the WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Index

 

1.

Index Overview and Description

The WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Index [referred to as “the Index”] was developed by WisdomTree Investments (WTI). WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Index is comprised of mid- and large-cap companies that are generating substantial revenue from a modern platform business. A modern platform business can be defined as a multi-sided business model focused on creating value by facilitating interactions between two or more interdependent groups through technology. These platform businesses are positioned to benefit from the “network effect” which is the positive effect on a good or service as the number of customers or participants increases.

Included companies must facilitate the exchange of value between two or more groups, usually a demand side and a supply side and are often referred to as “consumers” and “producers,” respectively. Generally, platforms must allow consumers to easily sign up and provide a standardized process to onboard producers. Eligible platform types will include the following: services, product, payment, investment, social networking, gaming, communication, content and development.

The Index is reconstituted on an annual basis (following the close of trading on the second Friday in June1).

The Index is calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Index. The Index is calculated using primary market prices and calculated in U.S. dollars.

 

2.

Key Features

 

  2.1.

Membership Criteria

To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, component companies must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent, must list shares on a U.S. or European stock exchange and generate significant revenue from business lines active in modern platforms or digital marketplaces based on several factors such as business model, customer or participant relationship and revenue source. Companies need to have a float-adjusted market capitalization of at least $2 billion and an average daily dollar volume of at least $1,000,000 for each of the three months preceding the Screening Date (after the close of trading on the last trading day in May). If a

 

1 

Annual rebalance commencing June 2020.

 

Page 2 of 8


security was recently listed and does not have 3-months of trading history, the data available since listing will be used to extrapolate a 3-month average daily traded value. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, holding companies, ADRs, GDRs and EDRs are eligible for inclusion. Limited partnerships, limited liability companies, royalty trusts, Business Development Companies (BDCs) and mortgage REITs are excluded. Preferred stocks, closed-end funds, passive foreign investment companies, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible. The publicly traded security for WisdomTree Investments, Inc., ticker WETF, is not eligible for inclusion in any of WisdomTree’s equity indexes.

In order to be classified as a platform business, a company needs to have financial metrics and applicable language in its Annual Report, 10K or equivalent report. As an example, the following information and guidelines will be used in making the classification.

Customer relationship—business has direct relationship with a user group who consumes value (e.g., product, service, content, etc.).

Producer relationship—business has direct relationship with an external user group who supplies the value to be consumed by another user group. In some cases, this producer user can be the same person as the consumer group, but they engage in a separate set of activities related to creating value when acting as a producer.

Value Created by Producer—the value (e.g., product, service, content, etc.) being consumed by Consumer user group is being supplied by a third-party and is not directly controlled by the company, and that supply does not sit on company’s balance sheet.

Network Effect—there is a positive network externality between the consumer and producer user groups, meaning that the demand for the platform from one user group is dependent upon the number of users on the other side of the platform. The company will either explicitly mention it is subject to network effects or include a statement indicating that the more consumers that use the platform, the more value each producer will get from the platform, and vice versa.

Network Ownership -The company owns the network by which the consumers and producers directly connect. If the company services multiple customer groups but does not own the underlying network that connects them, it may not qualify (i.e., it is a service provider to that network, and not a platform business itself).

 

Page 3 of 8


Platform Revenue—The company derives revenue from its platform business unit(s). There is direct platform revenue, which includes money captured as revenue by the platform as a percentage of the monetary value of each transaction it facilitates (e.g., a take rate). There is also indirect platform revenue, which includes revenue generated by providing products or services related to the facilitation of value exchanges on the platform (e.g., advertising, fulfillment services, additional software features that enable the user to transact on the platform).

Platform Revenue Percentage —The company must have a certain threshold of revenue that can be mapped or influenced from a platform business unit or relevant business units. The standard threshold is 50%, except for platform types that require high fixed costs due to hardware, upfront development, labor, or logistics costs, as in development platforms, services marketplaces, and product marketplaces. Targeted platform revenue thresholds by platform type:

 

   

Product Marketplace: 20%

 

   

Services Marketplace: 35%

 

   

Investment Platform: 50%

 

   

Payment Platform: 50%

 

   

Social Networking Platform: 50%

 

   

Social Gaming Platform: 50%

 

   

Communication Platform: 50%

 

   

Content Platform: 50%

 

   

Development Platform: 20%2

 

  2.2

Base Date and Base Value

The WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Index was established with a base value of 200 on April 30, 2019.

 

  2.3

Calculation and Dissemination

The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Modern Tech Platforms Index:

 

LOGO

Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.

Pi = Price of security i

Ei = Cross rate of currency of Security i vs. USD. If security price in USD, Ei = 1

D = Divisor

 

2 

Development platforms also consider total dollar amount of revenue as well and will include companies that generate $1 billion of revenue, regardless of percentage of total revenue.

