As
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April
20, 2018
Registration
No. 333-223940
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
Pre-effective
Amendment No. 1
to
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT
OF 1933
Teucrium
Commodity Trust
(Registrant)
Delaware
(State or other
jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
6799
(Primary
Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)
27-6715889
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
c/o Teucrium
Trading, LLC
115 Christina
Landing Drive
Unit
2004
Wilmington, DE
19801
Phone:
(302) 543-5977
(Address,
including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
Registrant’s principal executive offices)
Dale
Riker
Chief Executive
Officer
Teucrium
Trading, LLC
115 Christina
Landing Drive
Unit
2004
Wilmington, DE
19801
Phone:
(302) 543-5977
(Name,
address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area
code, of agent for service)
Copy to:
W. Thomas
Conner, Esq.
VedderPrice
P.C.
1633 Broadway
31
st
Floor
New York, New York 10019
Approximate date of commencement
of proposed sale to the public: As soon as
practicable after the effective date of this Registration
Statement.
If any of the securities being
registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or
continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of
1933, check the following
box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register
additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under
the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities
Act registration statement number of the earlier effective
registration statement for the same
offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective
amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act,
check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective
amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act,
check the following box and list the Securities Act registration
statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the
registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company under Rule
12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. (Check
one):
Large accelerated
filer ☐
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Accelerated
filer ☒
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Non-accelerated
filer ☐
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Smaller reporting
company ☐
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CALCULATION OF
REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of Securities
to be Registered
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Amount to be
Registered(1)
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Proposed Maximum Offering Price
Per Unit(2)
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Proposed Maximum Aggregate
Offering Price(2)
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Amount of Registration
Fee(1)(2)
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Common units of Teucrium Soybean
Fund, a series of the Registrant
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5,000,000
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$
18.78
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$
93,900,000.00
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$
11,690.55*
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*Previously
paid.
(1) This Registration Statement
registers 5,000,000 additional shares of Teucrium Soybean Fund and,
pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6), carries over 6,650,000 unsold shares of
Teucrium Soybean Fund from a Registration Statement on Form S-1
(File No. 333-217247), initially filed on April 11, 2017 and
effective as of May 1, 2017, relating to 8,000,000 shares of
Teucrium Soybean Fund (the “2017 Registration
Statement’), and to a Registration Statement on Form S-1
(File No. 333-196210) initially filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on May 23, 2014 (the
“2014 Registration Statement”) relating to 9,125,000
unsold Shares that were originally registered on, and carried over
from, Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to a Registration Statement on
Form S-1 (File No. 333-167590) filed with the SEC on March 9, 2011
(the “2011 Registration Statement”). The 2011
Registration Statement registered 10,000,000 Shares. In connection
with filing the 2011 Registration Statement, the Registrant paid
registration fees of $24,127 with respect to the 6,650,000 unsold
Shares that are being carried forward to this Registration
Statement. Accordingly, no additional registration fee is due for
the unsold shares being carried forward.
This Registration Statement
contains a combined prospectus under Rule 429 of the Securities Act
which relates to the prospectus contained in the 2014 Registration
Statement. Upon effectiveness, this Registration Statement, which
is a new Registration Statement, will also act as a post-effective
amendment to the 2014 Registration Statement. Pursuant to Rule
415(a)(6), the offering of unsold shares under the 2014
Registration Statement will be deemed terminated as of the date of
effectiveness of this Registration Statement.
(2) Estimated solely for the
purpose of calculating the registration fee for the 5,000,000
additional shares of Teucrium Soybean Fund pursuant to Rule 457(d)
under the Securities Act of 1933, based on a net asset value per
share of $18.78 on March 21, 2018.
The registrant hereby amends this
Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to
delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further
amendment which specifically states that this Registration
Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with
Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this
Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the
Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section
8(a), may determine.
Teucrium
Soybean Fund
11,650,000
Shares
Teucrium Soybean Fund (the
“Fund” or “Us” or “We”) is a
commodity pool that is a series of Teucrium Commodity Trust
(“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust. The
Fund issues common units representing fractional undivided
beneficial interests in such Fund, called
“Shares.” The Fund continuously offers
creation baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares (“Creation
Baskets”) at their net asset value (“NAV”) to
“Authorized Purchasers” (as defined
below). Authorized Purchasers, in turn, may offer to the
public Shares of any baskets they create. Authorized
Purchasers sell such Shares, which are listed on the NYSE Arca
exchange (“NYSE Arca”), to the public at per-Share
offering prices that are expected to reflect, among other factors,
the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the
Fund at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation
Baskets and the NAV at the time of the offer of the Shares to the
public, the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale,
and the liquidity of the markets for soybean interests in which the
Fund invests. A list of the Fund’s Authorized
Purchasers as of the date of this Prospectus can be found under
“Plan of Distribution – Distributor and Authorized
Purchasers,” on page 40. The prices of Shares offered by
Authorized Purchasers are expected to fall between the Fund’s
NAV and the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca at the
time of sale. The Fund’s Shares may trade in the
secondary market on the NYSE Arca at prices that are lower or
higher than their NAV per Share. Fund Shares are listed
on the NYSE Arca under the symbol
“SOYB.”
The Fund’s sponsor is
Teucrium Trading, LLC (the “Sponsor”). The investment
objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the Fund’s NAV per Share reflect the daily changes
in percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement
prices for three soybean futures
contracts.
This is a best efforts offering;
the distributor, Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the
“Distributor”) is not required to sell any specific
number or dollar amount of Shares, but will use its best efforts to
sell Shares. An Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to purchase Shares. This is intended to be a
continuous offering that will terminate on April 30, 2021, unless
suspended or terminated at any earlier time for certain reasons
specified in this prospectus or unless extended as permitted under
the rules under the Securities Act of 1933. See
“Prospectus Summary – The Shares” and
“Creation and Redemption of Shares – Rejection of
Purchase Orders” below.
Investing in the Fund involves significant
risks. See “What Are the Risk Factors Involved
with an Investment in the Fund?” beginning on
page 10
.
The Fund is
not a mutual fund registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940 and is not subject to regulation under such
Act.
NEITHER THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (“SEC”) NOR ANY
STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THE
SECURITIES OFFERED IN THIS PROSPECTUS, OR DETERMINED IF THIS
PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION
TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
THE COMMODITY
FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION HAS NOT PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF
PARTICIPATING IN THIS POOL NOR HAS THE COMMISSION PASSED ON THE
ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS DISCLOSURE
DOCUMENT.
This prospectus
is in two parts: a disclosure document and a statement of
additional information. These parts are bound together, and both
contain important information.
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Price of the
Shares*
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$
18.44
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$
461,000
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* Based on closing net asset value
on January 31, 2018. The price will vary based on net asset value
in effect on a particular day. No commissions or discounts are paid
to Authorized Purchasers in connection with the sale of Creation
Baskets. The Sponsor pays certain fees to the Distributor. See
“The Offering – Plan of Distribution” on page
40.
The date of this prospectus
is April 30, 2018
COMMODITY
FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
RISK DISCLOSURE
STATEMENT
YOU SHOULD
CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHETHER YOUR FINANCIAL CONDITION PERMITS YOU TO
PARTICIPATE IN A COMMODITY POOL. IN SO DOING, YOU SHOULD
BE AWARE THAT COMMODITY INTEREST TRADING CAN QUICKLY LEAD TO LARGE
LOSSES AS WELL AS GAINS. SUCH TRADING LOSSES CAN SHARPLY
REDUCE THE NET ASSET VALUE OF THE POOL AND CONSEQUENTLY THE VALUE
OF YOUR INTEREST IN THE POOL. IN ADDITION, RESTRICTIONS
ON REDEMPTIONS MAY AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO WITHDRAW YOUR
PARTICIPATION IN THE POOL.
FURTHER,
COMMODITY POOLS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL CHARGES FOR
MANAGEMENT, AND ADVISORY AND BROKERAGE FEES. IT MAY BE
NECESSARY FOR THOSE POOLS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO THESE CHARGES TO MAKE
SUBSTANTIAL TRADING PROFITS TO AVOID DEPLETION OR EXHAUSTION OF
THEIR ASSETS. THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT CONTAINS A
COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF EACH EXPENSE TO BE CHARGED THIS POOL AT
PAGE 39 AND A STATEMENT OF THE PERCENTAGE RETURN NECESSARY TO BREAK
EVEN, THAT IS, TO RECOVER THE AMOUNT OF YOUR INITIAL INVESTMENT, AT
PAGE 7.
THIS BRIEF
STATEMENT CANNOT DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER FACTORS NECESSARY
TO EVALUATE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS COMMODITY
POOL. THEREFORE, BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO PARTICIPATE IN
THIS COMMODITY POOL, YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY STUDY THIS DISCLOSURE
DOCUMENT, INCLUDING A DESCRIPTION OF THE PRINCIPAL RISK FACTORS OF
THIS INVESTMENT, AT PAGE 4.
YOU SHOULD ALSO
BE AWARE THAT THIS COMMODITY POOL MAY TRADE FOREIGN FUTURES OR
OPTIONS CONTRACTS. TRANSACTIONS ON MARKETS LOCATED
OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING MARKETS FORMALLY LINKED TO A
UNITED STATES MARKET, MAY BE SUBJECT TO REGULATIONS WHICH OFFER
DIFFERENT OR DIMINISHED PROTECTION TO THE POOL AND ITS
PARTICIPANTS. FURTHER, UNITED STATES REGULATORY
AUTHORITIES MAY BE UNABLE TO COMPEL THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES OF
REGULATORY AUTHORITIES OR MARKETS IN NON-UNITED STATES
JURISDICTIONS WHERE TRANSACTIONS FOR THE POOL MAY BE
EFFECTED.
SWAPS
TRANSACTIONS, LIKE OTHER FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS, INVOLVE A VARIETY
OF SIGNIFICANT RISKS. THE SPECIFIC RISKS PRESENTED BY A PARTICULAR
SWAP TRANSACTION NECESSARILY DEPEND UPON THE TERMS OF THE
TRANSACTION AND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. IN GENERAL, HOWEVER, ALL SWAPS
TRANSACTIONS INVOLVE SOME COMBINATION OF MARKET RISK, CREDIT RISK,
COUNTERPARTY CREDIT RISK, FUNDING RISK, LIQUIDITY RISK, AND
OPERATIONAL RISK.
HIGHLY
CUSTOMIZED SWAPS TRANSACTIONS IN PARTICULAR MAY INCREASE LIQUIDITY
RISK, WHICH MAY RESULT IN A SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS. HIGHLY
LEVERAGED TRANSACTIONS MAY EXPERIENCE SUBSTANTIAL GAINS OR LOSSES
IN VALUE AS A RESULT OF RELATIVELY SMALL CHANGES IN THE VALUE OR
LEVEL OF AN UNDERLYING OR RELATED MARKET
FACTOR.
IN
EVALUATING THE RISKS AND CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH A
PARTICULAR SWAP TRANSACTION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THAT A
SWAP TRANSACTION MAY BE MODIFIED OR TERMINATED ONLY BY MUTUAL
CONSENT OF THE ORIGINAL PARTIES AND SUBJECT TO AGREEMENT ON
INDIVIDUALLY NEGOTIATED TERMS. THEREFORE, IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE
FOR THE COMMODITY POOL OPERATOR TO MODIFY, TERMINATE, OR OFFSET THE
POOL'S OBLIGATIONS OR THE POOL'S EXPOSURE TO THE RISKS ASSOCIATED
WITH A TRANSACTION PRIOR TO ITS SCHEDULED TERMINATION
DATE.
TEUCRIUM
SOYBEAN FUND
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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iii
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1
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1
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1
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3
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4
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4
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6
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6
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7
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8
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10
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10
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14
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21
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21
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22
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23
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24
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24
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24
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28
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28
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31
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33
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33
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34
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35
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36
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36
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39
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40
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40
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40
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43
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43
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44
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46
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47
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48
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55
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58
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59
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59
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59
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60
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60
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60
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61
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61
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69
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71
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73
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S
TATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This prospectus includes
“forward-looking statements” which generally relate to
future events or future performance. In some cases, you
can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as
“may,” “will,” “should,”
“expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,”
“believe,” “estimate,”
“predict,” “potential” or the negative of
these terms or other comparable terminology. All
statements (other than statements of historical fact) included in
this prospectus that address activities, events or developments
that will or may occur in the future, including such matters as
movements in the commodities markets and indexes that track such
movements, the Fund’s operations, the Sponsor’s plans
and references to the Fund’s future success and other similar
matters, are forward-looking statements. These
statements are only predictions. Actual events or
results may differ materially. These statements are
based upon certain assumptions and analyses the Sponsor has made
based on its perception of historical trends, current conditions
and expected future developments, as well as other factors
appropriate in the circumstances. Whether or not actual
results and developments will conform to the Sponsor’s
expectations and predictions, however, is subject to a number of
risks and uncertainties, including the special considerations
discussed in this prospectus, general economic, market and business
conditions, changes in laws or regulations, including those
concerning taxes, made by governmental authorities or regulatory
bodies, and other world economic and political
developments. See “What Are the Risk Factors
Involved with an Investment in the
Fund?” Consequently, all the forward-looking
statements made in this prospectus are qualified by these
cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that actual
results or developments the Sponsor anticipates will be realized
or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the
expected consequences to, or have the expected effects on, the
Fund’s operations or the value of its
Shares.
This is only a
summary of the prospectus and, while it contains material
information about the Fund and its Shares, it does not contain or
summarize all of the information about the Fund and the Shares
contained in this prospectus that is material and/or which may be
important to you. You should read this entire prospectus, including
“What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in the
Fund?” beginning on page 10, before making an investment
decision about the Shares. In addition, this prospectus includes a
statement of additional information that follows and is bound
together with the primary disclosure document. Both the primary
disclosure document and the statement of additional information
contain important information.
P
rincipal Offices of the Fund and the
Sponsor
The principal office of the Trust
and the Fund is located at 115 Christina Landing Drive, Unit 2004,
Wilmington, DE 19801. The telephone number is (302)
543-5977. The Sponsor’s principal office is also
located at 115 Christina Landing Drive, Unit 2004, Wilmington, DE
19801, and its telephone number is also (302)
543-5977.
The amount of trading income
required for the redemption value of a Share at the end of one year
to equal the selling price of the Share, assuming a selling price
of $18.44 (the NAV per Share as of January 31, 2018), is $0.32 or
1.74% of the selling price. For more information, see
“Breakeven Analysis” below.
Teucrium Soybean Fund (the
“Fund” or “Us” or “We”), is a
commodity pool that issues Shares that may be purchased and sold on
the NYSE Arca. The Fund is a series of the Teucrium
Commodity Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust
organized on September 11, 2009. The Fund is one of five
series of the Trust (collectively, the “Teucrium Funds); each
series operates as a separate commodity pool. Additional
series of the Trust may be created in the future. The Trust
and the Fund operate pursuant to the Trust’s
Third Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and
Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”). The
Fund was formed and is managed and controlled by the Sponsor,
Teucrium Trading, LLC. The Sponsor is a limited
liability company formed in Delaware on July 28, 2009 that is
registered as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) with
the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and
is a member of the National Futures Association
(“NFA”). The Sponsor also registered as a
Commodity Trading Advisor (“CTA”) with the
CFTC effective September 8, 2017.
The investment
objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in
percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement
prices for three futures contracts for soybeans (“Soybean
Futures Contracts”) that are traded on the Chicago Board of
Trade (“CBOT”):
SOYB Benchmark
CBOT Soybean Futures
Contract
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Weighting
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Second to
expire (excluding August & September)
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35%
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Third to
expire (excluding August & September)
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30%
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Expiring in
the November following the expiration of the third to
expire contract
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35%
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(The weighted average of the three
referenced Soybean Futures Contracts is referred to herein as the
“Benchmark,” and the three Soybean Futures Contracts
that at any given time make up the Benchmark are referred to herein
as the “Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts.”)
Soybean Futures Contracts traded
on the CBOT expire on a specified day in seven different months:
January, March, May, July, August, September and
November. However, there is generally a less liquid
market for the Soybean Futures Contracts expiring in August (the
“August Contract”) and September (the “September
Contract” and, together with the August Contract, the
“Excluded Contracts”), and the Sponsor has determined
not to incorporate the Excluded Contracts into the Benchmark
calculation. Accordingly, during the period when the
Excluded Contracts are the second-to-expire and third-to-expire
Soybean Futures Contract, the fourth-to-expire and fifth-to-expire
Soybean Futures Contracts will take the place of the
second-to-expire and third-to-expire Soybean Futures Contracts,
respectively, as Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts. Similarly, when the August Contract is the
third-to-expire Soybean Futures Contract, the fifth-to-expire
Soybean Futures Contract will take the place of the August Contract
as a Benchmark Component Futures Contract, and when the September
Contract is the second-to-expire Soybean Futures Contract, the
third-to-expire and fourth-to-expire Soybean Futures Contracts will
be Benchmark Component Futures Contracts.
The Fund seeks to achieve its
investment objective by investing under normal market conditions in
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts or, in certain circumstances,
in other Soybean Futures Contracts traded on the CBOT, the
Intercontinental Exchange (“ICE”) or on foreign
exchanges. In addition, and to a limited extent, the
Fund also may invest in exchange-traded options on Soybean Futures
Contracts in furtherance of the Fund's investment
objective. Once position limits in Soybean Futures
Contracts are applicable, the Fund's intention is to invest in
contracts and instruments such as cash-settled options on Soybean
Futures Contracts, forward contracts, and other over-the-counter
transactions that are based on the price of soybean and Soybean
Futures Contracts (collectively, “Other Soybean
Interests,” and together with Soybean Futures Contracts
“Soybean Interests”). See “The
Offering – Futures Contracts” below. By
utilizing certain or all of these investments, the Sponsor will
endeavor to cause the Fund's performance to closely track that of
the Benchmark. The Sponsor expects to manage the
Fund’s investments directly, although it has been authorized
by the Trust to retain, establish the terms of retention for, and
terminate third-party commodity trading advisors to provide such
management. The Sponsor is also authorized to select
futures commission merchants (“FCMs”) to execute the
Fund’s transactions in Soybean Futures
Contracts.
The Fund seeks to achieve its
investment objective primarily by investing in Soybean Interests
such that daily changes in the Fund’s NAV are expected to
closely track the changes in the Benchmark. The
Fund’s positions in Soybean Interests are changed or
“rolled” on a regular basis in order to track the
changing nature of the Benchmark. For example, five
times a year (on the dates on which certain Soybean Futures
Contracts expire), a particular Soybean Futures Contract will no
longer be a Benchmark Component Futures Contract, and the
Fund’s investments will have to be changed
accordingly. In order that the Fund’s trading does
not signal potential market movements and to make it more difficult
for third parties to profit by trading ahead based on such expected
market movements, the Fund’s investments may not be rolled
entirely on that day, but rather may be rolled over a period of
several days.
The Fund posts on its website
(
www.teucriumsoybfund.com
)
the roll dates and the contracts into which it will roll for the
entire upcoming calendar year. This information is updated at the
beginning of the calendar year and as needed throughout the
year.
The Fund incurs certain expenses
in connection with its operations, and holds most of its assets in
income-producing, short-term securities for margin and other
liquidity purposes and to meet redemptions that may be necessary on
an ongoing basis. These expenses and income cause imperfect
correlation between changes in the Fund’s NAV and changes in
the Benchmark, because the Benchmark does not reflect expenses or
income. Investors should be aware that because the Fund incurs
certain expenses on an ongoing basis, they may incur a partial or
complete loss of their investment even when the performance of the
Benchmark is positive.
In seeking to achieve the
Fund’s investment objective of tracking the Benchmark, the
Sponsor may for certain reasons cause the Fund to enter into or
hold Soybean Futures Contracts other than the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts and/or Other Soybean Interests. Other
Soybean Interests that do not have standardized terms and are not
exchange-traded, referred to as “over-the-counter”
Soybean Interests, can generally be structured as the parties to
the Soybean Interest contract desire. Therefore, the
Fund might enter into multiple over-the-counter Other Soybean
Interests intended to replicate the performance of each of the
three Benchmark Component Futures Contracts, or a single
over-the-counter Other Soybean Interest designed to replicate the
performance of the Benchmark as a whole. Assuming that
there is no default by a counterparty to an over-the-counter Other
Soybean Interest, the performance of the Other Soybean Interest
will necessarily correlate exactly with the performance of the
Benchmark or the applicable Benchmark Component Futures
Contract. The Fund might also enter into or hold Soybean
Interests other than Benchmark Component Futures Contracts to
facilitate effective trading, consistent with the discussion of the
Fund’s “roll” strategy in the preceding
paragraph. In addition, the Fund might enter into or
hold Soybean Interests that would be expected to alleviate
overall deviation between the Fund’s performance and that of
the Benchmark that may result from certain market and trading
inefficiencies or other reasons. By utilizing certain or
all of the investments described above, the Sponsor endeavors to
cause the Fund’s performance to closely track that of the
Benchmark.
The Fund invests in Soybean
Interests to the fullest extent possible without being leveraged or
unable to satisfy its expected current or potential margin or
collateral obligations with respect to its investments in Soybean
Interests. After fulfilling such margin and collateral
requirements, the Fund invests the remainder of its proceeds from
the sale of baskets in cash equivalents, including money-market
funds and investment grade commercial paper, and/or merely hold
such assets in cash in interest-bearing
accounts. Therefore, the focus of the Sponsor in
managing the Fund is investing in Soybean Interests and cash and/or
cash equivalents. The Fund earns interest income from
the cash equivalents that it purchases and on the cash it holds at
financial institutions.
The Sponsor endeavors to place the
Fund’s trades in Soybean Interests and otherwise manage the
Fund’s investments so that the Fund’s average daily
tracking error against the Benchmark will be less than 10 percent
over any period of 30 trading days. More specifically,
the Sponsor endeavors to manage the Fund so that A will be within
plus/minus 10 percent of B, where:
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A is the average daily change in
the Fund’s NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation
days, i.e., any trading day as of which the Fund calculates its
NAV, and
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B is the average daily change in
the Benchmark over the same period.
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The Sponsor believes that market
arbitrage opportunities will cause the Fund’s Share price on
the NYSE Arca to track the Fund’s NAV per
Share. The Sponsor believes that the net effect of this
expected relationship and the expected relationship described above
between the Fund’s NAV and the Benchmark will be that the
changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca
will track, in percentage terms, changes in the Benchmark. This
relationship may be affected by various market factors, including
but not limited to, the number of shares of the Fund outstanding
and the liquidity of the underlying holdings.
The Sponsor employs a
“neutral” investment strategy intended to track the
changes in the Benchmark regardless of whether the Benchmark goes
up or goes down. The Fund’s “neutral”
investment strategy is designed to permit investors generally to
purchase and sell the Fund’s Shares for the purpose of
investing indirectly in the soybean market in a cost-effective
manner. Such investors may include participants in the
soybean industry and other industries seeking to hedge the risk of
losses in their soybean-related transactions, as well as investors
seeking exposure to the soybean market. Accordingly,
depending on the investment objective of an individual investor,
the risks generally associated with investing in the soybean market
and/or the risks involved in hedging may exist. In
addition, an investment in the Fund involves the risks that the
changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares will not accurately
track the changes in the Benchmark, and that changes in the
Benchmark will not closely correlate with changes in the price of
soybean on the spot market. Furthermore, as noted above,
the Fund may also elect to invest in cash and/or cash equivalents
to meet its current or potential margin or collateral requirements
with respect to its investments in Soybean Interests and to invest
cash not required to be used as margin or
collateral. The Fund does not expect there to be any
meaningful correlation between the performance of the Fund’s
investments in cash and/or cash equivalents and the changes in the
price of soybean or Soybean Interests. While the level
of interest earned on or the market price of these investments may
in some respects correlate to changes in the price of soybean, this
correlation is not anticipated as part of the Fund’s efforts
to meet its objective. This and certain risk factors
discussed in this prospectus may cause a lack of correlation
between changes in the Fund’s NAV and changes in the price of
soybean. The Sponsor does not intend to operate the Fund
in a fashion such that its per Share NAV will equal, in dollar
terms, the spot price of a bushel or other unit of soybean or the
price of any particular Soybean Futures
Contract.
The Fund creates and redeems
Shares only in blocks called Creation Baskets and Redemption
Baskets, respectively. Only Authorized Purchasers may
purchase or redeem Creation Baskets or Redemption
Baskets. An Authorized Purchaser is under no obligation
to create or redeem baskets, and an Authorized Purchaser is under
no obligation to offer to the public Shares of any baskets it does
create. Baskets are generally created when there is a
demand for Shares, including, but not limited to, when the market
price per share is at (or perceived to be at) a premium to the NAV
per Share. Similarly, baskets are generally redeemed
when the market price per share is at (or perceived to be at) a
discount to the NAV per Share. Retail investors seeking
to purchase or sell Shares on any day are expected to effect such
transactions in the secondary market, on the NYSE Arca, at the
market price per share, rather than in connection with the creation
or redemption of baskets. There are a minimum number of baskets and
associated shares specified for the Fund. Once the minimum number
of baskets is reached, there can be no more basket redemptions
until there has been a creation basket. In such case, market makers
may be less willing to purchase Shares from investors in the
secondary market, which may in turn limit the ability of
shareholders of the Fund to sell their Shares in the secondary
market. As of January 31, 2018 these minimum levels for the Fund
are 50,000 shares representing 2 baskets.
All proceeds from the sale of
Creation Baskets will be invested as quickly as practicable in the
investments described in this prospectus. The
Fund’s cash and investments are held through the Fund’s
Custodian, in accounts with the Fund’s commodity futures
brokers, in demand deposits with highly-rated financial
institutions, in investment grade commercial paper, or in
collateral accounts with respect to over-the-counter Soybean
Interests. There is no stated maximum time period for
the Fund’s operations and the Fund will continue until all
Shares are redeemed or the Fund is liquidated pursuant to the terms
of the Trust Agreement.
There is no specified limit on the
maximum number of Creation Baskets that can be sold. At some point,
however, applicable position limits on Soybean Futures Contracts or
Other Soybean Interests may practically limit the number of
Creation Baskets that will be sold if the Sponsor determines that
the other investment alternatives available to the Fund at that
time will not enable it to meet its stated investment
objective.
Shares may also be purchased and
sold by individuals and entities that are not Authorized Purchasers
in smaller increments than Creation Baskets on the NYSE
Arca. However, these transactions are effected at bid
and ask prices established by specialist firm(s). Like
any listed security, Shares of the Fund can be purchased and sold
at any time a secondary market is open.
In managing the Fund’s
assets, the Sponsor does not use a technical trading system that
automatically issues buy and sell orders. Instead, each
time one or more baskets are purchased or redeemed, the Sponsor
will purchase or sell Soybean Interests with an aggregate market
value that approximates the amount of cash received or paid upon
the purchase or redemption of the basket(s).
Note to Secondary Market Investors:
Shares can be directly purchased from the Fund only in Creation
Baskets and only by Authorized Purchasers. Each Creation
Basket consists of 25,000 Shares and therefore requires a
significant financial commitment to
purchase. Accordingly, investors who do not have such
resources or who are not Authorized Purchasers should be aware that
some of the information contained in this prospectus, including
information about purchases and redemptions of Shares directly with
the Fund, is only relevant to Authorized
Purchasers. Shares are listed and traded on the NYSE
Arca under the ticker symbol “SOYB” and may be
purchased and sold as individual Shares. Individuals
interested in purchasing Shares in the secondary market should
contact their broker. Shares purchased or sold through a
broker may be subject to commissions.
Except when
aggregated in Redemption Baskets, Shares are not redeemable
securities. There is no guarantee that Shares will trade at prices
that are at or near the per-Share NAV. There are a minimum number
of baskets and associated shares specified for the Fund. Once the
minimum number of baskets is reached, there can be no more
redemptions until there has been a creation basket. As of January
31, 2018 these minimum levels for the Fund are 50,000 shares
representing 2 baskets.
The Shares are registered as
securities under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “1933
Act”) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
“Exchange Act”) and do not provide dividend rights or
conversion rights and there are no sinking funds. The Shares may
only be redeemed when aggregated in Redemption Baskets as discussed
under “Creation and Redemption of Shares” and holders
of Fund Shares (“Shareholders”) generally do not have
voting rights as discussed under “The Trust Agreement –
Voting Rights” below. Cumulative voting is neither permitted
nor required and there are no preemptive rights. The Trust
Agreement provides that, upon liquidation of the Fund, its assets
will be distributed pro rata to the Shareholders based upon the
number of Shares held. Each Shareholder will receive its share of
the assets in cash or in kind, and the proportion of such share
that is received in cash may vary from Shareholder to Shareholder,
as the Sponsor in its sole discretion may
decide.
The offering of Shares under this
prospectus is a continuous offering under Rule 415 of the 1933 Act
and will terminate on April 30, 2021. The offering may be extended
beyond such date as permitted by applicable rules under the 1933
Act. The offering will terminate before such date or before the end
of any extension period if all of the registered Shares have been
sold. However, the Sponsor expects to cause the Trust to file one
or more additional registration statements as necessary to permit
additional Shares to be registered and offered on an uninterrupted
basis. This offering may also be suspended or terminated at any
time for certain specified reasons, including if and when suitable
investments for the Fund are not available or practicable. See
“Creation and Redemption of Shares – Rejection of
Purchase Orders” below. As discussed above, the minimum
purchase requirement for Authorized Purchasers is a Creation
Basket, which consists of 25,000 Shares. The Fund does not require
a minimum purchase amount for investors who purchase Shares from
Authorized Purchasers. There are no arrangements to place funds in
an escrow, trust, or similar account.
T
he Fund’s Investments in Soybean
Interests
A brief description of the
principal types of Soybean Interests in which the Fund may invest
is set forth below.
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●
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A futures contract is an
exchange-traded contract traded with standard terms that calls for
the delivery of a specified quantity of a commodity at a specified
price, on a specified date and at a specified location. Typically,
a futures contract is traded out or rolled on an exchange before
delivery or receipt of the underlying commodity is
required.
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A swap agreement is a bilateral
contract to exchange a periodic stream of payments determined by
reference to a notional amount, with payment typically made between
the parties on a net basis. For instance, in the case of
soybean swap, the Fund may be obligated to pay a fixed price per
bushel of soybeans multiplied by a notional number of bushels and
be entitled to receive an amount per bushel equal to the current
value of an index of soybean prices, the price of a specified
Soybean Futures Contract, or the average price of a group of
Soybean Futures Contracts such as the Benchmark (times the same
notional number of bushels). As is the case with futures, swaps are
financial contracts and are typically settled financially between
counterparties. Unlike futures, however, swaps may or may not trade
on an exchange and, therefore, they may be less liquid, may be more
expensive, and may take longer to settle or trade out
of.
