As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 17, 2020
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. 762 | ☑ | |||
and/or | ||||
REGISTRATION STATEMENT | ||||
UNDER | ||||
THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | ☑ | |||
Amendment No. 764 |
(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
(Registrants 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 |
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of the Registration Statement.
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 (Date) 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. |
* | Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: [____] |
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | [ ] |
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |
Management Fees | [ ] |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | [ ] |
Other Expenses | [ ] |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | [ ]1 |
1 Year | 3 Years | |
[ ] | [ ] |
■ | CEF and BDC Investing Risk. The value of the underlying securities held by a CEF could decrease or the portfolio could become illiquid. CEFs that are financially leveraged may create an opportunity for greater total return, but with more volatility than other investments, and greater potential for loss. Shares of CEFs frequently trade at a discount from their NAV. There can be no assurance that the market discount on shares of any CEF purchased by the Fund will ever decrease. In fact, it is possible that this market discount may increase, and the Fund may suffer realized or unrealized capital losses due to further decline in the market price of the securities of such CEF, thereby adversely affecting the Fund’s NAV. In addition to the foregoing risks with respect to CEFs, federal securities laws impose restraints upon the organization and operations of BDCs that can limit or negatively impact the performance of a BDC. BDCs generally invest in less mature private companies, which involve greater risk than well-established, publicly traded companies, and BDCs are subject to high failure rates among the companies in which they invest. BDCs may have relatively concentrated portfolios, which include a small number of investments. A significant portion of a BDC’s investments are recorded at fair value as determined by its board of directors, which may potentially result in material differences between a BDC’s NAV and its market price. |
■ | REIT Investing Risk. By investing in REITs, the Fund will be exposed to the risks of owning real estate, such as decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, increased competition and other risks related to local or general economic conditions, increases in operating costs and property taxes, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, possible environmental liabilities, regulatory limitations on rent and fluctuations in rental income. In addition, REITs are subject to the possibility of failing to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally available to them under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and failing to maintain exemption from the registration requirements of the 1940 Act. REITs may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases risk and could adversely affect a REIT’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. |
■ | 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. The respiratory illness |
COVID-19 caused by a novel coronavirus has resulted in a global pandemic and major disruption to economies and markets around the world, including the United States and foreign countries. Financial markets have experienced extreme volatility and severe losses, and trading in many instruments has been disrupted. Liquidity for many instruments has been greatly reduced for 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. |
■ | Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in Vehicles that hold mortgage-related fixed income securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”). FNMA and FHLMC are generally backed only by the general creditworthiness and reputation of the U.S. government agency, government-sponsored entity, or government corporation issuing the security and are not guaranteed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury or backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. As a result, there is uncertainty as to the current status of many obligations of FNMA or FHLMC and other agencies that are placed under conservatorship of the U.S. government. GNMA securities are generally backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Agency mortgage-backed securities may be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than other types of debt securities. Movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of agency mortgage-backed securities. Agency mortgage-backed securities are subject to fluctuations in yield due to prepayment rates that may be faster or slower than expected. Agency mortgage-backed securities can also be subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgages. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a mortgage-related transaction would expose the Fund to possible loss. These risks may reduce the Fund’s returns. |
■ | Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain types of asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities can also be subject to the risk of default on underlying assets. Asset-backed securities are subject to fluctuations in yield due to prepayment rates that may be faster or slower than expected. |
■ | Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cybersecurity, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cybersecurity, 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 cybersecurity 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. |
■ | Geopolitical Risk. The United States has experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters, the spread of infectious illness, widespread disease or other public health issues 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. |
■ | Illiquid Securities Risk. Illiquid investments may be difficult to sell at an acceptable price, they may be subject to greater volatility and may result in a loss to the Fund. Investments acquired by the Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, economic conditions and/or investor perception. |
■ | 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 (3)-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates. |
■ | Investments in Underlying Funds Risk. Because the Fund invests in Underlying Funds, its investment performance largely depends on the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which it invests. The Fund will pay indirectly a proportional share of the fees and expenses of the Underlying Funds in which it invests, including their investment advisory and administration fees, in addition to its own fees and expenses. In addition, at times certain segments of the market represented by constituent Underlying Funds may be out of favor and underperform other segments. Investments by the Fund in an Underlying Fund are subject to, among other risks, the risk that the listing exchange may halt trading of the Underlying Fund’s shares. In addition, the Fund may be subject to the following risks as a result of investments and strategies pursued by the Underlying Funds: |
■ | Collateralized Loan Obligation Risk. A collateralized loan obligation is a trust collateralized by a pool of credit-related assets. Accordingly, collateralized loan obligation securities present risks similar to those of other types of credit investments, including credit and interest rate risks. The extent of these risks depend largely on the type of securities used as collateral and the class of the collateralized loan obligation in which the Fund invests. Collateralized loan obligations are typically leveraged, and such leverage will magnify the loss on collateralized loan obligation investments, which may result in investment loss experienced by the Fund. The cumulative effect of the use of leverage with respect to any investments in a market that moves adversely to such investments could result in a substantial loss that would be greater than if the Fund’s investments were not leveraged. |
■ | High Yield Securities Risk. Higher yielding 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. High yield securities may be regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. |
■ | 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. |
■ | Micro-Capitalization Investing Risk. Micro cap companies may be newly formed or in the early stages of development with limited product lines, markets or financial resources. Micro cap companies may be less financially secure and may be more vulnerable to key personnel losses. Micro cap stock prices may be more volatile than large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies and such stocks may be more thinly traded and thus difficult for the Fund to buy and sell in the market. |
■ | Private Credit Risk. Investments in private securities are not traded in public markets, are illiquid, can be subject to various restrictions on resale, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to realize the value of such investments in a timely manner. Additionally, private credit investments can range in credit quality depending on security-specific factors, including total leverage, amount of leverage senior to the security in question, variability in the issuer’s cash flows, the size of the issuer, the quality of assets securing |
debt and the degree to which such assets cover the subject company’s debt obligations. The companies in which the Fund invests may be leveraged, often as a result of leveraged buyouts or other recapitalization transactions, and often will not be rated by national credit rating agencies. | |
■ | Senior Loan Investing Risk. Substantial increases in interest rates may cause an increase in loan defaults as borrowers may lack resources to meet higher debt service requirements. The value of the Fund’s assets may also be affected by other uncertainties such as economic developments affecting the market for senior secured term loans or affecting borrowers generally. Moreover, the security for the Fund’s investments in secured debt may not be recognized for a variety of reasons, including the failure to make required filings by lenders, trustees or other responsible parties and, as a result, the Fund may not have priority over other creditors as anticipated. |
■ | Small-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in the securities of small-capitalization companies through the Fund’s investments in the Vehicles. 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. |
■ | 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. |
■ | Non-Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. Non-agency mortgage-backed securities are subject to heightened risks as compared to agency mortgage-backed securities, including that non-agency mortgage-backed securities are not subject to the same underwriting requirements for the underlying mortgages that are applicable to those mortgage-backed securities that have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee. As a result, the mortgage loans underlying non-agency mortgage-backed securities may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk, or other underwriting characteristics than government or government-sponsored mortgage-backed securities and have wider variances in a number of terms including interest rate, term, size, purpose, and borrower characteristics. There may be a limited market for such securities. |
■ | 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. |
Alternative Credit Sector | Primary Alternative Credit Investments | Primary Type of Vehicle |
Private Corporate Lending | High-yield bonds and broadly syndicated leveraged loans (including CLOs) | CEFs |
Public Corporate Debt | Private loans made to middle market corporations, primarily for sponsor finance (i.e., funding private equity acquisitions) | BDCs |
Commercial Real Estate Lending | Commercial real estate mortgages, or securitizations thereof | REITs |
Agency Real Estate Debt | Securitizations of residential and commercial mortgages guaranteed by a government-sponsored enterprise (e.g., Fannie Mae) | REITs |
Non-Agency Real Estate Debt | Mortgages, or securitizations thereof, that do not carry a government guarantee | REITs |
Multi-Sector Alternative Credit | Combination of exposures to the five sectors | CEFs and REITs |
Name of Fund | Management Fee |
WisdomTree Alternative Credit Strategy Fund | [____] |
■ | The Fund makes distributions; |
■ | You sell Fund shares; and |
■ | You purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only). |
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 |
WISDOMTREE® TRUST
WisdomTree Alternative Credit Strategy Fund [( )]
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: [ ]
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Dated [ ], 2021
This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the Prospectus) for the WisdomTree Alternative Credit Strategy Fund (the Fund), a separate series of WisdomTree Trust (the Trust), as such Prospectus may be revised from time to time.
The current Prospectus for the Fund is dated [ ], 2021. 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 Report to Shareholders (File No. 811-21864). When available, you may obtain a copy of the Funds Annual Report at no charge by request to the Fund at the address or phone number noted below.
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.
THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SEC IS EFFECTIVE. THIS SAI IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
A copy of the Prospectus for the 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.
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND
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 Trusts shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act).
The Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the [Alternative Credit Index], which is designed to provide diversified exposure to alternative credit sectors. The Index is created using the proprietary methodology developed by [ ]. WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (WisdomTree Asset Management or the Adviser) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (WisdomTree Investments) is the parent company of WisdomTree Asset Management. [ ] ([ ] or the Sub-Adviser) is the investment sub-adviser to the Fund. The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser may be referred to collectively as the Advisers. Foreside Fund Services, LLC serves as the distributor (Distributor) of the shares of the Fund.
The Fund is an exchange traded fund (ETF). The Fund issues and redeems shares at net asset value per share (NAV) only in large blocks of shares (Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations). 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 (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the Fund are not redeemable securities.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the [ ] (a Listing Exchange), and trade throughout the day on the Listing Exchange and other secondary markets at market prices that may be greater than (premium) or less than (discount) their 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 Fund.
WisdomTree is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments and has been licensed for use by the Trust.
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
The Funds investment objective, principal investment strategies and associated risks are described in the Funds 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 the Fund as a part of its non-principal investment strategies. With respect to the Funds 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.
The 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. The 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.
The Fund is considered non-diversified, as such term is used in the 1940 Act.
Changing economic, political or financial market conditions in one country or geographic region could adversely affect the market value of the securities held by the Fund in a different country or geographic region due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. In addition, certain geopolitical and other events, including environmental events and public health events such as epidemics and pandemics, may have a global impact and add to instability in world economies and markets generally. As a result, whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic, political, financial and/or social difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Funds investments may be negatively affected by such events. Such market conditions also may lead to increased regulation of the Fund and the instruments in which the Fund may invest, which may, in turn, increase the expenses incurred by the Fund and/or affect the Funds ability to pursue its investment objective and the Funds performance.
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A recent outbreak of a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread globally in a short period of time. In an organized attempt to contain and mitigate the effects of COVID-19, governments and businesses world-wide have taken aggressive measures, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations. COVID-19 has resulted in the disruption of and delays in the delivery of healthcare services and processes, the cancellation of organized events and educational institutions, the disruption of production and supply chains, a decline in consumer demand for certain goods and services, and general concern and uncertainty, all of which have contributed to increased volatility in global markets. The effects of COVID-19 have affected and are likely to continue to affect certain sectors and industries more dramatically than others, and the effects borne by some will negatively affect the value of the issuers in those sectors and industries, which may adversely affect the value of the Funds investments in those sectors or industries. COVID-19, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations, the global economy, individual companies and capital markets in ways that cannot be foreseen at the present time. In addition, the impact of infectious diseases in developing or emerging market countries may be greater due to limited health care resources. Political, economic and social stresses caused by COVID-19 also may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries. The duration of COVID-19 and its effects cannot be determined at this time, but the effects could be present for an extended period of time.
It is impossible to predict the effects on the Fund of these or similar events and market conditions in the future. However, it is possible that these or similar events and market conditions could have a significant and adverse effect on the NAV and/or risk profile of the Fund.
An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the Funds portfolio securities may fluctuate (including significantly decrease) in accordance with changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular security or issuer, changes in general economic or political conditions, local, regional or global events such as war, threats of war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, natural and environmental disasters, systemic market dislocations, supply disruptions, or other events. Such events may disparately impact a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class.
The 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 NAV. An investor in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time. The price of the securities and other investments held by the Fund and thus the value of the Funds portfolio is expected to fluctuate in accordance with general economic conditions, interest rates, political events, and other factors.
An investment in the Fund should also be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in investing in business development companies, closed-end funds and real estate investment trusts. Investor perceptions, confidence (or lack thereof) and/or uncertainty may also impact the value of Fund investments and the value of an investment in Fund shares. These investor perceptions, confidence (or lack thereof) and/or uncertainty 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, health or banking crises.
In addition, an investment in the Fund should be made with the understanding that although the Fund attempts to invest in liquid securities and instruments, there can be no guarantee that a liquid market for such securities and instruments will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which holdings may be sold and the value of the Funds shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Funds portfolio holdings are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
Issuer-specific conditions may also affect the value of the Funds 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. The Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments if the issuer or counterparty defaults. Accordingly, the value of an investment in the Fund may change in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Funds portfolio securities.
Although all of the securities in the Index are generally listed on one or more 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 the Funds shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Funds portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
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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.