 

Page 4 of 8


The Index is calculated whenever the stock exchanges are open. If trading is suspended while the exchange the component company trades on is still open, the last traded price for that stock is used for all subsequent Index computations until trading resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stock’s adjusted closing price from the previous day is used to calculate the Index. Until a particular stock opens, its adjusted closing price from the previous day is used in the Index computation. Index values are calculated on both a price and total-return basis, in U.S. dollars. The price Index is calculated and disseminated on an intra-day basis. The total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis.

 

  2.4

Weighting

The WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Index is an equal-weighted index.

The Weighting Date is when component weights are set and it occurs on Monday following the first Friday of the rebalance month. The changes will go into effect after the close of trading on the second Friday of the rebalance month.

The Index will be modified should the following occur. Should any company achieve a weighting equal to or greater than 24.0% of its Index, its weighting will be reduced to 20.0% at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced. Moreover, should the “collective weight” of Index component securities whose individual current weights equal or exceed 5.0% of the Index, when added together, equal or exceed 50.0% of the Index, the weightings in those component securities will be reduced so that their collective weight equals 40.0% of the Index at the close of the current calendar quarter, and other components in the Index will be rebalanced to reflect their relative weights before the adjustment. Further iterations of these adjustments may occur until no company or group of companies violates these rules.

Buffer Rules:

Market capitalization: an existing index constituent shall continue to remain in the index even if its market capitalization does not meet the previously defined minimum market capitalization criteria; but remains within 50% of this limit.

Liquidity: an existing index constituent shall continue to remain in the index even if its liquidity is below the previously defined average daily traded value limit; but remains within 50% of this limit.

 

Page 5 of 8


Revenue: an existing index constituent shall continue to remain in the index even if its revenue does not meet the previously defined minimum criteria; but revenue from digital marketplaces remains over 40%.

The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied:

A further volume screen requires that a calculated volume factor (the average daily dollar volume for three months preceding the Screening Date / weight of security in each index) shall be greater than $400 million to be eligible for each index. If a security’s volume factor falls below $400 million at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The securities’ weight will be adjusted downwards by an adjustment factor equal to its volume factor divided by $400 million.

In the event a security has a calculated volume factor (average daily volume traded over the preceding three months / weight in the index) that is less than $400 million, its weight will be reduced such that weight after volume adjustment = weight before adjustment x calculated volume factor / $400 million.

 

  2.5

Dividend Treatment

Normal dividend payments are not taken into account in the price Index, whereas they are reinvested and accounted for in the total return Index. However, special dividends that are not reinvested in the total return index require index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price index.

 

  2.6

Multiple Share Classes

In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, the share class with the highest average daily volume will be included. Conversion of a share class into another share class results in the deletion of the share class being phased out and an increase in shares of the surviving share class, provided that the surviving share class is in the Index.

 

3.

Index Maintenance

Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spins-offs, or other corporate actions. Some corporate actions, such as stock splits, stock dividends, and rights offerings require changes in the index shares and the stock prices of the component companies in the Index. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances,

 

Page 6 of 8


increases or decreases in dividend per share between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock prices of the component companies in the Index. Other corporate actions, such as special dividends and entitlements, may require Index divisor adjustments. Any corporate action, whether it requires divisor adjustments or not, will be implemented after the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Index’s components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.

 

  3.1.

Component Changes Additions

Additions to the Index are made at the reconstitution according to the inclusion criteria defined above. Changes are implemented following the close of trading on the second Friday in June. No additions are made to the Index between reconstitutions, except in the cases of certain spin-off companies defined below.

Deletions

Shares of companies that are de-listed or acquired by a company outside of the Index are deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in composition of the Index. A component company that files for bankruptcy is deleted from the Index and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. If a component company is acquired by another company in the Index for stock, the acquiring company’s shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day prior to the execution date.3 Component companies that reclassify their shares (i.e., that convert multiple share classes into a single share class) remain in the Index, although index shares are adjusted to reflect the reclassification.

 

  3.2.

Spin-Offs and IPOs

Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company it is allowed to stay in the Index that its parent company is in until the next reconstitution. Spin-off shares of publicly traded companies that are included in the same indexes as their parent company are increased to

 

3 

Companies being acquired will be deleted from the Index immediately before the effective date of the acquisition or upon notice of a suspension of trading in the stock of the company that is being acquired. In cases where an effective date is not publicly announced in advance, or where a notice of suspension of trading in connection with an acquisition is not announced in advance, WisdomTree reserves the right to delete the company being acquired based on best available market information

 

Page 7 of 8


reflect the spin-off and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted proportionately to reflect the change in the composition of the Index. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and that meet all other Index inclusion requirements must wait until the next reconstitution to be included in the Index.

 

4.

Index Divisor Adjustments

Changes in the Index’s market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Index’s continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity before and after the event. Corporate actions that require divisor adjustments will be implemented prior to the opening of trading on the effective date. In certain instances where information is incomplete, or the completion of an event is announced too late to be implemented prior to the ex-date, the implementation will occur as of the close of the following day or as soon as practicable thereafter. For corporate actions not described herein, or combinations of different types of corporate events and other exceptional cases, WTI reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.

Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy, or reincorporate outside of a defined domicile in the intervening weeks between the Screening Date and the Reconstitution Date are not included in the Index, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.

 

5.

Selection Parameters

Selection parameters for the WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass these selection criteria as of the Screening Date are included in the Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1.

 

Page 8 of 8

Exhibit (i)(33)

 

LOGO

 

October 28, 2019

WisdomTree Trust

245 Park Avenue

35th Floor

New York, NY 10167

 

Re:    Registration Statement on Form N-1A

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to WisdomTree Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”), in connection with Post-Effective Amendment Number 721 to the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on or about October 28, 2019 (the “Registration Statement”), with respect to the issuance of shares of beneficial interest, with $0.001 par value per share (collectively, the “Shares”), of each separate series of the Trust listed on Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Funds”). You have requested that we deliver this opinion to you in connection with the Trust’s filing of the Registration Statement.

In connection with the furnishing of this opinion, we have examined the following documents:

 

  (a)

A certificate of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, dated as of a recent date, as to the existence and good standing of the Trust;

 

  (b)

A copy, certified by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, of the Trust’s Certificate of Trust dated December 15, 2005, as filed with the Secretary of State (the “Certificate of Trust”);

 

  (c)

Copies of the Trust’s Trust Instrument, dated December 15, 2005, and Schedule A thereto as revised to date (the “Trust Instrument”), the Trust’s By-Laws dated December 15, 2005, as amended June 16, 2016 (the “By-Laws”), and the resolutions adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust authorizing the issuance of the Shares of the Funds (the “Resolutions”), each certified by an authorized officer of the Trust; and

 

  (d)

A printer’s proof of the Registration Statement.

In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the conformity to the originals of all of the documents reviewed by us as copies, including conformed copies, the authenticity and completeness of all original documents reviewed by us in original or copy form, and the legal competence of each individual executing any document. We have assumed that the

 

  Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP   
  1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW   
  Washington, DC 20004    LOGO +1.202.739.3000
  United States        LOGO +1.202.739.3001


WisdomTree Trust

October 28, 2019

Page 2

 

Registration Statement, as filed with the Commission, will be in substantially the form of the printer’s proof referred to in paragraph (d) above. We also have assumed for the purposes of this opinion that the Certificate of Trust, Trust Instrument, By-Laws, and Resolutions will not have been amended, modified or withdrawn with respect to matters relating to the Shares, and will be in full force and effect on the date of issuance of such Shares.

This opinion is based entirely on our review of the documents listed above and such other documents as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for the purposes of this opinion and such investigation of law as we have deemed necessary or appropriate. We have made no other review or investigation of any kind whatsoever, and we have assumed, without independent inquiry, the accuracy of the information set forth in such documents.

This opinion is limited solely to the Delaware Statutory Trust Act to the extent that the same may apply to or govern the transaction referred to herein, and we express no opinion with respect to the laws of any other jurisdiction or to any other laws of the State of Delaware. Further, we express no opinion as to any state or federal securities laws, including the securities laws of the State of Delaware. No opinion is given herein as to the choice of law or internal substantive rules of law that any tribunal may apply to such transaction. In addition, to the extent that the Trust Instrument or the By-Laws refer to, incorporate, or require compliance with the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or any other law or regulation applicable to the Trust, except for the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, we have assumed compliance by the Trust with the 1940 Act and such other laws and regulations.

We understand that all of the foregoing assumptions and limitations are acceptable to you.

Based upon and subject to the foregoing, it is our opinion that the Shares, when issued and sold in accordance with the Trust Instrument, By-Laws, Resolutions, and Registration Statement, will be validly issued, fully paid, and nonassessable by the Trust.

This opinion is given as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update this opinion to reflect any changes in law or any other facts or circumstances which may hereafter come to our attention. We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In rendering this opinion and giving this consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

Very truly yours,
/s/ Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP


WisdomTree Trust

October 28, 2019

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Schedule A

Europe Multifactor Fund

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund

Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund

Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund

Japan Multifactor Fund

Emerging Markets Dividend Fund

ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund

U.S. Corporate Bond Fund

U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund

U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund

Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund

Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund

Balanced Income Fund

90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund

Exhibit (j)

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the references to our firm under the captions “Financial Highlights” in the Prospectus and “Miscellaneous Information – Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the Statement of Additional Information in Post-Effective Amendment Number 721 to the Registration Statement (Form N-1A No 333-132380) of WisdomTree Trust, and to the incorporation by reference of our report, dated August 22, 2019, on WisdomTree Europe Multifactor Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Europe Equity Fund), WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Fund, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund, WisdomTree Japan Multifactor Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Japan Equity Fund), WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Fund, WisdomTree ICBCCS S&P China 500 Fund, WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (formerly, WisdomTree Fundamental U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund), WisdomTree Dynamic Bearish U.S. Equity Fund, WisdomTree Dynamic Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund, WisdomTree Balanced Income Fund and WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund, included in the Annual Reports for the fiscal periods ended June 30, 2019.

 

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

 

New York, NY
October 28, 2019