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The Fund may also invest to a
lesser extent in the following types of Soybean Interests
(“Other Soybean Interests”):
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●
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A forward contract
(“Forward”) is an over-the-counter bilateral contract
for the purchase or sale of a specified quantity of a
commodity at a specified price, on a specified date and at a
specified location. Forwards are almost always settled by delivery
of the underlying commodity. Although not impossible, it is unusual
to settle a Forward financially; therefore, Forwards are generally
illiquid.
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●
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An option on a futures contract, a
swap agreement, forward contract or a commodity on the spot market
gives the buyer of the option the right, but not the obligation, to
buy or sell a futures contract, swap agreement, forward contract or
commodity, as applicable, at a specified price on or before a
specified date. The seller, or writer, of the option is
obligated to take a position in the underlying interest at a
specified price opposite to the option buyer if the option is
exercised. Options on futures contracts, like the future
contracts to which they relate, are standardized contracts traded
on an exchange and are regulated like futures contracts, while all
other options (except for spot options) are considered swaps and
are regulated as swaps.
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Unlike exchange-traded contracts,
over-the-counter contracts expose the Fund to the credit risk of
the other party to the contract. (As discussed below,
exchange-traded contracts may expose the Fund to the risk of the
clearing broker’s and/or the exchange clearing
house(s)’ bankruptcy.) The Sponsor does not
currently intend to purchase and sell soybeans in the “spot
market” for the Fund. Spot market transactions are
cash transactions in which the buyer and seller agree to the
immediate purchase and sale of a commodity, usually with a two-day
settlement period. In addition, the Sponsor does not
currently intend that the Fund will enter into or hold spot month
Soybean Futures Contracts, except that spot month contracts that
were formerly second-to-expire contracts may be held for a brief
period until they can be disposed of in accordance with the
Fund’s roll strategy.
Although the Fund has the ability
to trade over-the-counter contracts and swaps, the Sponsor
anticipates that 100% of the Fund’s assets will be used to
trade futures.
A more detailed description of
Soybean Interests and other aspects of the soybean and Soybean
Interest markets can be found later in this
prospectus.
As noted, the
Fund invests in Soybean Futures Contracts, including those traded
on the CBOT or its affiliates. The Fund expressly
disclaims any association with the CBOT or endorsement of the Fund
by such exchange and acknowledges that “CBOT” and
“Chicago Board of Trade” are registered trademarks of
such exchange.
P
rincipal Investment Risks of an Investment in the
Fund
An investment in the Fund involves
a degree of risk. Some of the risks you may face are summarized
below. A more extensive discussion of these risks appears beginning
on page 10.
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Unlike mutual funds, commodity
pools and other investment pools that manage their investments so
as to realize income and gains for distribution to their investors,
the Fund generally does not distribute dividends to
Shareholders. You should not invest in the Fund if you
will need cash distributions from the Fund to pay taxes on your
share of income and gains of the Fund, if any, or for other
purposes.
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Investors may choose to use the
Fund as a means of investing indirectly in soybeans, and there are
risks involved in such investments. The risks and
hazards that are inherent in soybean production may cause the price
of soybean to fluctuate widely. Global price movements
for soybean are influenced by, among other things: weather
conditions, crop failure, production decisions, governmental
policies, changing demand, the soybean harvest cycle, and various
economic and monetary events. Soybean production is also
subject to domestic and foreign
regulations that materially affect
operations.
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●
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To the extent that investors use
the Fund as a means of investing indirectly in soybeans, there is
the risk that the changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares
on the NYSE Arca will not closely track the changes in spot price
of soybeans. This could happen if the price of Shares
traded on the NYSE Arca does not correlate closely with the
Fund’s NAV; the changes in the Fund’s NAV do not
correlate closely with changes in the Benchmark; or the changes in
the Benchmark do not correlate closely with changes in the cash or
spot price of soybeans. This is a risk because if these
correlations are not sufficiently close, then investors may not be
able to use the Fund as a cost-effective way to invest indirectly
in soybeans or as a hedge against the risk of loss in
soybean-related transactions.
Only an Authorized Purchaser may
engage in creation or redemption activities with the Fund. The Fund
has a limited number of institutions that act as Authorized
Purchasers. To the extent that these institutions exit the business
or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation and/or
redemption orders with respect to the Fund, and no Authorized
Purchaser is able or willing to step forward to create or redeem
shares of the Fund, Fund Shares may, particularly in times of
market stress, trade at a discount to the NAV per Share and
possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. In addition, a
decision by a market maker or lead market maker to step away from
activities for the Fund, particularly in times of market stress,
could adversely affect liquidity, the spread between the bid and
ask quotes for the Fund’s Shares, and potentially the price
of the Shares. The Sponsor can make no guarantees that
participation by Authorized Purchasers or market makers will
continue.
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●
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The price relationship between the
near month Soybean Futures Contract to expire and the Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts will vary and may impact both the
Fund’s total return over time and the degree to which such
total return tracks the total return of soybean price
indices. In cases in which the near month
contract’s price is lower than later-expiring
contracts’ prices (a situation known as
“contango” in the futures markets), then absent the
impact of the overall movement in soybean prices the value of the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to decline as they
approach expiration which could cause the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts, and therefore the Fund’s total return, to
track lower. In cases in which the near month
contract’s price is higher than later-expiring
contracts’ prices (a situation known as
“backwardation” in the futures markets), then absent
the impact of the overall movement in soybean prices the value of
the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts would tend to rise as
they approach expiration. In the event of a prolonged
period of contango, and absent the impact of rising or falling
soybean prices, this could have a significant negative impact on
the Fund’s NAV and total return, and you could incur a
partial or total loss of your investment in the
Fund.
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●
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Investors, including those who
directly participate in the soybean market, may choose to use the
Fund as a vehicle to hedge against the risk of loss and there are
risks involved in hedging activities. While hedging can
provide protection against an adverse movement in market prices, it
can also preclude a hedger’s opportunity to benefit from a
favorable market movement.
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●
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The Fund seeks to have the changes
in its Shares’ NAV in percentage terms track changes in the
Benchmark in percentage terms, rather than profit from speculative
trading of Soybean Interests. The Sponsor therefore
endeavors to manage the Fund so that the Fund’s assets are,
unlike those of many other commodity pools, not leveraged
(
i.e.
, so that the
aggregate amount of the Fund’s exposure to losses from its
investments in Soybean Interests at any time will not exceed the
value of the Fund’s assets). There is no assurance
that the Sponsor will successfully implement this investment
strategy. If the Sponsor permits the Fund to become
leveraged, you could lose all or substantially all of your
investment if the Fund’s trading positions suddenly turn
unprofitable. These movements in price may be the result
of factors outside of the Sponsor’s control and may not be
anticipated by the Sponsor.
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The Fund may invest in Other Soybean Interests. To
the extent that these Other Soybean Interests are contracts
individually negotiated between their parties, they may not be as
liquid as Soybean Futures Contracts and will expose the Fund to
credit risk that its counterparty may not be able to satisfy its
obligations to the Fund.
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The Fund invests primarily in
Soybean Interests that are traded or sold in the United
States. However, a portion of the Fund’s trades
may take place in markets and on exchanges outside the United
States. Some non-U.S. markets present risks because they
are not subject to the same degree of regulation as their U.S.
counterparts. In some of these non-U.S. markets, the
performance on a contract is the responsibility of the counterparty
and is not backed by an exchange or clearing corporation and
therefore exposes the Fund to credit risk. Trading in
non-U.S. markets also leaves the Fund susceptible to
increased tax burdens and fluctuations in the value of
the local currency against the U.S. dollar.
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The structure and operation of the
Fund may involve conflicts of interest. For example, a
conflict may arise because the Sponsor and its principals and
affiliates may trade for themselves. In addition, the
Sponsor has sole current authority to manage the investments and
operations of the Fund, including the authority of the Sponsor to
allocate expenses to and between the Teucrium Funds and the
interests of the Sponsor may conflict with the Shareholders’
best interests.
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●
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You will have no rights to
participate in the management of the Fund and will have to rely on
the duties and judgment of the Sponsor to manage the
Fund.
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The Fund pays fees and expenses
that are incurred regardless of whether it is
profitable.
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The regulation of futures markets,
futures contracts, and futures exchanges has historically been
comprehensive. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take
extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency including,
for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position
limits, increased margin requirements, the establishment of daily
price limits and the suspension of trading on an exchange or a
trading facility.
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The regulation of commodity
interest transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing
area of law and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental
and judicial action. Considerable regulatory attention has been
focused on non-traditional investment pools that are publicly
distributed in the United States and that use trading in futures
and options as an investment strategy and not for hedging or price
discovery purposes, therefore altering traditional participation in
futures and swaps markets. There is a possibility of future
regulatory changes within the United States altering, perhaps to a
material extent, the nature of an investment in the Fund, or the
ability of the Fund to continue to implement its investment
strategy. In addition, various national governments outside of the
United States have expressed concern regarding the disruptive
effects of speculative trading in the commodities markets and the
need to regulate the derivatives markets in general. The effect of
any future regulatory change on the Fund is impossible to predict
but could be substantial and adverse.
Failures or breaches of the
electronic system of the Fund, the Sponsor, the Custodian or the
Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized
Purchasers, NYSE Arca, exchanges on which Soybean Futures Contracts
or Other Soybean Interests are traded or cleared, or counterparties
to financial transactions with the Fund, have the ability to cause
disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business
operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund
and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business
continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address
system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such
plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber
security plans and systems of the Custodian, Administrator or the
Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized
Purchasers, NYSE Arca, exchanges on which Soybean Futures Contracts
or Other Soybean Interests are traded, or
counterparties.
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For additional risks, see
“What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in the
Fund?”
F
inancial Condition of the Fund
The Fund’s NAV is determined
as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or
4:00 p.m. New York time on each day that the NYSE Arca is open for
trading.
For a glossary of defined terms,
see Appendix A.
The breakeven analysis below
indicates the approximate dollar returns and percentage returns
required for the redemption value of a hypothetical initial
investment in a single Share, assuming a selling price of $18.44
(the NAV per Share as of January 31, 2018), to equal the amount
invested twelve months after the investment was
made. This breakeven analysis refers to the redemption
of baskets by Authorized Purchasers and is not related to any gains
an individual investor would have to achieve in order to break
even. The breakeven analysis is an approximation
only.
Assumed selling price per
Share
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$
18.44
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Sponsor’s Fee
(1.00%)(1)
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$
0.18
|
Creation Basket
Fee(2)
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$
0.01
|
Estimated Brokerage Fees
(3)
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$
0.01
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Other Fund Fees and
Expenses(4)
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$
0.47
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Interest Income
(5)
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$
(0.35
)
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Amount of trading income (loss)
required for the redemption value at the end of one year to equal
the selling price of the Share
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$
0.32
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Percentage of selling price per
Share(6)
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1.74
%
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(1) The
Fund is obligated to pay the Sponsor a management fee at the annual
rate of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets, payable
monthly. The Sponsor can elect to waive the payment of the fee in
any amount at its sole discretion, at any time and from time to
time, in order to reduce the Fund’s expenses or for any other
purpose.
(2) Authorized
Purchasers are required to pay a Creation Basket fee of $250 for
each order they place to create one or more baskets. An
order must be at least one basket, which is 25,000
Shares. This breakeven analysis assumes a hypothetical
investment in a single Share so the Creation Basket fee is $.01
($250/25,000).
(3) This
amount is based on the actual brokerage fees for the Fund
calculated on an annualized basis. The Fund currently pays $4.50
per Soybean Futures Contract purchase or sale (rounded to $0.01 in
this table based on fees accrued to the Fund for the year ended
December 31, 2017).
(4) Other
Fund Fees and Expenses are an estimate based on an allocation to
the Fund of the total estimated expenses anticipated to be incurred
by the Trust on behalf of the Fund, net of any expenses or
sponsor fee waived by the Sponsor, and include: Professional fees
(primarily legal, auditing and tax-preparation related costs);
Custodian and Administrator fees and expenses, Distribution and
Marketing fees (primarily fees paid to the Distributor, costs
related to regulatory compliance activities and other costs related
to the trading activities of the Fund); Business Permits and
Licenses; General and Administrative expenses (primarily insurance
and printing), and Other Expenses. The expenses presented are based
on estimated expenses for the current fiscal year, and do not
represent the maximum amounts payable under the contracts with
third-party service providers, as discussed below in the section of
this disclosure document entitled “Contractual Fees and
Compensation Arrangements with the Sponsor and Third-Party Service
Providers.” The per-share cost of these fixed or estimated
fees has been calculated assuming that the Fund has $11.1 million
in assets, which was the approximate amount of assets as of January
31, 2018. The Sponsor can elect to pay (or waive reimbursement for)
certain fees or expenses that would generally be paid by the Fund,
although it has no contractual obligation to do so. Any election to
pay or waive reimbursement for fees and expenses that would
generally be paid by the Fund can be changed at the discretion of
the Sponsor.
(5)
The
Fund earns interest on funds it deposits at financial institutions
and the Custodian, and on commercial paper; it estimates that the
interest rate will be 1.90% based on the interest rate currently
earned on available cash balances as of February 28, 2018. The
actual rate may vary and not all assets of the Fund will earn
interest.
(6)
This represents the estimated approximate percentage of selling
price per share net of any expenses or Sponsor fees waived by the
Sponsor. The estimated approximate percentage of selling price per
share before waived expenses or Sponsor fees is 3.28% based on the
Fund assets, net asset value per share and shares outstanding as of
January 31, 2018. Such waiver may be terminated at any time at the
sole discretion of the Sponsor.
Offering
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The Fund will offer Creation
Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares through the Distributor to
Authorized Purchasers. Authorized Purchasers may
purchase Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares at the
Fund’s NAV. The Shares trade on the NYSE
Arca.
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Use of
Proceeds
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The Sponsor will apply
substantially all of the Fund’s assets toward investing in
Soybean Interests, cash and/or cash equivalents. The Sponsor
deposits a portion of the Fund’s net assets with the FCM or
other custodians to be used to meet its current or potential margin
or collateral requirements in connection with its investment in
Soybean Interests. The Fund uses only cash and/or cash equivalents
to satisfy these requirements. The Sponsor expects that all
entities that will hold or trade the Fund’s assets will be
based in the United States and will be subject to United States
regulations. The Sponsor believes that approximately 3-5% of the
Fund’s assets will normally be committed as margin for
Soybean Futures Contracts and Other Soybean Interests. However,
from time to time, the percentage of assets committed as
margin/collateral may be substantially more, or less, than such
range. The remaining portion of the Fund’s assets are held as
cash and/or cash equivalents. All interest income earned on these
investments is retained for the Fund’s
benefit.
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NYSE Arca
Symbol
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“SOYB”
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Creation and
Redemption
|
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Authorized Purchasers pay a $250
fee per order to create Creation Baskets, and a $250 fee per order
for Redemption Baskets. Authorized Purchasers are not
required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of
Shares. The per share price of Shares offered in
Creation Baskets is the total NAV of the Fund calculated as of the
close of the NYSE Arca on that day divided by the number of issued
and outstanding Shares.
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Inter-Series Limitation on
Liability
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While the Fund is currently one of
five separate series of the Trust, additional series may be created
in the future. The Trust has been formed and will be
operated with the goal that the Fund and any other series of the
Trust will be liable only for obligations of such series, and a
series will not be responsible for or affected by any liabilities
or losses of or claims against any other series. If any
creditor or shareholder in any particular series (such as the Fund)
were to successfully assert against a series a claim with respect
to its indebtedness or Shares, the creditor or shareholder could
recover only from that particular series and its
assets. Accordingly, the debts and other obligations
incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing solely with respect
to a particular series will be enforceable only against the assets
of that series, and not against any other series or the Trust
generally or any of their respective assets. The assets
of the Fund and any other series will include only those funds and
other assets that are paid to, held by or distributed to the series
on account of and for the benefit of that series, including,
without limitation, amounts delivered to the Trust for the purchase
of Shares in a series.
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Registration Clearance and
Settlement
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Individual certificates will not
be issued for the Shares. Instead, Shares will be
represented by one or more global certificates, which will be
deposited by the transfer agent with the Depository Trust Company
(“DTC”) and registered in the name of Cede & Co.,
as nominee for DTC. The global certificates evidence all
of the Shares outstanding at any time. Beneficial
interests in Shares will be held through DTC’s book-entry
system, which means that Shareholders are limited
to: (1) participants in DTC such as banks, brokers,
dealers and trust companies (“DTC Participants”), (2)
those who maintain, either directly or indirectly, a custodial
relationship with a DTC Participant (“Indirect
Participants”), and (3) those who hold interests in the
Shares through DTC Participants or Indirect Participants, in each
case who satisfy the requirements for transfers of
Shares. DTC Participants acting on behalf of investors
holding Shares through such DTC Participants’ accounts in DTC
will follow the delivery practice applicable to securities eligible
for DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System. Shares will be
credited to DTC Participants’ securities accounts following
confirmation of receipt of payment.
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Net Asset
Value
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The NAV will be calculated by
taking the current market value of the Fund’s total assets
and subtracting any liabilities and dividing the balance by the
number of Shares. Under the Fund’s current
operational procedures, the Fund’s administrator, U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (the “Administrator”) will
calculate the NAV of the Fund’s Shares as of the earlier of
4:00 p.m. New York time or the close of the New York Stock Exchange
each day. NYSE Arca will calculate an approximate net
asset value every 15 seconds throughout each day that the
Fund’s Shares are traded on the NYSE Arca for as long as the
CBOT’s main pricing mechanism is open.
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Fund Expenses
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The Fund pays the Sponsor a
management fee at an annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund’s
average daily net assets. The Fund is also responsible
for other ongoing fees, costs and expenses of its operations,
including (i) brokerage and other fees and commissions incurred in
connection with the trading activities of the Fund; (ii) expenses
incurred in connection with registering additional Shares of the
Fund or offering Shares of the Fund; (iii) the routine expenses
associated with the preparation and, if required, the printing and
mailing of monthly, quarterly, annual and other reports required by
applicable U.S. federal and state regulatory authorities, Trust
meetings and preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements to
Shareholders; (iv) the payment of any distributions related to
redemption of Shares; (v) payment for routine services of the
Trustee, legal counsel and independent accountants; (vi) payment
for routine accounting, bookkeeping, custody and transfer agency
services, whether performed by an outside service provider or by
Affiliates of the Sponsor; (vii) postage and insurance; (viii)
costs and expenses associated with investor relations and services;
(ix) costs of preparation of all federal, state, local and foreign
tax returns and any taxes payable on the income, assets or
operations of the Fund; and (x) extraordinary expenses (including,
but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation
costs and any indemnification related thereto).
The Sponsor bore the costs and
expenses related to the initial offer and sale of Shares, including
registration fees paid or to be paid to the SEC,
the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
(“
FINRA
”)
or
any other regulatory body
or
self-regulatory organization
(“SRO”). None of
the costs and expenses related to the initial offer and sale of
Shares, which totaled approximately $450,000 were or are chargeable
to the Fund, and the Sponsor did not and may not recover any of
these costs and expenses from the Fund.
Total fees to be paid by the Fund
are currently estimated to be approximately 1.74% of the daily net
assets of the Fund for the twelve-month period ending April 30,
2019, though this amount may change in future years. The
Sponsor may, in its discretion, pay or reimburse the Fund for, or
waive a portion of its management fee to offset, expenses that
would otherwise be borne by the Fund.
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General expenses of the Trust will
be allocated among the existing Teucrium Funds and any future
series of the Trust as determined by the Sponsor in its
discretion. The Trust may be required to indemnify the
Sponsor, and the Trust and/or the Sponsor may be required to
indemnify the Trustee, Distributor or Administrator, under certain
circumstances.
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Termination
Events
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The Trust and the Fund shall
continue in existence from the date of their formation in
perpetuity, unless the Trust or the Fund, as the case may be, is
sooner terminated upon the occurrence of certain events specified
in the Trust Agreement, including the following: (1) the filing of
a certificate of dissolution or cancellation of the Sponsor or
revocation of the Sponsor’s charter or the withdrawal of the
Sponsor, unless shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding
shares of the Trust, voting together as a single class, elect
within ninety (90) days after such event to continue the business
of the Trust and appoint a successor Sponsor; (2) the occurrence of
any event which would make the existence of the Trust or the Fund
unlawful; (3) the suspension, revocation, or termination of the
Sponsor’s registration as a CPO with the CFTC or membership
with the NFA; (4) the insolvency or bankruptcy of the Trust or the
Fund; (5) a vote by the shareholders holding at least seventy-five
percent (75%) of the outstanding shares of the Trust, voting
together as a single class, to dissolve the Trust, subject to
certain conditions; (6) the determination by the Sponsor to
dissolve the Trust or the Fund, subject to certain conditions; (7)
the Trust is required to be registered as an investment company
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and (8) DTC is unable or
unwilling to continue to perform its functions and a comparable
replacement is unavailable. Upon termination of the
Fund, the affairs of the Fund shall be wound up and all of its
debts and liabilities discharged or otherwise provided for in the
order of priority as provided by law. The fair market
value of the remaining assets of the Fund shall then be determined
by the Sponsor. Thereupon, the assets of the Fund shall
be distributed pro rata to the Shareholders in accordance with
their Shares.
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Authorized
Purchasers
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A list of Authorized Purchasers is
available from the Distributor. Authorized Purchasers
must be (1) registered broker-dealers or other securities market
participants, such as banks and other financial institutions, that
are not required to register as broker-dealers to engage in
securities transactions, and (2) DTC Participants. To
become an Authorized Purchaser, a person must enter into an
Authorized Purchaser Agreement with the
Sponsor.
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W
HAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS INVOLVED WITH AN INVESTMENT
IN THE FUND?
You should
consider carefully the risks described below before making an
investment decision. You should also refer to the other information
included in this prospectus, and the Fund’s and the
Trust’s financial statements and the related notes
incorporated by reference herein. See “Incorporation by
Reference of Certain Information.”
R
isks Associated With Investing Directly or
Indirectly in Soybeans
Investing in Soybean Interests subjects the Fund to the risks of
the soybean market, and this could result in substantial
fluctuations in the price of the Fund’s
Shares.
The Fund is subject to the risks
and hazards of the soybean market because it invests in Soybean
Interests. The risks and hazards that are inherent in
the soybean market may cause the price of soybeans to fluctuate
widely. If the changes in percentage terms of the
Fund’s Shares accurately track the percentage changes in the
Benchmark or the spot price of soybeans, then the price of its
Shares will fluctuate accordingly.
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The price and availability of
soybeans is influenced by economic and industry conditions,
including but not limited to supply and demand factors such as:
crop disease; weed control; water availability; various planting,
growing, or harvesting problems; severe weather conditions such as
drought, floods, heavy rains, frost, or natural disasters that are
difficult to anticipate and which cannot be controlled;
uncontrolled fires, including arson; challenges in doing business
with foreign companies; legal and regulatory restrictions;
transportation costs; interruptions in energy supply; currency
exchange rate fluctuations; and political and economic
instability. Additionally, demand for soybeans is
affected by changes in international, national, regional and local
economic conditions, and demographic trends. The
increased production of soybean crops in South America and the
rising demand for soybeans in emerging nations such as China and
India have increased competition in the soybean
market.
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The supply of soybeans could be
reduced by the spread of soybean rust. Soybean rust is a
wind-borne fungal disease that attacks
soybeans. Although soybean rust can be killed with
chemicals, chemical treatment increases production costs for
farmers.
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Soybean production is subject to
United States and foreign policies and regulations that materially
affect operations. Governmental policies affecting the
agricultural industry, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies,
incentives, acreage control, and import and export restrictions on
agricultural commodities and commodity products, can influence the
planting of certain crops, the location and size of crop
production, the volume and types of imports and exports, and
industry profitability. Additionally, soybean production
is affected by laws and regulations relating to, but not limited
to, the sourcing, transporting, storing and processing of
agricultural raw materials as well as the transporting, storing and
distributing of related agricultural products. Soybean
producers also may need to comply with various environmental laws
and regulations, such as those regulating the use of certain
pesticides. In addition, international trade disputes
can adversely affect agricultural commodity trade flows by limiting
or disrupting trade between countries or
regions.
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Because processing soybean oil can
create trans-fats, the demand for soybean oil may decrease due to
heightened governmental regulation of trans-fats or trans-fatty
acids. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently
requires food manufacturers to disclose levels of trans-fats
contained in their products, and various local governments have
enacted or are considering restrictions on the use of trans-fats in
restaurants. Several food processors have either
switched or indicated an intention to switch to oil products with
lower levels of trans-fats or trans-fatty
acids.
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In recent years, there has been
increased global interest in the production of biofuels as
alternatives to traditional fossil fuels and as a means of
promoting energy independence. Soybeans can be converted
into biofuels such as biodiesel. Accordingly, the
soybean market has become increasingly affected by demand for
biofuels and related legislation.
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The costs related to soybean
production could increase and soybean supply could decrease as a
result of restrictions on the use of genetically modified soybeans,
including requirements to segregate genetically modified soybeans
and the products generated from them from other soybean
products.
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Seasonal fluctuations in the price
of soybeans may cause risk to an investor because of the
possibility that Share prices will be depressed because of the
soybean harvest cycle. In the futures market,
fluctuations are typically reflected in contracts expiring in the
harvest season (i.e., contracts expiring during the fall are
typically priced lower than contracts expiring in the winter and
spring). Thus, seasonal fluctuations could result in an
investor incurring losses upon the sale of Fund Shares,
particularly if the investor needs to sell Shares when the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts are, in whole or part,
Soybean Futures Contracts expiring in the fall.
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An investment in the Fund is subject to correlation risk. Your
return on an investment in the Fund may differ from the return of
the Benchmark and depending on certain factors discussed below, you
could incur a partial or total loss of your
investment.
There is a risk that changes in
the price of Shares on the NYSE Arca will not correlate with
changes in the Fund’s NAV; that changes in the NAV will not
correlate with changes in the price of the Benchmark; and/or
changes in the price of the Benchmark will not correlate with
changes in the spot price of soybeans. Depending on certain factors
associated with each of these correlations which are discussed in
more detail below, you could incur a partial or total loss of your
investment in the Fund.
The Benchmark is not designed to correlate exactly with the spot
price of soybeans and this could cause the changes in the price of
the Shares to substantially vary from the changes in the spot price
of soybeans. Therefore, you may not be able to
effectively use the Fund to hedge against soybean-related losses or
to indirectly invest in soybeans.
The Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts reflect the price of soybeans for future delivery, not
the current spot price of soybeans, so at best the correlation
between changes in such Soybean Futures Contracts and the spot
price of soybeans will be only approximate. Weak
correlation between the Benchmark and the spot price of soybeans
may result from the typical seasonal fluctuations in soybean prices
discussed above. Imperfect correlation may also result
from speculation in Soybean Interests, technical factors in the
trading of Soybean Futures Contracts, and expected inflation in the
economy as a whole. If there is a weak correlation
between the Benchmark and the spot price of soybeans, then the
price of Shares may not accurately track the spot price of soybeans
and you may not be able to effectively use the Fund as a way to
hedge the risk of losses in your soybean-related transactions or as
a way to indirectly invest in soybeans.
Changes in the Fund’s NAV may not correlate well with changes
in the price of the Benchmark. If this were to occur,
you may not be able to effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge
against soybean-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in
soybeans.
The Sponsor endeavors to invest
the Fund’s assets as fully as possible in Soybean Interests
so that the changes in percentage terms in the NAV closely
correlate with the changes in percentage terms in the
Benchmark. However, changes in the Fund’s NAV may
not correlate with the changes in the Benchmark for various
reasons, including those set forth below:
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The Fund does not intend to invest
only in the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts. While
its investments in Soybean Futures Contracts other than the
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts and Other Soybean Interests
would be for the purpose of causing the Fund’s
performance to track that of the Benchmark most effectively and
efficiently, the performance of these Soybean Interests may not
correlate well with the performance of the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts, resulting in a greater potential for error in
tracking price changes in those futures
contracts. Additionally, if the trading market for
Soybean Futures Contracts is suspended or closed, the Fund may not
be able to purchase these investments at the last reported price
for such investments.
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The Fund incurs certain expenses
in connection with its operations, and holds most of its assets in
income-producing, short-term securities for margin and other
liquidity purposes and to meet redemptions that may be necessary on
an ongoing basis. These expenses and income cause
imperfect correlation between changes in the Fund’s NAV and
changes in the Benchmark.
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The Sponsor may not be able to
invest the Fund’s assets in Soybean Interests having an
aggregate notional amount exactly equal to the Fund’s
NAV. As a standardized contract, a single Soybean
Futures Contract or Soybean Swap is for a specified amount of
soybean, and the Fund’s NAV and the proceeds from the sale of
a Creation Basket is unlikely to be an exact multiple of that
amount. In such case, the Fund could not invest the
entire proceeds from the purchase of the Creation Basket in such
futures contracts. (For example, assuming the Fund
receives $562,750 for the sale of a Creation Basket and that the
value (i.e., the notional amount) of a Soybean Futures Contract is
$62,600, the Fund could only enter into 8 Soybean Futures Contracts
with an aggregate value of $500,800). While the Fund may
be better able to achieve the exact amount of exposure to the
soybean market through the use of over-the-counter Other Soybean
Interests, there is no assurance that the Sponsor will be able to
continually adjust the Fund’s exposure to such Other Soybean
Interests to maintain such exact exposure. Furthermore,
as noted above, the use of Other Soybean Interests may itself
result in imperfect correlation with the Benchmark. Any
amounts not invested in Soybean Interests are held in cash and/or
cash equivalents.
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As Fund assets increase, there may
be more or less correlation. On the one hand, as the
Fund grows it should be able to invest in Soybean Futures Contracts
with a notional amount that is closer on a percentage basis to the
Fund’s NAV. For example, if the Fund’s NAV
is equal to 4.9 times the value of a single futures contract, it
can purchase only four futures contracts, which would cause only
81.6% of the Fund’s assets to be exposed to the soybean
market. On the other hand, if the Fund’s NAV is
equal to 100.9 times the value of a single Soybean Futures
Contract, it can purchase 100 such contracts, resulting in 99.1%
exposure. However, at certain asset levels the Fund may
be limited in its ability to purchase Soybean Futures Contracts due
to position limits or accountability levels imposed by the CFTC or
the relevant exchanges. In these instances, the Fund
would likely invest to a greater extent in Soybean Interests not
subject to these position limits or accountability
levels. To the extent that the Fund invests in Other
Soybean Interests, the correlation between the Fund’s NAV and
the Benchmark may be lower. In certain circumstances,
position limits or accountability levels could limit the number of
Creation Baskets that will be sold.