The 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 the Fund, costs of purchasing or selling shares of the Fund, including the bid/ask spread, and liquidity of the Fund may be impacted by purchases and sales of the 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 Fund does not intend to borrow money as part of its principal investment strategies, the Fund may do so to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may borrow up to 33% of its net assets, but under normal market conditions, the Fund does not expect to borrow greater than 10% of the Funds net assets. The Fund will borrow only for short-term or emergency purposes.
Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on NAV of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Funds portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs that may or may not be recovered by earnings on the securities purchased. The 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.
CYBERSECURITY RISK. Investment companies, such as the Fund, and its 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 cybersecurity breaches. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund or the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, accountant, custodian, transfer agent, market makers, Authorized Participants and other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of Authorized Participant transactions, impact the Funds ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential company information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses, and cause reputational damage. The Fund could incur extraordinary expenses for cybersecurity risk management purposes, prevention and/or resolution. Similar types of cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Funds investment in such portfolio companies to lose value.
LACK OF DIVERSIFICATION. The Fund is considered to be non-diversified. A non-diversified classification means that the 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, the Fund 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, the 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 Funds volatility and performance.
TAX RISK. To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment accorded to RICs, the 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 Funds business of investing in stock or securities. Accordingly, regulations may be issued in the future that could treat some or all of a Funds foreign currency gains as nonqualifying income, which might jeopardize such Funds status as a RIC for all years to which the regulations are applicable. If for any taxable year the 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 the regular corporate rate without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable to shareholders as dividend income to the extent of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits.
A discussion of some of the other risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Funds Prospectus.
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SPECIFIC INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
A description of certain investment strategies and types of investments that may be used by the Fund is set forth below.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES. The Fund will invest in business development companies (BDCs), whose principal business is to invest in and lend capital to privately held companies. The 1940 Act imposes certain restraints upon the operations of a BDC. For example, BDCs are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of private companies or thinly traded U.S. public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. Generally, little public information exists for private and thinly traded companies, and there is a risk that investors may not be able to make a fully informed investment decision. With investments in debt instruments, there is a risk that the issuer may default on its payments or declare bankruptcy. Additionally, a BDC may incur indebtedness only in amounts such that the BDCs asset coverage equals at least 200% after such incurrence. BDCs generally invest in less mature private companies, which involve greater risk than well-established, publicly-traded companies. Investments made by BDCs generally are less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of these investments may make it difficult to sell such investments, and the Fund may realize a loss on its investments. BDCs may have relatively concentrated investment portfolios, consisting of a relatively small number of holdings. A consequence of this limited number of investments is that the aggregate returns realized may be disproportionately impacted by the investment performance of a small number of investments, or even a single investment. Market disruptions, including a downturn in capital markets in general, or a downgrade of the credit rating of a BDC held by the Fund may increase the cost of borrowing to that company, thereby adversely impacting the Funds returns. Credit downgrades also may result in requirements on a company to provide additional support in the form of letters of credit or cash or other collateral to various counterparties.
CLOSED-END INVESTMENT COMPANIES. The Fund will invest in closed-end investment companies (CEFs). The value of the underlying securities held by a CEF could decrease or the portfolio could become illiquid. CEFs may issue senior securities (including preferred stock and debt obligations) for the purpose of leveraging the CEFs common shares in an attempt to enhance the current return to such CEFs common shareholders. The Funds investment in the common shares of CEFs that are financially leveraged may create an opportunity for greater total return, but with more volatility than other investments, and greater potential for loss. CEFs are also able to utilize leverage to a greater degree than other investment companies, such as mutual funds or ETFs. As a result, the Fund may be exposed indirectly to leverage through an investment in CEFs, which may expose the Fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the Funds long-term returns may be lower. Shares of CEFs frequently trade at a discount from their NAV. There can be no assurance that the market discount on shares of any CEF purchased by the Fund will ever decrease. In fact, it is possible that this market discount may increase, and the Fund may suffer realized or unrealized capital losses due to further decline in the market price of the securities of such CEF, thereby adversely affecting the Funds NAV.
DERIVATIVES. The Fund may use derivative instruments as part of its investment strategy. The Fund will not use derivatives to increase leverage, and the 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, the 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 the 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 Fund treats deliverable forward contracts for currencies that are liquid as the equivalent of cash-settled contracts. As such, the Fund may have available liquid assets in an amount equal to the Funds daily marked-to-market (net) obligation (i.e., the Funds 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 the Fund may have available liquid assets in an amount equal to the Funds daily marked-to-market (net) obligation rather than the notional value. The Fund reserves the right to modify these policies in the future.
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 OTC market are subject to initial and variation margin requirements. The Funds 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,
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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, the Fund may need to hold more cash, 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 an increase in expense ratio, lead to the realization of taxable gains, increase costs to the Fund of trading or otherwise affect returns to investors in the 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 SECs and the CFTCs 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 CFTCs 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 Fund to continue to operate and achieve its investment objective. If, however, these requirements or future regulatory changes result in the Fund having difficulty in achieving its investment objective, the Trust may determine to reorganize or close the Fund, materially change the Funds investment objective and strategies, or operate the Fund as a regulated commodity pool pursuant to WisdomTree Asset Managements CPO registration.
With regard to the 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 the 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 the Fund are not marketed as interests in a commodity pool or other vehicle for trading in commodity futures, commodity options or swaps.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. The Fund may use futures contracts and related options: (i) to attempt to gain exposure to foreign currencies, and (ii) to attempt to gain exposure to a particular market, instrument or index. To the extent the Fund uses futures and options, it will do so only in accordance with applicable requirements of the CEA and the rules thereunder.
Futures Contracts. A futures contract is a standardized contract traded on a recognized exchange in which two parties agree to exchange either a specified financial asset or the cash equivalent of said asset of standardized quantity and quality for a price agreed to today (the futures price or the strike price) with delivery occurring at a specified future date. The Funds investments in listed futures contracts will be backed by investments in liquid assets in an amount equal to the exposure of such contracts. The Fund may take long or short positions in listed futures contracts.
The Fund may transact in listed currency futures contracts and listed U.S. Treasury futures contracts. When the Fund purchases a listed futures contract, it agrees to purchase a specified reference asset (i.e., currency or Treasury security) at a specified future date. When the Fund sells a listed futures contract, it agrees to sell a specified reference asset (i.e., currency or Treasury security) 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. The exchange clearing corporation is the ultimate counterparty for all exchange listed contracts, so credit risk is limited to the creditworthiness of the exchanges clearing corporation. Margin deposits are posted as performance bonds with the clearing broker and, in turn, with the exchange clearing corporation.
The Fund may buy and sell index futures contracts with respect to any index traded on a recognized exchange or board of trade. An index futures contract is a bilateral agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount times the difference between the index value at the close of trading of the contract and the price at which the futures contract is originally struck. No physical delivery of the securities comprising the index is made. Instead, settlement in cash must occur upon the termination of the contract, with the settlement being the difference between the contract price, and the actual level of the stock index at the expiration of the contract. Generally, contracts are closed out prior to the expiration date of the contract.
When the Fund purchases or sells a futures contract, the Fund will segregate its assets as described above.
There are significant risks associated with the Funds use of futures contracts, including the following: (1) the success of a strategy may depend on the Advisers ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities and the prices of futures contracts; (3) although the 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; (4) trading restrictions or limitations may be imposed by an exchange; and (5) government regulations may restrict trading in futures contracts.
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Options Contracts. The Fund reserves the right to buy or sell options on listed futures contracts. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in exchange for payment of a premium, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price during the term of the option. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell, and the writer of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying security or instrument at any time during the option period. A call option on a security gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer of the option the obligation to sell, the underlying security or instrument at any time during the option period. A premium is paid to the writer of an option as consideration for undertaking the obligation in the contract.
The Fund may purchase and write options on an exchange or over the counter (OTC). 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 SECs position that OTC options are generally illiquid.
When the Fund purchases or sells an options contract, the Fund will segregate its assets as described above.
There are significant risks associated with the Funds use of options contracts, including the following: (1) the success of a strategy may depend on the Advisers ability to predict movements in the prices of individual or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities and the price of options; (3) although the Fund intends to enter into options 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; (4) trading restrictions or limitations may be imposed by an exchange; and (5) government regulations may restrict trading in options contracts.
Currency Options. The Fund may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. A put option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. A call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to purchase the currency at the exercise price until the option expires.
Swap Agreements and Options on Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into swap agreements, including interest rate swaps, credit default swaps, inflation-linked swaps and total return swaps. 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 and commodity index swaps involve the exchange of payments based on the value of an index or total return on an underlying reference asset. The total return includes appreciation or depreciation on the 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. Swap 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, interest rates, and money market securities without actually purchasing such securities. The 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 the Funds 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 the Funds 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 the Funds investments and its share price. When the 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 Funds 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.
The Fund 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
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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.
Credit-Linked Notes. The 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 entitys receipt of payments on its underlying investment. If the underlying investment defaults, the periodic payments and principal received by the 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 the Funds initial investment and the Fund may lose money.
EXCHANGE TRADED PRODUCTS. The Fund may invest in exchange traded products (ETPs), which include exchange traded funds registered under the 1940 Act, exchange traded commodity trusts and exchange traded notes. 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. The 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. The 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). The Fund, if investing in an ETF, indirectly bears fees and expenses charged by the ETF in addition to the Funds 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 Notes. The Fund may invest in exchange traded notes (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, the Fund may not receive the return it was promised. If a rating agency lowers an issuers 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 the Funds right to redeem its investment in an ETN. There are no periodic interest payments for ETNs, and principal is not protected. The Funds decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. The Trusts Board of Trustees (the Board) may, in the future, authorize the Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the Funds Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Funds investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies.
ILLIQUID INVESTMENTS. Although the Fund does not intend to do so, as a matter of policy, the Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. 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. The Fund may not invest in illiquid investments if, as a result of such investment, more than 15% of the Funds net assets would be invested in illiquid investments. Illiquid investments include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets to the extent the Adviser or Sub-Adviser has not deemed such securities to be liquid. The inability of the Fund to dispose of illiquid or not readily marketable investments readily or at a reasonable price could impair the Funds ability to raise cash for redemptions or other purposes. The liquidity of securities purchased by the Fund which are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A, except for certain 144A bonds, will be monitored by the Fund on an ongoing basis. In the event that more than 15% of the Funds 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.
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INVESTMENT COMPANY SECURITIES. The Fund will invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds and certain ETPs) as well as instruments to provide exposure to other investment companies. The 1940 Act generally prohibits the 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 Funds total assets in any single investment company and no more than 10% in any combination of two or more investment companies although the 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. The Fund may purchase or otherwise invest in shares of affiliated ETFs and affiliated money market funds. Further, the Fund may invest in business development companies and closed-end funds in excess of the 1940 Act limits pursuant to an exemptive order received from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, subject to certain conditions in the order.
MORTGAGE-BACKED AND ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES. The Fund will 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 Funds 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.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (the FHFA) has been developing a new securitization infrastructure for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) for mortgage loans backed by single-family properties. A Common Securitization Platform (CSP) has been created to facilitate issuance of single-family mortgage securities, release related at-issuance and ongoing disclosures, and administer the securities post-issuance. In addition, CSP will support the Enterprises single-family mortgage securitization activities, including the issuance by both Enterprises of a common single mortgage-backed security to be known as the Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security (UMBS). The issuance of UMBS has a goal of improving the overall liquidity of the Enterprises securities and help ensure liquidity of the nations housing finance markets.
MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. The 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 the 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 Moodys or A-1+ or A-1 by Standard & Poors (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. Bankers acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS. The Fund will invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs). By investing in REITs, the Fund will be exposed to the risks of owning real estate, such as decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, increased competition and other risks related to local or general economic conditions, increases in operating costs and property taxes, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, possible environmental liabilities, regulatory limitations on rent and fluctuations in rental income. In addition, REITs are subject to the possibility of failing to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally available to them under the Code, and failing to maintain exemption from the registration requirements of the 1940 Act. REITs may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases risk and could adversely affect a REITs operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. As the demand for, or prices of, real estate increase, the value of the Funds investments in REITs generally would be expected to also increase. Conversely, declines in the demand for, or prices of, real estate generally would be expected to contribute to declines in the value of the real estate market and REITs. Such declines may occur quickly and without warning and may negatively impact the value of the Fund and your investment.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the 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. The 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.
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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 the 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 counterpartys 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. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities held by the 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 the Funds limitation on borrowings and may be entered into only with banks or securities dealers or their affiliates. While a reverse repurchase agreement is outstanding, the Fund will maintain the segregation, either on its records or with the Trusts 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 the Fund might be unable to deliver them when the 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 the Funds obligation to repurchase the securities, and the Funds use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision.
SECURITIES LENDING. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers, including the Funds securities lending agent. Loans of portfolio securities provide the Fund with the opportunity to earn additional income on the Funds 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 Fund an amount equal to any dividends or interest received on loaned securities. The Fund retains 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. The Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities while they are being loaned.
SHORT SALE TRANSACTIONS. The Fund may engage in short sale transactions. A short sale involves the sale by the 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, the 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 the 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 Funds open short positions. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. The Funds 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 Funds needs for immediate cash or other liquidity.