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If changes in the Fund’s NAV
do not correlate with changes in the Benchmark, then investing in
the Fund may not be an effective way to hedge against
soybean-related losses or indirectly invest in
soybeans.
Changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca
may not correlate perfectly with changes in the NAV of the
Fund’s Shares. If this variation occurs, then you may not be
able to effectively use the Fund to hedge against soybean-related
losses or to indirectly invest in soybeans.
While it is expected that the
trading prices of the Shares will fluctuate in accordance with the
changes in the Fund’s NAV, the prices of Shares may also be
influenced by other factors, including the supply of and demand for
the Shares, whether for the short term or the longer
term. There is no guarantee that the Shares will not
trade at appreciable discounts from, and/or premiums to, the
Fund’s NAV. This could cause the changes in the
price of the Shares to substantially vary from the changes in the
spot price of soybeans, even if the Fund’s NAV was closely
tracking movements in the spot price of soybeans. If
this occurs, you may not be able to effectively use the Fund to
hedge the risk of losses in your soybean-related transactions or to
indirectly invest in soybeans.
The Fund may experience a loss if it is required to sell cash
equivalents at a price lower than the price at which they were
acquired.
If the Fund is required to sell
its cash equivalents at a price lower than the price at which they
were acquired, the Fund will experience a loss. This
loss may adversely impact the price of the Shares and may decrease
the correlation between the price of the Shares, the Benchmark, and
the spot price of soybeans. The value of cash
equivalents held by the Fund generally moves inversely with
movements in interest rates. The prices of longer
maturity securities are subject to greater market fluctuations as a
result of changes in interest rates. While the
short-term nature of the Fund’s investments in cash
equivalents should minimize the interest rate risk to which the
Fund is subject, it is possible that the cash equivalents held by
the Fund will decline in value.
Certain of the Fund’s investments could be illiquid, which
could cause large losses to investors at any time or from time to
time.
The Fund may not always be able to
liquidate its positions in its investments at the desired price for
reasons including, among others, insufficient trading volume,
limits imposed by exchanges or other regulatory organizations, or
lack of liquidity. As to futures contracts, it may be difficult to
execute a trade at a specific price when there is a relatively
small volume of buy and sell orders in a market. Limits
imposed by futures exchanges or other regulatory organizations,
such as accountability levels, position limits and price
fluctuation limits, may contribute to a lack of liquidity with
respect to some exchange-traded Soybean Interests. In
addition, over-the-counter contracts may be illiquid because they
are contracts between two parties and generally may not be
transferred by one party to a third party without the
counterparty’s consent. Conversely, a counterparty
may give its consent, but the Fund still may not be able to
transfer an over-the-counter Soybean Interest to a third party due
to concerns regarding the counterparty’s credit
risk.
A market disruption, such as a
foreign government taking political actions that disrupt the market
in its currency, its soybean production or exports, or in another
major export, can also make it difficult to liquidate a
position. Unexpected market illiquidity may cause major
losses to investors at any time or from time to time. In
addition, the Fund does not intend at this time to establish a
credit facility, which would provide an additional source of
liquidity, but instead will rely only on the cash and/or cash
equivalents that it holds to meet its liquidity
needs. The anticipated large value of the positions in
Soybean Interests that the Sponsor will acquire or enter into for
the Fund increases the risk of illiquidity. Because
Soybean Interests may be illiquid, the Fund’s holdings may be
more difficult to liquidate at favorable prices in periods of
illiquid markets and losses may be incurred during the period in
which positions are being liquidated.
If the nature of the participants in the futures market shifts such
that soybean purchasers are the predominant hedgers in the market,
the Fund might have to reinvest at higher futures prices or choose
Other Soybean Interests.
The changing nature of the
participants in the soybean market will influence whether futures
prices are above or below the expected future spot
price. Soybean producers will typically seek to hedge
against falling soybean prices by selling Soybean Futures
Contracts. Therefore, if soybean producers become the
predominant hedgers in the futures market, prices of Soybean
Futures Contracts will typically be below expected future spot
prices. Conversely, if the predominant hedgers in the
futures market are the purchasers of soybeans who purchase Soybean
Futures Contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, prices of
Soybean Futures Contracts will likely be higher than expected
future spot prices. This can have significant
implications for the Fund when it is time to sell a Soybean Futures
Contract that is no longer a Benchmark Component Futures Contract
and purchase a new Soybean Futures Contract or to sell a Soybean
Futures Contract to meet redemption requests.
While the Fund does not intend to take physical delivery of
soybeans under its Soybean Interests, the possibility of physical
delivery impacts the value of the contracts.
While it is not the current
intention of the Fund to take physical delivery of soybeans under
its Soybean Interests, Soybean Futures Contracts are traditionally
physically-deliverable contracts, and, unless a portion was not
traded out of or rolled, it is possible to take or make delivery
under these and some Other Soybean Interests. Storage
costs associated with purchasing soybeans could result in costs and
other liabilities that could impact the value of Soybean Futures
Contracts or certain Other Soybean Interests. Storage
costs include the time value of money invested in soybeans as a
physical commodity plus the actual costs of storing the soybeans
less any benefits from ownership of soybeans that are not obtained
by the holder of a futures contract. In general, Soybean
Futures Contracts have a one-month delay for contract delivery and
the pricing of back month contracts (the back month is any future
delivery month other than the spot month) include storage
costs. To the extent that these storage costs change for
soybeans while the Fund holds Soybean Interests, the value of the
Soybean Interests, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, may change
as well.
The price relationship
between the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts at any point in
time and the Soybean Futures Contracts that will become Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts on the next roll date will vary and may
impact both the Fund’s total return and the degree to which
its total return tracks that of soybean price
indices.
The design of the Fund’s
Benchmark is such that the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts
will change five times per year, and the Fund’s investments
must be rolled periodically to reflect the changing composition of
the Benchmark. For example, when the second-to-expire
Soybean Futures Contract becomes the first-to-expire contract, such
contract will no longer be a Benchmark Component Futures Contract
and the Fund’s position in it will no longer be consistent
with tracking the Benchmark. In the event of a soybean
futures market where near-to-expire contracts trade at a higher
price than longer-to-expire contracts, a situation referred to as
“backwardation,” then absent the impact of the overall
movement in soybean prices the value of the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts would tend to rise as they approach
expiration. As a result the Fund may benefit because it
would be selling more expensive contracts and buying less expensive
ones on an ongoing basis. Conversely, in the event of a
soybean futures market where near-to-expire contracts trade at a
lower price than longer-to-expire contracts, a situation referred
to as “contango,” then absent the impact of the overall
movement in soybean prices the value of the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts would tend to decline as they approach
expiration. As a result the Fund’s total return may be lower
than might otherwise be the case because it would be selling less
expensive contracts and buying more expensive ones. The
impact of backwardation and contango may lead the total return of
the Fund to vary significantly from the total return of other price
references, such as the spot price of soybean. In the
event of a prolonged period of contango, and absent the impact of
rising or falling soybean prices, this could have a significant
negative impact on the Fund’s NAV and total return, and you
could incur a partial or total loss of your investment in the
Fund.
Regulation of the commodity interests and commodity markets is
extensive and constantly changing; future regulatory developments
are impossible to predict but may significantly and adversely
affect the Fund.
The regulation of futures markets,
futures contracts and futures exchanges has historically been
comprehensive. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take
extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency including,
for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position
limits, increased margin requirements, the establishment of daily
price limits and the suspension of trading on an exchange or
trading facility.
The regulation of commodity
interest transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing
area of law and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental
and judicial action. Subsequent to the enactment of the Dodd-Frank
Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the
“Dodd-Frank Act”) in 2010, swap agreements became fully
regulated by the CFTC under the amended Commodity Exchange Act and
the CFTC’s regulations thereunder. Considerable regulatory
attention has been focused on non-traditional investment pools that
are publicly distributed in the United States. As the Dodd-Frank
Act continues to be implemented by the CFTC and the SEC, there is a
possibility of future regulatory changes within the United States
altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment
in the Teucrium Funds, or the ability of a Fund to continue to
implement its investment strategy. In addition, various national
governments outside of the United States have expressed concern
regarding the disruptive effects of speculative trading in the
commodities markets and the need to regulate the derivatives
markets in general. The effect of any future regulatory change on
the Fund is impossible to predict but could be substantial and
adverse.
Further, President Donald J. Trump
has promised and issued several executive orders intended to
relieve the financial burden created by the Dodd-Frank Act,
although these executive orders only set forth several general
principles to be followed by the federal agencies and do not
mandate the wholesale repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act. The scope of
the effect that passage of new financial reform legislation could
have on U.S. securities, derivatives and commodities markets is not
clear at this time because each federal regulatory agency would
have to promulgate new regulations to implement such legislation.
These regulatory changes may affect the continued operation of the
Teucrium Funds. For additional information regarding recent
regulatory developments that may impact the Teucrium Funds or the
Trust, refer to the section entitled “Regulation” of
the Statement of Additional Information.
If you are investing in the Fund for purposes of hedging, you might
be subject to several risks, including the possibility of losing
the benefit of favorable market movements.
Producers and commercial users of
soybeans may use the Fund as a vehicle to hedge the risk of losses
in their soybean-related transactions. There are several
risks in connection with using the Fund as a hedging
device. While hedging can provide protection against an
adverse movement in market prices, it can also preclude a
hedger’s opportunity to benefit from a favorable market
movement. For instance, in a hedging transaction the
hedger may be a user of a commodity concerned that the hedged
commodity will increase in price, but must recognize the risk that
the price may instead decline. If this happens, the
hedger will have lost the benefit of being able to purchase the
commodity at the lower price because the hedging transaction will
result in a loss that would offset (at least in part) this
benefit. Thus, the hedger foregoes the opportunity to
profit from favorable price movements. In addition, if
the hedge is not a perfect one, the hedger can lose on the hedging
transaction and not realize an offsetting gain in the value of the
underlying item being hedged.
When using Soybean Interests as a
hedging technique, at best, the correlation between changes in
prices of futures contracts and of the items being hedged can be
only approximate. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends
upon circumstances such as: variations in speculative markets,
demand for futures and for soybean products, technical influences
in futures trading, and differences between anticipated costs being
hedged and the instruments underlying the standard futures
contracts available for trading. Even a well-conceived
hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of unexpected
market behavior as well as the expenses associated with creating
the hedge.
In addition, using an investment
in the Fund as a hedge for changes in food costs generally may not
be successful because changes in the price of soybeans may vary
substantially from changes in the prices of other food
products. In addition, the price of soybeans and the
Fund’s NAV would not reflect the refining, transportation,
and other costs that are specific to the
hedger.
An investment in the Fund may provide you little or no
diversification benefits. Thus, in a declining market,
the Fund may have no gains to offset your losses from other
investments, and you may suffer losses on your investment in the
Fund at the same time you incur losses with respect to other asset
classes.
We cannot predict to what extent
the performance of Soybean Interests will or will not correlate to
the performance of other broader asset classes such as stocks and
bonds. If the Fund’s performance were to move more
directly with the financial markets, you will obtain little or no
diversification benefits from an investment in the Shares. In
such a case, the Fund may have no gains to offset your losses from
other investments, and you may suffer losses on your investment in
the Fund at the same time you incur losses with respect to other
investments.
Variables such as drought, floods,
weather, embargoes, tariffs and other political events may have a
larger impact on soybean and Soybean Interest prices than on
traditional securities and broader financial
markets. These additional variables may create
additional investment risks that subject the Fund’s
investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional
securities.
Lower correlation should not be
confused with negative correlation, where the performance of two
asset classes would be opposite of each other. There is
no historic evidence that the spot price of soybeans and prices of
other financial assets, such as stocks and bonds, are negatively
correlated. In the absence of negative correlation, the
Fund cannot be expected to be automatically profitable during
unfavorable periods for the stock market, or vice
versa.
T
he Fund’s Operating Risks
The Fund is not a registered investment company, so you do not have
the protections of the Investment Company Act of
1940.
The Fund is not an investment
company subject to the Investment Company Act of
1940. Accordingly, you do not have the protections
afforded by that statute, which, for example, requires investment
companies to have a board of directors with a majority of
disinterested directors and regulates the relationship between the
investment company and its investment manager.
The Sponsor has limited experience operating commodity
pools.
While certain of the
Sponsor’s principals and employees have experience with
investing in Soybean Interests and other commodity interests, the
Sponsor was formed for the purpose of sponsoring the Trust and
serving as the Teucrium Funds’ commodity pool operator and
has limited experience operating commodity pools. The
Sponsor currently sponsors five Teucrium Funds all of which have
commenced operations as of the date hereof, but none of the
Teucrium Funds had commenced operations prior to June 9,
2010.
In light of this limited
experience, each of the Teucrium Funds has limited past performance
available for your review. Furthermore, the past
performance of the other Teucrium Funds will not necessarily
reflect their future performance or the future performance of this
Fund. If the experience of the Sponsor and its
management is not adequate or suitable, the operation and
performance of the Fund may be adversely
affected.
The Sponsor is leanly staffed and relies heavily on key personnel
to manage trading activities.
In managing and directing the
day-to-day activities and affairs of the Fund, the Sponsor relies
almost entirely on a small number of individuals, including Mr. Sal
Gilbertie, Mr. Dale Riker, Mr. Steve Kahler and Ms. Barbara
Riker. If Mr. Gilbertie, Mr. Riker, Mr. Kahler or Ms.
Riker were to leave or be unable to carry out their present
responsibilities, it may have an adverse effect on the management
of the Fund. To the extent that the Sponsor establishes
additional commodity pools, even greater demands will be placed on
these individuals.
The Sponsor has limited capital and may be unable to continue to
manage the Fund if it sustains continued
losses.
The Sponsor was formed for the
purpose of managing the Trust, including the Fund, the other
Teucrium Funds, and any other series of the Trust that may be
formed in the future, and has been provided with capital primarily
by its principals and a small number of outside
investors. If the Sponsor operates at a loss for an
extended period, its capital will be depleted and it may be unable
to obtain additional financing necessary to continue its
operations. If the Sponsor were unable to continue to
provide services to the Fund, the Fund would be terminated if a
replacement sponsor could not be found. Any expenses related to the
operation of the Fund would need to be paid by the Fund at the time
of termination.
Position limits, accountability levels and daily price fluctuation
limits set by the CFTC and the exchanges have the potential to
cause tracking error, which could cause the price of Shares to
substantially vary from the Benchmark and prevent you from being
able to effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against
soybean-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in
soybeans.
The CFTC and U.S. designated
contract markets, such as the CBOT, may establish position limits
on the maximum net long or net short futures contracts in commodity
interests that any person or group of persons under common trading
control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by the Fund is
not) may hold, own or control. For example, the current
position limit for investments at any one time in the Soybean
Futures Contracts are 600 spot month contracts, 15,000 contracts
expiring in any other single month, and 15,000 total for all
months. Soybean Swaps are subject to position limits
that are similar to, but currently measured separately from, the
limits on Soybean Futures Contracts. These position limits are
fixed ceilings that the Fund would not be able to exceed without
specific CFTC authorization.
Accountability levels differ from
position limits in that they do not represent a fixed ceiling, but
rather a threshold above which a futures exchange may exercise
greater scrutiny and control over an investor’s positions. If
a Fund were to exceed an applicable accountability level for
investments in futures contracts, the exchange will monitor the
Fund’s exposure and may ask for further information on its
activities, including the total size of all positions, investment
and trading strategy, and the extent of liquidity resources of the
Fund. If deemed necessary by the exchange, the Fund could be
ordered to reduce its
aggregate net
position back to the accountability
level.
In addition to position limits and
accountability limits, the exchanges set daily price fluctuation
limits on futures contracts. The daily price fluctuation
limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of futures
contracts may vary either up or down from the previous day’s
settlement price. Once the daily price fluctuation limit
has been reached in a particular futures contract, no trades may be
made at a price beyond that limit.
On December 16, 2016, as mandated
by the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFTC adopted a final rule that aggregate
all positions, for purposes of position limits; such positions
include futures contracts, futures-equivalent positions,
over-the-counter swaps and options (i.e., contracts that are not
traded on exchanges). These aggregation requirements became
effective on February 14, 2017 and could limit the Fund’s
ability to establish positions in commodity over-the-counter
instruments if the assets of the Fund were to grow
substantially.
There are no independent advisers representing Fund
investors.
The Sponsor has consulted with
legal counsel, accountants and other advisers regarding the
formation and operation of the Trust and Fund. No
counsel has been appointed to represent you in connection with the
offering of Shares. Accordingly, you should consult your
own legal, tax and financial advisers regarding the desirability of
an investment in the Shares.
There are technical and fundamental risks inherent in the trading
system the Sponsor intends to employ.
The Sponsor’s trading system
is quantitative in nature and it is possible that the Sponsor may
make errors. Any errors or imperfections in the Sponsor’s
trading system’s quantitative models, or in the data on which
they are based, could adversely affect the Sponsor’s
effective use of such trading systems. It is not possible or
practicable for the Sponsor’s trading system to factor all
relevant, available data into quantitative systems and/or trading
decision. There is no guarantee that the Sponsor will use any
specific data or type of data in making trading decisions on behalf
of the Fund, nor is there any guarantee that the data actually
utilized in making trading decisions on behalf of the Fund will be
the most accurate data or free from errors. In addition, it is
possible that a computer or software program may malfunction and
cause an error in computation.
The Fund and the Sponsor may have conflicts of interest, which may
cause them to favor their own interests to your
detriment.
The Fund and the Sponsor may have
inherent conflicts to the extent the Sponsor attempts to maintain
the Fund’s asset size in order to preserve its fee income and
this may not always be consistent with the Fund’s objective
of having the value of its Shares’ NAV track changes in the
Benchmark. The Sponsor’s officers and employees do not
devote their time exclusively to the Fund. These persons may
be directors, officers or employees of other
entities. They could have a conflict between their
responsibilities to the Fund and to those other
entities.
In addition, the Sponsor’s
principals, officers or employees may trade securities and futures
and related contracts for their own accounts. A conflict
of interest may exist if their trades are in the same markets and
occur at the same time as the Fund trades using the clearing broker
to be used by the Fund. A potential conflict also may
occur if the Sponsor’s principals, officers or employees
trade their accounts more aggressively or take positions in their
accounts that are opposite, or ahead of, the positions taken by the
Fund.
The Sponsor has sole current
authority to manage the investments and operations of the Fund, and
this may allow it to act in a way that furthers its own interests
and in conflict with your best interests, including the authority
of the Sponsor to allocate expenses to and between the
Funds. Shareholders have very limited voting rights,
which will limit the ability to influence matters such as amendment
of the Trust Agreement, changes in the Fund’s basic
investment policies, dissolution of the Fund, or the sale or
distribution of the Fund’s assets.
Shareholders have only very limited voting rights and generally
will not have the power to replace the
Sponsor. Shareholders will not participate in the
management of the Fund and do not control the Sponsor so they will
not have influence over basic matters that affect the
Fund.
Shareholders will have very
limited voting rights with respect to the Fund’s
affairs. Shareholders may elect a replacement Sponsor
only if the current Sponsor resigns voluntarily or loses its
corporate charter. Shareholders will not be permitted to
participate in the management or control of the Fund or the conduct
of its business. Shareholders must therefore rely upon
the duties and judgment of the Sponsor to manage the Fund’s
affairs.
The Sponsor may manage a large amount of assets and this could
affect the Fund’s ability to trade
profitably.
Increases in assets under
management may affect trading decisions. While the
Fund’s assets are currently at manageable levels, the Sponsor
does not intend to limit the amount of Fund assets. The
more assets the Sponsor manages, the more difficult it may be for
it to trade profitably because of the difficulty of trading larger
positions without adversely affecting prices and performance and of
managing risk associated with larger positions.
The liability of the Sponsor and the Trustee are limited, and the
value of the Shares will be adversely affected if the Fund is
required to indemnify the Trustee or the
Sponsor.
Under the Trust Agreement, the
Trustee and the Sponsor are not liable, and have the right to be
indemnified, for any liability or expense incurred absent gross
negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee or
Sponsor, as the case may be. That means the Sponsor may
require the assets of the Fund to be sold in order to cover losses
or liability suffered by the Sponsor or by the
Trustee. Any sale of that kind would reduce the NAV of
the Fund and the value of its Shares.
Although the Shares of the Fund are limited liability investments,
certain circumstances such as bankruptcy could increase a
Shareholder’s liability.
The Shares of the Fund are limited
liability investments; Shareholders may not lose more than the
amount that they invest plus any profits recognized on their
investment. However, Shareholders could be required, as
a matter of bankruptcy law, to return to the estate of the Fund any
distribution they received at a time when the Fund was in fact
insolvent or in violation of its Trust
Agreement.
You cannot be assured of the Sponsor’s continued services,
and discontinuance may be detrimental to the
Fund.
You cannot be assured that the
Sponsor will be willing or able to continue to service the Fund for
any length of time. The Sponsor was formed for the
purpose of sponsoring the Fund and other commodity pools, and has
limited financial resources and no significant source of income
apart from its management fees from such commodity pools to support
its continued service for the Fund. If the Sponsor
discontinues its activities on behalf of the Fund, or another
series of the Trust, the Fund may be adversely
affected. If the Sponsor’s registrations with the
CFTC or memberships in the NFA were revoked or suspended, the
Sponsor would no longer be able to provide services to the
Fund.
The Fund could terminate at any time and cause the liquidation and
potential loss of your investment and could upset the overall
maturity and timing of your investment
portfolio.
The Fund may terminate at any
time, regardless of whether the Fund has incurred losses, subject
to the terms of the Trust Agreement. For example, the
dissolution or resignation of the Sponsor would cause the Trust to
terminate unless shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding
shares of the Trust, voting together as a single class, elect
within 90 days of the event to continue the Trust and appoint a
successor Sponsor. In addition, the Sponsor may
terminate the Fund if it determines that the Fund’s aggregate
net assets in relation to its operating expenses make the continued
operation of the Fund unreasonable or imprudent. As of
the date of this prospectus, the Fund pays the fees, costs, and
expenses of its operations. If the Sponsor and the Fund are unable
to raise sufficient funds so that the Fund’s expenses are
reasonable in relation to its NAV, the Fund may be forced to
terminate and investors may lose all or part of their investment.
Any expenses related to the operation of the Fund would need to be
paid by the Fund at the time of termination.
However, no level of losses will
require the Sponsor to terminate the Fund. The Fund’s
termination would result in the liquidation of its investments and
the distribution of its remaining assets to the Shareholders on a
pro rata basis in accordance with their Shares, and the Fund could
incur losses in liquidating its investments in connection with a
termination. Termination could also negatively affect the overall
maturity and timing of your investment
portfolio.
As a Shareholder, you will not have the rights enjoyed by investors
in certain other types of entities.
As interests in separate series of
a Delaware statutory trust, the Shares do not involve the rights
normally associated with the ownership of shares of a corporation
(including, for example, the right to bring shareholder oppression
and derivative actions). In addition, the Shares have
limited voting and distribution rights (for example, Shareholders
do not have the right to elect directors, as the Trust does not
have a board of directors, and generally will not receive regular
distributions of the net income and capital gains earned by the
Fund). The Fund is also not subject to certain investor
protection provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 and the
NYSE Arca governance rules (for example, audit committee
requirements).
A court could potentially conclude that the assets and liabilities
of the Fund are not segregated from those of another series of the
Trust, thereby potentially exposing assets in the Fund to the
liabilities of another series.
The Fund is a series of a Delaware
statutory trust and not itself a legal entity separate from the
other Teucrium Funds. The Delaware Statutory Trust Act
provides that if certain provisions are included in the formation
and governing documents of a statutory trust organized in series
and if separate and distinct records are maintained for any series
and the assets associated with that series are held in separate and
distinct records and are accounted for in such separate and
distinct records separately from the other assets of the statutory
trust, or any series thereof, then the debts, liabilities,
obligations and expenses incurred by a particular series are
enforceable against the assets of such series only, and not against
the assets of the statutory trust generally or any other series
thereof. Conversely, none of the debts, liabilities,
obligations and expenses incurred with respect to any other series
thereof is enforceable against the assets of such
series. The Sponsor is not aware of any court case that
has interpreted this inter-series limitation on liability or
provided any guidance as to what is required for
compliance. The Sponsor intends to maintain separate and
distinct records for the Fund and account for the Fund separately
from any other Trust series, but it is possible a court could
conclude that the methods used do not satisfy the Delaware
Statutory Trust Act, which would potentially expose assets in the
Fund to the liabilities of one or more of the Teucrium Funds and/or
any other Trust series created in the future.
The Sponsor and the Trustee are not obligated to prosecute any
action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any Fund
property.
Neither the Sponsor nor the
Trustee is obligated to, although each may in its respective
discretion, prosecute any action, suit or other proceeding in
respect of any Fund property. The Trust Agreement does
not confer upon Shareholders the right to prosecute any such
action, suit or other proceeding.
The Fund does not expect to make cash
distributions.
The Sponsor intends to re-invest
any income and realized gains of the Fund in additional Soybean
Interests rather than distributing cash to
Shareholders. Therefore, unlike mutual funds, commodity
pools or other investment pools that generally distribute income
and gains to their investors, the Fund generally will not
distribute cash to Shareholders. You should not invest
in the Fund if you will need cash distributions from the Fund to
pay taxes on your share of income and gains of the Fund, if any, or
for any other reason. Although the Fund does not intend
to make cash distributions, it reserves the right to do so in the
Sponsor’s sole discretion, in certain situations, including
for example, if the income earned from its investments held
directly or posted as margin may reach levels that merit
distribution, e.g., at levels where such income is not necessary to
support its underlying investments in Soybean Interests and
investors adversely react to being taxed on such income without
receiving distributions that could be used to pay such
tax. Cash distributions may be made in these and similar
instances.
There is a risk that the Fund will not have sufficient total net
assets to compensate for the fees and expenses that it must pay and
as such the expense ratio of the Fund may be higher than that filed
in this document.
The Fund pays management fees at
an annual rate of 1.00% of its average net assets, brokerage
charges and various other expenses of its ongoing operations (e.g.,
fees of the Administrator, Trustee and Distributor), resulting in a
total estimated expense ratio of approximately 1.74% of net assets.
These fees and expenses must be paid in all events, regardless of
the Fund’s total net assets.
If this offering of Shares does not raise sufficient funds to make
the Fund’s future operations viable, the Fund may be forced
to terminate and investors may lose all or part of their
investment.
All of the expenses relating to
the Fund incurred prior to the commencement of operations
(September 19, 2011) were paid by the Sponsor. These
payments by the Sponsor were designed to allow the Fund the ability
to commence the public offering of its Shares. As of the
date of this prospectus, the Fund pays the fees, costs and expenses
of its operations. If the Sponsor and the Fund are
unable to raise sufficient funds so that the Fund’s expenses
are reasonable in relation to its NAV, the Fund may be forced to
terminate and investors may lose all or part of their investment.
Any expenses related to the operation of the Fund would need to be
paid by the Fund at the time of termination.
The Fund may incur higher fees and expenses upon renewing existing
or entering into new contractual relationships.
The arrangements between clearing
brokers and counterparties on the one hand and the Fund on the
other generally are terminable by the clearing brokers or
counterparty upon notice to the Fund. In addition, the
agreements between the Fund and its third-party service providers,
such as the Distributor and the Custodian, are generally terminable
at specified intervals. Upon termination, the Sponsor
may be required to renegotiate or make other arrangements for
obtaining similar services if the Fund intends to continue to
operate. Comparable services from another party may not
be available, or even if available, these services may not be
available on the terms as favorable as those of the expired or
terminated arrangements.
The Fund may experience a higher breakeven if interest rates
decline.
The Fund earns interest on cash
balances available for investment. If actual interest rates earned
were to fall, the breakeven estimated by the Fund in this
prospectus could be higher, if the Sponsor is not able to waive
expenses sufficient to cover the deficit.
The Fund may miss certain trading opportunities because it will not
receive the benefit of the expertise of independent trading
advisors.
The Sponsor does not employ
trading advisors for the Fund; however, it reserves the right to
employ them in the future. The only advisor to the Fund
is the Sponsor. A lack of independent trading advisors
may be disadvantageous to the Fund because it will not receive the
benefit of their independent expertise.
The Net Asset Value calculation of the Fund may be overstated or
understated due to the valuation method employed when a settlement
price is not available on the date of net asset value
calculation.
The Fund’s NAV includes, in
part, any unrealized profits or losses on open swap agreements,
futures or forward contracts. Under normal circumstances, the
NAV reflects the quoted CBOT settlement price of open futures
contracts on the date when the NAV is being calculated. In
instances when the quoted settlement price of futures contracts
traded on an exchange may not be reflective of fair value based on
market condition, generally due to the operation of daily limits or
other rules of the exchange or otherwise the NAV may not reflect
the fair value of open futures contracts on such date. For purposes
of financial statements and reports, the Sponsor will recalculate
the NAV where necessary to reflect the “fair value” of
a Futures Contract when the Futures Contract closes at its price
fluctuation limit for the day.
An unanticipated number of redemption requests during a short
period of time could have an adverse effect on the NAV of the
Fund.
If a substantial number of
requests for redemption of Redemption Baskets are received by the
Fund during a relatively short period of time, the Fund may not be
able to satisfy the requests from the Fund’s assets not
committed to trading. As a consequence, it could be necessary to
liquidate the Fund’s trading positions before the time that
its trading strategies would otherwise call for
liquidation.
The liquidity of the Shares may be affected by the withdrawal from
participation of Authorized Purchasers, market-makers, or other
significant secondary-market participants which could adversely
affect the market price of the Shares.
Only an Authorized Purchaser
may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the
Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as
Authorized Purchasers. To the extent that these institutions exit
the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or
redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized
Purchaser is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation
Units, Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face
trading halts and/or delisting. In addition, a decision by a market
maker or lead market maker, to cease activities for the Fund or a
decision by a secondary market participant to sell a significant
number of the Fund’s Shares could adversely affect liquidity,
the spread between the bid and ask quotes, and potentially the
price of the Shares. The Sponsor can make no guarantees that
participation by Authorized Purchasers or market makers will
continue.
If a minimum number of Shares is outstanding, market makers may be
less willing to purchase Shares in the secondary market which may
limit your ability to sell Shares.