U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The 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. The Fund may also purchase intermediate and long-term obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or the agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government. 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.
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The Trust has adopted as its proxy voting policies for the Fund the proxy voting guidelines of the Funds Sub-Adviser. The Trust has delegated to the Sub-Adviser the authority and responsibility for voting proxies on the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The remainder of this section discusses the Funds proxy voting guidelines and the Sub-Advisers role in implementing such guidelines.
As a registered investment adviser, [ ] 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, [ ] 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, [ ] will make every reasonable effort to ensure that proxies are received and are voted in accordance with this policy and related procedures. To assist [ ] 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, [ ] also retains Glass Lewis for research services only.
[ ] seeks to avoid potential material conflicts of interest through its participation on [ ] Corporations ([ ]) Proxy Voting and Governance Committee (Committee). As such, [ ] has adopted and implemented [ ]s Proxy Voting Policy and proxy voting guidelines. The guidelines are applied to all client accounts for which [ ] 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 [ ]) 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).
[ ] 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 [ ][ ] Stock. It is the policy of [ ] not to vote or make recommendations on how to vote shares of [ ] stock, even where [ ] has the legal power to do so under the relevant governing instrument. In order to avoid any appearance of conflict relating to voting [ ] stock, [ ] has contracted with an independent fiduciary (ISS) to direct all voting of [ ] Stock held by any [ ] accounts on any matter in which shareholders of [ ] Stock are required or permitted to vote.
Proxy Voting Disclosure. Clients who have delegated proxy voting authority to [ ] may obtain the proxy voting records for their account upon written or verbal request.
Oversight Activities. [ ]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 [ ] 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 [ ]s Rule 206(4)-7 compliance program.
A complete copy of the Sub-Advisers 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 Fund may be obtained at no charge upon request by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by visiting the SECs 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 Fund, including the Advisers. The Policy is designed to ensure that the disclosure of information about the Funds portfolio holdings is consistent with applicable legal requirements and otherwise in the best interest of the Fund.
As an ETF, information about the Funds portfolio holdings is made available each Business Day in accordance with the provisions of any Order of the SEC applicable to the Fund, regulations of the Listing Exchange and other applicable SEC regulations, orders and no-action relief. A Business Day with respect to the Fund is any day on which its Listing Exchange is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Listing Exchange observes the following holidays: New Years Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. 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.
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Daily access to the Funds portfolio holdings with no lag time is permitted to personnel of the Advisers, the Distributor and the Funds 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.
The Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings online at www.wisdomtree.com. Online disclosure of such holdings is publicly available at no charge.
The Fund also will disclose its complete portfolio holdings schedule in public filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis, based on the Funds 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 the Funds portfolio holdings or other investment positions except in accordance with the Policy. The Board reviews the implementation of the Policy on a periodic basis.
A description of the Index on which the Funds investment strategy is based is provided in the Funds Prospectus under Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund with certain additional details provided below. Additional information about the Index, including the components and weightings of the Index, as well as Index methodology, which contains the rules that govern the Index, is available on the Index providers website.
[ Alternative Credit Index]
Rebalance/Reconstitution Dates. The Index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis in January, April, July and October. The Index is reconstituted on a semi-annual basis in April and October.
At each reconstitution of the Index, BDCs, CEFs and REITs (collectively, the Vehicles) eligible for inclusion in the Index are added to each alternative credit sector of the Index in descending order of six-month average daily market capitalization until either that sectors target number of Vehicles is reached, or the list of Vehicles in that sector is exhausted.
The approximate number of components of the Index is disclosed herein as of [ ], 2021.
Name of Index |
Approximate Number of
Components |
|||
[Alternative Credit Index] |
[ | ] |
The following fundamental investment policies and limitations supplement those set forth in the Funds Prospectus. Unless otherwise noted, whenever a fundamental investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the Funds 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 Funds acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, other than with respect to the Funds limitations on borrowings, any subsequent change in values, net assets, or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether the investment complies with the Funds investment policies and limitations.
The Funds fundamental investment policies cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Funds outstanding voting securities as defined under the 1940 Act. The Fund, however, may change the non-fundamental investment policies described below, and its investment objective, 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.
12
The 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 issuers securities, except to the extent that the Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act in the disposition of portfolio securities.
Concentration
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 Funds total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry, except that the Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of the same industry to approximately the same extent that the Funds underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries.
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 the 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 Funds 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 the Funds investment policies.
Non-Fundamental Policies. The following investment policy is not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. Prior to any change in the Funds 80% policy, the Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days notice.
The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy 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 component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities. The Funds investment in derivatives will be included in its net assets when determining whether the Fund satisfies the 80% test described above and the Fund values those derivatives at market value.
If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement for the Fund is no longer met, the Funds future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy.
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 Fund 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.
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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 Fund 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.
WisdomTree Investments or its affiliates (the Selling Shareholder) may purchase Creation Unit Aggregations through a broker-dealer to seed (in whole or in part) Funds as they are launched or thereafter, or may purchase shares from broker-dealers or other investors 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 Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund 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 Funds Prospectus and SAI, and (vi) other facts material to the transaction.
14
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.
15
Board Responsibilities. The Board is responsible for overseeing the management and affairs of the Fund 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 Trusts 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 Fund. Under the overall supervision of the Board and the Audit Committee (discussed in more detail below), the service providers to the Fund employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify risks relevant to the operations of the Trust and the Fund 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 Trusts 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 Boards role in risk management oversight begins before the inception of the Fund, at which time the Funds Adviser presents the Board with information concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of the Fund. Additionally, the Funds Adviser and Sub-Adviser 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 Funds operations, in part, by requesting periodic reports from and otherwise communicating with various personnel of the Fund and its service providers, including the Trusts CCO and the Funds 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 Fund 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 Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and Sub-Adviser, respectively, the Board meets with the Adviser and Sub-Adviser to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Advisers and Sub-Advisers adherence to the Funds investment restrictions and compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about the Funds performance and investments.
The Trusts CCO meets regularly with the Board to review and discuss compliance and other issues. At least annually, the Trusts CCO provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trusts policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the Adviser and Sub-Adviser. 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 Trusts 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 the 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 Funds 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 Boards discussions with the service providers to the Fund, it may not be made aware of all of the relevant information related to a particular risk. Most of the Trusts investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Funds Adviser, Sub-Adviser 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 Trusts and each others in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Boards 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 Trusts 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.
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The Chairman of the Board, Victor Ugolyn, is not an interested person of the Fund 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 Fund (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 Fund has determined that this leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Fund. The Fund made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the fact that the Independent Trustees of the Fund constitute a super-majority of the Board, the assets under management of the Fund, 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.
Name and Year of
|
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. | [____] | 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). | [____] | 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. | [____] | 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. | [____] | None | ||||
Melinda A.
(1955) |
Trustee, 2014-present | Retired since 2004, Merrill Lynch Investment Management, Vice President; Senior Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income Management; Director, Tax Exempt Fund Management. | [____] | 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. | [____] | Member of the Board of Governors of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2001-2016). |
17
Name and Year of
|
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
(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. | [____] | None | ||||
David Castano***** (1971) |
Treasurer, 2013-present | Head of Fund Accounting & Administration, WisdomTree Asset Management, since 2020; Director of Fund Accounting & Administration, WisdomTree Asset Management, 2011 to 2020. | [____] | None | ||||
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. | [____] | None | ||||
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. | [____] | None | ||||
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. | [____] | None | ||||
Clint Martin***** (1977) |
Assistant Treasurer, 2015-present | Director of Fund Accounting & Administration, WisdomTree Asset Management, since 2020; Fund Manager, Fund Accounting & Administration, WisdomTree Asset Management 2012 to 2020. | [____] | None |
* |
Chair of the Audit Committee. |
** |
Chair of the Contracts Review Committee. |
*** |
Co-Chair of the Governance, Nominating and Compliance 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 Boards Audit Committee. The principal responsibilities of the Audit Committee are the appointment, compensation and oversight of the Trusts 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 Committees responsibilities include, without limitation, to (i) oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Trust and to receive reports regarding the Trusts 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 Trusts compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Trusts accounting and financial reporting, and independent audits; (iv) approve prior to appointment
18
the engagement of the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm; and (v) act as a liaison between the Trusts 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 [ ], the Audit Committee held [ ] meetings.
Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee. Ms. Massaro and Messrs. Goldberg and Ugolyn, each an Independent Trustee, are members of the Boards 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 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 Fund 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 Trusts 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 [ ] 2021, the Governance, Nominating and Compliance Committee held [ ] meetings.
Contracts Review Committee. Ms. Massaro and Messrs. Goldberg and Ugolyn, each an Independent Trustee, are members of the Boards 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-Adviser, 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 [ ] 2021, the Contracts Review Committee held [ ] meetings.
Investment Committee. Ms. Raso Kirstein and Messrs. Goldberg and Ugolyn, each an Independent Trustee, are members of the Boards 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 [ ] 2021, the Investment Committee held [ ] 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 Fund 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 Fund, 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 Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund because of the experience he has gained as a member of the staff of the SEC, including his service as Director of the SECs 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.
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The Board has concluded that Ms. Massaro is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Fund 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 Fund 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 Fund 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.
Fund Shares Owned by Board Members. The following table shows the dollar amount range of each Trustees beneficial ownership of shares of the Fund 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 |
Dollar Range of Equity
|
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities
|
||
Interested Trustee | ||||
Jonathan L. Steinberg |
None | Over $[100,000] | ||
Independent Trustees | ||||
David G. Chrencik |
None | Over $[100,000] | ||
Joel H. Goldberg |
None | Over $[100,000] | ||
Melinda Raso Kirstein |
None | Over $[100,000] | ||
Toni M. Massaro |
None | Over $[100,000 ] | ||
Victor Ugolyn |
None | $[50,001 $100,000] |
* |
Values based on Trustees ownership as of the date of this SAI. |
** |
These values are based on the Trustees ownership as of [ ]. |
Board Compensation. The following table sets forth the compensation paid by the Trust to each Trustee for the fiscal year ended [ ] 2021.
Name of Trustee |
Aggregate
Compensation from the Trust |
Pension or Retirement
Benefits Accrued as Part of Trusts Expenses |
Estimated Annual
Benefits Upon Retirement |
Total Compensation
from the Fund and Fund Complex* |
||||||||||||
Interested Trustee | ||||||||||||||||
Jonathan L. Steinberg |
$ | 0 | None | None | $ | 0 | ||||||||||
Independent Trustees | ||||||||||||||||
David Chrencik |
$ | [ | ] | None | None | $ | [ | ] | ||||||||
Melinda Raso Kirstein |
$ | [ | ] | None | None | $ | [ | ] | ||||||||
Joel Goldberg |
$ | [ | ] | None | None | $ | [ | ] | ||||||||
Toni M. Massaro |
$ | [ | ] | None | None | $ | [ | ] | ||||||||
Victor Ugolyn |
$ | [ | ] | None | None | $ | [ | ] |
* |
The Trust is the only trust in the Fund Complex. |
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Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. Because the Fund is new, the Fund has not received information concerning the ownership of shares held in the names of DTC Participants.
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 the Funds shares, including as an initial or seed investor. Such positions may be held for a limited period of time, including to facilitate commencement of the 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 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 the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements, which could negatively impact the 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 the 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.
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 the Fund. The Adviser also provides proactive oversight of the Sub-Advisers daily monitoring of the Sub-Advisers buying and selling of securities for the 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 Fund 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 the Fund, including:
∎ |
Overseeing the Trusts 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 the Funds shares; |
∎ |
Coordinating with outside counsel on all Trust related legal matters; |
∎ |
Coordinating the preparation of the Trusts financial statements; |
∎ |
Coordinating all regulatory filings and shareholder reporting; |
∎ |
Overseeing the Funds tax status and tax filings; |
∎ |
Maintaining and updating a website for certain required disclosures; and |
∎ |
Providing shareholders with additional information about the Fund. |
The Fund pays WisdomTree Asset Management the Management Fee, based on a percentage of the Funds average daily net assets, indicated below.
Fund |
Advisory Fee Rate | |||
Alternative Credit Strategy Fund |
[ | ]% |
Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement on behalf of the Fund, WisdomTree Asset Management has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund, 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 Trusts 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 Fund may invest (acquired fund fees and expenses) are not expenses of the Fund 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 the 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 Funds average daily net assets for providing such services and paying such expenses. WisdomTree Asset Management provides CCO services to the Trust.
The Adviser, from its own resources, including profits from advisory fees received from the Fund, 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 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 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 the 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 the 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 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 Investment Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Sub-Adviser. [ ] serves as sub-adviser to, and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. [ ], a registered investment adviser, manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. Its principal office is located at [ ]. [ ] is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of [ ], a publicly traded financial holding company. [ ] manages the Funds portfolio investments and places orders to buy and sell such Funds portfolio investments. WisdomTree Asset Management pays [ ] for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund. [ ][ ]
[ ] 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 [ ] 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 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 the Fund fail to approve the Funds 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 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 Managers.