There is a minimum number of
baskets and associated Shares specified for the Fund. If the Fund
experienced redemptions that caused the number of Shares
outstanding to decrease to the minimum level of Shares required to
be outstanding, until the minimum number of Shares is again
exceeded through the purchase of a new Creation Basket, there can
be no more redemptions by an Authorized Purchaser. In such case,
market makers may be less willing to purchase Shares from investors
in the secondary market, which may in turn limit the ability of
Shareholders of the Fund to sell their Shares in the secondary
market. As of January 31, 2018, these minimum levels for the Fund
are 50,000 Shares representing two baskets. The minimum level of
Shares specified for the Fund is subject to change. As of January
31, 2018, there were 800,004 Shares outstanding. (The current
number of Shares outstanding is posted daily on our website,
www.teucriumsoybfund.com.)
You may be adversely affected by redemption orders that are subject
to postponement, suspension or rejection under certain
circumstances.
The Trust may, in its discretion,
suspend the right to redeem Shares of the Fund or postpone the
redemption settlement date: (1) for any period during
which an applicable exchange is closed other than customary weekend
or holiday closing, or trading is suspended or restricted; (2) for
any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which
delivery, disposal or evaluation of the Fund’s assets is not
reasonably practicable; (3) for such other period as the Sponsor
determines to be necessary for the protection of
Shareholders; (4) if there is a possibility that any or all of
the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts of the Fund on the CBOT
from which the NAV of the Fund is calculated will be priced at a
daily price limit restriction; or (5) if, in the sole discretion of
the Sponsor, the execution of such an order would not be in the
best interest of the Fund or its Shareholders. In addition,
the Trust will reject a redemption order if the order is not in
proper form as described in the agreement with the Authorized
Purchaser or if the fulfillment of the order, in the opinion of its
counsel, might be unlawful. The Sponsor may also reject
a redemption order if the number of Shares being redeemed would
reduce the remaining outstanding Shares to 50,000 Shares (i.e., two
baskets of 25,000 Shares each) or less, unless the Sponsor has
reason to believe that the placer of the redemption order does in
fact possess all the outstanding Shares of the Fund and can deliver
them. Any such postponement, suspension or rejection could
adversely affect a redeeming Shareholder. For example,
the resulting delay may adversely affect the value of the
Shareholder’s redemption proceeds if the NAV of the Fund
declines during the period of delay. The Trust Agreement
provides that the Sponsor and its designees will not be liable for
any loss or damage that may result from any such suspension or
postponement.
Any postponement, suspension or
rejection of a redemption order could adversely affect a redeeming
Shareholder. For example, the resulting delay may adversely affect
the value of a Shareholder’s redemption proceeds if the NAV
of the Fund declines during the period of delay. The Trust
Agreement provides that the Sponsor and its designees will not be
liable for any loss or damage that may result from any such
suspension or postponement.
The failure or bankruptcy of a clearing broker could result in
substantial losses for the Fund; the clearing broker could be
subject to proceedings that impair its ability to execute the
Fund’s trades.
Under CFTC regulations, a clearing
broker with respect to the Fund’s exchange-traded Soybean
Interests must maintain customers’ assets in a bulk
segregated account. If a clearing broker fails to do so,
or is unable to satisfy a substantial deficit in a customer
account, its other customers may be subject to risk of a
substantial loss of their funds in the event of that clearing
broker’s bankruptcy. In that event, the clearing
broker’s customers, such as the Fund, are entitled to
recover, even in respect of property specifically traceable to
them, only a proportional share of all property available for
distribution to all of that clearing broker’s
customers. The Fund also may be subject to the risk of
the failure of, or delay in performance by, any exchanges and
markets and their clearing organizations, if any, on which Soybean
Interests are traded.
From time to time, the clearing
brokers may be subject to legal or regulatory proceedings in the
ordinary course of their business. A clearing
broker’s involvement in costly or time-consuming legal
proceedings may divert financial resources or personnel away from
the clearing broker’s trading operations, which could impair
the clearing broker’s ability to successfully execute and
clear the Fund’s trades.
The failure or insolvency of the Fund’s Custodian or other
financial institution in which the Fund has deposits could result
in a substantial loss of the Fund’s
assets.
As noted above, the vast majority
of the Fund’s assets are held in cash and/or cash equivalents
with the Custodian, other financial institutions, or in commercial
paper with a maturity date of 90 days or less. The insolvency of
the Custodian, any financial institution in which the Fund has
demand deposits, or a commercial paper issuer could result in a
complete loss of the Fund’s assets. The Fund currently has
cash and or cash equivalents at the Custodian, Rabobank, N.A,
Mascoma Savings Bank, Morgan Stanley, and in commercial
paper.
Third parties may infringe upon or otherwise violate intellectual
property rights or assert that the Sponsor has infringed or
otherwise violated their intellectual property rights, which may
result in significant costs, litigation, and diverted attention of
Sponsor’s management.
Third parties may assert that the
Sponsor has infringed or otherwise violated their intellectual
property rights. Third parties may independently develop
business methods, trademarks or proprietary software and other
technology similar to that of the Sponsor and claim that the
Sponsor has violated their intellectual property rights, including
their copyrights, trademark rights, trade names, trade secrets and
patent rights. As a result, the Sponsor may have to
litigate in the future to determine the validity and scope of other
parties’ proprietary rights, or defend itself against claims
that it has infringed or otherwise violated other parties’
rights. Any litigation of this type, even if the Sponsor
is successful and regardless of the merits, may result in
significant costs, divert resources from the Fund, or require the
Sponsor to change its proprietary software and other technology or
enter into royalty or licensing agreements.
The Sponsor has a patent on
certain business methods and procedures used with respect to the
Fund. The Sponsor utilizes certain proprietary
software. Any unauthorized use of such proprietary software
business methods and/or procedures could adversely affect the
competitive advantage of the Sponsor or the Fund and/or require the
Sponsor to take legal action to protect its
rights.
The success of the Fund depends on the ability of the Sponsor to
accurately implement its trading strategies, and any failure to do
so could subject the Fund to losses on such
transactions.
The Sponsor’s trading
strategy is quantitative in nature and it is possible that the
Sponsor will make errors in its implementation. The
execution of the quantitative strategy is subject to human error,
such as incorrect inputs into the Sponsor’s computer systems
and incorrect information provided to the Fund’s clearing
brokers. In addition, it is possible that a computer or
software program may malfunction and cause an error in
computation. Any failure, inaccuracy or delay in
executing the Fund’s transactions could affect its ability to
achieve its investment objective. It could also result
in decisions to undertake transactions based on inaccurate or
incomplete information. This could cause substantial
losses on transactions. The Sponsor is not required to reimburse
the Fund for any costs associated with an error in the placement or
execution of a trade in commodity future
interests.
The Fund may experience substantial losses on transactions if the
computer or communications system fails.
The Fund’s trading
activities depend on the integrity and performance of the computer
and communications systems supporting
them. Extraordinary transaction volume, hardware or
software failure, power or telecommunications failure, a natural
disaster or other catastrophe could cause the computer systems to
operate at an unacceptably slow speed or even fail. Any
significant degradation or failure of the systems that the Sponsor
uses to gather and analyze information, enter orders, process data,
monitor risk levels and otherwise engage in trading activities may
result in substantial losses on transactions, liability to other
parties, lost profit opportunities, damages to the Sponsor’s
and Fund’s reputations, increased operational expenses and
diversion of technical resources.
If the computer and communications systems are not upgraded when
necessary, the Fund’s financial condition could be
harmed.
The development of complex
computer and communications systems and new technologies may render
the existing computer and communications systems supporting the
Fund’s trading activities obsolete. In addition,
these computer and communications systems must be compatible with
those of third parties, such as the systems of exchanges, clearing
brokers and the executing brokers. As a result, if these
third parties upgrade their systems, the Sponsor will need to make
corresponding upgrades to effectively continue its trading
activities. The Sponsor may have limited financial resources for
these upgrades or other technological changes. The Fund’s
future success may depend on the Sponsor’s ability to respond
to changing technologies on a timely and cost-effective
basis.
The Fund depends on the reliable performance of the computer and
communications systems of third parties, such as brokers and
futures exchanges, and may experience substantial losses on
transactions if they fail.
The Fund depends on the proper and
timely function of complex computer and communications systems
maintained and operated by the futures exchanges, brokers and other
data providers that the Sponsor uses to conduct trading
activities. Failure or inadequate performance of any of
these systems could adversely affect the Sponsor’s ability to
complete transactions, including its ability to close out
positions, and result in lost profit opportunities and significant
losses on commodity interest transactions. This could
have a material adverse effect on revenues and materially reduce
the Fund’s available capital. For example,
unavailability of price quotations from third parties may make it
difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to conduct trading
activities so that the Fund will closely track the
Benchmark. Unavailability of records from brokerage
firms may make it difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to
accurately determine which transactions have been executed or the
details, including price and time, of any transaction
executed. This unavailability of information also may
make it difficult or impossible for the Sponsor to reconcile its
records of transactions with those of another party or to
accomplish settlement of executed transactions.
The occurrence of a severe weather event, natural disaster,
terrorist attack, or the outbreak, continuation or expansion of war
or other hostilities could disrupt the Fund’s trading
activity and materially affect the Fund’s
profitability.
The operations of
the Fund, the exchanges, brokers and counterparties with which Fund
does business, and the markets in which the Fund does business
could be severely disrupted in the event of a severe weather event,
natural disaster, major terrorist attack, data breach, or the
outbreak, continuation or expansion of war or other hostilities.
Global terrorist attacks, anti-terrorism initiatives, and political
unrest continue to fuel this concern.
Failures or breaches of electronic systems could disrupt the
Fund’s trading activity and materially affect the
Fund’s profitability.
Failures or breaches of the
electronic systems of the Fund, the Sponsor, the Custodian or
mutual funds or other financial institutions in which the Fund
invests, or the Fund’s other service providers, market
makers, Authorized Purchasers, NYSE Arca, exchanges on which
Futures Contracts or Other Commodity Interests are traded or
cleared, or counterparties have the ability to cause disruptions
and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations,
potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its
shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity
plans and risk management systems seeking to address system
breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans
and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber
security plans and systems of the Custodian or mutual funds or
other financial institutions in which the Fund invests, or the
Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized
Purchasers, NYSE Arca, exchanges on which Futures Contracts or
Other Commodity Interests are traded or cleared, or
counterparties.
An investment in a Fund faces numerous risks from its shares being
traded in the secondary market, any of which may lead to the
Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to
NAV.
Although the Fund’s shares are
listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, there can be no assurance that
an active trading market for such shares will develop or be
maintained. Trading in the Fund’s shares may be halted due to
market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the NYSE
Arca, make trading in shares inadvisable. There can be no assurance
that the requirements of the NYSE Arca necessary to maintain the
listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged or that the shares will trade with any volume, or at all.
The NAV of the Fund’s shares will generally fluctuate with
changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings.
The market prices of shares will generally fluctuate in accordance
with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of
shares on the NYSE Arca. It cannot be predicted whether a Fund
shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Investors buying or
selling Fund shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage
commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by
that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may
be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or
sell relatively small amounts of shares.
The NYSE Arca may halt trading in the Shares which would adversely
impact your ability to sell Shares.
Trading in Shares
of the Fund may be halted due to market conditions or, in light of
NYSE Arca rules and procedures, for reasons that, in view of the
NYSE Arca, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading
is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market
volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules that
require trading to be halted for a specified period based on a
specified market decline. There can be no assurance that the
requirements necessary to maintain the listing of the Shares will
continue to be met or will remain unchanged. The Fund will be
terminated if its Shares are delisted.
The lack of active trading markets for the Shares of the Fund may
result in losses on your investment in the Fund at the time of
disposition of your Shares.
Although the Shares of the Fund
will be listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, there can be no
guarantee that an active trading market for the Shares of the Fund
will be maintained. If you need to sell your Shares at a time when
no active market for them exists, the price you receive for your
Shares, assuming that you are able to sell them, likely will be
lower than what you would receive if an active market did
exist.
R
isk of Leverage and Volatility
If the Sponsor causes or permits the Fund to become leveraged, you
could lose all or substantially all of your investment if the
Fund’s trading positions suddenly turn
unprofitable.
Commodity pools’ trading
positions in futures contracts or other commodity interests are
typically required to be secured by the deposit of margin funds
that represent only a small percentage of a futures
contract’s (or other commodity interest’s) entire
market value. This feature permits commodity pools to
“leverage” their assets by purchasing or selling
futures contracts (or other commodity interests) with an aggregate
notional amount in excess of the commodity pool’s
assets. While this leverage can increase a pool’s
profits, relatively small adverse movements in the price of the
pool’s commodity interests can cause significant losses to
the pool. While the Sponsor does not intend to leverage
the Fund’s assets, it is not prohibited from doing so under
the Trust Agreement. If the Sponsor was to cause or
permit the Fund to become leveraged, you could lose all or
substantially all of your investment if the Fund’s trading
positions suddenly turn unprofitable.
The price of soybeans can be volatile which could cause large
fluctuations in the price of Shares.
As discussed in more detail above,
price movements for soybeans are influenced by, among other things,
weather conditions, crop disease, transportation and storage
difficulties, various planting, growing and harvesting problems,
governmental policies, changing demand, and seasonal fluctuations
in supply. More generally, commodity prices may be
influenced by economic and monetary events such as changes in
interest rates, changes in balances of payments and trade, U.S. and
international inflation rates, currency valuations and
devaluations, U.S. and international economic events, and changes
in the philosophies and emotions of market
participants. Because the Fund invests primarily in
interests in a single commodity, it is not a diversified investment
vehicle, and therefore may be subject to greater volatility than a
diversified portfolio of stocks or bonds or a more diversified
commodity pool.
O
ver-the-Counter Contract Risk
Over-the-counter transactions are subject to changing
regulation.
A portion of the Fund’s
assets may be used to trade over-the-counter Soybean Interests,
such as forward contracts or swaps. The markets for
over-the-counter contracts will continue to rely upon the integrity
of market participants in lieu of the additional regulation imposed
by the CFTC on participants in the futures markets. To date, the
forward markets have been largely unregulated, except for
anti-manipulation and anti-fraud provisions, forward contracts have
been executed bi-laterally and, in general historically, forward
contracts have not been cleared or guaranteed by a third party.
While increased regulation of over-the-counter Commodity Interests
is likely to result from changes that are required to be
effectuated by the Dodd-Frank Act, there is no guarantee that such
increased regulation will be effective to reduce these
risks.
The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to
counterparties to over-the-counter contracts entered into by the
Fund.
The Fund faces the risk of
non-performance by the counterparties to the over-the-counter
contracts. Unlike in futures contracts, the counterparty
to these contracts is generally a single bank or other financial
institution, rather than a clearing organization backed by a group
of financial institutions. As a result, there will be
greater counterparty credit risk in these
transactions. A counterparty may not be able to meet its
obligations to the Fund, in which case the Fund could suffer
significant losses on these contracts.
If a counterparty becomes bankrupt
or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial
difficulties, the Fund may experience significant delays in
obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization
proceeding. During any such period, the Fund may have
difficulty in determining the value of its contracts with the
counterparty, which in turn could result in the overstatement or
understatement of the Fund’s NAV. The Fund may
eventually obtain only limited recovery or no recovery in such
circumstances.
The Fund may be subject to liquidity risk with respect to its
over-the-counter contracts.
Over-the-counter contracts may
have terms that make them less marketable than Soybean Futures
Contracts. Over-the-counter contracts are less marketable because
they are not traded on an exchange, do not have uniform terms and
conditions, and are entered into based upon the creditworthiness of
the parties and the availability of credit support, such as
collateral, and in general, they are not transferable without the
consent of the counterparty. These conditions make such contracts
less liquid than standardized futures contracts traded on a
commodities exchange and diminish the ability to realize the full
value of such contracts. In addition, even if collateral is used to
reduce counterparty credit risk, sudden changes in the value of
over-the-counter transactions may leave a party open to financial
risk due to a counterparty default since the collateral held may
not cover a party’s exposure on the transaction in such
situations.
In general, valuing OTC
derivatives is less certain than valuing actively traded financial
instruments such as exchange traded futures contracts and
securities because the price and terms on which such OTC
derivatives are entered into or can be terminated are individually
negotiated, and those prices and terms may not reflect the best
price or terms available from other sources. In addition, while
market makers and dealers generally quote indicative prices or
terms for entering into or terminating OTC contracts, they
typically are not contractually obligated to do so, particularly if
they are not a party to the transaction. As a result, it may be
difficult to obtain an independent value for an outstanding OTC
derivatives transaction.
The foregoing liquidity risks
could impact adversely affect the Fund’s ability to meet its
investment objective.
R
isk of Trading in International
Markets
Trading in international markets would expose the Fund to credit
and regulatory risk.
A significant portion of the
Soybean Futures Contracts entered into by the Fund are traded on
United States exchanges including the CBOT. However, a
portion of the Fund’s trades may take place on markets or
exchanges outside the United States. Some non-U.S.
markets present risks because they are not subject to the same
degree of regulation as their U.S. counterparts. None of
the CFTC, NFA, or any domestic exchange regulates activities of any
foreign boards of trade or exchanges, including the execution,
delivery and clearing of transactions, has the power to compel
enforcement of the rules of a foreign board of trade or exchange or
of any applicable non-U.S. laws. Similarly, the rights
of market participants, such as the Fund, in the event of the
insolvency or bankruptcy of a non-U.S. market or broker are also
likely to be more limited than in the case of U.S. markets or
brokers. As a result, in these markets, the Fund has
less legal and regulatory protection than it does when it trades
domestically. Currently the Fund does not place trades on any
markets or exchanges outside of the United States and does not
anticipate doing so in the foreseeable future.
In some of these non-U.S. markets,
the performance on a futures contract is the responsibility of the
counterparty and is not backed by an exchange or clearing
corporation and therefore exposes the Fund to credit
risk. Additionally, trading on non-U.S. exchanges is
subject to the risks presented by exchange controls, expropriation,
increased tax burdens and exposure to local economic declines and
political instability. An adverse development with
respect to any of these variables could reduce the profit or
increase the loss earned on trades in the affected international
markets.
International trading activities subject the Fund to foreign
exchange risk.
The price of any non-U.S. Soybean
Interest and, therefore, the potential profit and loss on such
investment, may be affected by any variance in the foreign exchange
rate between the time the order is placed and the time it is
liquidated, offset or exercised. However, a portion of
the trades for the Fund may take place in markets and on exchanges
outside of the U.S. Some non-U.S. markets present risks because
they are not subject to the same degree of regulation as their U.S.
counterparts. As a result, changes in the value of the local
currency relative to the U.S. dollar may cause losses to the Fund
even if the contract is profitable.
The CFTC’s implementation of
its regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act may further affect the
Fund’s ability to enter into foreign exchange contracts and
to hedge its exposure to foreign exchange
losses.
The Fund’s international trading could expose it to losses
resulting from non-U.S. exchanges that are less developed or less
reliable than United States exchanges.
Some non-U.S. exchanges also may
be in a more developmental stage so that prior price histories may
not be indicative of current price dynamics. In
addition, the Fund may not have the same access to certain
positions on foreign trading exchanges as do local traders, and the
historical market data on which the Sponsor bases its strategies
may not be as reliable or accessible as it is for U.S.
exchanges.
Please refer to “U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations” for information regarding
the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership
and disposition of Shares.
Your tax liability from holding Shares may exceed the amount of
distributions, if any, on your Shares.
Cash or property will be
distributed by the Fund at the sole discretion of the Sponsor, and
the Sponsor currently does not intend to make cash or other
distributions with respect to Shares. You will be
required to pay U.S. federal income tax and, in some cases, state,
local, or foreign income tax, on your allocable share of the
Fund’s taxable income, without regard to whether you receive
distributions or the amount of any
distributions. Therefore, the tax liability resulting
from your ownership of Shares may exceed the amount of cash or
value of property (if any) distributed.
Your allocable share of income or loss for U.S. federal income tax
purposes may differ from your economic income or loss on your
Shares.
Due to the application of the
assumptions and conventions applied by the Fund in making
allocations for U.S. federal income tax purposes and other factors,
your allocable share of the Fund’s income, gain, deduction or
loss may be different than your economic profit or loss from your
Shares for a taxable year. This difference could be
temporary or permanent and, if permanent, could result in your
being taxed on amounts in excess of your economic
income.
Items of income, gain, deduction, loss and credit with respect to
Shares could be reallocated (or for taxable years after
December 31, 2017, the Fund itself could be liable for U.S. federal
income tax along with any interest or penalties) if the IRS
does not accept the assumptions and conventions applied by the Fund
in allocating those items, with potential adverse tax consequences
for you.
The Fund is treated as a
partnership for United States federal income tax
purposes. The U.S. tax rules pertaining to entities
taxed as partnerships are complex and their application to publicly
traded partnerships such as the Fund is in many respects
uncertain. The Fund applies certain assumptions and
conventions in an attempt to comply with the intent of the
applicable rules and to report taxable income, gains, deductions,
losses and credits in a manner that properly reflects
Shareholders’ economic gains and losses. These
assumptions and conventions may not fully comply with all aspects
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”), and applicable Treasury Regulations,
however, and it is possible that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service
(the “IRS”) will successfully challenge our allocation
methods and require us to reallocate items of income, gain,
deduction, loss or credit in a manner that adversely affects
you. If this occurs, you may be required to file an
amended tax return and to pay additional taxes plus deficiency
interest.
In
addition, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the
Fund may be liable for U.S. federal income tax on any
“imputed understatement” of tax resulting from an
adjustment as a result of an IRS audit. The amount of the imputed
understatement generally includes increases in allocations of items
of income or gains to any investor and decreases in allocations of
items of deduction, loss, or credit to any investor without any
offset for any corresponding reductions in allocations of items of
income or gain to any investor or increases in allocations of items
of deduction, loss, or credit to any investor. If the Fund is
required to pay any U.S. federal income taxes on any imputed
understatement, the resulting tax liability would reduce the net
assets of the Fund and would likely have an adverse impact on the
value of the Shares. In such a case, the tax liability would in
effect be borne by Shareholders that own shares at the time of such
assessment, which may be different persons, or persons with
different ownership percentages, than persons owning Shares for the
tax year under audit. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be
eligible to make an election to cause Shareholders to take into
account the amount of any imputed understatement, including any
interest and penalties. The ability of a publicly traded
partnership such as the Fund to make this election is uncertain. If
the election is made, the Fund would be required to provide
Shareholders who owned beneficial interests in the Shares in the
year to which the adjusted allocations relate with a statement
setting forth their proportionate shares of the adjustment
(“Adjusted K-1s”). The investors would be required to
take the adjustment into account in the taxable year in which the
Adjusted K-1s are issued. For an additional discussion please see
“U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations – Other Tax
Matters.”
If the Fund is required to withhold tax with respect to any
Non-U.S. Shareholders, the cost of such withholding may be borne by
all Shareholders.
Under certain circumstances,
the Fund may be required to pay withholding tax with respect to
allocations to Non-U.S. Shareholders. Although the Trust Agreement
provides that any such withholding will be treated as being
distributed to the Non-U.S. Shareholder, the Fund may not be able
to cause the economic cost of such withholding to be borne by the
Non-U.S. Shareholder on whose behalf such amounts were withheld
since the Fund does not intend to make any distributions. Under
such circumstances, the economic cost of the withholding may be
borne by all Shareholders, not just the Shareholders on whose
behalf such amounts were withheld. This could have a material
impact on the value of your
Shares.
The Fund could be treated as a corporation for federal income tax
purposes, which may substantially reduce the value of your
Shares.
The Trust has received an opinion
of counsel that, under current U.S. federal income tax laws, the
Fund will be treated as a partnership that is not taxable as a
corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, provided that (i)
at least 90 percent of the Fund’s annual gross income
consists of “qualifying income” as defined in the Code,
(ii) the Fund is organized and operated in accordance with its
governing agreements and applicable law, and (iii) the Fund does
not elect to be taxed as a corporation for federal income tax
purposes. Although the Sponsor anticipates that the Fund
has satisfied and will continue to satisfy the “qualifying
income” requirement for all of its taxable years, that result
cannot be assured. The Fund has not requested and will
not request any ruling from the IRS with respect to its
classification as a partnership not taxable as a corporation for
federal income tax purposes. If the IRS were to
successfully assert that the Fund is taxable as a corporation for
federal income tax purposes in any taxable year, rather than
passing through its income, gains, losses and deductions
proportionately to Shareholders, the Fund would be subject to tax
on its net income for the year at corporate tax
rates. In addition, although the Sponsor does not
currently intend to make distributions with respect to Shares, any
distributions would be taxable to Shareholders as dividend income
to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earning
and profit. Taxation of the Fund as a corporation
could materially reduce the after-tax return on an investment in
Shares and could substantially reduce the value of your
Shares.
Tax legislation that has been or could be enacted may affect you
with respect to your investment in the Fund.
Legislative, regulatory or
administrative changes could be enacted or promulgated at any time,
either prospectively or with retroactive effect, and may adversely
affect the Fund and its Shareholders. Tax legislation
informally known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the
“2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”) was signed into law on
December 22, 2017, generally effective for taxable years beginning
on or after January 1, 2018. In addition to modifying income tax
rates for individuals and corporations, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act made certain changes to the tax treatment for
pass-through entities, such as the Fund. Please consult a tax
advisor regarding the implications of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act on an investment in Shares of the
Fund.
PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX
ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE POSSIBLE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF
AN INVESTMENT IN SHARES; SUCH TAX CONSEQUENCES MAY DIFFER IN
RESPECT OF DIFFERENT INVESTORS.
The Fund is a series of the Trust,
a statutory trust organized under the laws of the State of Delaware
on September 11, 2009. Currently, the Trust has five
series that are separate operating commodity pools: the Teucrium
Soybean Fund, the Teucrium Corn Fund, the Teucrium Sugar Fund, the
Teucrium Wheat Fund and the Teucrium Agricultural
Fund. Additional series of the Trust may be created in
the future at the Sponsor’s discretion. The Fund
maintains its main business office at 115 Christina Landing Drive
Unit 2004, Wilmington, DE 19801. The Fund is a commodity
pool. It operates pursuant to the terms of the Trust
Agreement, which is dated as of October 21, 2010 and grants full
management control to the Sponsor.
The Fund is publicly traded, and
seeks to have the daily changes in percentage terms of the
Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of
the price of soybeans for future delivery, as measured by the
Benchmark. The Fund invests in a mixture of listed
Soybean Futures Contracts, Other Soybean Interests, cash and cash
equivalents.
See “Prior Performance of
the Fund” on page 27 for more information about prior
performance of the Fund.
The Sponsor of the Trust is
Teucrium Trading, LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company. The principal office of the Sponsor and the
Trust are located at 115 Christina Landing Drive Unit 2004,
Wilmington, DE 19801. The Sponsor registered as a CPO
with the CFTC and became a member of the NFA on November 10, 2009.
The Sponsor registered as a Commodity Trading Advisor
(“CTA”) with the CFTC effective September
8, 2017.
Aside from establishing the series
of the Trust, operating those series that have commenced offering
their shares, and obtaining capital from a small number of outside
investors in order to engage in these activities, the Sponsor has
not engaged in any other business activity prior to the date of
this prospectus. Under the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor is
solely responsible for the management and conducts or directs the
conduct of the business of the Trust, the Fund, and any series of
the Trust that may from time to time be established and designated
by the Sponsor. The Sponsor is required to oversee the
purchase and sale of Shares by Authorized Purchasers and to manage
the Fund’s investments, including to evaluate the credit risk
of FCMs and swap counterparties and to review daily positions and
margin/collateral requirements. The Sponsor has the power to
enter into agreements as may be necessary or appropriate for the
offer and sale of the Fund’s Shares and the conduct of the
Trust’s activities. Accordingly, the Sponsor is
responsible for selecting the Trustee, Administrator, Distributor,
the independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust, and
any legal counsel employed by the Trust. The Sponsor is also
responsible for preparing and filing periodic reports on behalf of
the Trust with the SEC and will provide any required certification
for such reports. No person other than the Sponsor and its
principals was involved in the organization of the Trust or the
Fund.
The Sponsor may determine to
engage marketing agents who will assist the Sponsor in marketing
the Shares. See “Plan of Distribution” for more
information.
The Sponsor maintains a public
website on behalf of the Fund,
www.teucriumsoybfund.com
, which
contains information about the Trust, the Fund, and the Shares, and
oversees certain services for the benefit of
Shareholders.
The Sponsor has discretion to
appoint one or more of its affiliates as additional
Sponsors.
The Sponsor receives a fee as
compensation for services performed under the Trust
Agreement. The Sponsor’s fee accrues daily and is
paid monthly at an annual rate of 1.00% of the average daily net
assets of the Fund. For the period from January 1, 2017
through December 31, 2017, the Fund recognized $133,058 in
management fees to the Sponsor. The Fund is also responsible for
other ongoing fees, costs and expenses of its operations, including
brokerage fees, and legal, printing, accounting, custodial,
administration and transfer agency costs, although
the Sponsor bore the costs and
expenses related to the registration of the Shares. None
of the costs and expenses related to the initial registration,
offer and sale of Shares, which totaled approximately $450,000,
were or are chargeable to the Fund, and the Sponsor did not and may
not recover any of these costs and expenses from the
Fund.
Shareholders have no right to
elect the Sponsor on an annual or any other continuing basis or to
remove the Sponsor. If the Sponsor voluntarily withdraws, the
holders of a majority of the Trust’s outstanding Shares
(excluding for purposes of such determination Shares owned by the
withdrawing Sponsor and its affiliates) may elect its
successor. Prior to withdrawing, the Sponsor must give ninety
days’ written notice to the Shareholders and the
Trustee.
Ownership or
“membership” interests in the Sponsor are owned by
persons referred to as “members.” The
Sponsor currently has three voting or “Class A” members
– Mr. Sal Gilbertie, Mr. Dale Riker and Mr. Carl N. Miller
III – and a small number of non-voting or “Class
B” members who have provided working capital to the
Sponsor. Messrs. Gilbertie and Riker each currently own 45.7%
of the Sponsor’s Class A membership interests, while
Mr. Miller holds the remainder, which is less than
10%.
The Sponsor has an information
technology plan (the “IT Plan”) in place which is part
of the internal controls of the Trust and the Fund. The IT Plan is
tested by both the management of the Sponsor and by the independent
external auditor as a part of their internal control audit over the
financial reporting of the Trust and the Fund. The IT Plan also
takes reasonable care to look beyond the controls developed and
implemented for the Trust and the Fund directly to the platforms
and controls in place for the key service providers. Such review of
the IT plans of key service providers is part of the
Sponsor’s disaster recovery and business continuity planning.