[ ] utilizes a team of investment professionals acting together to manage the Funds assets. The Fund is managed by [ ] Team. The team meets regularly to review portfolio holdings and to discuss purchase and sale activity. The team adjusts holdings in the Funds portfolio as it deems appropriate in the pursuit of the Funds investment objective.
The individual members of the investment team who are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds portfolio are [ ]
As of [ ], 2021, the Asset Allocation Team managed [ ] registered investment companies with approximately $[ ] billion in assets; [ ] pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[ ] billion in assets; and [ ] other accounts with approximately $[ ] billion in assets.
Portfolio Manager Fund Ownership. As of [ ], none of the portfolio managers owned shares of the Fund.
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Portfolio Manager Compensation.
[ ] rewards program is designed to be market-competitive and align [ ] compensation with the goals of its clients. This alignment is achieved through an emphasis on deferred awards, which incentivizes [ ]s investment personnel to focus on long-term alpha generation.
[ ] incentive model is designed to compensate for quantitative and qualitative objectives achieved during the performance year. An individuals final annual incentive award is tied to [ ] overall performance, the teams investment performance, as well as individual performance.
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 [ ] and the product team.
The following factors encompass [ ] investment professional rewards program.
|
Base salary |
|
Annual cash incentive |
|
Long-Term Incentive Plan |
|
Deferred cash for investment |
|
[ ][ ] restricted stock units and/or |
|
[ ] |
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 managers accounts relative to the performance of appropriate peers, with longer-term performance more heavily weighted.
Description of Material Conflicts of Interest.
It is the policy of [ ] to make business decisions free from conflicting outside influences. [ ] objective is to recognize potential conflicts of interest and work to eliminate or control and disclose such conflicts as they are identified. [ ] 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 [ ], potential conflicts may also arise between [ ] and other [ ] companies.
[ ] 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. [ ] 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 [ ] Form ADV.
[ ] manages numerous accounts with a variety of interests. This necessarily creates potential conflicts of interest for us. For example, [ ] 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 [ ] and/or affiliate client accounts are invested in different parts of an issuers capital structure. For example, one of [ ]s client accounts could acquire debt obligations of a company while an affiliates client account acquires an equity investment. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, [ ] 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 issuers 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 [ ] 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.
[ ] has a fiduciary duty to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. To accomplish this, [ ] 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. [ ] 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 [ ]s adherence to such policies and procedures.
23
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 portfolios 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 Managers 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-Advisers employees may also serve as officers or employees of one or more the Sub-Advisers 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.
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-Advisers 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 investments 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.
24
Conflicts of Interest Relating to the Discretion to Redeem from and Invest in Pooled Investment Vehicles. The Portfolio Managers 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 Managers discretion to allocate to a percentage range of the value of a clients 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 clients assets in the Fund in order for such assets to act as seed capital, to increase the funds 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 the 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-Advisers 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-Advisers 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 securitys 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 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 the Sub-Adviser and/or affiliate client accounts are invested in different parts of an issuers capital structure. For example, one of the Portfolio Managers client accounts could acquire debt obligations of a company while an affiliates 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 issuers 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-Advisers 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-Advisers 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 Fund. Each Code of Ethics is on public file with, and is available from the EDGAR Database on the SECs 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.
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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 Fund. State Streets 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 the 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 the 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 the 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. 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 Fund, 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 Fund 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 Funds relevant account on the date such amounts are delivered by the borrower to State Street. State Street receives and holds, on the Funds 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 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 Trusts Board of Trustees a statement describing the outstanding loans and income made on such loans during the period.
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 the 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 Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described in the 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 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 the 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 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).
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 the 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 Fund, 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
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designed to make Intermediaries and investors more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, 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 Prospectus 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 Funds.
If you have any additional questions, please call 1-866-909-9473.
The Sub-Adviser assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of the 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-Advisers policy is to make such selection based on factors deemed relevant, including but not limited to, the breadth of the market in the security; the price of the security; the reasonableness of the commission or mark-up or mark-down, if any; execution capability; settlement capability; back office efficiency; and the financial condition of the broker or dealer, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid is evaluated by the 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 the Funds 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, the 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.
Brokerage Commissions
The Fund is new and had not paid any brokerage commissions as of the fiscal year ended [ ], 2021.
Affiliated Brokers
The Fund is new and had not paid any commissions to any affiliated brokers as of the fiscal year ended [ ], 2021.
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Regular Broker-Dealers
The Fund is new and did not acquire securities of its regular brokers or dealers (as defined in the 1940 Act) or of their parents during the fiscal year ended [ ], 2021.
Portfolio Turnover
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 the 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 Fund is new and therefore did not have a portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended [ ], 2021.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST
Shares. The Trust was established as a Delaware statutory trust on December 15, 2005, and consists of multiple series funds. The 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 the Fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of the 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 Fund, and in the net distributable assets of the 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 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 the Fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in the Funds shares, a holder of shares may be a control person of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund cannot 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 the Fund may be subject to the reporting provisions of Section 13 of the 1934 Act and the SECs rules promulgated thereunder. In addition, absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC staff, officers and Trustees of the Fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of the 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 SECs 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 the Fund. The Trust or the 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 Trusts 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 the 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 the 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
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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).
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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the Fund.
The Fund or Advisers may permit or require the submission of a basket 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 or non-U.S. currency. 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
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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.
The Fund, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), makes available on each Business Day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the 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 that may be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund.
Such Deposit Securities are applicable, subject to any adjustments as described herein, in order to effect creations of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund until such time as the next or otherwise announced composition of the Deposit Securities is made available.
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for the Fund Deposit for the Fund changes from time to time based on various 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 the 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 the 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 Listing Exchange (Closing Time) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the date such orders are placed in order to receive that days 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 the Fund have to be placed by each investors 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 Partys 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.
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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. The 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 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 the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then-current NAV of the Fund. 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, the 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 the 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 the 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.
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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 the 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 the 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 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.
All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trusts determination shall be final and binding.
Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee. The Fund imposes a Transaction Fee or CU Fee on Authorized Participants 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 the 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 the Fund will differ from Transaction Fees for other WisdomTree Funds, depending on the transaction expenses related to the Funds 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 the Fund, may be charged in cases where the Fund permits cash or cash in lieu of Deposit Securities. Authorized Participants purchasing or redeeming through the DTC process generally will pay a higher Transaction Fee than will Authorized Participants doing so through the NSCC process. Also, Authorized Participants 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 the Fund.
The following table sets forth the standard and maximum creation and redemption Transaction Fees for the Fund. These fees may be changed by the Trust.
Fund |
CU Fee* |
Maximum
CU Fee |
||||||
Alternative Credit Strategy Fund |
$ | [ | ] | $ | [ | ] |
* |
The 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. |
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 the 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.
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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 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 Participants 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.
The 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 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. 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 the Fund may trade on the relevant exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or that are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, stockholders may not be able to redeem their shares of the Fund, or to purchase and sell shares of the Fund on the Listing Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets.
Cash Redemptions. The Fund may pay out the proceeds of redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations solely in cash or through any combination of cash, securities or other instruments. 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 Trusts 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.
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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 Fund 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 the 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 Funds portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
REGULAR HOLIDAYS AND OTHER SETTLEMENT MATTERS
The Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Unit Aggregations and portfolio securities on a basis of T+2. The 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 the Funds 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 following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the Fund is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder (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 Fund. 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.
Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company. The 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, the 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 Funds 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 Funds 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 Funds 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
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(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 the 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.
Taxation of the Fund. If the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC, the 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, the Fund was to fail to qualify as a RIC or was 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 Funds distributions, to the extent derived from the Funds 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, the 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 the 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.
The 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 Funds net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). Investment income that is retained by the Fund will generally be subject to tax at the regular 21% corporate rate. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, that gain will be subject to tax at the 21% 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 shareholders gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.
If the 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, the 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. The 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.
The 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 the Funds 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 Fund is similar to the rules that apply to capital loss carryovers of individuals, which provide that such losses are carried over indefinitely. If the Fund has a net capital loss (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess of the Funds 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 Funds next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Funds 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 Funds next taxable year. In addition, the carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.
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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 shareholders investment. Investors may therefore wish to avoid purchasing shares at a time when the Funds NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Realized income and gains must generally be distributed even when the Funds NAV also reflects unrealized losses.
Dividends and other distributions by the 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 the 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.
Distributions by the Fund of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the 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 the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from the Funds 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 the 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 the 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 Funds 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. Dividends received by the Fund from an ETF, an underlying fund taxable as a RIC or from a REIT may be treated as qualified dividend income generally only to the extent so reported by such ETF, underlying fund or REIT.
In general, distributions of investment income reported by the 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 Funds shares. If the aggregate qualified dividend income received by the 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 Funds dividends (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be eligible to be reported as qualified dividend income. The Funds investment strategies may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income. To the extent that the 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 Funds investment strategies may limit its ability to make distributions that will qualify either for the dividends-received deduction for corporations or for any favorable U.S. federal income tax rate available to non-corporate shareholders on qualified dividend income.
Dividends and distributions from the Fund and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholders net investment income for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.
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If the Fund makes distributions in excess of the Funds 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 shareholders tax basis in its shares, and will reduce the shareholders tax basis in its shares. After the shareholders 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 shareholders 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 the 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 the 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 Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which a shareholder holds Fund shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and 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. The backup withholding tax rate is 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholders 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 Fund 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 the Funds ability to qualify as a RIC, affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund, or defer the Funds ability to recognize losses. These rules may in turn affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to shareholders by the Fund. To the extent the Fund invests in an underlying fund that is taxable as a RIC, the rules applicable to the tax treatment of complex securities will also apply to the underlying funds that also invest in such complex securities and investments.
If the Fund invests in certain positions, such as zero coupon securities, deferred interest securities or, in general, any other securities with original issue discount (or with market discount if the Fund elects to include market discount in income currently), the Fund must accrue income on such investments for each taxable year, which will generally be prior to the receipt of the corresponding cash payments. However, the Fund must distribute, at least annually, all or substantially all of its net investment income, including such accrued income, to avoid U.S. federal income and excise taxes. Therefore, the Fund may have to dispose of its portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances to generate cash or may have to leverage itself by borrowing cash to satisfy distribution requirements.
The Fund may acquire market discount bonds. A market discount bond is a security acquired in the secondary market at a price below its redemption value (or its adjusted issue price if it is also an original issue discount bond). If the Fund invests in a market discount bond, it will be required to treat any gain recognized on the disposition of such market discount bond as ordinary income (instead of capital gain) to the extent of the accrued market discount, unless the Fund elects to include the market discount in income as it accrues as discussed above.
The Fund may invest in inflation-linked debt securities. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-linked debt security will be original interest discount, which is taxable as ordinary income and is required to be distributed, even though the Fund will not receive the principal, including any increase thereto, until maturity. As noted above, if the Fund invests in such securities it may be required to liquidate other investments, including at times when it is not advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy its distribution requirements and to eliminate any possible taxation at the Fund level.
The Fund may invest in REITs. Investments in REIT equity securities may require the Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. To generate sufficient cash to make the requisite distributions, the Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio (including when it is not advantageous to do so) that it otherwise would have continued to hold. The Funds investments in REIT equity securities may at other times result in the Funds receipt of cash in excess of the REITs earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to the Funds shareholders for federal 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 REITs 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 the Fund from a REIT generally will not constitute qualified dividend income or qualify for the dividends received deduction. If a REIT is
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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 the regular corporate rate 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 REITs current and accumulated earnings and profits.
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) are 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). Distributions by the Fund to its shareholders that are attributable to qualified REIT dividends received by the 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. The Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as section 199A dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so.
REITs in which the Fund invests often do not provide complete and final tax information to the Fund until after the time that the Fund issues a tax reporting statement. As a result, the Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of its distributions to you after it issues your tax reporting statement. When such reclassification is necessary, the Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which a shareholder holds Fund shares) will send you a corrected, final Form 1099-DIV to reflect the reclassified information. If you receive a corrected Form 1099-DIV, use the information on this corrected form, and not the information on the previously issued tax reporting statement, in completing your tax returns.
The 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 under Code Section 1256 (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.
Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Under current law, income of a RIC that would be treated as unrelated business taxable income (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 the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b) or if the Fund invests in REITs that hold residual interests in REMICs. 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.
The Funds 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 shareholders 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 the 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. The 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 the 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.
Under legislation generally known as FATCA (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), the Fund is required to withhold 30% of certain ordinary dividends it pays to shareholders that fail to meet prescribed information reporting or certification requirements. In general, no such withholding will be required with respect to a U.S. person or non-U.S. person that timely provides the certifications
38
required by the 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 resident or doing business in a country that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. to implement FATCA will be exempt from FATCA withholding 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 Fund 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 exchangers 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 exchangers 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 the 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 the 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 Treasury Regulations. Under 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 Treasury Regulations. The fact that a loss is reportable under these Treasury Regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayers treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these Treasury Regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
39
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 Fund, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any proposed tax law changes.
The NAV of the Funds shares is calculated each day the 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 the Funds net assets by the number of Fund shares outstanding.