The Sponsor provides regular training to all employees of the
Sponsor regarding cybersecurity topics, in addition to real-time
dissemination of information regarding cybersecurity matters as
needed. The IT plan is reviewed and updated as needed, but at a
minimum on an annual basis.
Management of the Sponsor
In general, under the
Sponsor’s Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company
Operating Agreement, as amended from time to time, the Sponsor (and
as a result the Trust and the Fund) is managed by the officers of
the Sponsor. The Chief Executive Officer of the Sponsor is
responsible for the overall strategic direction of the Sponsor and
will have general control of its business. The Chief Investment
Officer and President of the Sponsor is primarily responsible for
new investment product development with respect to the Fund and
each of the Teucrium Funds. The Chief Operating Officer has assumed
primary responsibility for trade operations, trade execution, and
portfolio activities with respect to the Fund. The Chief Financial
Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Chief Compliance Officer acts
as the Sponsor’s principal financial and accounting officer,
which position includes the functions previously performed by the
Treasurer of the Sponsor, and administers the Sponsor’s
regulatory compliance programs. Furthermore, certain fundamental
actions regarding the Sponsor, such as the removal of officers, the
addition or substitution of members, or the incurrence of
liabilities other than those incurred in the ordinary course of
business and
de minimis
liabilities, may not be taken without the affirmative vote of a
majority of the Class A members (which is generally defined as the
affirmative vote of Mr. Gilbertie and one of the other two Class A
members). The Sponsor has no board of directors, and the Trust has
no board of directors or officers. The three Class A members of the
Sponsor are Sal Gilbertie, Dale Riker and Carl N. Miller
III.
The Officers of the Sponsor, two
of whom are also Class A members of the Sponsor, are the
following:
Sal Gilbertie
has
been the President of the Sponsor since its inception and its Chief
Investment Officer since September 2011, was approved by the NFA as
a principal of the Sponsor on September 23, 2009, and was
registered as an associated person of the Sponsor on November 10,
2009. He maintains his main business office at 65 Adams Road,
Easton, Connecticut 06612. Effective July 16, 2012, Mr. Gilbertie
was registered with the NFA as the Branch Manager for this
location. Since October 18, 2010, Mr. Gilbertie has been an
associated person of the Distributor under the terms of the
Securities Activities and Services Agreement (“SASA”)
between the Sponsor and the Distributor. Additional information
regarding the SASA can be found in the section of this disclosure
document entitled “Plan of Distribution.” From October
2005 until December 2009, Mr. Gilbertie was employed by Newedge
USA, LLC, an FCM and broker-dealer registered with the CFTC and the
SEC, where he headed the Renewable Fuels/Energy Derivatives OTC
Execution Desk and was an active futures contract and
over-the-counter derivatives trader and market maker in multiple
classes of commodities. (Between January 2008 and October 2008, he
also held a comparable position with Newedge Financial, Inc., an
FCM and an affiliate of Newedge USA, LLC.) From October 1998 until
October 2005,
Mr.
Gilbertie was principal and co-founder of Cambial Asset Management,
LLC, an adviser to two private funds that focused on equity
options, and Cambial Financing Dynamics, a private boutique
investment bank. While at Cambial Asset Management, LLC and Cambial
Financing Dynamics, Mr. Gilbertie served as principal and managed
the day-to-day activities of the business and the portfolio of both
companies. Mr. Gilbertie is 57 years old.
Dale Riker
has been
the Secretary of the Sponsor since January 2010, and its Chief
Executive Officer since September 2011, was approved by the NFA as
a principal of the Sponsor on October 29, 2009, and was registered
as an associated person of the Sponsor on February 17, 2010. He
maintains his main business office at 115 Christina Landing Drive
Unit 2004, Wilmington, DE 19801 and is responsible for the overall
strategic direction of the Sponsor and has general control of its
business. Mr. Riker was Treasurer of the Sponsor from its inception
until September 2011. From February 2005 to December 2012, Mr.
Riker was the President of Cambial Emerging Markets LLC, a
consulting company specializing in emerging market equity
investment. As President of Cambial Emerging Markets LLC, Mr. Riker
had responsibility for business strategy, planning and operations.
From July 1996 to February 2005, Mr. Riker was a private investor.
Mr. Riker is married to the Chief Financial Officer, Chief
Accounting Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of the Sponsor,
Barbara Riker. Mr. Riker is 60 years old.
Barbara Riker
began
working for the Sponsor in July 2010 providing accounting and
compliance support. She has been the Chief Financial Officer, Chief
Accounting Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for Teucrium since
September 2011, was approved by the NFA as a principal of the
Sponsor on October 19, 2011, and has a background in finance,
accounting, investor relations, corporate communications and
operations. She maintains her main business office at 115 Christina
Landing Drive Unit 2004, Wilmington, DE 19801. From September 1980
to February 1993, Ms. Riker worked in various financial capacities
for Pacific Telesis Group, the California-based Regional Bell
Operating Company, and its predecessors. In February 1993, with the
spin-off of AirTouch Communications from Pacific Telesis Group, Ms.
Riker was selected to lead the Investor Relations team for the
global mobile phone operator. In her capacity as Executive Director
– Investor Relations and Corporate Communications from
February 1993 to June 1995, AirTouch completed its initial public
offering and was launched as an independent publicly-traded
company. In June 1995, she was named Chief Financial Officer of
AirTouch International and, in addition to her other duties, served
on the board of several of the firm’s joint ventures, both
private and public, across Europe. In June 1997, Ms. Riker moved
into an operations capacity as the District General Manager for
AirTouch Paging’s San Francisco operations. In February 1998
she was named Vice President and General Manager of AirTouch
Cellular for Arizona and New Mexico. Ms. Riker retired in July
1999, coincident with the purchase of AirTouch by Vodafone PLC and
remained retired until she began working for the Sponsor. Ms. Riker
graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
from Cal State – East Bay in 1980. Ms. Riker is married to
the Chief Executive Officer of the Sponsor, Dale Riker. Ms. Riker
is 60 years old.
Steve Kahler
, Chief
Operating Officer, began working for the Sponsor in November 2011
as Managing Director in the trading division. He became the Chief
Operating Officer on May 24, 2012 and has primary responsibility
for the Trade Operations for the Teucrium Funds. He maintains his
main business office at 13520 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka, MN
55345. Mr. Kahler was registered as an Associated Person of the
Sponsor on November 25, 2011, approved as a Branch Manager of the
Sponsor on March 16, 2012 and approved by the NFA as a Principal of
the Sponsor on May 16, 2012. Since January 18, 2012, Mr. Kahler has
been an associated person of the Distributor under the terms of the
SASA between the Sponsor and the Distributor. Additional
information regarding the SASA can be found in the section of this
disclosure document entitled “Plan of Distribution.”
Prior to his employment with the Sponsor, Mr. Kahler worked for
Cargill Inc., an international producer and marketer of food,
agricultural, financial and industrial products and services, from
April 2006 until November 2011 in the Energy Division as Senior
Petroleum Trader. In October 2006 and while employed at Cargill
Inc., Mr. Kahler was approved as an Associated Person of Cargill
Commodity Services Inc., a commodity trading affiliate of Cargill
Inc. from September 13, 2006 to November 9, 2011. Mr. Kahler
graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelors of
Agricultural Business Administration in 1992 and is 50 years
old.
Mr. Kahler is primarily
responsible for making trading and investment decisions for the
Fund and other Teucrium Funds, and for directing Fund and other
Teucrium Fund trades for execution.
Messrs. Gilbertie, Riker and
Kahler and Ms. Riker are individual “principals,” as
that term is defined in CFTC Rule 3.1, of the Sponsor. These
individuals are principals due to their positions and/or due to
their ownership interests in the Sponsor. Beneficial ownership
interests of the principals, if any, are shown under the section
entitled “Security Ownership of Principal Shareholders and
Management” below and any of the principals may acquire
beneficial interests in the Fund in the future. GFI Group LLC is a
principal for the Sponsor under CFTC Rules due to its ownership of
certain non-voting securities of the Sponsor.
Market Price of Shares
The Fund’s
Shares have traded on the NYSE Arca under the symbol
“SOYB” since September 19, 2011. The following table
sets forth the range of reported high and low sales prices of the
Shares as reported on NYSE Arca for the periods indicated
below.
Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2017
:
|
|
|
Quarter
Ended
|
|
|
March 31, 2017
|
$
20.26
|
$
18.10
|
June 30, 2017
|
$
18.48
|
$
17.29
|
September 30,
2017
|
$
19.59
|
$
17.50
|
December 31,
2017
|
$
18.93
|
$
17.75
|
Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2016
:
|
|
|
Quarter
Ended
|
|
|
March 31, 2016
|
$
19.18
|
$
16.98
|
June 30, 2016
|
$
21.95
|
$
17.92
|
September 30,
2016
|
$
21.24
|
$
18.12
|
December 31,
2016
|
$
20.24
|
$
18.43
|
As of December 31,
2017, the Fund had approximately 1,095
Shareholders.
Prior Performance of the Fund
PERFORMANCE DATA FOR THE FUND
PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS
The Teucrium Soybean Fund
commenced trading and investment operations on September 19, 2011.
The Fund is listed on NYSE Arca and is neither: (i) a privately
offered pool pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended; (ii) a multi-advisor pool as defined in CFTC
Regulation 4.10(d)(2); or (iii) a principal-protected pool as
defined in CFTC Regulation 4.10(d)(3).
Units of beneficial interest
issued (from inception until January 31, 2018)
|
3,100,004
|
Aggregate gross sale price for
units issued
|
$
64,948,530
|
NAV per share as of January 31,
2018
|
$
18.44
|
Pool NAV as of January 31,
2018
|
$
11,065,741
|
Worst monthly percentage
draw-down*
|
|
Worst peak-to-valley
draw-down**
|
(39.85)%
August 2012 – February
2016
|
* A draw-down is a loss
experienced by the fund over a specified
period. Draw-downs are measured on the basis of monthly
returns only and do not reflect intra-month figures. The
worst monthly percentage draw-down reflects the largest single
month loss sustained over the most recent five calendar years and
the current year-to-date.
** The worst peak-to-valley
draw-down is the largest percentage decline in the NAV per unit
over the most recent five calendar years and the current
year-to-date. This need not be a continuous decline, but
can be a series of positive and negative returns. Worst
peak-to-valley draw-down represents the greatest percentage decline
from any month-end NAV per unit that occurs without such month-end
NAV per unit being equaled or exceeded as of a subsequent
month-end. For example, if the NAV per unit declined by
$1 in each of January and February, increased by $1 in March and
declined again by $2 in April, a “peak-to-valley
drawdown” analysis conducted as of the end of April would
consider that “drawdown” to be continuing and to be $3
in amount, whereas if the NAV per unit had increased by $2 in
March, the drawdown would have ended as of the end of February at
the $2 level.
|
|
Month
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
January
|
2.98
%
|
(1.92
)%
|
(6.16
)%
|
1.44
%
|
1.68
%
|
3.31
%
|
February
|
(2.70
)%
|
8.62
%
|
6.00
%
|
(2.73
)%
|
0.52
%
|
3.69
%
|
March
|
(2.19
)%
|
0.90
%
|
(5.13
)%
|
5.32
%
|
(7.13
)%
|
(0.42)
%
|
April
|
(1.01
)%
|
5.47
%
|
(0.41
)%
|
8.27
%
|
(0.28
)%
|
|
May
|
6.15
%
|
(1.50
)%
|
(4.96
)%
|
2.92
%
|
(3.05
)%
|
|
June
|
(4.55
)%
|
(5.77
)%
|
10.93
%
|
6.42
%
|
3.37
%
|
|
July
|
(4.09
)%
|
(6.58
)%
|
(8.59
)%
|
(10.72
)%
|
4.70
%
|
|
August
|
7.96
%
|
(5.14
)%
|
(4.83
)%
|
(4.77
)%
|
(3.27
)%
|
|
September
|
(5.33
)%
|
(10.47
)%
|
0.33
%
|
1.98
%
|
(2.02
)%
|
|
October
|
(1.55
)%
|
11.90
%
|
(1.00
)%
|
4.80
%
|
2.73
%
|
|
November
|
2.45
%
|
(3.22
)%
|
(0.22
)%
|
1.91
%
|
0.11
%
|
|
December
|
(2.13
)%
|
0.19
%
|
(2.36
)%
|
(3.59
)%
|
(3.36
)%
|
|
Annual Rate of
Return
|
(4.89
)%
|
(9.41
)%
|
(16.59
)%
|
10.03
%
|
(6.45
)%
|
6.67
%**
|
* The monthly rate of return
is calculated by dividing the ending NAV for a given month by the
ending NAV for the previous month, subtracting 1 and multiplying
this number by 100 to arrive at a percentage increase or
decrease.
** Not
annualized.
The sole Trustee of the Trust is
Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking
corporation. The Trustee’s principal offices are
located at 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware
19890-0001. The Trustee is unaffiliated with the
Sponsor. The Trustee’s duties and liabilities with
respect to the offering of Shares and the management of the Trust
and the Fund are limited to its express obligations under the Trust
Agreement.
The Trustee will accept service of
legal process on the Trust in the State of Delaware and will make
certain filings under the Delaware Statutory Trust
Act. The Trustee does not owe any other duties to the
Trust, the Sponsor or the Shareholders. The Trustee is
permitted to resign upon at least sixty (60) days’ notice to
the Sponsor. If no successor trustee has been appointed
by the Sponsor within such sixty-day period, the Trustee may, at
the expense of the Trust, petition a court to appoint a
successor. The Trust Agreement provides that the Trustee
is entitled to reasonable compensation for its services from the
Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor (including the Trust), and
is indemnified by the Sponsor against any expenses it incurs
relating to or arising out of the formation, operation or
termination of the Trust, or any action or inaction of the Trustee
under the Trust Agreement, except to the extent that such expenses
result from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the
Trustee. The Sponsor has the discretion to replace the
Trustee.
The Trustee has not signed the
registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and is
not subject to issuer liability under the federal securities laws
for the information contained in this prospectus and under federal
securities laws with respect to the issuance and sale of the
Shares. Under such laws, neither the Trustee, either in
its capacity as Trustee or in its individual capacity, nor any
director, officer or controlling person of the Trustee is, or has
any liability as, the issuer or a director, officer or controlling
person of the issuer of the Shares.
Under the Trust Agreement, the
Trustee has delegated to the Sponsor the exclusive management and
control of all aspects of the business of the Trust and the
Fund. The Trustee has no duty or liability to supervise
or monitor the performance of the Sponsor, nor does the Trustee
have any liability for the acts or omissions of the
Sponsor.
Because the Trustee has delegated
substantially all of its authority over the operation of the Trust
to the Sponsor, the Trustee itself is not registered in any
capacity with the CFTC.
The investment
objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes in percentage
terms of the Shares’ NAV reflect the daily changes in
percentage terms of a weighted average of the closing settlement
prices for three Soybean Futures Contracts that are traded on the
CBOT:
SOYB Benchmark
CBOT Soybean
Futures Contract
|
|
Second to expire
(excluding August & September)
|
35
%
|
Third to expire
(excluding August & September)
|
30
%
|
Expiring in the
November following the expiration of the third to
expire contract
|
35
%
|
Soybean Futures Contracts traded
on the CBOT expire on a specified day in seven different months:
January, March, May, July, August, September and
November. However, there is generally a less liquid
market for the Soybean Futures Contracts expiring in August (the
“August Contract”) and September (the “September
Contract” and, together with the August Contract, the
“Excluded Contracts”), and the Sponsor has determined
not to incorporate the Excluded Contracts into the Benchmark
calculation. Accordingly, during the period when the
Excluded Contracts are the second-to-expire and third-to-expire
Soybean Futures Contract, the fourth-to-expire and fifth-to-expire
Soybean Futures Contracts will take the place of the
second-to-expire and third-to-expire Soybean Futures Contracts,
respectively, as Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts. Similarly, when the August Contract is the
third-to-expire Soybean Futures Contract, the fifth-to-expire
Soybean Futures Contract will take the place of the August Contract
as a Benchmark Component Futures Contract, and when the September
Contract is the second-to-expire Soybean Futures Contract, the
third-to-expire and fourth-to-expire Soybean Futures Contracts will
be Benchmark Component Futures Contracts.
The Fund seeks to achieve its
investment objective by investing under normal market conditions in
Benchmark Component Futures Contracts or, in certain circumstances,
in other Soybean Futures Contracts traded on the CBOT or on foreign
exchanges. In addition, and to a limited extent, the
Fund also may invest in exchange-traded options on Soybean Futures
Contracts in furtherance of the Fund's investment
objective. Once position limits in Soybean Futures
Contracts are applicable, the Fund's intention is to invest first
in Other Soybean Interests. See “The Offering
– Futures Contracts” below. By utilizing
certain or all of these investments, the Sponsor endeavors to cause
the Fund's performance to closely track that of the
Benchmark.
The Fund invests in Soybean
Interests to the fullest extent possible without being leveraged or
unable to satisfy its current or potential margin or collateral
obligations with respect to its investments in Soybean
Interests. After fulfilling such margin and collateral
requirements, the Fund invests the remainder of its proceeds from
the sale of baskets in cash equivalents, including money-market
funds and investment grade commercial paper, and/or merely hold
such assets in cash in interest-bearing
accounts. Therefore, the focus of the Sponsor in
managing the Fund is investing in Soybean Interests and cash and/or
cash equivalents. The Fund earns interest income from
the cash equivalents that it purchases and on the cash it holds at
financial institutions.
The Sponsor expects to manage the
Fund’s investments directly, although it has been authorized
by the Trust to retain, establish the terms of retention for, and
terminate third-party commodity trading advisors to provide such
management. The Sponsor has substantial discretion in
managing the Fund’s investments consistent with meeting its
investment objective of tracking the Benchmark, including the
discretion: (1) to choose whether to invest in the Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts or other Soybean Futures Contracts or
Other Soybean Interests with similar investment characteristics;
(2) to choose when to “roll” the Fund’s positions
in Soybean Interests as described below, and (3) to manage the
Fund’s investments in cash and cash
equivalents.
The Fund seeks to achieve its
investment objective primarily by investing in Soybean Interests
such that the changes in its NAV are expected to closely track the
changes in the Benchmark. The Fund’s positions in
Soybean Interests are changed or “rolled” on a regular
basis in order to track the changing nature of the
Benchmark. For example, five times a year (on the dates
on which certain Soybean Futures Contracts expire), a particular
Soybean Futures Contract will no longer be a Benchmark Component
Futures Contract, and the Fund’s investments will have to be
changed accordingly. In order that the Fund’s
trading does not cause unwanted market movements and to make it
more difficult for third parties to profit by trading based on such
expected market movements, the Fund’s investments may not be
rolled entirely on that day, but rather may be rolled over a period
of days.
The Fund posts on its website
(
www.teucriumsoybfund.com
)
the roll dates and the contracts into which it will roll for the
entire upcoming calendar year. This information is updated at the
beginning of the calendar year and as needed throughout the
year.
The Sponsor does not intend to
operate the Fund in a fashion such that its per Share NAV will
equal, in dollar terms, the spot price of a bushel or other unit of
soybeans or the price of any particular Soybean Futures
Contract.
In seeking to achieve the
Fund’s investment objective of tracking the Benchmark, the
Sponsor may for certain reasons cause the Fund to enter into or
hold Soybean Futures Contracts other than the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts and/or Other Soybean Interests. Other
Soybean Interests that do not have standardized terms and are not
exchange-traded, referred to as “over-the-counter”
Soybean Interests, can generally be structured as the parties to
the Soybean Interest contract desire. Therefore, the Fund might
enter into multiple over-the-counter Soybean Interests intended to
exactly replicate the performance of each of the three Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts, or a single over-the-counter Soybean
Interest designed to replicate the performance of the Benchmark as
a whole. Assuming that there is no default by a
counterparty to an over-the-counter Soybean Interest, the
performance of the Soybean Interest will necessarily correlate
exactly with the performance of the Benchmark or the applicable
Benchmark Component Futures Contract. The Fund might
also enter into or hold Soybean Interests other than the Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts to facilitate effective trading,
consistent with the discussion of the Fund’s
“roll” strategy discussed in the preceding
paragraph. In addition, the Fund might enter into or
hold Soybean Interests that would be expected to alleviate
overall deviation between the Fund’s performance and that of
the Benchmark that may result from certain market and trading
inefficiencies or other reasons. By utilizing certain or
all of the investments described above, the Sponsor endeavors to
cause the Fund’s performance to closely track that of the
Benchmark.
The Sponsor endeavors to place the
Fund’s trades in Soybean Interests and otherwise manage the
Fund’s investments so that the Fund’s average daily
tracking error against the Benchmark is less than 10 percent over
any period of 30 trading days. More specifically, the
Sponsor endeavors to manage the Fund so that A will be within
plus/minus 10 percent of B, where:
|
●
|
A is the average daily change in
the Fund’s NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation
days; i.e.,
any
trading day as of which the Fund calculates its NAV,
and
|
|
●
|
B is the average daily change in
the price of the Benchmark over the same
period.
|
The Sponsor believes that market
arbitrage opportunities cause daily changes in the Fund’s
Share price on the NYSE Arca to track daily changes in the
Fund’s NAV per Share. The Sponsor believes that
the net effect of this expected relationship and the expected
relationship described above between the Fund’s NAV and the
Benchmark will be that daily changes in the price of the
Fund’s Shares on the NYSE Arca will track daily changes in
the Benchmark. This relationship may be affected by
various market factors, including but not limited to, the number of
shares of the Fund outstanding and the liquidity of the underlying
holdings. While the Benchmark is composed of Futures Contracts and
is therefore a measure of the price of Soybean for future delivery,
there is nonetheless expected to be a reasonable degree of
correlation between the Benchmark and the cash or spot price of
soybeans.
These relationships are
illustrated in the following diagram:
An investment in the Shares
provides a means for diversifying an investor’s portfolio or
hedging exposure to changes in soybean prices. An
investment in the Shares allows both retail and institutional
investors to easily gain this exposure to the soybean market in a
transparent, cost-effective manner.
The Sponsor employs a
“neutral” investment strategy intended to track the
changes in the Benchmark regardless of whether the Benchmark goes
up or goes down. The Fund’s “neutral”
investment strategy is designed to permit investors generally to
purchase and sell the Fund’s Shares for the purpose of
investing indirectly in the soybean market in a cost-effective
manner. Such investors may include participants in the
soybean industry and other industries seeking to hedge the risk of
losses in their soybean-related transactions, as well as investors
seeking exposure to the soybean market. Accordingly,
depending on the investment objective of an individual investor,
the risks generally associated with investing in the soybean market
and/or the risks involved in hedging may exist. In
addition, an investment in the Fund involves the risks that the
changes in the price of the Fund’s Shares will not accurately
track the changes in the Benchmark, and that changes in the
Benchmark will not closely correlate with changes in the price of
soybean on the spot market. Furthermore, as noted above,
the Fund may also elect to invest in cash and/or cash equivalents
to meet its current or potential margin or collateral requirements
with respect to its investments in Soybean Interests and to invest
cash not required to be used as margin or
collateral. The Fund does not expect there to be any
meaningful correlation between the performance of the Fund’s
investments in cash and/or cash equivalents and the changes in the
price of soybean or Soybean Interests. While the level
of interest earned on or the market price of these investments may
in some respects correlate to changes in the price of soybeans,
this correlation is not anticipated as part of the Fund’s
efforts to meet its objective. This and certain risk
factors discussed in this prospectus may cause a lack of
correlation between changes in the Fund’s NAV and changes in
the price of soybeans. The Sponsor does not intend to
operate the Fund in a fashion such that its per Share NAV will
equal, in dollar terms, the spot price of a bushel or other unit of
soybeans or the price of any particular Soybean Futures
Contract.
The Fund’s total portfolio
composition is disclosed each business day that the NYSE Arca is
open for trading on the Fund’s website at
www.teucriumsoybfund.com
. The
website disclosure of portfolio holdings is made daily and
includes, as applicable, the name and value of each commodity
futures contract held and those that are pending, the name and
value of each cash equivalent held in the Fund, and the amount of
cash held in the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund’s
website also includes the NAV, the 4 p.m. Bid/Ask Midpoint as
reported by the NYSE Arca, the last trade price as reported by the
NYSE Arca, the shares outstanding, the shares available for
issuance, and the shares created or redeemed on that day. The
prospectus, Monthly Statements of Account, Quarterly Performance of
the Midpoint versus the NAV (as required by the CFTC), and the Roll
Dates, as well as Forms 10-Q, Forms 10-K, and other SEC filings for
the Fund, are also posted on the website. The Fund’s website
is publicly accessible at no charge.
The Shares issued by the Fund may
only be purchased by Authorized Purchasers and only in blocks of
25,000 Shares called Creation Baskets. The amount of the
purchase payment for a Creation Basket is equal to the aggregate
NAV of Shares in the Creation Basket. Similarly, only
Authorized Purchasers may redeem Shares and only in blocks of
25,000 Shares called Redemption Baskets. The amount of
the redemption proceeds for a Redemption Basket is equal to the
aggregate NAV of Shares in the Redemption Basket. The
purchase price for Creation Baskets and the redemption price for
Redemption Baskets are the actual NAV calculated at the end of the
business day when a request for a purchase or redemption is
received by the Fund. The NYSE Arca publishes an
approximate NAV intra-day based on the prior day’s NAV and
the current price of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts, but
the price of Creation Baskets and Redemption Baskets is determined
based on the actual NAV calculated at the end of each trading
day.
While the Fund issues Shares only
in Creation Baskets, Shares may also be purchased and sold in much
smaller increments on the NYSE Arca. These transactions,
however, are effected at the bid and ask prices established by the
specialist firm(s). Like any listed security, Shares can
be purchased and sold at any time a secondary market is
open.
The Fund’s Investment Strategy
In managing the Fund’s
assets, the Sponsor does not use a technical trading system that
automatically issues buy and sell orders. Instead, each
time one or more baskets are purchased or redeemed, the Sponsor
purchases or sells Soybean Interests with an aggregate market value
that approximates the amount of cash received or paid upon the
purchase or redemption of the basket(s).
As an example, assume that a
Creation Basket is sold by the Fund, and that the Fund’s
closing NAV per Share is $22.51. In that case, the Fund
would receive $562,750 in proceeds from the sale of the Creation
Basket ($22.51 NAV per Share multiplied by 25,000 Shares, and
ignoring the Creation Basket fee of $250). If one were
to assume further that the Sponsor wants to invest the entire
proceeds from the Creation Basket in the Benchmark Component
Futures Contracts and that the market value of each such Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts is $62,600 (or otherwise not a round
number), the Fund would be unable to buy an exact number of Soybean
Futures Contracts with an aggregate market value equal to
$562,750. Instead, the Fund would be able to
purchase
8 Benchmark
Component Futures Contracts with an aggregate market value of
$500,800. Assuming a margin requirement equal to 10% of
the value of the Soybean Futures Contracts (although the actual
percentage is approximately 5%), the Fund would be required to
deposit $50,080 in and cash and or/cash equivalents with the FCM
through which the Soybean Futures Contracts were
purchased. The remainder of the proceeds from the sale
of the Creation Basket, $511,950,
would remain invested in cash
and/or cash equivalents, as determined by the Sponsor from time to
time based on factors such as potential calls for margin or
anticipated redemptions.
The specific Soybean Interests
purchased depend on various factors, including a judgment by the
Sponsor as to the appropriate diversification of the Fund’s
investments. While the Sponsor anticipates that a
substantial majority of the Fund’s assets will be invested in
CBOT Soybean Futures Contracts, for various reasons, including the
ability to enter into the precise amount of exposure to the soybean
market and accountability levels on Soybean Futures Contracts, the
Fund will also invest in Other Soybean Interests, including swaps,
in the over-the-counter market to a potentially significant
degree.
The Sponsor does not anticipate
letting its Soybean Futures Contracts expire and taking delivery of
soybeans. Instead, the Sponsor will close out existing
positions, e.g., in response to ongoing changes in the Benchmark or
if it otherwise determines it would be appropriate to do so and
reinvest the proceeds in new Soybean
Interests. Positions may also be closed out to meet
orders for Redemption Baskets, in which case the proceeds from
closing the positions will not be
reinvested.
Futures contracts are agreements
between two parties that are executed on a designated contract
market (“DCM”), i.e., a commodity futures exchange, and
that are cleared and margined through a derivatives clearing
organization (“DCO”), i.e., a clearing
house. One party agrees to buy a commodity such as
soybeans from the other party at a later date at a price and
quantity agreed upon when the contract is made. In
market terminology, a party who purchases a futures contract is
long in the market and a party who sells a futures contract is
short in the market. The contractual obligations of a
buyer or seller may generally be satisfied by taking or making
physical delivery of the underlying commodity or by making an
offsetting sale or purchase of an identical futures contract on the
same or linked exchange before the designated date of
delivery. The difference between the price at which the
futures contract is purchased or sold and the price paid for the
offsetting sale or purchase, after allowance for brokerage
commissions, constitutes the profit or loss to the
trader.
If the price of the commodity
increases after the original futures contract is entered into, the
buyer of the futures contract will generally be able to sell a
futures contract to close out its original long position at a price
higher than that at which the original contract was purchased,
generally resulting in a profit to the
buyer. Conversely, the seller of a futures contract will
generally profit if the price of the underlying commodity
decreases, as it will generally be able to buy a futures contract
to close out its original short position at a price lower than that
at which the original contract was sold. Because the
Fund seeks to track the Benchmark directly and profit when the
price of soybeans increases and, as a likely result of an increase
in the price of soybeans, the price of Soybean Futures Contracts
increase, the Fund will generally be long in the market for
soybeans, and will generally sell Soybean Futures Contracts only to
close out existing long positions.
Futures contracts are typically
traded on futures exchanges (i.e. DCMs), such as the CBOT, which
provide centralized market facilities in which multiple persons may
trade contracts. Members of a particular futures
exchange and the trades executed on such exchange are subject to
the rules of that exchange. Futures exchanges and their
related clearing organizations (i.e., DCOs) are given reasonable
latitude in promulgating rules and regulations to control and
regulate their members.
Trades on a futures exchange are
generally cleared by the DCO, which provides services designed to
mutualize or transfer the credit risk arising from the trading of
contracts on an exchange. The clearing organization
effectively becomes the other party to the trade, and each clearing
member party to the trade looks only to the clearing organization
for performance.