In calculating the Funds NAV, the 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. The values of any assets or liabilities of the Fund 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, the 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, the Funds investments will be valued in accordance with the Funds 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 the Funds next NAV Calculation Time that may materially affect the value of the Funds 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 the Fund could receive for a security or other asset may differ from the Funds 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 the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. In addition, particularly for the Fund holding foreign securities or assets, the value of the securities or other assets in the Funds portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Funds shares. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. The Funds 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 the Fund. Purchases and sales of shares in the secondary market, which will not involve the 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 the Fund in Creation Units.
40
The Fund intends to pay out dividends, if any, on [a quarterly] basis.
The Fund intends to distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to investors annually. The Fund 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 the Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
Financial Statements and Annual Reports will be available after the Fund has completed a fiscal year of operations. When available, you may request a copy of the Trusts Annual Report at no charge by calling 866-909-9473 or through the Trusts website at www.wisdomtree.com.
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. [ ], with offices located at [ ], serves as the independent registered public accounting firm to the Trust.
WIS-SAI-[ ]-[ ]
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PART C. Other Information
Item 28. Exhibits
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Registrant
As of the date of this Registration Statement, the Registrant, through the WisdomTree 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.
As of the date of this Registration Statement, the Registrant, through the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Strategy Fund, will own on launch 100% of the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Strategy Portfolio I. WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Strategy Portfolio I will be an exempted company organized under Cayman Islands law.
Item 30. Indemnification
Reference is made to Article IX of the Registrants Trust Instrument included as Exhibit (a)(1) to this Registration Statement with respect to the indemnification of the Registrants 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 Trusts officers, employees, or agents, whether past, present, or future, shall be personally liable 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 attorneys fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties, and other liabilities.
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(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.
Reference is made to Article VI of the Registrants By-Laws included as Exhibit (b) to this Registration Statement with respect to the indemnification of the Registrants 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.
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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 | Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and Director | Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
Amit Muni | Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Director | Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
Marci Frankenthaler | Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
Stuart Bell | Chief Operating Officer, and Director | None | ||
R. Jarrett Lilien | President | President and Chief Operating Officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
Jeremy Schwartz | Global Head of Research | None | ||
William Peck | Head of Strategy and Emerging Technologies | Dual officer of WisdomTree Investments, Inc. | ||
Terry Feld | Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
Ryan Louvar |
General Counsel |
None |
WTAM, with the approval of the Trusts Board of Trustees, selects the sub-adviser for each of the Trusts 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, WisdomTree Mortgage Plus Bond Fund and WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged High Yield Bond 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.
Mellon Investments Corporation
Name |
Position Held with Mellon Investments Corporation |
Principal Business(es) During the Last Two Fiscal Years |
||
James Desmond Mac Intyre | President, Chief Executive Officer, Director | Dual Officer of The Bank of New York | ||
Jennifer Cassedy | Chief Compliance Officer | Dual Officer of The Bank of New York | ||
Parker Webb Wertz | Chief Financial Officer | The Bank of New York | ||
Michael Anthony Germano | Chief Operations Officer & Director | Dual Officer of The Bank of New York |
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Renee Michelle LaRoche-Morris | Director | MBC Investments Corporation | ||
Hanneke Smits | Director | The Bank of New York | ||
Christina Sujin King | Director | 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* |
||
Huey Paul Falgout | Managing Director Head of IM Legal | Managing Director Head of IM Legal | ||
Dina Santoro | Senior Managing Director, Head of Product Marketing and Strategy | Senior Managing Director, Head of Product Marketing and Strategy | ||
Charles Milton Shaffer | Head of Distribution and Senior Managing Director | Head of Distribution and Senior Managing Director | ||
Daniel Allen Norman | Senior Managing Director, Group Head Senior Loan | Senior Managing Director, Group Head Senior Loan | ||
Christine Lynn Hurtsellers | Director, Chairwoman and 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. | ||
Michael Bruce Pytosh | Chief Investment Officer of Equities and Senior Managing Director |
Chief Investment Officer of Equities and Senior Managing Director |
||
Paul Zemsky | Senior Managing Director | Senior Managing Director of VIM and VAAM. | ||
Deborah Ann Hammalian | Chief Compliance Officer, Managing Director | Managing Director 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 | ||
Jeffery Alan Bakalar | Senior Managing Director, Group Head and Chief Investment Officer Senior Loan | Senior Managing Director, Group Head and Chief Investment Officer Senior Loan |
* |
Voya Investment Management LLC (VIM), Voya Alternative Asset Management LLC (VAAM). |
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. AGF Investments Trust (f/k/a FQF Trust)
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5. AIM ETF Products Trust
6. AlphaCentric Prime Meridian Income Fund
7. American Century ETF Trust
8. American Customer Satisfaction ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
9. Amplify ETF Trust
10. ARK ETF Trust
11. Bluestone Community Development Fund (f/k/a The 504 Fund)
12. Braddock Multi-Strategy Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
13. Bridgeway Funds, Inc.
14. Brinker Capital Destinations Trust
15. Calamos Convertible and High Income Fund
16. Calamos Convertible Opportunities and Income Fund
17. Calamos Global Total Return Fund
18. Carlyle Tactical Private Credit Fund
19. Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund
20. Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund
21. CornerCap Group of Funds
22. Davis Fundamental ETF Trust
23. Defiance Nasdaq Junior Biotechnology ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
24. Defiance Next Gen Connectivity ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
25. Defiance Next Gen SPAC Derived ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
26. Defiance Quantum ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
27. Direxion Shares ETF Trust
28. Eaton Vance NextShares Trust
29. Eaton Vance NextShares Trust II
30. EIP Investment Trust
31. Ellington Income Opportunities Fund
32. EntrepreneurShares Series Trust
33. Esoterica Thematic ETF Trust
34. Evanston Alternative Opportunities Fund
35. Exchange Listed Funds Trust (f/k/a Exchange Traded Concepts Trust II)
36. Fiera Capital Series Trust
37. FlexShares Trust
38. Forum Funds
39. Forum Funds II
40. Friess Small Cap Growth Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series
41. GraniteShares ETF Trust
42. Guinness Atkinson Funds
43. Infinity Core Alternative Fund
44. Innovator ETFs Trust
45. Innovator ETFs Trust II (f/k/a Elkhorn ETF Trust)
46. Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC
47. Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC
48. IVA Fiduciary Trust
49. John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
50. Manor Investment Funds
51. Moerus Worldwide Value Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV
52. Morningstar Funds Trust
53. OSI ETF Trust
54. Overlay Shares Core Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
55. Overlay Shares Foreign Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
56. Overlay Shares Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
57. Overlay Shares Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
58. Overlay Shares Small Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
59. Pacific Global ETF Trust
60. Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund
61. Partners Group Private Income Opportunities, LLC
62. PENN Capital Funds Trust
63. Performance Trust Mutual Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
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64. Plan Investment Fund, Inc.
65. PMC Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers
66. Point Bridge GOP Stock Tracker ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
67. Quaker Investment Trust
68. Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds
69. Reverse Cap Weighted U.S. Large Cap ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions
70. RMB Investors Trust (f/k/a Burnham Investors Trust)
71. Robinson Opportunistic Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
72. Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust
73. Roundhill BITKRAFT Esports & Digital Entertainment ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
74. Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
75. Salient MF Trust
76. SharesPost 100 Fund
77. Six Circles Trust
78. Sound Shore Fund, Inc.
79. Strategy Shares
80. Syntax ETF Trust
81. Tactical Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
82. The Chartwell Funds
83. The Community Development Fund
84. The Relative Value Fund
85. Third Avenue Trust
86. Third Avenue Variable Series Trust
87. Tidal ETF Trust
88. TIFF Investment Program
89. Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
90. Timothy Plan International ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
91. Timothy Plan US Large/Mid Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
92. Timothy Plan US Small Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan
93. Transamerica ETF Trust
94. Trend Aggregation Aggressive Growth ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
95. Trend Aggregation Dividend Stock ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
96. Trend Aggregation ESG ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
97. Trend Aggregation US ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust
98. TrueShares AI & Deep Learning ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
99. TrueShares ESG Active Opportunities ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
100. TrueShares Structured Outcome (August) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
101. TrueShares Structured Outcome (July) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
102. TrueShares Structured Outcome (September) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
103. TrueShares Structured Outcome (October) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust
104. U.S. Global Investors Funds
105. Variant Alternative Income Fund
106. VictoryShares Developed Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
107. VictoryShares Dividend Accelerator ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
108. VictoryShares Emerging Market High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
109. VictoryShares Emerging Market Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
110. VictoryShares International High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
111. VictoryShares International Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
112. VictoryShares NASDAQ Next 50 ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
113. VictoryShares US 500 Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
114. VictoryShares US 500 Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
115. VictoryShares US Discovery Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
116. VictoryShares US EQ Income Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
117. VictoryShares US Large Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
118. VictoryShares US Multi-Factor Minimum Volatility ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
119. VictoryShares US Small Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
120. VictoryShares US Small Cap Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
121. VictoryShares USAA Core Intermediate-Term Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
122. VictoryShares USAA Core Short-Term Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
14
123. VictoryShares USAA MSCI Emerging Markets Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
124. VictoryShares USAA MSCI International Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
125. VictoryShares USAA MSCI USA Small Cap Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
126. VictoryShares USAA MSCI USA Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II
127. West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust (f/k/a Chilton Realty Income & Growth Fund)
128. WisdomTree Trust
129. WST Investment Trust
130. XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust
(b) |
The following are the Officers and Manager of the Distributor, the Registrants underwriter. The Distributors main business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. |
Name |
Address |
Position with
|
Position with
|
|||
Richard J. Berthy | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 | President, Treasurer and Manager | None | |||
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) |
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. |
(f) |
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. |
Item 34. |
Management Services |
Not applicable.
Item 35. |
Undertakings |
Not applicable.
15
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No.762 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 17th day of December, 2020.
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. 762 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 | December 17, 2020 | ||
/s/ David Castano* David Castano |
Treasurer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | December 17, 2020 | ||
/s/ David Chrencik* David Chrencik |
Trustee | December 17, 2020 | ||
/s/ Joel Goldberg* Joel Goldberg |
Trustee | December 17, 2020 | ||
/s/ Toni Massaro* Toni Massaro |
Trustee | December 17, 2020 | ||
/s/ Melinda Raso Kirstein* Melinda Raso Kirstein |
Trustee | December 17, 2020 | ||
/s/ Victor Ugolyn* Victor Ugolyn |
Trustee | December 17, 2020 |
*By: | /s/ Ryan Louvar | |
Ryan Louvar | ||
(Attorney-in-Fact) |
18
Exhibit Index
Exhibit Number |
Exhibit |
|
(d)(4) | Schedule A, as last amended December 14, 2020, to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 26, 2013 between the Registrant and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. | |
(g)(2) | Revised Appendix A, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Strategy Fund and WisdomTree Cybersecurity Fund to the Master Custodian Agreement dated September 27, 2013 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company. | |
(h)(3) | Revised Schedule A, reflecting the addition of the WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Strategy Fund and WisdomTree Cybersecurity 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. | |
(h)(23) | WisdomTree Rules-Based Methodology (U.S. Dividend Indexes, Core Equity Indexes, U.S. Multifactor Index, International Dividend Indexes, Emerging Markets Dividend Indexes, Ex-State-Owned Enterprises Indexes, India Index, Global Dividend Index, Global Ex-U.S. Quality Index, and Growth Leaders Index), dated September 2020. |
19
Schedule A
to the March 26, 2013
Investment Advisory Agreement
Dated as of December 14, 2020
between WisdomTree Trust
and WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.
Name of Series |
Fee % | |||
WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund |
0.20% | |||
WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bullish Fund |
0.50% | |||
WisdomTree CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Strategy Fund |
0.44% | |||
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund |
0.40% | |||
WisdomTree International ESG Fund |
0.30% | |||
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund |
0.48% | |||
WisdomTree Emerging Markets ESG Fund |
0.32% | |||
WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund |
0.32% | |||
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund |
0.48% | |||
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
0.32% | |||
WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund |
0.58% | |||
WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
0.58% | |||
WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund |
0.15% | |||
WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund |
0.18% | |||
WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund |
0.38% | |||
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund |
0.18% | |||
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund |
0.38% | |||
WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Fund |
0.48% | |||
WisdomTree Global High Dividend Fund |
0.58% | |||
WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged High Yield Bond Fund |
0.43% | |||
WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund |
0.23% | |||
WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
0.58% | |||
WisdomTree International Multifactor Fund |
0.38% | |||
WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
0.42% | |||
WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund |
0.58% | |||
WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Fund |
0.28% | |||
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
0.28% | |||
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
0.38% | |||
WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund |
0.20% | |||
WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund |
0.20% | |||
WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund |
0.58% | |||
WisdomTree Mortgage Plus Bond Fund |
0.45% | |||
WisdomTree Growth Leaders Fund (f/k/a WisdomTree Modern Tech Platforms Fund) |
0.20% |
A-1
Name of Series |
Fee % | |||
WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund |
0.45% | |||
WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Strategy Fund |
0.55% | |||
WisdomTree Cybersecurity Fund |
0.45% |
WISDOMTREE TRUST | WISDOMTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC. | |||||||||||
By: /s/ Jonathan Steinberg | By: /s/ Stuart Bell | |||||||||||
Name: Jonathan Steinberg | Name: Stuart Bell | |||||||||||
Title: President | Title: Chief Operating Officer |
A-2
APPENDIX A OR SCHEDULE A, AS APPLICABLE,
TO
MASTER CUSTODIAN AGREEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT, AND
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
As of December 11, 2020
WisdomTree Trust
WisdomTree U.S. Total Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. ESG Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Shareholder Yield Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Global High Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree India Earnings Fund |
WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund |
WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund |
WisdomTree Growth Leaders Fund |
WisdomTree International Equity Fund |
WisdomTree International High Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Fund |
WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree International Multifactor Fund |
WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Fund |
WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Chinese Yuan Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund |
WisdomTree Managed Futures Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bullish Fund |
WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged High Yield Bond Fund |
WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund |
WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree Mortgage Plus Bond Fund |
WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets ESG Fund |
WisdomTree International ESG Fund |
WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund |
WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Cybersecurity Fund |
APPENDIX A OR SCHEDULE A, AS APPLICABLE,
TO
MASTER CUSTODIAN AGREEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT, AND
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
As of December 11, 2020
WisdomTree Trust
WisdomTree U.S. Total Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. ESG Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Shareholder Yield Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Global High Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree India Earnings Fund |
WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund |
WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Multifactor Fund |
WisdomTree Growth Leaders Fund |
WisdomTree International Equity Fund |
WisdomTree International High Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Fund |
WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree International Multifactor Fund |
WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Fund |
WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Chinese Yuan Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund |
WisdomTree Managed Futures Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bullish Fund |
WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree Interest Rate Hedged High Yield Bond Fund |
WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund |
WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree CBOE S&P 500 PutWrite Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree Mortgage Plus Bond Fund |
WisdomTree 90/60 U.S. Balanced Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Short-Term High Yield Corporate Bond Fund |
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund |
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Fund |
WisdomTree Emerging Markets ESG Fund |
WisdomTree International ESG Fund |
WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund |
WisdomTree Enhanced Commodity Strategy Fund |
WisdomTree Cybersecurity Fund |
WISDOMTREE RULES-BASED METHODOLOGY
Last Updated September 2020
The 2020 Developed International and Global Index reconstitution schedule will be revised as noted below
|
The screening date for the Global (including Emerging Markets) and Developed International Equity Indexes will be September 30, 2020 |
|
The final list of stocks to be included in the 2020 Global annual reconstitution is expected to be published after the close of trading October 15, 2020 which will also be the weighting date. The new component weights will take effect after the close of trading on October 22, 2020. |
|
The final list of stocks to be included in the 2020 Developed International annual reconstitution is expected to be published after the close of trading October 29, 2020 which will also be the weighting date. The new component weights will take effect after the close of trading on November 5, 2020. |
Page 1 of 112
U.S. DIVIDEND INDEXES |
4-14 | |||
WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. Dividend ex-Financials Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index |
||||
CORE EQUITY INDEXES |
15-21 | |||
WisdomTree U.S. Total Market Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Index |
||||
WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Index |
||||
U.S. MULTIFACTOR INDEX |
22-27 | |||
WisdomTree U.S. Multifactor Index |
||||
INTERNATIONAL DIVIDEND INDEXES |
28-50 | |||
WisdomTree International Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree International High Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree International Hedged High Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Index |
||||
WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index |
||||
WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Index |
||||
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index |
||||
WisdomTree Europe Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index |
||||
WisdomTree Germany Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Equity Index |
||||
WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Index |
Page 2 of 112
EMERGING MARKETS DIVIDEND INDEXES |
51-60 | |||
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree Emerging Markets High Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree Emerging Markets SmallCap Dividend Index |
||||
EX-STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES INDEXES |
61-70 | |||
WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index |
||||
WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index |
||||
WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index |
||||
INDIA INDEX |
71-76 | |||
WisdomTree India Earnings Index |
||||
GLOBAL DIVIDEND INDEX |
77-88 | |||
WisdomTree Global Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree Global High Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree Global Hedged High Dividend Index |
||||
WisdomTree Global ex-US Real Estate Index |
||||
GLOBAL EXUS QUALITY INDEX |
89-95 | |||
Global exUS Quality Dividend Growth index |
||||
GLOBAL EX-MEXICO INDEX |
96-103 | |||
WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Index |
||||
GROWTH LEADERS INDEX |
104-110 | |||
WisdomTree Growth Leaders Index |
Page 3 of 112
METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR U.S. DIVIDEND INDEXES
1. |
Overview and Description |
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 is comprised of the high-yielding companies within the DI. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
Each Index is reconstituted annually, at which time each components weight is adjusted to reflect its dividend-weighting in the Index. Dividend weighting is defined as each components 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
Page 4 of 112
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 companys 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 WisdomTrees equity indexes.
Companies that fall within the bottom decile of a composite risk factor score, which is composed of on equally weighted score of the below two factors, are not eligible for inclusion.
1) |
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. |
2) |
Momentum Factor determined by stocks risk adjusted total returns over historical periods (6 and 12 months) |
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 5 of 112
Companies that fall within the top 5% ranked by dividend yield and also the bottom 1⁄2 of the composite risk factor score are not eligible for inclusion.
The score for each factor is used to calculate an overall factor score, i.e. composite risk score, that is used to eliminate potentially higher risk companies that would have otherwise been eligible for inclusion.
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.
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:
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 stocks 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
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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 companys cash dividends to be paid in the coming year based on the companys 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 components 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 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%.
For the size segment dividend indexes (total, large, mid and small caps) and high dividend cuts of the market, companies that fall within the top two deciles of the composite risk factor will have their dividend stream multiplied by 1.5 while all other dividends will remain unadjusted. Companies will be weighted in the index based on this adjusted dividend stream.
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 companys 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 companys 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
2 Special Dividends are not included in the computation of Index weights.
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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.
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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 10%. |
In the case of the WisdomTree U.S. Dividend Index the following caps apply:
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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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 5%. |
In the case of the WisdomTree U.S. High Dividend Index the following caps apply in this order:
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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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 5%. |
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In the case of the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index, the following capping rules are applied in this order:
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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. |
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Should the technology 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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Real Estate sector will be capped at 10%. |
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All other sectors will be capped at 20%. |
In the case of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Dividend Growth Index the following caps apply in this order:
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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. |
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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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 10%. |
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 GICS sector classifications.
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 securitys 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
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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.
3. |
Index Maintenance |
Index Maintenance includes monitoring and implementing the adjustments for company deletions, stock splits, stock dividends, spin-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 Indexs components, such as deletions as a result of
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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 companys 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 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 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 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 Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs 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.
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 |
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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. 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. |
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. 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 companys 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 |
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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 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 CORE EQUITY METHODOLOGY
1. |
Overview and Description |
WisdomTree U.S. Total Market Index (TI), WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Index (LargeCap Index), WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Index (MidCap Index) and WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Index (SmallCap Index), were developed by WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (WTI) to define the universe of profitable companies in the U.S. stock market.
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The TI measures the performance of investable U.S.-based companies that have generated positive cumulative earnings in the prior four fiscal quarters to the Index measurement date. |
|
The LargeCap Index is comprised of companies with positive earnings from the large-capitalization segment of the TI. |
|
The MidCap Index is comprised of companies with positive earnings from the mid-capitalization segment of the TI. |
|
The SmallCap Index is comprised of companies with positive earnings from the small-capitalization segment of the TI. |
Each Index is reconstituted annually, at which time each components weight is adjusted to reflect its share of the Earnings Stream during the prior four fiscal quarters. The Earnings Stream is defined as cumulative earnings over the prior four fiscal quarters for each component in the Index. The percentage weight assigned to each component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is calculated by dividing the cumulative earnings each component company has generated in its last four reported fiscal quarters by the sum of all the earnings generated by all the component companies in the Index over the same period. 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 Earnings Indexes, a company must be under coverage by the market management team of the third party independent index calculation agent, must list its shares on a U.S. stock exchange, be incorporated and headquartered in the United States and have positive cumulative earnings over the four fiscal quarters 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); shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $200,000 for each of the six months preceding
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the Screening Date; and component companies need to have had a P/E ratio of at least 2 as of 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), 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 WisdomTrees equity indexes.
2.2 |
Base Date and Base Value |
The WisdomTree U.S. Total Market Index, the WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Index, the WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Index and the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Index were established with a base value of 200 on January 31, 2007.
2.3 |
Calculation and Dissemination |
The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Domestic Earnings Indexes:
Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.
Pi = Price of security i
D = Divisor
The Domestic Earnings 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 stocks 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.
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2.4 |
Weighting |
The Domestic Earnings Indexes are modified capitalization-weighted Indexes that employ a transparent weighting formula to magnify the effect that earnings play in the total return of the Indexes. The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is based on the companies earnings stream during the last four fiscal quarters. To calculate the weighting factor Earnings Stream WisdomTree uses cumulative earnings generated over the prior four reported quarters, as of November 30th of each year. Thus, each components weight in the Index at the Weighting Date (defined below) reflects its share of the total Earnings Stream recorded over the prior four quarters by all of the component companies in the Index. 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.
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.
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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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 GICS sector classifications.
The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after top holdings and sector caps have been applied.
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|
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) is greater than $200 million to be eligible for each index. If a securitys 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 dividend 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 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 require index divisor adjustments to prevent the distribution from distorting the price Index.
2.7 |
Multiple Share Classes |
In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of common stock, the most liquid share class, based on the average daily trading volume as described in section 2.1, will be included in the index. Conversion of a share class in the Index into another share class not in the Index results in the conversion of the share class being phased out into the surviving share class. 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 Domestic Earnings Indexes. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances, increases or decreases in earnings between reconstitutions, restatements of earnings between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock prices of the component
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companies in the Domestic Earnings 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, or when the Index Calculation Agent typically applies such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Indexs 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 Earnings 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 Earnings 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 companys 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. A component company that re-incorporates 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.
3.2. |
Spin-Offs and IPOs |
Should a company be spun-off from an existing component company, it is allowed to stay in the Domestic Earnings Index that its parent company is in until the next annual reconstitution. Companies that go public in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and have positive cumulative earnings after four fiscal quarters of operations and that meet all other inclusion
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requirements are eligible for inclusion in the Domestic Earnings Indexes at the next annual reconstitution.
4. |
Index Divisor Adjustments |
Changes in the Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs 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 Investments 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 in the intervening weeks between the Screening Date and the reconstitution date are not included in the Domestic Earnings Indexes, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.
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5. |
Selection Parameters for the Domestic Earnings Indexes |
5.1. |
Selection parameters for the WisdomTree U.S. Total Market Index are defined in 2.1. Companies that pass this selection criteria as of the Screening Date are included in the TI. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4 and the annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1. |
5.2. |
The WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Index is created by selecting the 500 largest component companies of the TI by market capitalization. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4, and the annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1 |
5.3. |
The WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Index is created based on a defined percentage of the remaining market capitalization of the TI, once the 500 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 Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and the annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1. |
5.4. |
The WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Index is created based on a defined percentage of the remaining market capitalization of the TI, once the 500 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 Index. The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4., and the annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1. |
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METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR 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. Companies that have pending acquisitions or mergers are excluded from the initial universe. The publicly traded security for WisdomTree Investments, Inc., ticker WETF, is not eligible for inclusion in any of WisdomTrees equity indexes.
Top 800 companies by market capitalization that meet the selection criteria are assigned a score for each of the following factors. Factors are equal-weighted at 25%.
3) |
Value Factor determined by fundamental valuation ratios, i.e. sales to price, book to price, earnings to price, estimated earnings to price, |
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EBITDA to enterprise value, operating cash flow to price. Scores are calculated within industry groups. |
4) |
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. |
5) |
Momentum Factor determined by stocks risk adjusted total returns over historical periods (6 and 12 months) |
6) |
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:
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 stocks 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
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intra-day basis. The total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end-of-day basis.
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:
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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. |
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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 securitys volume factor falls below
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$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. 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 Indexs components, such as deletions as a result of corporate actions, will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.
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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 companys 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, 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.
4. |
Index Divisor Adjustments |
Changes in the Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to
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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maintain the Indexs 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.
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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.
The International developed market indexes are sometimes referred to as the International Dividend Indexes.
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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, Hong Kong and Singapore. |
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The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity 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. |
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The WisdomTree International High Dividend Index comprises high dividend yielding stocks from the WisdomTree International Equity Index. |
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The WisdomTree International Hedged High Dividend Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of foreign currencies relative to U.S. dollar. |
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The WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the large-capitalization segment of the WisdomTree International Equity Index. |
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The WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the mid-capitalization segment of the WisdomTree International Equity Index. |
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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 Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity 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. |
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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 |
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Equity Index outside financials. |
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The WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index comprises dividend-paying developed market companies with growth characteristics. |
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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. |
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The WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International 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 with a hedge ratio ranging from 0 to 100% on a monthly basis. |
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The WisdomTree Europe Equity Index comprises of dividend-paying companies included in the WisdomTree International Equity Index that are domiciled in Europe, traded in Euros and derive at least 50% of their revenue from countries outside of Europe. To be deleted from the Index, companies must derive less than 47% of their revenue from countries outside of Europe. |
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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. |
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WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Equity Index comprises of dividend-paying companies included in the WisdomTree International Equity Index that are domiciled in Europe and traded in Euros |
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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. |
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The WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index (ESC) is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the European companies in the WisdomTree International Equity Index. |
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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. |
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The WisdomTree Germany Equity Index comprises of dividend-paying companies included in the WisdomTree International Equity Index that are listed and incorporated in Germany, traded in Euros and derive less than 80% of their revenue from Germany. To be deleted from the Index, companies must derive more than 82% of their revenue from Germany. |
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The WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Index is designed to remove from |
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index performance the impact of changes to the value of Euro relative to U.S. dollar. |
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The WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index (JDI) 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. |
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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. |
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The WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index (JSC) is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the Japanese companies within the WisdomTree International Equity Index. |
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The WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Equity Index is comprised of the dividend-paying companies from the small-capitalization segment of the Japanese companies within the WisdomTree International Equity Index. |
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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. |
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.