Soybean Futures Contracts are
traded on the CBOT (which is part of the CME Group) in units of
5,000 bushels. Generally, futures contracts traded on
the CBOT are priced by floor brokers and other exchange members
through an electronic, screen-based system that electronically
determines the price by matching offers to purchase and
sell. Futures contracts may also be based on commodity
indices, in that they call for a cash payment based on the change
in the value of the specified index during a specified
period. No futures contracts based on an index of
soybean prices are currently available, although the Fund could
enter into such contracts should they become available in the
future.
Certain typical and significant
characteristics of Soybean Futures Contracts are discussed
below. Additional risks of investing in Soybean Futures
Contracts are included in “What are the Risk Factors Involved
with an Investment in the Fund?”
Impact of Position Limits, Accountability Levels, and Price
Fluctuation Limits
All of these limits may
potentially cause a tracking error between the price of the Shares
and the Benchmark. This may in turn prevent you from being able to
effectively use the Fund as a way to hedge against soybean-related
losses or as a way to indirectly invest in
soybeans.
The Fund does not intend to limit
the size of the offering and will attempt to expose substantially
all of its proceeds to the soybean market utilizing Soybean
Interests. If the Fund encounters position limits, accountability
levels, or price fluctuation limits for Soybean Futures Contracts
on the CBOT, it may then, if permitted under applicable regulatory
requirements, purchase Other Soybean Interests and/or Soybean
Futures Contracts listed on foreign exchanges. However, the Soybean
Futures Contracts available on such foreign exchanges may have
different underlying sizes, deliveries, and prices. In addition,
the Soybean Futures Contracts available on these exchanges may be
subject to their own position limits and accountability levels. In
any case, notwithstanding the potential availability of these
instruments in certain circumstances, position limits could force
the Fund to limit the number of Creation Baskets that it
sells.
Price Volatility
Despite daily price limits, the
price volatility of futures contracts generally has been
historically greater than that for traditional securities such as
stocks and bonds. Price volatility often is greater
day-to-day as opposed to intra-day. Economic factors
that may cause volatility in Soybean Futures Contracts include
changes in interest rates; governmental, agricultural, trade,
fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs and policies;
weather and climate conditions; changing supply and demand
relationships; changes in balances of payments and trade; U.S. and
international rates of inflation; currency devaluations and
revaluations; U.S. and international political and economic events;
and changes in philosophies and emotions of market
participants. Because the Fund invests a significant
portion of its assets in futures contracts, the assets of the Fund,
and therefore the price of the Fund’s Shares, may be subject
to greater volatility than traditional
securities.
Term Structure of Futures Contracts and the Impact on Total
Return
Several factors determine the
total return from investing in futures
contracts. Because the Fund must periodically
“roll” futures contract positions, closing out
soon-to-expire contracts that are no longer part of the Benchmark
and entering into subsequent-to-expire contracts, one such factor
is the price relationship between soon-to-expire contracts and
later-to-expire contracts. For example, if market
conditions are such that the prices of soon-to-expire contracts are
higher than later-to-expire contracts (a situation referred to as
“backwardation” in the futures market), then absent a
change in the market, the price of contracts will rise as they
approach expiration. Conversely, if the price of
soon-to-expire contracts is lower than later-to-expire contracts (a
situation referred to as “contango” in the futures
market), then absent a change in the market the price of contracts
will decline as they approach expiration.
Over time, the price of soybeans
fluctuates based on a number of market factors, including demand
for soybeans relative to its supply. The value of
Soybean Futures Contracts likewise fluctuates in reaction to a
number of market factors. If investors seek to maintain
their holdings in Soybean Futures Contracts with a roughly constant
expiration profile and not take delivery of the soybeans, they must
on an ongoing basis sell their current positions as they approach
expiration and invest in later-to-expire
contracts.
If the futures market is in a
state of backwardation (i.e., when the price of soybeans in the
future is expected to be less than the current price), the Fund
will buy later-to-expire contracts for a lower price than the
sooner-to-expire contracts that it
sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no changes to either
prevailing soybean prices or the price relationship between the
spot price, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire contracts,
the value of a contract will rise as it approaches expiration,
increasing the Fund’s total return (ignoring the impact of
commission costs and the interest earned on cash and/or cash
equivalents).
If the futures market is in
contango, the Fund will buy later-to-expire contracts for a higher
price than the sooner-to-expire contracts that it
sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to
either prevailing soybean prices or the price relationship between
the spot price, soon-to-expire contracts and later-to-expire
contracts, the value of a contract will fall as it approaches
expiration, decreasing the Fund’s total return (ignoring the
impact of commission costs and the interest earned on cash and/or
cash equivalents).
Historically, the soybean futures
markets have experienced periods of both contango and
backwardation. Frequently, whether contango or
backwardation exists is a function, among other factors, of the
seasonality of the soybean market and the soybean harvest cycle, as
discussed above.
Margin Requirements and Marking-to-Market Futures
Positions
“Initial margin” is an
amount of funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest
trader with the trader’s broker to initiate an open position
in futures contracts. A margin deposit is like a cash
performance bond. It helps assure the trader’s
performance of the futures contracts that he or she purchases or
sells. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold
on initial margin that represents a small percentage of the
aggregate purchase or sales price of the contract. The
amount of margin required in connection with a particular futures
contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is
traded. Brokerage firms, such as the Fund’s
clearing broker, carrying accounts for traders in commodity
interest contracts may require higher amounts of margin as a matter
of policy to further protect themselves.
Futures contracts are marked to
market at the end of each trading day and the margin required with
respect to such contracts is adjusted accordingly. This
process of marking-to-market is designed to prevent losses from
accumulating in any futures account. Therefore, if the
Fund’s futures positions have declined in value, the Fund may
be required to post “variation margin” to cover this
decline. Alternatively, if the Fund’s futures
positions have increased in value, this increase will be credited
to the Fund’s account.
O
ver-the-Counter Derivatives
In addition to futures contracts,
options on futures contracts, derivative contracts that are tied to
various commodities, including soybeans, are entered into outside
of public exchanges. These
“over-the-counter” contracts are entered into between
two parties in private contracts or on a recently formed swap
execution facility (“SEF”) for certain standardized
swaps. Unlike Soybean Futures Contracts,
which are guaranteed by a clearing organization, each party to an
over-the-counter derivative contract bears the credit risk of the
other party (unless such over-the-counter swap is cleared through a
DCO),
i.e.
, the risk that
the other party will not be able to perform its obligations under
its contract.
Some over-the-counter derivatives
contracts contain relatively standardized terms and conditions and
are available from a wide range of participants. Others
have highly customized terms and conditions and are not as widely
available. While the Fund may enter into these more
customized contracts, the Fund will only enter into
over-the-counter contracts containing certain terms and conditions,
as discussed further below, that are designed to minimize the
credit risk to which the Fund will be subject and only if the terms
and conditions of the contract are consistent with achieving the
Fund’s investment objective of tracking the
Benchmark. The over-the-counter contracts that the Fund
may enter into will take the form of either forward contracts,
swaps or options.
A forward contract is a
contractual obligation to purchase or sell a specified quantity of
a commodity at or before a specified date in the future at a
specified price and, therefore, is economically similar to a
futures contract except that, unlike a futures contract it cannot
be financially settled (i.e., one must intend to make or take
delivery of a commodity under a forward
contract). Unlike futures contracts, however, forward
contracts are typically privately negotiated or are traded in the
over-the-counter markets. Forward contracts for a given
commodity are generally available for various amounts and
maturities and are subject to individual negotiation between the
parties involved. Moreover, generally there is no direct
means of offsetting or closing out a forward contract by taking an
offsetting position as one would a futures contract on a U.S.
exchange. If a trader desires to close out a forward
contract position, he generally will establish an opposite position
in the contract but will settle and recognize the profit or loss on
both positions simultaneously on the delivery
date. Thus, unlike in the futures contract market where
a trader who has offset positions will recognize profit or loss
immediately, in the forward market a trader with a position that
has been offset at a profit will generally not receive such profit
until the delivery date, and likewise a trader with a position that
has been offset at a loss will generally not have to pay money
until the delivery date. However, in some very limited
instances such contracts may provide a right of look out that will
allow for the receipt of profit and payment for losses prior to the
delivery date.
An over-the-counter swap agreement
is a bilateral contract to exchange a periodic stream of payments
determined by reference to a notional amount, with payment
typically made between the parties on a net basis. For
instance, in the case of a soybean swap, the Fund may be obligated
to pay a fixed price per bushel of soybeans and be entitled to
receive an amount per bushel equal to the current value of an index
of soybean prices, the price of a specified Soybean Futures
Contract, or the average price of a group of Soybean Futures
Contracts such as the Benchmark. Each party to the swap
is subject to the credit risk of the other party. The
Fund only enters into over-the-counter swaps on a net basis, where
the two payment streams are netted out on a daily basis, with the
parties receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net
amount of the two payments. Swaps do not generally
involve the delivery of underlying assets or principal and are
therefore financially settled. Accordingly, the
Fund’s risk of loss with respect to an over-the-counter swap
generally is limited to the net amount of payments that the
counterparty is contractually obligated to make less any collateral
deposits the Fund is holding.
To reduce the credit risk that
arises in connection with over-the-counter contracts, the Fund
generally enters into an agreement with each counterparty based on
the Master Agreement published by the International Swaps and
Derivatives Association, Inc. that provides for the netting of the
Fund’s overall exposure to its counterparty and for daily
payments based on the marked-to-market value of the
contract.
The creditworthiness of each
potential counterparty will be assessed by the
Sponsor. The Sponsor assesses or reviews, as
appropriate, the creditworthiness of each potential or existing
counterparty to an over-the-counter contract pursuant to guidelines
approved by the Sponsor. The
creditworthiness of existing counterparties will be reviewed
periodically by the Sponsor. The Sponsor’s President and
Chief Investment Officer has over 25 years of experience in
over-the-counter derivatives trading, including the counterparty
creditworthiness analysis inherent therein, and the Sponsor’s
Chief Executive Officer, through his prior experience as a Chief
Financial Officer and Treasurer, has extensive experience
evaluating the creditworthiness of business partners and
counterparties to commercial and derivative
contracts. Notwithstanding this experience, there is no
guarantee that the Sponsor’s creditworthiness analysis will
be successful and that counterparties selected for Fund
transactions will not default on their contractual
obligations.
The Fund also may require that a
counterparty be highly rated and/or provide collateral or other
credit support. The Sponsor on behalf of the Fund may enter into
over-the-counter contracts with various types of counterparties,
including: (a) entities registered as swap dealers
(“SD”) or major swap participants (“MSP”),
or (b) any other entities that qualify as eligible contract
participants (“ECP”).
After the enactment of the
Dodd-Frank Act, swaps (and options that are regulated as swaps) are
subject to the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction and are
regulated as rigorously as futures. Generally, however, if a swap
is entered into with an SD or MSP, such counterparty will conduct
all necessary compliance with respect to swaps and options under
the Dodd-Frank Act.
See the information presented in
the “Results of Operations” on page 49 of this
prospectus.
Global soybean
production is concentrated in the U.S., Brazil, Argentina and
China. The United States Department of Agriculture
(“USDA”) has estimated that, for the Crop Year
201718, the United States will produce approximately 120 MMT
of soybeans or approximately 34% of estimated world production,
with Brazil production at 110 MMT. Argentina is projected to
produce about 56 MMT. For 201718, based on the January 2018
USDA report, global consumption of 344 MMT is estimated slightly
lower than global production of 349 MMT. If the global supply of
soybeans exceeds global demand, this may have an adverse impact on
the price of soybeans. The USDA publishes weekly, monthly,
quarterly and annual updates for U.S. domestic and worldwide
soybean production and consumption. These reports are available on
the USDA’s website, www.usda.gov, at no
charge.
The soybean
processing industry converts soybeans into soybean meal, soybean
hulls, and soybean oil. Soybean meal and soybean hulls are
processed into soy flour or soy protein, which are used, along with
other commodities, by livestock producers and the farm fishing
industry as feed. Soybean oil is sold in multiple grades and is
used by the food, petroleum and chemical industries. The food
industry uses soybean oil in cooking and salad dressings, baking
and frying fats, and butter substitutes, among other uses. In
addition, the soybean industry continues to introduce
soybased products as substitutes to various
petroleumbased products including lubricants, plastics, ink,
crayons and candles. Soybean oil is also converted to biodiesel for
use as fuel.
Standard Soybean
Futures Contracts trade on the CBOT in units of 5,000 bushels,
although 1,000 bushel “minisized” Soybean Futures
Contracts also trade. Three grades of soybean are deliverable under
CBOT Soybean Futures Contracts: Number 1 yellow, which may be
delivered at 6 cents per bushel over the contract price. Number 2
yellow, which may be delivered at the contract price. and Number 3
yellow, which may be delivered at 6 cents per bushel under the
contract price. There are seven months each year in which CBOT
Soybean Futures Contracts expire: January, March, May, July,
August, September and November.
If the futures
market is in a state of backwardation (i.e., when the price of
soybeans in the future is expected to be less than the current
price), the Fund will buy laterto-expire contracts for a
lower price than the soonertoexpire contracts that it
sells. Hypothetically, and assuming no changes to either prevailing
soybean prices or the price relationship between immediate
delivery, soontoexpire contracts and
latertoexpire contracts, the value of a contract will
rise as it approaches expiration. Over time, if backwardation
remained constant, the differences would continue to increase. If
the futures market is in contango, the Fund will buy
latertoexpire contracts for a higher price than the
soonertoexpire contracts that it sells. Hypothetically,
and assuming no other changes to either prevailing soybean prices
or the price relationship between the spot price,
soontoexpire contracts and latertoexpire
contracts, the value of a contract will fall as it approaches
expiration. Over time, if the contango remained constant, the
differences would continue to increase. Historically, the soybeans
futures markets have experienced periods of both contango and
backwardation. Frequently, whether contango or backwardation exists
is a function, among other factors, of the seasonality of the
soybean market and the soybean harvest cycle. All other things
being equal, a situation involving prolonged periods of contango
may adversely impact the returns of the Fund. conversely a
situation involving prolonged periods of backwardation may
positively impact the returns of the Fund.
The price per
bushel of soybeans in the United States is primarily a function of
both U.S. and global production, as well as U.S. and global demand.
The graph below shows the USDA published price per bushel by month
for the period January 2007 to November 2017.
On January 12,
2018, the USDA released its monthly World Agricultural Supply and
Demand Estimates (WASDE) for the Crop Year 201718. The
exhibit below provides a summary of historical and current
information for United States soybean
production.
T
he Fund’s Investments in Cash and Cash
Equivalents
The Fund seeks to have the
aggregate “notional” amount of the Soybean Interests it
holds approximate at all times the Fund’s aggregate
NAV. At any given time, however, most of the
Fund’s investments are in cash and/or cash equivalents that
support the Fund’s positions in Soybean
Interests. For example, the purchase of a Soybean
Futures Contract with a stated or notional amount of $10 million
would not require the Fund to pay $10 million upon entering into
the contract; rather, only a margin deposit, approximately 5% of
the notional amount, would be required. To secure its
Soybean Futures Contract obligations, the Fund would deposit the
required margin with the FCM and would separately hold its
remaining assets through its cash and/or cash equivalents in demand
deposits in highly-rated financial institutions, money market funds
or commercial paper. Such remaining assets may be used
to meet future margin payments that the Fund is required to make on
its Soybean Futures Contracts. Other Soybean Interests
typically also involve collateral requirements that represent a
small fraction of their notional amounts, so most of the
Fund’s assets dedicated to these Soybean Interests are also
held in, cash and/or cash equivalents.
The Fund earns interest income
from the cash equivalents that it purchases and on the cash it
holds through the Custodian or other financial
institutions. The earned interest income increases the
Fund’s NAV. The Fund applies the earned interest
income to the acquisition of additional investments or uses it to
pay its expenses. When the Fund reinvests the earned
interest income, it makes investments that are consistent with its
investment objectives.
Any cash equivalent invested in by
the Fund will have a remaining maturity of less than 3 months at
the time of investment, or will be subject to a demand feature that
enables that Fund to sell the security within that time period at
approximately the security’s face value (plus accrued
interest). Any cash equivalents invested in by the Fund
will be or will be deemed by the Sponsor to be of investment-credit
quality.
O
ther Trading Policies of the
Fund
Exchange for Related Position
An “exchange for related
position” (“EFRP”) can be used by the Fund as a
technique to facilitate the exchanging of a futures hedge position
against a creation or redemption order, and thus the Fund may use
an EFRP transaction in connection with the creation and redemption
of shares. The market specialist/market maker that is the ultimate
purchaser or seller of shares in connection with the creation or
redemption basket, respectively, agrees to sell or purchase a
corresponding offsetting shares or futures position which is then
settled on the same business day as a cleared futures transaction
by the FCMs. The Fund will become subject to the credit risk of the
market specialist/market maker until the EFRP is settled within the
business day, which is typically 7 hours or less. The Fund reports
all activity related to EFRP transactions under the procedures and
guidelines of the CFTC and the exchanges on which the futures are
traded.
EFRPs are subject to specific
rules of the CME and CFTC guidance. It is likely that EFRP
mechanisms will significantly change in the future which may make
it uneconomical or impossible from a regulatory perspective for the
Fund to utilize these mechanisms.
Options on Futures Contracts
An option on a futures contract
gives the buyer of the option the right, but not the obligation, to
buy or sell a futures contract at a specified price on or before a
specified date. The option buyer deposits the purchase
price or “premium” for the option with his broker, and
the money goes to the option seller. Regardless of how
much the market swings, the most an option buyer can lose is the
option premium. However, the buyer will typically lose
the premium if the exercise price of the option is above (in the
case of an option to buy or “call” option) or below (in
the case of an option to sell or “put” option) the
market value at the time of exercise. Option sellers, on
the other hand, face risks similar to participants in the futures
markets. For example, since the seller of a call option
is assigned a short futures position if the option is exercised,
his risk is the same as someone who initially sold a futures
contract. Because no one can predict exactly how the
market will move, the option seller posts margin to demonstrate his
ability to meet any potential contractual
obligations.
In addition to Soybean Futures
Contracts, there are also a number of options on Soybean Futures
Contracts listed on the CBOT. These contracts offer
investors and hedgers another set of financial vehicles to use in
managing exposure to the commodities market. The Fund
may purchase and sell (write) options on Soybean Futures Contracts
in pursuing its investment objective, except that it will not sell
call options when it does not own the underlying Soybean Futures
Contract. The Fund would make use of options on Soybean
Futures Contracts if, in the opinion of the Sponsor, such an
approach would cause the Fund to more closely track its Benchmark
or if it would lead to an overall lower cost of trading to achieve
a given level of economic exposure to movements in Soybean
prices.
Liquidity
The Fund invests only in Soybean
Futures Contracts that, in the opinion of the Sponsor, are traded
in sufficient volume to permit the ready taking and liquidation of
positions in these financial interests and in over-the-counter
Commodity Interests that, in the opinion of the Sponsor, may be
readily liquidated with the original counterparty or through a
third party assuming the Fund’s position.
Spot Commodities
While most futures contracts can
be physically settled, the Fund does not intend to take or make
physical delivery. However, the Fund may from time to
time trade in Other Soybean Interests based on the spot price of
soybeans.
Leverage
The Sponsor endeavors to have the
value of the Fund’s cash and cash equivalents, whether held
by the Fund or posted as margin or collateral, at all times
approximate the aggregate market value of its obligations under the
Fund’s Soybean Interests. Commodity pools’ trading
positions in futures contracts are typically required to be secured
by the deposit of margin funds that represent only a small
percentage of a futures contract’s (or other commodity
interest’s) entire market value. While the Sponsor does not
intend to leverage the Fund’s assets, it is not prohibited
from doing so under the Trust Agreement.
Borrowings
The Fund does not intend to nor
foresee the need to borrow money or establish credit
lines. The Fund maintains cash and cash equivalents,
either held by the Fund or posted as margin or collateral, with a
value that at all times approximates the aggregate market value of
its obligations under Soybean Interests.
Pyramiding
The Fund does not and will not
employ the technique, commonly known as pyramiding, in which the
speculator uses unrealized profits on existing positions as
variation margin for the purchase or sale of additional positions
in the same or another commodity interest.
T
he Fund’s Service
Providers
Contractual Arrangements with the Sponsor and Third-Party Service
Providers
The Sponsor is responsible for
investing the assets of the Fund in accordance with the objectives
and policies of the Fund. In addition, the Sponsor arranges for one
or more third parties to provide administrative, custodial,
accounting, transfer agency and other necessary services to the
Fund. For these services, the Fund is contractually obligated to
pay a monthly management fee to the Sponsor, based on average daily
net assets, at a rate equal to 1.00% per annum. The Sponsor can
elect to waive the payment of this fee in any amount at its sole
discretion, at any time and from time to time, in order to reduce
the Fund’s expenses or for any other
purpose.
In its capacity as the
Fund’s custodian, the Custodian, currently U.S. Bank, N.A.,
holds the Fund’s securities, cash and/or cash equivalents
pursuant to a custodial agreement. U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
(“USBFS”), an entity affiliated with U.S. Bank, N.A.,
is the registrar and transfer agent for the Fund’s Shares. In
addition, USBFS also serves as Administrator for the Fund,
performing certain administrative and accounting services and
preparing certain SEC and CFTC reports on behalf of the Fund. For
these services, the Fund pays fees to the Custodian and USBFS set
forth in the table entitled “Contractual Fees and
Compensation Arrangements with the Sponsor and Third-Party Service
Providers.”
The Bank of New York Mellon
Capital Markets is the broker for some, but not all, of the equity
transactions related to the purchase and sale of the Underlying
Funds for TAGS.
The Custodian is located at 1555
North RiverCenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53212. U.S. Bank N.A. is a nationally chartered bank,
regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency,
Department of the Treasury, and is subject to regulation by the
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The
principal address for USBFS is 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee,
WI, 53202.
The Fund employs Foreside Fund
Services, LLC as the Distributor for the Fund. The Distributor
receives, for its services as distributor for the Fund, a fee which
is set forth in the table entitled “Contractual Fees and
Compensation Arrangements with the Sponsor and Third-Party Service
Providers.”
The Distribution Services
Agreement among the Distributor, the Sponsor and the Trust calls
for the Distributor to work with the Custodian in connection with
the receipt and processing of orders for Creation Baskets and
Redemption Baskets and the review and approval of all Fund sales
literature and advertising materials. The Distributor and the
Sponsor have also entered into a Securities Activities and Service
Agreement (the “SASA”) under which certain employees
and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as registered
representatives or registered principals of the Distributor, under
FINRA rules (“Registered
Representatives”). As Registered Representatives
of the Distributor, these persons are permitted to engage in
certain marketing activities for the Fund that they would otherwise
not be permitted to engage in. Under the SASA, the
Sponsor is obligated to ensure that such marketing activities
comply with applicable law and are permitted by the SASA and the
Distributor’s internal procedures.
The Distributor’s principal
business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine
04101. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) and a member of FINRA.
Currently, ED&F Man Capital
Markets, Inc. (“ED&F Man”) serves as the
Fund’s clearing broker to execute and clear the Fund’s
futures and provide other brokerage-related services. ED&F Man
is registered as a futures commission merchant (“FCM”)
with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
(“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures
Association (“NFA”). ED&F Man is also registered as
a broker/dealer with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
and is a member of FINRA. ED&F Man is a clearing member of ICE
Futures U.S., Inc., Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Mercantile
Exchange, New York Mercantile Exchange, and all other major United
States commodity exchanges.
There have been no material civil,
administrative, or criminal proceedings pending, on appeal, or
concluded against ED&F Man or its principals in the past five
(5) years.
For a list of concluded
actions, please go to
http://www.nfa.futures.org/basicnet/welcome.aspx
.
This link will take you to the Welcome Page of the NFA’s
Background Affiliation Status Information Center
(“BASIC”). At this page, there is a box where you can
enter the NFA ID of ED&F Man Capital Markets Inc. (0002613) and
then click “Go”. You will be transferred to the
NFA’s information specific to ED&F Man Capital Markets
Inc. Under the heading “Regulatory Actions”, click
“details” and you will be directed to the full list of
regulatory actions brought by the CFTC and
exchanges.
ED&F Man, in its capacity as a
registered FCM, will serve as the Fund's clearing broker and, as
such, will arrange for the execution and clearing of the Fund's
futures and options on futures transactions. ED&F Man acts as
clearing broker for many other funds and
individuals.
The investor should be advised
that ED&F Man is not affiliated with and does not act as a
supervisor of the Fund or the Fund's Sponsor, investment managers,
members, officers, administrators, transfer agents, registrars or
organizers. Additionally, ED&F Man is not acting as an
underwriter or sponsor of the offering of any shares or interests
in the Fund and has not passed upon the adequacy of this
prospectus, the merits of participating in this offering or on the
accuracy of the information contained herein.
Additionally, ED&F Man does
not provide any commodity trading advice regarding the Fund's
trading activities. Investors should not rely upon ED&F Man in
deciding whether to invest in the Fund or retain their interests in
the Fund. Investors should also note that the Fund may select
additional clearing brokers or replace ED&F Man as the Fund's
clearing broker.
Currently, the Sponsor does not
employ commodity trading advisors. If, in the future, the Sponsor
does employ commodity trading advisors, it will choose each advisor
based on arm’s-length negotiations and will consider the
advisor’s experience, fees, and
reputation.
Contractual Fees and Compensation Arrangements with the Sponsor and
Third-Party Service Providers
Service
Provider
|
Compensation
Paid by the Fund
|
Teucrium Trading, LLC,
Sponsor
|
1.00% of average net assets
annually
|
U.S. Bank N.A.,
Custodian
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC,
Transfer Agent, Fund Accountant and Fund
Administrator
|
For custody services: 0.0075% of
average gross assets up to $1 billion, and .0050% of average gross
assets over $1 billion, annually, plus certain per-transaction
charges
For Transfer Agency, Fund
Accounting and Fund Administration services, based on the total
assets for all the Teucrium Funds: 0.06% of average gross assets on
the first $250 million, 0.05% on the next $250 million, 0.04% on
the next $500 million and 0.03% on the balance over $1 billion
annually
A combined minimum annual fee of
$64,500 for custody, transfer agency, accounting and administrative
services is assessed per Fund.
|
Foreside Fund Services, LLC,
Distributor
|
The Distributor receives a fee of
0.01% of the Fund’s average daily net assets and an aggregate
annual fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds, along with certain
expense reimbursements. Expense reimbursements consist of issuer
costs for sales and advertising review fees and will not exceed
$6,000 for the two year period of May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2020
(the “two year offering period”). The fees which will
be paid to the Distributor by the Fund for distribution services
will not exceed $65,000 for the two year offering
period.
Under the Securities Activities
and Service Agreement (the “SASA”), the Distributor
receives compensation from the fund for its activities on behalf of
all the Teucrium Funds. The fees paid to the Distributor pursuant
to the SASA for this offering will not exceed $5,000 for the two
year offering period. In addition, the Distributor receives certain
expense reimbursements relating to the registration, continuing
education and other administrative expenses of the Registered
Representatives in relation to the Teucrium Funds. The expense
reimbursements for this offering will not exceed $3,000 for the two
year offering period.
In sum, the total fees the
Distributor will receive over the two year offering period for all
of its services will not exceed $70,000. The total expenses that
will be reimbursed to the Distributor over the two year offering
period for all of its services will not exceed $9,000, $6,000 of
which are issuer costs for sales and advertising
materials.
|
ED&F Man Capital Markets,
Inc., Futures Commission Merchant and Clearing
Broker
|
$4.50 per Soybean Futures Contract
half-turn
|
Wilmington Trust Company,
Trustee
Employees of the Sponsor
Registered with the Distributor (the “Registered
Representatives”)
|
$3,300 annually for the
Trust
For non-marketing services to the
Fund, $95,000 and, for marketing and wholesaling purposes, $30,000.
These amounts include expenses that will be reimbursed to the
Registered Representatives for travel and other expenses related to
their activities for the Fund. Of the total amount, approximately
$30,000 will be paid by the Sponsor, the rest by the Fund.
Registered Representatives will also receive continuing education
valued at a maximum of $300 for the two year offering
period.
|
Other Non-Contractual Payments by the Fund
The Fund pays for all brokerage
fees, taxes and other expenses, including licensing fees for the
use of intellectual property, registration or other fees paid to
the SEC, FINRA, formerly the National Association of Securities
Dealers, or any other regulatory agency in connection with the
offer and sale of subsequent Shares after its initial registration
and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated
therewith. The Fund also pays its portion of the fees and expenses
for services directly attributable to the Fund such as accounting,
financial reporting, regulatory compliance and trading activities,
which the Sponsor elected not to outsource. Certain aggregate
expenses common to all Teucrium Funds are allocated by the Sponsor
to the respective funds based on activity drivers deemed most
appropriate by the Sponsor for such expenses, including but not
limited to relative assets under management and creation and redeem
order activity. These aggregate common expenses include, but are
not limited to, legal, auditing, accounting and financial
reporting, tax-preparation, regulatory compliance, trading
activities, and insurance costs, as well as fees paid to the
Distributor. A portion of these aggregate common expenses are
related to the Sponsor or related parties of principals of the
Sponsor; these are necessary services to the Teucrium Funds, which
are primarily the cost of performing certain accounting and
financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and trading activities
that are directly attributable to the Fund and are included,
primarily, in distribution and marketing fees. For the period ended
December 31, such expenses totaled $183,076 in 2017, $169,614 in
2016, and $124,331 in 2015; of these amounts, $45,597 in 2017,
$10,720 in 2016, and $49,086 in 2015 were waived by the Sponsor.
The Sponsor can elect to pay (or waive reimbursement for) certain
fees or expenses that would generally be paid for by the Fund,
although it has no contractual obligation to do so. Any election to
pay or waive reimbursement for fees that would generally be paid by
the Fund, can be changed at the discretion of the Sponsor. All
asset-based fees and expenses are calculated on the prior day's net
assets.
The contractual and
non-contractual fees and expenses paid by the Fund as described
above (exclusive of the Sponsor’s management fee and
estimated brokerage fees) are as follows, net of any expenses
waived by the Sponsor. These are also the “Other Fund Fees
and Expenses” included in the section entitled
“Breakeven Analysis” in this prospectus on page
7.
Professional Fees
1
|
|
$
|
0.17
|
Distribution and Marketing Fees
2
|
|
|
0.17
|
Custodian Fees and Expenses
3
|
|
|
0.05
|
General and Administrative Fees
4
|
|
|
0.04
|
Business Permits
and Licenses
|
|
|
0.03
|
Other
Expenses
|
|
|
0.01
|
Total Other Fund
Fees and Expenses
|
|
$
|
0.47
|
(1) Professional fees consist of
primarily, but not entirely, legal, auditing and tax-preparation
related costs.