Hedged 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. Hedged Equity Indexes are designed to remove from index performance the impact of their respective currencies relative to U.S. dollar.
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
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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.
Dynamic Hedged Equity Indexes
The Dynamic 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 signals5:
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Momentum: 33.3% of the total hedge ratio is determined by momentum. When the ten-day moving average of the currencys 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. |
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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. |
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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. |
○ |
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 1⁄2 of the values 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
5 Israeli Shekels (ILS) and Singapore Dollars (SGD) are hedged at 50% and Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) hedged at 0% on a monthly basis.
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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 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).
Companies that fall within the bottom decile of a composite risk factor score, which is composed of on equally weighted score of the below two factors, are not eligible for inclusion.
1) |
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. |
2) |
Momentum Factor determined by stocks risk adjusted total returns over historical periods (6 and 12 months) |
Companies that fall within the top 5% ranked by dividend yield and also the bottom 1⁄2 of the composite risk factor score are not eligible for inclusion.
The score for each factor is used to calculate an overall factor score, i.e. composite risk score, that is used to eliminate potentially higher risk companies that would have otherwise been eligible for inclusion.
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 stocks investability is
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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.
WisdomTree |
International Equity Index |
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, Hong Kong, Israel or Singapore. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, 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, 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 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
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dividend yield. Companies ranking in the top 30% by highest dividend yield are selected for inclusion.
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 LargeCap Dividend Index |
The WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index is derived by selecting the 300 largest companies by market capitalization from the WisdomTree International Equity Index.
WisdomTree |
International MidCap Dividend 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.
WisdomTree International SmallCap 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 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.
WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials 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.
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
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Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore or Israel. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Japan, Australia, 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, 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, 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 and 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 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 Europe6 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
6 With Europe defined in broad fashion as developed and emerging markets Europe.
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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.7 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, 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.
7 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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WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend 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.8 The WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index is derived from the WisdomTree International Equity Index by selecting European companies using the same selection 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.
WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index
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
8 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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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.
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 countrys local currency as soon as practicable after forward rates in such countrys 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- |
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constitution would be scheduled to re-balance the Index at the end of the month. |
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 Dividend Index
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. 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.
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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.
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.
Base Date and Base Value
Index |
Base Date |
Base
Value |
||
WisdomTree International Equity Index |
5/31/2006 | 300 | ||
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Equity Index |
10/30/2015 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree International High Dividend Index |
5/31/2006 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree International Hedged High Dividend Index |
8/31/2015 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index |
5/31/2006 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree International MidCap Dividend Index |
5/31/2006 | 200 |
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Index |
Base Date |
Base
Value |
||
WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend Index |
5/31/2006 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International SmallCap Equity Index |
10/31/2015 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree International Dividend ex-Financials Index |
4/30/2009 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree International Quality Dividend Growth Index |
11/29/2013 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree International Hedged Quality Dividend Growth Index |
11/29/2013 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged International Quality Dividend Growth Index |
5/30/2016 | 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 Europe SmallCap Dividend Index |
5/31/2006 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Index |
2/28/2014 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Germany Equity Index |
4/30/2013 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Germany Hedged Equity Index |
4/30/2013 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Japan Dividend Index |
5/31/2006 | 300 | ||
WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index |
1/29/2010 | 100 | ||
WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Index |
5/31/2006 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Equity Index |
4/30/2013 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Index |
4/30/2013 | 200 |
2.2. |
Calculation and Dissemination |
The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the International Dividend Indexes:
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
Hedged Equity Indexes
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.
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Dynamic Hedged Equity Indexes
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 indexeswhen 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.
Starting from the month end of April 2015, all WisdomTree Currency-Hedged Indices will be calculated using forward amounts and foreign currency weights determined one business day prior to the month endin accordance with the standard currency hedged calculations of WisdomTrees independent index calculation agent. The precise calculation for the daily hedged currency index equals:
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 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 suspended before the opening, the stocks 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
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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 Japan SmallCap 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.
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 companys annual gross dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company, The Cash Dividend Factor.9 The Cash Dividend Factor is calculated for every component in the Index and then summed. Each components 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).
For the size segment dividend indexes (total, large, mid and small caps) and high dividend cuts of the market, companies that fall within the top two deciles of the composite risk factor will have their dividend stream multiplied by 1.5 while all other dividends will remain unadjusted. Companies will be weighted in the index based on this adjusted dividend stream.
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 companys 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 companys
9 Special Dividends are not included in the computation of Index weights.
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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 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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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% |
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as of the annual Screening Date. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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. |
|
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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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For the Japan SmallCap Dividend Index and Japan SmallCap Equity 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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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 GICS sector classifications.
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 and Japan SmallCap Equity Index, the calculated volume factor shall be greater than $100 million. If a securitys volume factor falls below $200 million or $100 million for the Japan SmallCap Dividend Index and the Japan SmallCap Equity |
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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 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.10 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.
2.7 |
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
10 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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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 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 Indexs 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 companys 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.11 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
11 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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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.
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 Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs 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.
5. |
Selection Parameters for International Dividend Indexes |
5.1. |
Selection parameters for the WisdomTree International Dividend Indexes are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass the selection criteria as of the International Screening Date are included in Indexes. The component companies are assigned weights in the Indexes as defined in section 2.4., |
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and annual reconstitution of the Indexes takes effect as defined in section 3.1. |
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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
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Market Dividend Indexes will be calculated using primary market prices. The Emerging Market Dividend Indexes will be calculated in U.S. dollars.
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.
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Companies that fall within the bottom decile of a composite risk factor score, which is composed of on equally weighted score of the below two factors, are not eligible for inclusion.
1) |
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. |
2) |
Momentum Factor determined by stocks risk adjusted total returns over historical periods (6 and 12 months) |
Companies that fall within the top 5% ranked by dividend yield and also the bottom 1⁄2 of the composite risk factor score are not eligible for inclusion.
The score for each factor is used to calculate an overall factor score, i.e. composite risk score, that is used to eliminate potentially higher risk companies that would have otherwise been eligible for inclusion.
The screening and weighting for the eligible Chinese domestic listed companies will follow the same logic but will be done separately from the rest of the eligible companies. Chinese domestic listed companies that dont have enough data to compute a composite risk score will still be eligible for inclusion if they meet other screens but will receive a median score for weighting purposes.
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
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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 stocks 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.
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.
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2.3. |
Calculation and Dissemination |
The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Emerging Markets Indexes:
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 stocks 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.
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 securitys 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 & Poors 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 components 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%.
For the size segment dividend indexes (total, large, mid and small caps) and high dividend cuts of the market, companies that fall within the top
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two deciles of the composite risk factor will have their dividend stream multiplied by 1.5 while all other dividends will remain unadjusted. Companies will be weighted in the index based on this adjusted dividend stream.
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.
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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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 GICS sector classifications.
The following liquidity adjustment factors will be applied to all the Indexes after top holding, country and sector caps have been applied:
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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 securitys 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. |
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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 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 from non-operating income require index
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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 Indexs components will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.
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.
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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 companys 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.
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 Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs continuity. By adjusting the divisor, the Index value retains its continuity
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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. |
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. |
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METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR EX-STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES INDEXES
1. |
Index Overview and Description |
WisdomTree Investments (WTI) has created the WisdomTree Emerging Marketsex-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].
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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 companys shares outstanding. |
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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. |
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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 that are domiciled or incorporated in China 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 and meet index requirements will be selected for inclusion12. In India, only
12 Chinese domestic listed equities were added during the special reconstitution in August 2017, in lieu of
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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. In addition, fifty largest Chinese domestic companies by float adjusted market capitalization that are part of the connect program and meet index requirements will be selected 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 stocks 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
the annual reconstitution in October
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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 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:
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 stocks 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
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basis to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) so that such Index Values can print to the Consolidated Tape.
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 companys market capitalization by a second factor developed by Standard & Poors 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 components 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.
The following capping and weight re-distribution rules are applied in this order:
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WisdomTree Emerging Markets ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index
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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 countrys weight can be increased more than 3x after state owned enterprises have been removed. |
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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. |
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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
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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. |
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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 |
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Chinese domestic stock market exposure will be capped at 25%. |
WisdomTree India ex-State-Owned Enterprises Index
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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. |
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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 |
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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:
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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 securitys volume factor falls below $200 million at the annual screening, but is currently in the Index, it will remain in the Index. The securitys 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 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.13 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 |
13 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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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 Indexs 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 constituents float-adjusted shares of 5% or more:
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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. |
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Changes due to secondary public offerings (also known as placements), tender offers, Dutch auctions, exchange offers, |
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bought deal equity offerings, or prospectus offerings are done as soon as reasonably possible after the data are verified.
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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 companys 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, 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 companys 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.14 Component companies that reclassify their
14 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
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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.
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 Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs 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.
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
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Companies that are acquired, de-listed, file for bankruptcy or 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 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.
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METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR INDIA EARNINGS INDEX
1. |
Index Overview and Description |
Wisdomtree Investments, Inc. (WTI) has created indexes that track the performance of earnings-generating companies in emerging markets, presently consisting of the WisdomTree India Earnings Index (IEI). The WisdomTree India Earnings Index measures the stock performance of companies incorporated in India that pass WTIs selection, liquidity and market capitalization requirements. In September of each year, the IEI is reconstituted, with each components weight adjusted based on the earnings generated by each component company, adjusted for an investable weighting factor that takes into account shares available to be purchased by foreign investors.
The India Earnings Index is calculated to capture price appreciation and total return, which assumes dividends are reinvested into the Index. The IEI is calculated using primary market prices. The IEI is calculated in U.S. dollars.
2. |
Key Features |
2.1. |
Membership Criteria |
To be eligible for inclusion in the IEI, component companies must be covered by WisdomTrees independent index calculation agent and must meet the minimal liquidity requirements established by WisdomTree Investments. To be included in the IEI, shares of such component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the Screening Date for the India Earnings Index (after the close of trading on the last trading day in August).
Eligible component companies must have their shares listed on the Indian National Stock Exchange or the Bombay (Mumbai) Stock Exchange, must be incorporated in India and have earned at least $5 million in their fiscal year prior to the annual reconstitution in September. Only securities whose foreign ownership restriction limits have yet to be breached are eligible for inclusion in the index. Companies need to have a market capitalization of at least $200 million on the Indian Screening Date (after the close of trading on the last trading day in August); shares of such companies need to have had an average daily dollar volume of at least $200,000 for each of the six months preceding the Indian Screening Date; components need to have had a P/E ratio of at least 2 as of the Indian Screening Date. Common stocks, tracking stocks and holding companies, including real estate holding companies, are eligible for inclusion. Security types that are excluded from the index are: limited partnerships, royalty trusts, passive foreign investment companies (PFICS), ADRs, preferred stocks, closed- end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights.
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2.2. |
Base Date and Base Value |
The base value for the IEI was set at 200, as of November 30, 2007.
2.3. |
Calculation and Dissemination |
The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the India Earnings Index:
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 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 stocks 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.
2.4. Weighting
The IEI is a modified capitalization-weighted index that employs a transparent weighting formula to magnify the effect that earnings play in the total return of the Index. The initial weight of a component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is based on reported net income in the most recent fiscal year prior to the annual reconstitution. The reported net income number is then multiplied by a second factor developed by the third party independent calculation agent called the Investability Weighting Factor (IWF). The IWF is used to scale the earnings generated for each company by restrictions on shares available to be purchased. This Earnings Factor is then calculated for every component in the Index and then summed. Each components weight, at the Weighting Date for the India Earnings Index, is equal to its Earnings Factor divided by the sum of all Earnings Factors for all the components in that Index. The Weighting Date for the India Earnings Index is when component weights are set, it occurs immediately after the close of trading on the second Friday of September. New Component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of September (the India Earnings Index Reconstitution Date).
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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 proportionately 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 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.
The following capping rules are applied in this order:
1) |
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. |
2) |
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 securitys 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. |
3) |
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 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 old GICS sector classifications, i.e. real estate and financials are aggregated into one sector.
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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. 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 share classes of common stock, the most liquid share class will be included in the Index. Conversion of a share class into another share class not in the Index results in the conversion of the share class being phased out into the surviving share class.
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 IEI. Some corporate actions, such as stock issuances, stock buybacks, warrant issuances, increases or decreases in earnings between reconstitutions, do not require changes in the index shares or the stock prices of the component companies of the IEI. 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, or when the Index Calculation Agent typically applies such corporate actions. Whenever possible, changes to the Indexs 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 IEI 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 September. No additions are made to the IEI between annual reconstitutions, except in the cases of certain Spin-Off companies defined below.