(2) Distribution and marketing
fees consist of primarily, but not entirely, fees paid to the
Distributor (Foreside Fund Services, LLC), costs related to
regulatory compliance activities and other costs related to the
trading activities of the Fund.
(3) Custodian and Administrator
fees consist of fees to the Administrator and the Custodian for
accounting, transfer agent and custodian
activities.
(4) General and Administrative
fees consist of primarily, but not entirely, insurance and printing
costs.
Asset-based fees are calculated on
a daily basis (accrued at 1/365 of the applicable percentage of NAV
on that day) and paid on a monthly basis. NAV is
calculated by taking the current market value of the Fund’s
total assets and subtracting any liabilities.
Registered Form
Shares are issued in registered
form in accordance with the Trust Agreement. USBFS has
been appointed registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of
transferring Shares in certificated form. USBFS keeps a
record of all Shareholders and holders of the Shares in
certificated form in the registry
(“Register”). The Sponsor recognizes
transfers of Shares in certificated form only if done in accordance
with the Trust Agreement. The beneficial interests in
such Shares are held in book-entry form through participants and/or
accountholders in DTC.
Book Entry
Individual certificates are not
issued for the Shares. Instead, Shares are represented
by one or more global certificates, which are deposited by the
Administrator with DTC and registered in the name of Cede &
Co., as nominee for DTC. The global certificates
evidence all of the Shares outstanding at any
time. Shareholders are limited to (1) participants in
DTC such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies (“DTC
Participants”), (2) those who maintain, either directly or
indirectly, a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant
(“Indirect Participants”), and (3) those who hold
interests in the Shares through DTC Participants or Indirect
Participants, in each case who satisfy the requirements for
transfers of Shares. DTC Participants acting on behalf
of investors holding Shares through such participants’
accounts in DTC will follow the delivery practice applicable to
securities eligible for DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement
System. Shares are credited to DTC Participants’
securities accounts following confirmation of receipt of
payment.
DTC
DTC has advised us as
follows: It is a limited purpose trust company organized
under the laws of the State of New York and is a member of the
Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within
the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code and a
“clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions
of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC holds securities
for DTC Participants and facilitates the clearance and settlement
of transactions between DTC Participants through electronic
book-entry changes in accounts of DTC
Participants.
The Shares are only transferable
through the book-entry system of DTC. Shareholders who
are not DTC Participants may transfer their Shares through DTC by
instructing the DTC Participant holding their Shares (or by
instructing the Indirect Participant or other entity through which
their Shares are held) to transfer the Shares. Transfers
are made in accordance with standard securities industry
practice.
Transfers of interests in Shares
with DTC are made in accordance with the usual rules and operating
procedures of DTC and the nature of the transfer. DTC
has established procedures to facilitate transfers among the
participants and/or accountholders of DTC. Because DTC
can only act on behalf of DTC Participants, who in turn act on
behalf of Indirect Participants, the ability of a person or entity
having an interest in a global certificate to pledge such interest
to persons or entities that do not participate in DTC, or otherwise
take actions in respect of such interest, may be affected by the
lack of a certificate or other definitive document representing
such interest.
DTC has advised us that it will
take any action permitted to be taken by a Shareholder (including,
without limitation, the presentation of a global certificate for
exchange) only at the direction of one or more DTC Participants in
whose account with DTC interests in global certificates are
credited and only in respect of such portion of the aggregate
principal amount of the global certificate as to which such DTC
Participant or Participants has or have given such
direction.
I
nter-Series Limitation on
Liability
Because the Trust was established
as a Delaware statutory trust, each Teucrium Fund and each other
series that may be established under the Trust in the future will
be operated so that it will be liable only for obligations
attributable to such series and will not be liable for obligations
of any other series or affected by losses of any other
series. If any creditor or shareholder of any particular
series (such as the Fund) asserts against the series a valid claim
with respect to its indebtedness or shares, the creditor or
shareholder will only be able to obtain recovery from the assets of
that series and not from the assets of any other series or the
Trust generally. The assets of the Fund and any other
series will include only those funds and other assets that are paid
to, held by or distributed to the series on account of and for the
benefit of that series, including, without limitation, amounts
delivered to the Trust for the purchase of shares in a
series. This limitation on liability is referred to as
the Inter-Series Limitation on Liability. The
Inter-Series Limitation on Liability is expressly provided for
under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, which provides that if
certain conditions (as set forth in Section 3804(a)) are met, then
the debts of any particular series will be enforceable only against
the assets of such series and not against the assets of any other
series or the Trust generally. In furtherance of the
Inter-Series Limitation on Liability, every party providing
services to the Trust, the Fund or the Sponsor on behalf of the
Trust or the Fund, will acknowledge and consent in writing to the
Inter-Series Limitation on Liability with respect to such
party’s claims.
The existence of a Trustee should
not be taken as an indication of any additional level of management
or supervision over the Fund. Consistent with Delaware
law, the Trustee acts in an entirely passive role, delegating all
authority for the management and operation of the Fund and the
Trust to the Sponsor. The Trustee does not provide
custodial services with respect to the assets of the
Fund.
Buying and Selling Shares
Most investors buy and sell Shares
of the Fund in secondary market transactions through
brokers. Shares trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker
symbol “SOYB.” Shares are bought and sold
throughout the trading day like other publicly traded
securities. When buying or selling Shares through a
broker, most investors incur customary brokerage commissions and
charges. Investors are encouraged to review the terms of
their brokerage account for details on applicable charges and, as
discussed below under “U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations,” any provisions authorizing the broker to
borrow Shares held on your behalf.
Distributor and Authorized Purchasers
The offering of the Fund’s
Shares is a best efforts offering. The Fund continuously offers
Creation Baskets consisting of 25,000 Shares at their NAV through
the Distributor to Authorized Purchasers. Deutsche Bank Securities,
Inc. was the initial Authorized Purchaser. The initial Authorized
Purchaser purchased two Creation Baskets of 50,000 Shares each at a
per Shares price of $25.00 on June 8, 2010. All Authorized
Purchasers pay a $250 fee for each Creation Basket
order.
The Sponsor and the Trust are
parties to an Amended and Restated Distribution Services Agreement
dated as of November 17, 2010 (the “Distribution
Agreement”), which amended and restated in its entirety a
Distribution Services Agreement between the Sponsor, the Trust, and
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) dated
as of October 15, 2010. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement the
Distributor, together with USBFS, is required to provide services
in connection with the receipt and processing of orders for
Creation Baskets and Redemption baskets of units of the Teucrium
Funds, including the Fund.
The Distribution Agreement, as
amended, remains in full force and effect between the parties. The
Distribution Agreement was most recently amended on December 10,
2014 and was previously amended on May 25, 2011, October 1, 2011,
and April 22, 2014. The first amendment to the Distribution
Agreement, dated May 25, 2011, provided for the application of the
agreement to additional series of the Trust and revised the fee
schedule, including the specific fees and expenses allocable to the
Fund and each of the Teucrium Funds.
The second amendment and third
amendments revised the fee schedule between the parties, including
the specific fees and expenses allocable to the Fund and each
Teucrium Fund. The fourth amendment eliminated the two series of
the Trust which ceased operations on December 21,
2014.
The Distributor receives a fee at
an annual rate of 0.01% of each Teucrium Fund’s average daily
net assets calculated and billed monthly, and an annual aggregate
fee of $100,000 for all Teucrium Funds for which the Distributor
serves as such. The fee to be paid to the Distributor will not
exceed $65,000 for the two year offering period. The Distributor
also receives certain expense reimbursements for its filing of
sales and advertising material on behalf of the Fund. These expense
reimbursements are issuer costs and will not exceed $6,000 for the
two year offering period.
The Sponsor and the Distributor
are also parties to a Securities Activities and Services Agreement,
as amended from time to time (the “SASA”), pursuant to
which certain employees and officers of the Sponsor are licensed as
Registered Representatives or registered principals of the
Distributor under FINRA rules. As Registered Representatives of the
Distributor, these persons are permitted to engage in certain
marketing activities for the Fund that they would otherwise not be
permitted to engage in. Under the SASA, the Distributor receives
compensation for its activities on behalf of the Teucrium Funds
which will not exceed $5,000 for the two year offering period, as
well as certain expense reimbursements relating to the
registration, continuing education and other administrative
expenses of the Registered Representatives in relation to the
Teucrium Funds, which will not exceed $3,000 for the two year
offering period. The Registered Representatives will also be paid
non-transaction based compensation for certain non-marketing
related services provided to the Fund. This amount will not exceed
$95,000 over the two year offering period. Registered
Representatives will also be paid for marketing and wholesaling
services to the Fund. This amount will not exceed $30,000 over the
two year offering period. Of these amounts, the Sponsor will pay
$30,000. The remainder will be paid by the Fund. Registered
Representatives will also receive continuing education valued at a
maximum of $300 for the two year offering
period.
In no event may the aggregate
compensation from any source payable to underwriters,
broker-dealers, or affiliates thereof for distribution-related
services in connection with this offering exceed ten percent (10%)
of the gross proceeds of this offering.
The offering of baskets is being
made in compliance with Conduct Rule 2310 of FINRA. Accordingly,
Authorized Purchasers will not make any sales to any account over
which they have discretionary authority without the prior written
approval of a purchaser of Shares.
The per share price of Shares
offered in Creation Baskets on any day is the total NAV of the Fund
calculated shortly after the close of the NYSE Arca on that day
divided by the number of issued and outstanding Shares. An
Authorized Purchaser is not required to sell any specific number or
dollar amount of Shares.
By executing an Authorized
Purchaser Agreement, an Authorized Purchaser becomes part of the
group of parties eligible to purchase baskets from, and put baskets
for redemption to, the Fund. An Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to create or redeem baskets or to offer to the public
Shares of any baskets it does create. If an Authorized Purchaser
sells Shares that it has created to the public, it will be expected
to sell them at per-Share offering prices that are expected to
reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the Shares on
the NYSE Arca, the NAV of the Fund at the time the Authorized
Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets and the NAV at the time of
the offer of the Shares to the public, the supply of and demand for
Shares at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the Soybean
Interest markets. The prices of Shares offered by Authorized
Purchasers are expected to fall between the Fund’s NAV and
the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca at the time of
sale.
The following entities have
entered into Authorized Purchaser Agreements with respect to the
Fund: Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.,
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC,
Merrill Lynch
Professional Clearing Corp., Goldman Sachs & Co., Citadel
Securities, LLC, and Virtu Financial BD LLC.
Because new Shares can be created
and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of the
Fund, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the
1933 Act, will be occurring. Authorized Purchasers, other
broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some of their
activities may result in their being deemed participants in a
distribution in a manner that would render them statutory
underwriters and subject them to the prospectus-delivery and
liability provisions of the 1933 Act. For example, an Authorized
Purchaser, other broker-dealer firm or its client will be deemed a
statutory underwriter if it purchases a basket from the Fund,
breaks the basket down into the constituent Shares and sells the
Shares to its 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 the Shares. In
contrast, Authorized Purchasers may engage in secondary market or
other transactions in Shares that would not be deemed
“underwriting.” For example, an Authorized Purchaser
may act in the capacity of a broker or dealer with respect to
Shares that were previously distributed by other Authorized
Purchasers. A determination of whether a particular market
participant is an underwriter 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 would lead to designation as an underwriter and
subject them to the prospectus-delivery and liability provisions of
the 1933 Act.
Dealers who are neither Authorized
Purchasers nor “underwriters” but are nonetheless
participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary
secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with Shares that
are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of
Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take
advantage of the prospectus-delivery exemption provided by Section
4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act.
The Sponsor expects that any
broker-dealers selling Shares will be members of FINRA. Investors
intending to create or redeem baskets through Authorized Purchasers
in transactions not involving a broker-dealer registered in such
investor’s state of domicile or residence should consult
their legal advisor regarding applicable broker-dealer regulatory
requirements under the state securities laws prior to such creation
or redemption.
While the Authorized Purchasers
may be indemnified by the Sponsor, they will not be entitled to
receive a discount or commission from the Trust or the Sponsor for
their purchases of Creation
Baskets.
The Fund’s NAV per Share is
calculated by:
|
●
|
taking the current market value of
its total assets, and
|
|
●
|
subtracting any liabilities and
dividing the balance by the number of Shares.
|
USBFS, in its capacity as the
Administrator, calculates the NAV of the Fund once each trading
day. It calculates NAV as of the earlier of the close of
the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m. New York
time. The NAV for a particular trading day is released
after 4:15 p.m. New York time.
In determining the value of
Soybean Futures Contracts, the Administrator uses the CBOT closing
price, except that the “fair value” of a Soybean
Futures Contract (as described in more detail below) may be used
when Soybean Futures Contracts close at their price fluctuation
limit for the day. The Administrator determines the
value of all other Fund investments as of the earlier of the close
of the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m. New York time, in
accordance with the current Services Agreement between the
Administrator and the Trust. The value of
over-the-counter Soybean Interests is determined based on the value
of the commodity or Futures Contract underlying such Soybean
Interest, except that a fair value may be determined if the Sponsor
believes that the Fund is subject to significant credit risk
relating to the counterparty to such Soybean
Interest. Cash equivalents held by the Fund are valued
by the Administrator using values received from recognized
third-party vendors (such as Reuters) and dealer
quotes. NAV includes any unrealized profit or loss on
open Soybean Interests and any other credit or debit accruing to
the Fund but unpaid or not received by the
Fund.
The fair value of a Soybean
Interest shall be determined by the Sponsor in good faith and in a
manner that assesses the Soybean Interest’s value based on a
consideration of all available facts and all available information
on the valuation date. When a Soybean Futures Contract
has closed at its price fluctuation limit, the fair value
determination attempts to estimate the price at which such Soybean
Futures Contract would be trading in the absence of the price
fluctuation limit (either above such limit when an upward limit has
been reached or below such limit when a downward limit has been
reached). Typically, this estimate will be made
primarily by reference to the price of comparable Soybean Interests
trading in the over-the-counter market. The fair value
of a Soybean Interest may not reflect such security’s market
value or the amount that the Fund might reasonably expect to
receive for the Soybean Interest upon its current
sale.
In addition, in order to provide
updated information relating to the Fund for use by investors and
market professionals, NYSE Arca calculates and disseminates
throughout the trading day an updated “indicative fund
value.” The indicative fund value is calculated by
using the prior day’s closing NAV per Share of the Fund as a
base and updating that value throughout the trading day to reflect
changes in the value of the Fund’s Soybean Interests during
the trading day. Changes in the value of cash
equivalents are not included in the calculation of indicative
value. For this and other reasons, the indicative fund
value disseminated during NYSE Arca trading hours should not be
viewed as an actual real time update of the NAV. NAV is
calculated only once at the end of each trading
day.
The indicative fund value is
disseminated on a per Share basis every 15 seconds during regular
NYSE Arca trading hours of 9:30 a.m. New York time to 4:00 p.m. New
York time.
The normal
trading hours for Soybean Futures Contracts on the CBOT are
generally shorter than those of the NYSE Arca. This means that
there is a gap in time at the beginning and the end of each day
during which the Fund’s Shares are traded on the NYSE Arca,
but real-time CBOT trading prices for Soybean Futures Contracts
traded on such exchange are not available. As a result, during
those gaps there is no update to the indicative fund value. The
trading hours for the CBOT can be found at
http://www.cmegroup.com/trading_hours/commodities-hours.html.
The NYSE Arca disseminates the
indicative fund value through the facilities of CTA/CQ High Speed
Lines. In addition, the indicative fund value is
published on the NYSE Arca’s website and is available through
on-line information services such as Bloomberg and
Reuters.
Dissemination of the indicative
fund value provides additional information that is not otherwise
available to the public and is useful to investors and market
professionals in connection with the trading of Fund Shares on the
NYSE Arca. Investors and market professionals are able
throughout the trading day to compare the market price of the Fund
and the indicative fund value. If the market price of
Fund Shares diverges significantly from the indicative fund value,
market professionals may have an incentive to execute arbitrage
trades. For example, if the Fund appears to be trading
at a discount compared to the indicative fund value, a market
professional could buy Fund Shares on the NYSE Arca, aggregate them
into Redemption Baskets, and receive the NAV of such Shares by
redeeming them to the Trust, provided that there is not a minimum
number of shares outstanding for the Fund. Such
arbitrage trades can tighten the tracking between the market price
of the Fund and the indicative fund value.
C
reation and Redemption of Shares
The Fund creates and redeems
Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Creation Baskets
or Redemption Baskets. The creation and redemption of
baskets are only made in exchange for delivery to the Fund or the
distribution by the Fund of the amount of cash, cash equivalents
and/or commodity futures equal to the combined NAV of the number of
Shares included in the baskets being created or redeemed determined
as of 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create or
redeem baskets is properly received.
Authorized Purchasers are the only
persons that may place orders to create and redeem
baskets. Authorized Purchasers must be (1) either
registered broker-dealers or other securities market participants,
such as banks and other financial institutions, that are not
required to register as broker-dealers to engage in securities
transactions as described below, and (2) DTC
Participants. To become an Authorized Purchaser, a
person must enter into an Authorized Purchaser Agreement with the
Sponsor. The Authorized Purchaser Agreement provides the
procedures for the creation and redemption of baskets and for the
delivery of the cash, cash equivalents and/or commodity futures
required for such creations and redemptions. The
Authorized Purchaser Agreement and the related procedures attached
thereto may be amended by the Sponsor, without the consent of any
Shareholder, and the related procedures may generally be amended by
the Sponsor without the consent of the Authorized
Purchaser. Authorized Purchasers pay a transaction fee
of $250 to the Sponsor for each creation order they place to and a
fee of $250 per order for redemptions. Authorized
Purchasers who make deposits with the Fund in exchange for baskets
receive no fees, commissions or other form of compensation or
inducement of any kind from either the Trust or the Sponsor, and no
such person will have any obligation or responsibility to the Trust
or the Sponsor to effect any sale or resale of
Shares.
Certain Authorized Purchasers are
expected to be capable of participating directly in physical
soybeans and the Soybean Interest markets. Some
Authorized Purchasers or their affiliates may from time to time buy
or sell soybeans or Soybean Interests and may profit in these
instances.
Each Authorized Purchaser will be
required to be registered as a broker-dealer under the Exchange Act
and a member in good standing with FINRA, or be exempt from being
or otherwise not required to be registered as a broker-dealer or a
member of FINRA, and will be qualified to act as a broker or dealer
in the states or other jurisdictions where the nature of its
business so requires. Certain Authorized Purchasers may
also be regulated under federal and state banking laws and
regulations. Each Authorized Purchaser has its own set
of rules and procedures, internal controls and information barriers
it deems appropriate in light of its own regulatory
regime.
Under the Authorized Purchaser
Agreement, the Sponsor has agreed to indemnify the Authorized
Purchasers against certain liabilities, including liabilities under
the 1933 Act, and to contribute to the payments the Authorized
Purchasers may be required to make in respect of those
liabilities.
The following description of the
procedures for the creation and redemption of baskets is only a
summary and an investor should refer to the relevant provisions of
the Trust Agreement and the form of Authorized Purchaser Agreement
for more detail, each of which has been incorporated by reference
as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this
prospectus is a part. See “Where You Can Find More
Information” for information about where you can obtain the
registration statement.
Creation Procedures
On any business day, an Authorized
Purchaser may place an order with USBFS in their capacity as the
transfer agent to create one or more baskets. For
purposes of processing purchase and redemption orders, a
“business day” means any day other than a day when any
of the NYSE Arca, CBOT, or the New York Stock Exchange is closed
for regular trading. Purchase orders must be placed by
1:15 p.m. New York time or the close of regular trading on the New
York Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier. The day on
which the Distributor receives a valid purchase order is referred
to as the purchase order date.
By placing a purchase order, an
Authorized Purchaser agrees to deposit cash, cash equivalents,
commodity futures and/or a combination thereof with the Fund, as
described below. Prior to the delivery of baskets for a
purchase order, the Authorized Purchaser must also have wired to
the Sponsor the non-refundable transaction fee due for the purchase
order. Authorized Purchasers may not withdraw a purchase
order without the prior consent of the Sponsor in its
discretion.
Determination of Required Deposits
The total deposit required to
create each basket (“Creation Basket Deposit”) is the
amount of cash, cash equivalents and/or commodity futures that is
in the same proportion to the total assets of the Fund (net of
estimated accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and other liabilities)
on the purchase order date as the number of Shares to be created
under the purchase order is in proportion to the total number of
Shares outstanding on the purchase order date. The
Sponsor determines, directly in its sole discretion or in
consultation with the Custodian and the Administrator, the
requirements for cash, cash equivalents and/or commodity futures,
including the remaining maturities of the cash equivalents, that
may be included in deposits to create baskets. If cash
equivalents are to be included in a Creation Basket Deposit for
orders placed on a given business day, the Administrator will
publish an estimate of the Creation Basket Deposit requirements at
the beginning of such day.
Delivery of Required Deposits
An Authorized Purchaser who places
a purchase order is responsible for transferring to the
Fund’s account with the Custodian the required amount of
cash, cash equivalents and/or commodity futures by the end of the
next business day following the purchase order date or by the end
of such later business day, not to exceed three business days after
the purchase order date, as agreed to between the Authorized
Purchaser and the Custodian when the purchase order is placed (the
“Purchase Settlement Date”). Upon receipt of
the deposit amount, the Custodian directs DTC to credit the number
of baskets ordered to the Authorized Purchaser’s DTC account
on the Purchase Settlement Date.
Because orders to purchase baskets
must be placed by 1:15 p.m., New York time, but the total payment
required to create a basket during the continuous offering period
will not be determined until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the date
the purchase order is received, Authorized Purchasers will not know
the total amount of the payment required to create a basket at the
time they submit an irrevocable purchase order for the
basket. The Fund’s NAV and the total amount of the
payment required to create a basket could rise or fall
substantially between the time an irrevocable purchase order is
submitted and the time the amount of the purchase price in respect
thereof is determined.
Rejection of Purchase Orders
The Sponsor acting by itself or
through the Distributor or Custodian may reject a purchase order or
a Creation Basket Deposit if:
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it determines that, due to
position limits or otherwise, investment alternatives that will
enable the Fund to meet its investment objective are not available
or practicable at that time;
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it determines that the purchase
order or the Creation Basket Deposit is not in proper
form;
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it believes that acceptance of the
purchase order or the Creation Basket Deposit would have adverse
tax consequences to the Fund or its
Shareholders;
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the acceptance or receipt of the
Creation Basket Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel to the
Sponsor, be unlawful;
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circumstances outside the control
of the Sponsor, Distributor or transfer agent make it, for all
practical purposes, not feasible to process creations of
baskets;
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there is a possibility that any or
all of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts of the Fund on the
CBOT from which the NAV of the Fund is calculated will be priced at
a daily price limit restriction; or
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if, in the sole discretion of the
Sponsor, the execution of such an order would not be in the best
interest of the Fund or its Shareholders.
|
None of the Sponsor, Distributor
or transfer agent will be liable for the rejection of any purchase
order or Creation Basket Deposit.
Redemption Procedures
The procedures by which an
Authorized Purchaser can redeem one or more baskets mirror the
procedures for the creation of baskets. On any business
day, an Authorized Purchaser may place an order with the transfer
agent to redeem one or more baskets. Redemption orders
must be placed by 1:15 p.m. New York time or the close of regular
trading on the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is
earlier. A redemption order so received will be
effective on the date it is received in satisfactory form by the
Distributor. The redemption procedures allow Authorized
Purchasers to redeem baskets and do not entitle an individual
Shareholder to redeem any Shares in an amount less than a
Redemption Basket, or to redeem baskets other than through an
Authorized Purchaser. By placing a redemption order, an
Authorized Purchaser agrees to deliver the baskets to be redeemed
through DTC’s book-entry system to the Fund by the end of the
next business day following the effective date of the redemption
order or by the end of such later business day, not to exceed three
business days after the effective date of the redemption order, as
agreed to between the Authorized Purchaser and the transfer agent,
when the redemption order is placed (the “Redemption
Settlement Date”). Prior to the delivery of the
redemption distribution for a redemption order, the Authorized
Purchaser must also have wired to the Sponsor’s account at
the Custodian the non-refundable transaction fee due for the
redemption order. An Authorized Purchaser may not
withdraw a redemption order without the prior consent of the
Sponsor in its discretion.
Determination of Redemption Distribution
The redemption distribution from
the Fund consists of a transfer to the redeeming Authorized
Purchaser of an amount of cash, cash equivalents and/or commodity
futures that is in the same proportion to the total assets of the
Fund (net of estimated accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and other
liabilities) on the date the order to redeem is properly received
as the number of Shares to be redeemed under the redemption order
is in proportion to the total number of Shares outstanding on the
date the order is received. The Sponsor, directly or in
consultation with the Custodian and the Administrator, determines
the requirements for cash, cash equivalents and/or commodity
futures, including the remaining maturities of the cash equivalents
and cash, that may be included in distributions to redeem
baskets. If cash equivalents are to be included in a
redemption distribution for orders placed on a given business day,
the Custodian and Administrator will publish an estimate of the
redemption distribution composition as of the beginning of such
day.
Delivery of Redemption Distribution
The redemption distribution due
from the Fund will be delivered to the Authorized Purchaser on the
Redemption Settlement Date if the Fund’s DTC account has been
credited with the baskets to be redeemed. If the
Fund’s DTC account has not been credited with all of the
baskets to be redeemed by the end of such date, the redemption
distribution will be delivered to the extent of whole baskets
received. Any remainder of the redemption distribution
will be delivered on the next business day after the Redemption
Settlement Date to the extent of remaining whole baskets received
if the Sponsor receives the fee applicable to the extension of the
Redemption Settlement Date which the Sponsor may, from time to
time, determine and the remaining baskets to be redeemed are
credited to the Fund’s DTC account on such next business
day. Any further outstanding amount of the redemption
order shall be cancelled. Pursuant to information from
the Sponsor, the Custodian will also be authorized to deliver the
redemption distribution notwithstanding that the baskets to be
redeemed are not credited to the Fund’s DTC account by 1:15
p.m. New York time on the Redemption Settlement Date if the
Authorized Purchaser has collateralized its obligation to deliver
the baskets through DTC’s book entry-system on such terms as
the Sponsor may from time to time determine.
Suspension or Rejection of Redemption Orders
The Sponsor may, in its
discretion, suspend the right of redemption, or postpone the
redemption settlement date, (1) for any period during which the
NYSE Arca or CBOT is closed other than customary weekend or holiday
closings, or trading on the NYSE Arca or CBOT, is suspended or
restricted, (2) for any period during which an emergency exists as
a result of which delivery, disposal or evaluation of cash
equivalents is not reasonably practicable, (3) for such other
period as the Sponsor determines to be necessary for the protection
of the Shareholders, (4) if there is a possibility that any or all
of the Benchmark Component Futures Contracts of the Fund on the
CBOT from which the NAV of the Fund is calculated will be priced at
a daily price limit restriction, or (5) if, in the sole discretion
of the Sponsor, the execution of such an order would not be in the
best interest of the Fund or its Shareholders. For
example, the Sponsor may determine that it is necessary to suspend
redemptions to allow for the orderly liquidation of the
Fund’s assets at an appropriate value to fund a
redemption. If the Sponsor has difficulty liquidating
the Fund’s positions, e.g., because of a market disruption
event in the futures markets or an unanticipated delay in the
liquidation of a position in an over the counter contract, it may
be appropriate to suspend redemptions until such time as such
circumstances are rectified. None of the Sponsor, the
Distributor, or the transfer agent will be liable to any person or
in any way for any loss or damages that may result from any such
suspension or postponement.
Redemption orders must be made in
whole baskets. The Sponsor will reject a redemption order if the
order is not in proper form as described in the Authorized
Purchaser Agreement or if the fulfillment of the order, in the
opinion of its counsel, might be unlawful. The Sponsor
may also reject a redemption order if the number of Shares being
redeemed would reduce the remaining outstanding Shares to 50,000
Shares (i.e., two baskets of 25,000 Shares each) or less, unless
the Sponsor has reason to believe that the placer of the redemption
order does in fact possess all the outstanding Shares and can
deliver them.
Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees
To compensate the Sponsor for its
expenses in connection with the creation and redemption of baskets,
an Authorized Purchaser is required to pay a transaction fee to the
Sponsor of $250 per order The transaction fees may be
reduced, increased or otherwise changed by the
Sponsor.
Tax Responsibility
Authorized Purchasers are
responsible for any transfer tax, sales or use tax, stamp tax,
recording tax, value added tax or similar tax or governmental
charge applicable to the creation or redemption of baskets,
regardless of whether or not such tax or charge is imposed directly
on the Authorized Purchaser, and agree to indemnify the Sponsor and
the Fund if they are required by law to pay any such tax, together
with any applicable penalties, additions to tax and interest
thereon.
S
econdary Market Transactions
As noted, the Fund will create and
redeem Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Creation
Baskets or Redemption Baskets. The creation and
redemption of baskets are only made in exchange for delivery to the
Fund or the distribution by the Fund of the amount of cash, cash
equivalents and/or commodity futures equal to the aggregate NAV of
the number of Shares included in the baskets being created or
redeemed determined on the day the order to create or redeem
baskets is properly received.