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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 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 companys 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 it is allowed to stay in the IEI until the next annual reconstitution. 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 IEI.
4. |
Index Divisor Adjustments |
Changes in the Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs 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 Investments reserves the right to determine the appropriate implementation method.
Companies that are acquired, de-listed or that re-incorporate outside of a defined domicile in the intervening weeks between the Screening Date and the Reconstitution Date for the India Earnings Index are not included in
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the IEI, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.
5. |
Selection Parameters for the WisdomTree India Earnings Index |
5.1 |
Selection parameters for the WisdomTree India Earnings Index are defined in section 2.1 Companies that pass this selection criterion as of the Screening Date for the India Earnings Index 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. |
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METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR GLOBAL DIVIDEND INDEXES
1. |
Overview and Description |
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 U.S. 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. |
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The Global Hedged High Dividend Index is designed to remove from index performance the impact of changes to the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. |
|
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. |
Each Index is reconstituted annually, at which time each components weight is adjusted to reflect its dividend-weighting in the Index. Dividend weighting is defined as each components 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.
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. Hedged Equity Indexes are designed to remove from index performance the impact of their respective currencies relative to U.S. dollar.
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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.15
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, Hong Kong, Singapore or Canada. Companies must be incorporated in Europe, Israel, Japan, Australia, 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
15 Mortgage REITs are not eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree Domestic and International Dividend Indexes.
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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, 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 and have positive earnings over the past year. 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.
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Companies that fall within the bottom decile of a composite risk factor score, which is composed of on equally weighted score of the below two factors, are not eligible for inclusion.
1) 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.
2) Momentum Factor determined by stocks risk adjusted total returns over historical periods (6 and 12 months)
Companies that fall within the top 5% ranked by dividend yield and also the bottom 1⁄2 of the composite risk factor score are not eligible for inclusion.
The score for each factor is used to calculate an overall factor score, i.e. composite risk score, that is used to eliminate potentially higher risk companies that would have otherwise been eligible for inclusion.
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 stocks 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
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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 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 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).
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 Hedged High Dividend Index |
8/31/2015 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Global SmallCap Dividend Index |
7/28/2015 | 200 | ||
WisdomTree Global ex-U.S. Real Estate Index |
6/3/2011 | 200 |
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2.3. |
Calculation and Dissemination |
The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Indexes:
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 endin accordance with the standard currency hedged calculations of WisdomTrees independent index calculation agent.The precise calculation for the daily hedged currency index equals:
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
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
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resumes. If trading is suspended before the opening, the stocks 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 Global Hedged High Dividend 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 securitys 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 & Poors 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 components 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 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%.
For the size segment dividend indexes (total, large, mid and small caps) and high dividend cuts of the market, companies that fall within the top two deciles of the composite risk factor will have their dividend stream multiplied by 1.5 while all other dividends will remain unadjusted. Companies will be weighted in the index based on this adjusted dividend stream.
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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. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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 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% |
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as of the annual Screening Date. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
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 GICS sector classifications.
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 securitys 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. |
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.
2.8 |
Multiple Share Classes |
In the event a component company issues multiple classes of shares of
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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 Indexs 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. 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
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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 companys 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.16 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.
4. |
Index Divisor Adjustments |
Changes in the Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs 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
16 |
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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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. |
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METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR GLOBAL EXUS QUALITY DIVIDEND GROWTH INDEX
1. |
Overview and Description |
WisdomTree Global ex-US Quality Dividend Growth Index (WTGDXG) was developed by WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (WTI) to measure the performance of dividend paying companies with growth characteristics in the emerging and developed markets outside the U.S.
Companies eligible for WTGDXG must have passed the selection requirements of the WisdomTree Global ex-US Dividend Index, which measures the stock performance of dividend-paying companies in emerging markets and developed countries outside the U.S.
The WTGDXG is reconstituted annually, at which time each components weight is adjusted to reflect its share of the Dividend Stream of that index. The Dividend Stream is defined as the cash dividends paid in the annual cycle prior to the index measurement date. The percentage weight assigned to each component in the Index at the annual reconstitution is calculated by dividing gross dividends paid in U.S. dollars for each component company by the sum of all such dividends paid by all the component companies in the Index over the same period. 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 WTGDXG, a company must be covered by WisdomTrees independent index calculation agent and must qualify for inclusion in the WisdomTree Global ex-US Dividend Index and have paid at least $5 million in gross cash dividends in the annual cycle prior to the Global Screening Date (after the close of trading on the last trading day in September). Common stocks, REITS and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs are excluded, except for companies incorporated in Russia. Passive foreign investment companies (PFICs), limited partnerships, limited liability companies, royalty trusts, tracking stocks, mortgage REITs and companies that are incorporated in the United States (United States is defined herein as the 50 U.S. states plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) as well as preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.
On the Global Screening Date, companies within the WTGDXG 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
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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. Companies that rank in the top 300 companies by this combined ranking will be selected for inclusion.
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 stocks 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.
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.
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2.2 |
Base Date and Base Value |
The Index was established with a base value of 200 on June 30, 2008.
2.3 |
Calculation and Dissemination |
The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Global ex-US Quality Dividend Growth Index:
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 WTGDXG is 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 stocks 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.
2.4 |
Weighting |
The WTGDXG 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 securitys 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 & Poors 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 components 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.
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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 October. New component weights take effect before the opening of trading on the first Monday following the third Friday of October (the Reconstitution Date).
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 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.
The following capping rules are applied in this order:
1) |
The maximum weight of an individual security will be capped at 5% prior to the implementation of sector and country caps. |
2) |
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 developed and emerging markets that meet the general liquidity and market cap criteria for the base index. |
3) |
Should any country achieve a weight equal to or greater than 20% of the index, the weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 20% as of the annual Screening Date. |
4) |
Should any sector achieve a weight equal to or greater than 20% of the Index, weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 20% as of the annual Screening Date. Real Estate sector will be capped at 15%. |
5) |
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 securitys volume factor falls |
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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. |
6) |
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. |
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 GICS sector classifications.
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 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
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the close of trading on the day prior to the ex-date of such corporate action. Whenever possible, changes to the Indexs components will be announced at least two business days prior to their implementation date.
3.1. |
Component Changes |
Additions
Additions to the WTGDXG 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 WTGDXG 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 companys 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.17 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.
17 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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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 regular cash dividends and that meet all other Index inclusion requirements must wait until the next annual reconstitution to be included in the Global ex-US Quality Dividend Growth 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 Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs 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 Index, and the weights of the remaining components are adjusted accordingly.
5. |
Selection Parameters for the Global ex-US Quality Dividend Growth Index |
5.1. |
Selection parameters for the WisdomTree Global ex-US Quality Dividend Growth Index are defined in 2.1. Companies that pass this selection criteria as of the Global Screening Date are included in the WTGDXG . The component companies are assigned weights in the Index as defined in section 2.4. and the annual reconstitution of the Index takes effect as defined in section 3.1. |
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METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR GLOBAL EX-MEXICO EQUITY INDEX
1. |
Index Overview and Description |
The WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted Index created by WisdomTree Investments (WTI). Float-adjusted means that the share amounts used in calculating the Index reflect only shares available to investors. The Index is reconstituted annually in October of each year.
|
The WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Index is comprised of 2000 largest companies by float-adjusted market capitalization. |
The WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Index will only include components from countries defined to be eligible for investments (outside of Mexico) by The National Commission for the Pension System (CONSAR). Currently allowable countries are: United States, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Israel, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Thailand or Taiwan18. This country list is subject to change and WisdomTree reserves the right to adjust the Index allowable country list based on CONSARs eligibility.
The WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity 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. The Index is calculated in U.S. dollars.
2. |
Key Features |
2.1. |
Membership Criteria |
To be eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Index 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 eligible for inclusion a company must list its shares on a U.S. stock exchange, be incorporated and domiciled in the United States. Companies need to have a float-adjusted market capitalization of at least $100 million by the Screening Date (after the close of trading on the last trading day in September) 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
18 Effective with the October 2017 reconstitution, Malaysia, South Africa, Thailand and Taiwan will be included in the Index, per CONSAR approval of new investment countries.
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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. Preferred stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, and derivative securities such as warrants and rights are not eligible.19 The publicly traded security for WisdomTree Investments, Inc., ticker WETF, is not eligible for inclusion in any of WisdomTrees equity indexes.
In the developed world, companies must list shares on one of the stock exchanges in Europe (i.e., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom), the Tokyo Stock Exchange, or on stock exchanges in Australia, Israel, Hong Kong, Singapore or Canada.Companies must be incorporated or domiciled in one of these countries and must meet the minimum liquidity requirements established by WisdomTree Investments. To be included in the Index, shares of such component securities need to have a float-adjusted market capitalization of at least $100 million as of the Index Screening Date. Companies must have an average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the Index Screening Date and trading of at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the Index Screening Date.
In the developing world, component companies must have their shares listed on a stock exchange in one of the following countries: Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Taiwan or Thailand. Securities must be incorporated or domiciled in one of these Emerging Market countries. In India, only securities whose foreign ownership restriction limits have yet to be breached are eligible for inclusion in the Index. Securities need to have a market capitalization of at least $200 million on the 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 Screening Date. Common stocks, REITs, tracking stocks, and holding companies are eligible for inclusion. 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. Shares of such component securities need to have traded at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the Screening Date.
19 Beginning with the December 2006 reconstitution, Mortgage REITs will no longer be eligible for inclusion in the WisdomTree Domestic and International Dividend Indexes.
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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 Standard & Poors 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 stocks investability is determining whether the market is open to foreign institutions. S&P 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, S&P 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.
2.2 |
Base Date and Base Value |
WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Index was established with a base value of 200 on February 12, 2016.
2.3 |
Calculation and Dissemination |
The following formula is used to calculate the index levels for the Global ex-Mexico Equity Index:
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 WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Index is 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 stocks 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
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basis. The price and total return Indexes are calculated and disseminated on an end of day basis and disseminated to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) so that such Index Values can print to the Consolidated Tape.
2.4 |
Weighting |
The WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico Equity Index is 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 companys market capitalization by a second factor developed by Standard & Poors 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 components 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).
The following capping rules apply in the following order:
|
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. |
|
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 securitys 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 |
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implementation of the volume factor may cause an increase in the holdings, sector and country weights above the specified caps. |
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.
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.
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.20 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.
2.8 |
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, spin-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
20 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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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 action. Whenever possible, changes to the Indexs 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 an index constituents 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. |
|
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 companys 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.
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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 Index 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 companys 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.21 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 into the index 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
21 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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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 Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs 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 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 Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass this selection criteria as of the Screening Date are included in the WisdomTree Global ex-Mexico 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.
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METHODOLOGY GUIDE FOR GROWTH LEADERS INDEX
1. |
Index Overview and Description |
The WisdomTree Growth Leaders Index [referred to as the Index] was developed by WisdomTree Investments (WTI). WisdomTree Growth Leaders 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 June22).
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. Eligible companies that are domiciled outside of China must list shares on a U.S. or European stock exchange, while China-domiciled companies must list shares on a China domestic or Hong Kong stock exchange. Constituents are required to 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. Additionally, companies must have generated at least 7% compound annual revenue growth over the trailing three years (if a security was recently listed 2- or 1-year growth rates will be substituted). Companies
22 Annual rebalance commencing June 2020.
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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 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 WisdomTrees 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 companys 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,
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it may not qualify (i.e., it is a service provider to that network, and not a platform business itself).
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% |
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Investment Platform: 50% |
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Payment Platform: 50% |
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Social Networking Platform: 50% |
○ |
Social Gaming Platform: 50% |
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Communication Platform: 50% |
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Content Platform: 50% |
○ |
Development Platform: 20%23 |
2.2 |
Base Date and Base Value |
The WisdomTree Growth Leaders 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 Growth Leaders Index:
Si = Number of shares in the index for security i.
23 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.
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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 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 stocks 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 Growth Leaders Index is a modified market- capitalization weighted index - securities are weighted by an average of their equal and market cap weights.
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The maximum weight of any individual security is capped at 9% on the annual rebalance, prior to the implementation of the country caps, and the weights of all other components will be adjusted proportionally. |
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Exposure to U.S. domiciled companies will be proportionally reduced or increased to 88%. |
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The top 12 non-U.S. domiciled companies ranked by sales-growth are added to the index. Should exposure to China-domiciled companies breach 5%, the total weight of these companies will be proportionally reduced to 5%. Should exposure to non-US-domiciled companies breach 12%, the total weight of companies will be proportionally reduced to 12% |
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.
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
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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.
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 securitys 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.
2.9 |
Multiple Share Classes |
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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, 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 Indexs 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 companys shares and weight in the Index are adjusted to reflect the transaction after the close of trading on the day
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prior to the execution date.24 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.
4. |
Index Divisor Adjustments |
Changes in the Indexs market capitalization due to changes in composition, weighting or corporate actions result in a divisor change to maintain the Indexs 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 re-incorporate 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 Growth Leaders Index are defined in section 2.1. Companies that pass these selection criteria as of
24 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
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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.
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