As discussed above, Authorized
Purchasers are the only persons that may place orders to create and
redeem baskets. Authorized Purchasers must be registered
broker-dealers or other securities market participants, such as
banks and other financial institutions that are not required to
register as broker-dealers to engage in securities
transactions. An Authorized Purchaser is under no
obligation to create or redeem baskets, and an Authorized Purchaser
is under no obligation to offer to the public Shares of any baskets
it does create. Authorized Purchasers that do offer to
the public Shares from the baskets they create will do so at
per-Share offering prices that are expected to reflect, among other
factors, the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the NAV
of the Shares at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the
Creation Baskets, the NAV of the Shares at the time of the offer of
the Shares to the public, the supply of and demand for Shares at
the time of sale, and the liquidity of the Soybean Interest
markets. The prices of Shares offered by Authorized
Purchasers are expected to fall between the Fund’s NAV and
the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE Arca at the time of
sale. Shares initially comprising the same basket but
offered by Authorized Purchasers to the public at different times
may have different offering prices. An order for one or
more baskets may be placed by an Authorized Purchaser on behalf of
multiple clients. Shares are expected to trade in the
secondary market on the NYSE Arca. Shares may trade in
the secondary market at prices that are lower or higher relative to
their NAV per Share. The amount of the discount or
premium in the trading price relative to the NAV per Share may be
influenced by various factors, including the number of investors
who seek to purchase or sell Shares in the secondary market and the
liquidity of the Soybean Interest markets. While the
Shares trade on the NYSE Arca until 4:00 p.m. New York time,
liquidity in the markets for Soybean Interests may be reduced after
the close of regular CBOT trading for Soybean Futures Contracts. As
a result, during this time, trading spreads, and the resulting
premium or discount, on the Shares may widen.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Sponsor causes the Fund to
transfer the proceeds of the sale of Creation Baskets to the
Custodian or another custodian for use in trading
activities. The Sponsor invests the Fund’s assets
in Soybean Futures Contracts and Other Soybean Interests, cash and
cash equivalents. When the Fund purchases Soybean
Futures Contracts and certain Other Soybean Interests that are
exchange-traded, the Fund is required to deposit with the FCM on
behalf of the exchange a portion of the value of the contract or
other interest as security to ensure payment for the obligation
under the Soybean Interests at maturity. This deposit is
known as initial margin. Counterparties in transactions
in over-the-counter Soybean Interests will generally impose similar
collateral requirements on the Fund. The Sponsor invests
the Fund’s assets that remain after margin and collateral is
posted in cash and/or cash equivalents. Subject to these
margin and collateral requirements, the Sponsor has sole authority
to determine the percentage of assets that will
be:
●
held
as margin or collateral with the FCM or other
custodians;
●
used
for other investments; and
●
held
in bank accounts to pay current obligations and as
reserves.
In
general, the Fund expects that it will be required to post
approximately 5% of the notional amount of a Soybean Interest as
initial margin when entering into such Soybean
Interest. Ongoing margin and collateral payments will
generally be required for both exchange-traded and over-the-counter
Soybean Interests based on changes in the value of the Soybean
Interests. Furthermore, ongoing collateral requirements
with respect to over-the-counter Soybean Interests are negotiated
by the parties, and may be affected by overall market volatility,
volatility of the underlying commodity or index, the ability of the
counterparty to hedge its exposure under the Soybean Interest, and
each party’s creditworthiness. In light of the
differing requirements for initial payments under exchange-traded
and over-the-counter Soybean Interests and the fluctuating nature
of ongoing margin and collateral payments, it is not possible to
estimate what portion of the Fund’s assets will be posted as
margin or collateral at any given time. The cash and
cash equivalents held by the Fund constitute reserves that are
available to meet ongoing margin and collateral
requirements. All interest income is used for the
Fund’s benefit.
An FCM, counterparty, government
agency or commodity exchange could increase margin or collateral
requirements applicable to the Fund to hold trading positions at
any time. Moreover, margin is merely a security deposit
and has no bearing on the profit or loss potential for any
positions held. Further, under recently adopted CFTC rules, the
Fund may be obligated to post both initial and variation margin
with respect to swaps (and options that qualify as swaps) and
traded over-the -counter, and, where applicable, on
SEFs.
The approximate 5% of the
Fund’s assets held by the FCM are held in segregation
pursuant to the CEA and CFTC regulations.
M
anagement’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Critical Accounting Policies
Preparation of the financial
statements and related disclosures in conformity with U. S.
generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”)
requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and
guidance, as well as the use of estimates, and requires management
to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts
of assets and liabilities, revenue, and expense and related
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities during the
reporting period of the combined financial statements and
accompanying notes. The Trust’s application of these policies
involves judgments, and actual results may differ from the
estimates used.
The Sponsor has determined that
the valuation of Commodity Interests that are not traded on a U.S.
or internationally recognized futures exchange (such as swaps and
other over-the-counter contracts) involves a critical accounting
policy. The values which are used by the Teucrium Funds
for futures contracts will be provided by the commodity broker who
will use market prices when available, while over-the-counter
contracts will be valued based on the present value of estimated
future cash flows that would be received from or paid to a third
party in settlement of these derivative contracts prior to their
delivery date.
Values
will be determined on a daily basis.
Commodity futures contracts held
by the Fund are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions
are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market
daily. Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on commodity futures
contracts are reflected in the statement of operations as the
difference between the original contract amount and the fair market
value as of the last business day of the year or as of the last
date of the financial statements. Changes in the appreciation or
depreciation between periods are reflected in the statement of
operations. Interest on cash equivalents and deposits are
recognized on the accrual basis. The Fund earns interest on funds
held at the Custodian and at other financial institutions at
prevailing market rates for such investments.
Cash and cash equivalents are cash
held at financial institutions in demand-deposit accounts or
highly-liquid investments with original maturity dates of three
months or less at inception. The Fund reports cash equivalents in
the statements of assets and liabilities at market value, or at
carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their
highly-liquid nature and short-term maturities. The Fund has a
substantial portion of its assets on deposit with banks. Assets
deposited with financial institutions may, at times, exceed
federally insured limits.
The use of fair value to measure
financial instruments, with related unrealized gains or losses
recognized in earnings in each period is fundamental to the
Trust’s financial statements. In accordance with GAAP, fair
value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an
asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the “exit
price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants
at the measurement date.
In determining fair value, the
Trust uses various valuation approaches. In accordance with GAAP, a
fair value hierarchy for inputs is used in measuring fair value
that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use
of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs
be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market
participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on
market data obtained from sources independent of the Trust.
Unobservable inputs reflect the Trust’s assumptions about the
inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or
liability developed based on the best information available in the
circumstances. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three
levels: a)
Level 1
-
Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for
identical assets or liabilities that the Trust has the ability to
access. Valuation adjustments and block discounts are not applied
to Level 1 securities and financial instruments. Since valuations
are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available
in an active market, valuation of these securities and financial
instruments does not entail a significant degree of judgment, b)
Level 2
- Valuations based
on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all
significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly,
and c)
Level 3 -
Valuations
based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the
overall fair value measurement. See the notes within the financial
statements for further information.
The Fund and the Trust record
their derivative activities at fair value. Gains and losses from
derivative contracts are included in the statement of operations.
Derivative contracts include futures contracts related to commodity
prices. Futures, which are listed on a national securities
exchange, such as the CBOT or the New York Mercantile Exchange
(“NYMEX”), or reported on another national market, are
generally categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. OTC
derivatives contracts (such as forward and swap contracts) which
may be valued using models, depending on whether significant inputs
are observable or unobservable, are categorized in Levels 2 or 3 of
the fair value hierarchy.
Brokerage commissions on all open
commodity futures contracts are accrued on a full-turn
basis.
Margin is the minimum amount of
funds that must be deposited by a commodity interest trader with
the trader’s broker to initiate and maintain an open position
in futures contracts. A margin deposit acts to assure the
trader’s performance of the futures contracts purchased or
sold. Futures contracts are customarily bought and sold on initial
margin that represents a very small percentage of the aggregate
purchase or sales price of the contract. Because of such low margin
requirements, price fluctuations occurring in the futures markets
may create profits and losses that, in relation to the amount
invested, are greater than are customary in other forms of
investment or speculation. As discussed below, adverse price
changes in the futures contract may result in margin requirements
that greatly exceed the initial margin. In addition, the amount of
margin required in connection with a particular futures contract is
set from time to time by the exchange on which the contract is
traded and may be modified from time to time by the exchange during
the term of the contract. Brokerage firms, such as the Teucrium
Funds’ clearing brokers, carrying accounts for traders in
commodity interest contracts generally require higher amounts of
margin as a matter of policy to further protect themselves.
Over-the-counter trading generally involves the extension of credit
between counterparties, so the counterparties may agree to require
the posting of collateral by one or both parties to address credit
exposure.
When a trader purchases an option,
there is no margin requirement; however, the option premium must be
paid in full. When a trader sells an option, on the other hand, he
or she is required to deposit margin in an amount determined by the
margin requirements established for the underlying interest and, in
addition, an amount substantially equal to the current premium for
the option. The margin requirements imposed on the selling of
options, although adjusted to reflect the probability that
out-of-the-money options will not be exercised, can in fact be
higher than those imposed in dealing in the futures markets
directly. Complicated margin requirements apply to spreads and
conversions, which are complex trading strategies in which a trader
acquires a mixture of options positions and positions in the
underlying interest.
Ongoing or
“maintenance” margin requirements are computed each day
by a trader’s clearing broker. When the market value of a
particular open futures contract changes to a point where the
margin on deposit does not satisfy maintenance margin requirements,
a margin call is made by the broker. If the margin call is not met
within a reasonable time, the broker may close out the
trader’s position. With respect to the Teucrium Funds’
trading, the Teucrium Funds (and not its shareholders personally)
are subject to margin calls.
Finally, many major U.S. exchanges
have passed certain cross margining arrangements involving
procedures pursuant to which the futures and options positions held
in an account would, in the case of some accounts, be aggregated,
and margin requirements would be assessed on a portfolio basis,
measuring the total risk of the combined
positions.
For federal income
tax purposes, the Fund will be treated as a partnership.
Therefore, the Fund does not record a provision for income
taxes because the partners report their share of the
Fund’s income or loss on their income tax returns. The
financial statements reflect the Fund’s transactions without
adjustment, if any, required for income tax
purposes.
For commercial paper, the Teucrium
Funds use the effective interest method for calculating the actual
interest rate in a period based on the amount of a financial
instrument's book value at the beginning of the accounting period.
Accretion on these investments are recognized on the effective
interest method in U.S. dollars and recognized in cash equivalents.
All discounts on purchase prices of debt securities are accreted
over the life of the respective security.
Results of Operations
The Teucrium
Soybean Fund commenced investment operations on September 19, 2011.
The investment objective of the Fund is to have the daily changes
in percentage terms of the Shares’ Net Asset Value
(“NAV”) reflect the daily changes in percentage terms
of a weighted average of the closing settlement prices for three
futures contracts for soybeans (“Soybean Futures
Contracts”) that are traded on the Chicago Board of Trade
(“CBOT”). Except as described in the following
paragraph, the three Soybean Futures Contracts will be: (1)
secondtoexpire CBOT Soybean Futures Contract, weighted
35%, (2) the thirdtoexpire CBOT Soybean Futures
Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Soybean Futures Contract
expiring in the November following the expiration month of the
thirdtoexpire contract, weighted 35%, except the CBOT
soybean futures contracts expiring in August and September will not
be part of the Teucrium Soybean Fund’s Benchmark because of
the less liquid market for these Futures Contracts. On December 31,
2017, the Fund held a total of 212 CBOT Soybean Futures Contracts
with a notional value of $10,281,788. These contracts had a
liability fair value of $448,063. The weighting of the notional
value of the contracts was weighted as follows: (1) 35% to MAR18
CBOT contracts, (2) 30% to MAY18 CBOT contracts, and (3) 35% to
NOV18 CBOT contracts.
The benchmark for the Fund is the
Teucrium Soybean Index (TSOYB) which is defined as: A weighted
average of daily changes in the closing settlement prices of (1)
the second-to-expire Soybean Futures Contract traded on the CBOT,
weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire CBOT Soybean Futures
Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the CBOT Soybeans Futures Contract
expiring in the November following the expiration month of
third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%. During the period
when the Excluded Contracts are the second-to-expire and
third-to-expire Soybean Futures Contract, the fourth-to-expire and
fifth-to-expire Soybean Futures Contracts will take the place of
the second-to-expire and third-to-expire Soybean Futures Contracts,
respectively, as Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts. Similarly, when the August Contract is the
third-to-expire Soybean Futures Contract, the fifth-to-expire
Soybean Futures Contract will take the place of the August Contract
as a Benchmark Component Futures Contract, and when the September
Contract is the second-to-expire Soybean Futures Contract, the
third-to-expire and fourth-to-expire Soybean Futures Contracts will
be Benchmark Component Futures Contracts. To convert to an
index, 100 is set to $25, the opening day price of SOYB
.
The chart below
shows the percent change in the NAV per Share for the Fund, the
market price of the Fund shares, represented by the closing price
of the Fund on the NYSE Arca or the midpoint of the 4 pm bid
and ask if no closing price is available, and TSOYB for two
periods. One period is December 31, 2016 compared to December 31,
2017. The second period is from the commencement of operations to
December 31, 2017. The Benchmark does not reflect any impact of
expenses, which would generally reduce the Fund’s NAV, or
interest income, which would generally increase the NAV. The actual
results for the NAV do include the impacts of both expenses and
interest income.
Period
|
Change
in NAV per Share
|
Change
in Market Price
|
Change
in the Benchmark (TSOYB)
|
December 31, 2016 to
December
31,
2017
|
6.47%
|
6.38%
|
4.10%
|
September 19, 2011 to
December
31,
2017
|
27.62%
|
28.71%
|
2.21%
|
For the Year Ended December 31, 2017 Compared to the Years Ended
December 31, 2016 and 2015
On December 31,
2017, the Fund had 575,004 shares outstanding and net assets of
$10,264,025. This is in comparison to 675,004 shares outstanding
and net assets of $12,882,100 on December 31, 2016 and 375,004
shares outstanding with net assets of $6,502,552 on December 31,
2015. Shares outstanding decreased by 100,000 or 15% for the period
of 2017 when compared to 2016. This decrease was, in the opinion of
management, due to the stronger than expected competition from
Argentina and Brazil and record high ending stocks estimated for
the 2017/18 crop year. Ending stocks is the amount of soybeans that
will available at the end of the crop year, given the estimated
beginning stocks, productions and usage. In total, the Fund issued
1,100,000 shares and purchased 1,200,000 shares as part of creation
and redemption baskets in 2017. For the period 2017 compared to
2015, there was an increase in shares outstanding of 200,000 or
53%. In total, the Fund issued 500,000 shares and purchased 200,000
shares as part of creation and redemption baskets, in
2016.
Total net assets
for the Fund were $10,264,025 on December 31, 2017, compared to
$12,882,100 on December 31, 2016 and $6,502,552 on December 31,
2015. The NAV per Share related to these balances were $17.85,
$19.08 and $17.34 respectively. When comparing December 31, 2017
with 2016, there was a decrease in total net assets of 20%, which
was driven by a combination of a decrease in total shares
outstanding of 15% and a decrease in the NAV per Share of ($1.23)
or 6%. When comparing December 31, 2017 with 2015, there was an
increase in total net assets of 58%, which was driven by a
combination of an increase in the number of shares outstanding of
53% and an increase in the NAV per Share of $0.51 or 3%. The
closing prices per share for 2017, 2016 and 2015, as reported by
the NYSE Arca, were $17.88, $19.10 and $17.33, respectively. The
change from December 31, 2017 over prior years was a 6% decrease
from 2016 and a 3% increase from 2015.
The graph below
shows the actual shares outstanding, total net assets (or AUM) and
NAV per Share for the Fund from inception to December 31, 2017 and
serves to illustrate the relative changes of these
components.
Total loss for the
year ended December 31, 2017 was ($632,168) resulting from the net
change in realized gain on commodity futures contracts totaling
$8,425 and a change in unrealized depreciation on commodity futures
contracts of ($793,538). Total income (loss) was $1,572,207 in 2016
and ($1,288,083) in 2015. Realized gain or loss on trading of
commodity futures contracts is a function of: 1) the change in the
price of the particular contracts sold as part of a
“roll” in contracts as the nearest to expire contracts
are exchanged for the appropriate contact given the investment
objective of the fund, 2) the change in the price of particular
contracts sold in relation to redemption of shares, 3) the gain or
loss associated with rebalancing trades which are made to ensure
conformance to the benchmark and 4) the number of contracts held
and then sold for either circumstance aforementioned. Unrealized
gain or loss on trading of commodity futures contracts is a
function of the change in the price of contracts held on the final
date of the period versus the purchase price for each contract and
the number of contracts held in each contract month. The Sponsor
has a static benchmark as described above and trades futures
contracts to adhere to that benchmark and to adjust for the
creation or redemption of shares.
Interest income
for the year ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively,
was $152,945, $65,157 and $13,129. This increase
yearoveryear was the result of the Sponsor investing,
at times, a portion of the available cash for the Fund in
alternative demanddeposit savings accounts beginning in the
second quarter of 2015. These accounts had higher overnight deposit
rates than were available in money market products that had been
utilized solely in the past. In addition, effective in December
2015, December 2016 and March, June and December 2017, interest
rates paid on cash balances of the Fund increased in light of the
increases in the Federal Funds rate. These higher levels of
interest rates are expected to continue in 2018, absent any
decreases in the Federal Funds rate.
On August 17, 2015 (the
“Conversion Date”), U.S. Bank N.A. replaced The Bank of
New York Mellon as the Custodian for the Teucrium Funds. In
addition, effective on the Conversion Date, U.S. Bancorp Fund
Services, LLC (“USBFS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of
U.S. Bank, commenced serving as administrator for the Fund,
performing certain administrative and accounting services and
preparing certain SEC reports on behalf of the teucrium Funds, and
also became the registrar and transfer agent for each Fund’s
Shares. For such services, U.S. Bank and USBFS will receive an
asset-based fee, subject to a minimum annual
fee.
The Sponsor stated in the Forms
10-Q filed on August 10, 2015 and November 9, 2015, in addition to
other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
that it did not anticipate any material change to the expenses for
any Fund, net of expenses waived by the Sponsor, as a result of the
servicing conversion to USBFS. Given this conversion, the Sponsor
has, for the year-ended December 31, 2015, reflected an expense,
before and after fees waived by the Sponsor, for fees associated
with Custodian, Fund Administration and Transfer Agent services
(“Custodian Fees”) that have or will be paid to the
Bank of New York Mellon by a Fund or by the Sponsor on behalf of a
Fund.
Total expenses
gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor (“Total
expenses”) for 2017 were $610,101. total expenses for 2016
were $546,593 and $534,350 in 2015. This represents a $63,508 or
12% increase for 2017 over 2016 and a $75,751 or 14% increase for
2017 over 2015. The increase for 2017 over 2016 was driven by: 1) a
$14,619 or 12% increase in management fee paid to the Sponsor due
to higher average net assets. 2) a $65,694 or 58% increase in
professional fees related to auditing, legal and tax preparation
fees. and 3) a $6,955 or 462% increase in brokerage commissions due
to an increase in contracts purchased and rolled. These were
partially offset by decreases of: 1) a ($8,171) or 4% decrease in
distribution and marketing expenses. 2) a ($6,406) or 19% decrease
in custodian fees and expenses. 3) a ($783) or 4% decrease in
business permits and licenses. 4) a ($7,978) or 25% decrease in
general and administrative expenses. and 5) a ($422) or 4% decrease
in other expenses. The increases year over year were generally due
to higher average net assets year over year.
The increase for
2017 over 2015 was driven by increases in all expense categories
period over period except for custodian fees and expenses.
Increases were: 1) a $59,696 or 81% increase in management fee paid
to the Sponsor due to higher average net assets. 2) a $30,795 or
21% increase in professional fees related to auditing, legal and
tax preparation fees. 3) a $92,735 or 79% increase in distribution
and marketing fees.4) a $2,628 or 12% increase in general and
administrative expenses. 5) a $2,419 or 40% increase in brokerage
commissions due to an increase in contracts purchased and rolled.
and 6) a $5,224 or 117% increase in other expenses. These were
partially offset by a ($118,643) or 81% decrease in custodian fees
and expenses as a result of the servicing conversion to USBFS and
U.S. Bank, N.A. The increases year over year were generally due to
higher average net assets relative to other funds. The total
expense ratio gross of expenses waived by the Sponsor for these
years was 4.59% in
2017, 4.61% in
2016, and 7.31% in 2015. The management fee is calculated at an
annual rate of 1% of the Fund’s daily average net
assets.
The Sponsor has
the ability to elect to pay certain expenses on behalf of the Fund
or waive the management fee. This election is subject to change by
the Sponsor, at its discretion. For the year ended December 31,
2017, the Sponsor waived fees of $126,489. the Sponsor has
determined that no reimbursement will be sought in future periods
for those expenses which have been waived for the year. The Sponsor
permanently waived $68,914 of expenses in 2016 and $304,609 in
2015.
Total expenses net
of expenses waived by the Sponsor (“Total expenses,
net”) for 2017, 2016 and 2015 were $483,612, $477,679 and
$229,741 respectively. The total expense ratio net of expenses
waived by the Sponsor was 3.63% in 2017, 4.03% in 2016 and 3.14% in
2015. Net investment loss, which includes the impact of expenses
and interest income, was 2.48% in 2017, 3.48% in 2016, and 2.96% in
2015.
Other than the
management fee to the Sponsor and the brokerage commissions, most
of the expenses incurred by the Fund are associated with the
daytoday operation of the Fund and the necessary
functions related to regulatory compliance. These are generally
based on contracts, which extend for some period of time and up to
one year, or commitments regardless of the level of assets under
management. The structure of the Fund and the nature of the
expenses are such that as total net assets grow, there is a
scalability of expenses that may allow the total expense ratio to
be reduced. However, if total net assets for the Fund fall, the
total expense ratio of the Fund will increase unless additional
reductions are made by the Sponsor to the daily expense accrual.
The Sponsor can elect to adjust the daily expense accruals at its
discretion based on market conditions and other Fund
considerations.
Net cash used in
the Fund’s operating activities during 2017 was ($933,519).
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities by the Fund was
$1,012,539 in 2016 and ($1,489,575) in 2015. In 2017, proceeds from
the sale of shares were $20,374,923 representing 1,100,000 shares
while payments for the redemption of shares were $21,877,218
representing 1,200,000 shares. In 2016, proceeds from the sale of
shares were $9,190,140 representing 500,000 shares while payments
for the redemption of shares were $3,905,120 representing 200,000
shares. In 2015, proceeds from the sale of shares were $2,478,439
representing 125,000 shares while payments for the redemption of
shares were $6,414,212 representing 325,000
shares.
The seasonality
patterns for Soybean Futures Contract prices are impacted by a
variety of factors. These include, but are not limited to, the
harvest in the fall, the planting conditions in the spring, and the
weather throughout the critical germination and growing periods.
Prices for soybean futures are affected by the availability and
demand for substitute agricultural commodities, including corn and
wheat. The price of Soybean Futures Contracts is also influenced by
global economic conditions, including the demand for exports to
other countries. Such factors will impact the performance of the
Fund and the results of operations on an ongoing basis. The Sponsor
cannot predict the impact of such factors.
Benchmark
Performance
As noted above, the Sponsor
endeavors to place the Fund’s trades in Soybean Interests and
otherwise manage the Fund’s investments so that the
Fund’s average daily tracking error against the Benchmark
will be less than 10 percent over any period of 30 trading days.
More specifically, the Sponsor will endeavor to manage the Fund so
that A will be within plus/minus 10 percent of B,
where:
●
A is
the average daily change in the Fund’s NAV for any period of
30 successive valuation days, i.e., any trading day as of which the
Fund calculates its NAV, and
●
B is
the average daily change in the Benchmark over the same
period.
During the period from January 1,
2017 through December 31, 2017, the average daily change in the
Fund’s NAV was within plus/minus 10 percent of the average
daily change in the Fund’s Benchmark.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Fund does not make use of
borrowing or other lines of credit to meet its obligations. The
Fund meets its liquidity needs in the normal course of business
from the proceeds of the sale of its investments or from the cash
and/or cash equivalents that it intends to hold at all times. The
Fund’s liquidity needs include: redemption of Shares,
providing margin deposits for existing futures contracts or the
purchase of additional futures contracts, posting collateral for
over-the-counter Soybean Interests, and payment of
expenses.
All of the Fund’s source of
capital is derived from the offering of Shares to Authorized
Purchasers. Authorized Purchasers may then subsequently redeem such
Shares. The Fund in turn allocates its net assets to commodities
trading. A significant portion of the NAV is held in cash and/or
cash equivalents, which is used as margin for the Fund’s
trading in commodities. The percentage that cash equivalents bear
to the total net assets will vary from period to period as the
market values of the Fund’s Soybean Interests change. The
balance of the net assets is held in the Fund’s commodity
trading account. Interest earned on interest-bearing assets of the
Fund is paid to the Fund.
The investments of the Fund in
Soybean Interests may be subject to periods of illiquidity because
of market conditions, regulatory considerations and other
reasons. For example, the CBOT limits the
fluctuations in Soybean Futures Contract prices during a single day
by regulations referred to as “daily
limits.” During a single day, no trades may be
executed at prices beyond the daily limit. Once the
price of a Soybean Futures Contract has increased or decreased by
an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in the contracts can
neither be taken nor liquidated unless the traders are willing to
effect trades at or within the limit. Such market conditions
could prevent the Fund from promptly liquidating a position in
Soybean Futures Contracts.
Beginning in the quarter-ended
June 30, 2015, the Sponsor invested a portion of the available cash
for the Teucrium Funds in alternative demand-deposit savings
accounts; as of January 31, 2018, the Sponsor has cash deposits
Rabobank, N.A., a U.S. chartered bank headquartered in Roseville,
CA, and Mascoma Savings Bank, headquartered in White River
Junction, VT. These accounts have higher overnight
deposit rates than were available in the money market products at
the Custodians that had been utilized solely in the past. In
addition, the Fund has established an account at Morgan Stanley so
that the Fund may invest in commercial paper rated at the date of
purchase “Prime-1” or “Prime-2” by
Moody’s and/or “A-1” or “A-2” by
S&P, or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the
Sponsor. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured
promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding
companies, corporations and finance companies. The duration until
maturity of such commercial paper held by the Fund will not exceed
ninety days.
Market
Risk
Trading in Soybean Interests such
as Soybean Futures Contracts involves the Fund entering into
contractual commitments to purchase or sell specific amounts of
soybeans at a specified date in the future. The gross or
face amount of the contracts significantly exceeds the future cash
requirements of the Fund since the Fund
typically closes out any open
positions prior to the contractual expiration date. As a
result, the Fund’s market risk is the risk of loss arising
from the decline in value of the contracts, not from the need to
make delivery under the contracts. The Fund considers
the “fair value” of derivative instruments to be the
unrealized gain or loss on the contracts. The market
risk associated with the commitment by the Fund to purchase a
specific commodity is limited to the aggregate face amount of the
contracts held.
The exposure of the Fund to market
risk depends on a number of factors including the markets for
soybeans, the volatility of interest rates and foreign exchange
rates, the liquidity of the Soybean Interest markets and the
relationships among the contracts held by the Fund. The
limited experience of the Sponsor in trading Soybean Interests in a
manner that tracks changes in the Benchmark
,
as well as drastic market events,
could ultimately lead to substantial losses for
shareholders.
Credit Risk
When the Fund enters into Soybean
Interests, it is exposed to the credit risk that the counterparty
will not be able to meet its obligations. For purposes
of credit risk, the counterparty for the Soybean Futures Contracts
traded on the CBOT is the clearinghouse associated with the
CBOT. In general, clearinghouses are backed by their
members who may be required to share in the financial burden
resulting from the nonperformance of one of their members, which
should significantly reduce credit risk. Some foreign
exchanges are not backed by their clearinghouse members but may be
backed by a consortium of banks or other financial
institutions. Unlike in the case of exchange-traded
futures contracts, the counterparty to an over-the-counter Soybean
Interest contract is generally a single bank or other financial
institution such as an SD. As a result, there is greater
counterparty credit risk in over-the-counter
transactions. There can be no assurance that any
counterparty, clearing house, or their financial backers will
satisfy their obligations to the Fund.
The Fund may engage in off
exchange transactions broadly called an “exchange for related
position” (“EFRP”) transaction. For purposes of
the Dodd-Frank Act and related CFTC rules, an EFRP transaction is
treated as a “swap.” An “exchange for related
position” (“EFRP”) can be used by the Fund as a
technique to facilitate the exchanging of a futures hedge position
against a creation or redemption order, and thus the Fund or an
Underlying Fund may use an EFRP transaction in connection with the
creation and redemption of shares. The market specialist/market
maker that is the ultimate purchaser or seller of shares in
connection with the creation or redemption basket, respectively,
agrees to sell or purchase a corresponding offsetting shares or
futures position which is then settled on the same business day as
a cleared futures transaction by the FCMs. The Fund will become
subject to the credit risk of the market specialist/market maker
until the EFRP is settled within the business day, which is
typically 7 hours or less. The Fund reports all activity related to
EFRP transactions under the procedures and guidelines of the CFTC
and the exchanges on which the futures are
traded.
The Sponsor attempts to manage the
credit risk of the Fund by following certain trading limitations
and policies. In particular, the Fund intends to post
margin and collateral and/or hold liquid assets that will be equal
to approximately the face amount of the Soybean Interests it
holds. The Sponsor has implemented procedures that
include, but are not limited to, executing and clearing trades and
entering into over-the-counter transactions only with parties it
deems creditworthy and/or requiring the posting of collateral by
such parties for the benefit of the Fund to limit its credit
exposure.
The Fund will generally retain
cash positions of approximately 95% of total net assets; this
balance represents the total net assets less the initial margin
requirements held by the FCM. These cash assets are either: 1)
deposited by the Sponsor in demand deposit accounts of financial
institutions which are rated in the highest short-term rating
category by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization
or deemed by the Sponsor to be of comparable quality; 2) invested
in commercial paper; or 3) held in a money-market fund which is
deemed to be a cash equivalent under the most recent SEC
definition.
Off Balance Sheet Financing
As of the date of this prospectus,
neither the Trust nor the Fund has any loan guarantees, credit
support or other off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind other
than agreements entered into in the normal course of business,
which may include indemnification provisions relating to certain
risks service providers undertake in performing services which are
in the best interests of the Fund. While the
Fund’s exposure under these indemnification provisions cannot
be estimated, they are not expected to have a material impact on
the Fund’s financial positions.
Redemption Basket Obligation
Other than as necessary to meet
the investment objective of the Fund and pay its contractual
obligations described below, the Fund requires liquidity to redeem
Redemption Baskets. The Fund intends to satisfy this
obligation through the transfer of cash of the Fund (generated, if
necessary, through the sale of cash equivalents) in an amount
proportionate to the number of Shares being redeemed, as described
above under
“Redemption
Procedures.”
Contractual Obligations
The Fund’s primary
contractual obligations are with the Sponsor and certain other
service providers. The Sponsor, in return for its
services, is entitled to a management fee calculated as a fixed
percentage of the Fund’s NAV, currently 1.00% of its average
net assets. The Fund also is responsible for all ongoing
fees, costs and expenses of its operation, including (i) brokerage
and other fees and commissions incurred in connection with the
trading activities of the Fund; (ii) expenses incurred in
connection with registering additional Shares of the Fund or
offering Shares of the Fund after the time any Shares have begun
trading on NYSE Arca; (iii) the routine expenses associated with
the preparation and, if required, the printing and mailing of
monthly, quarterly, annual and other reports required by applicable
U.S. federal and state regulatory authorities, Trust meetings and
preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements to Shareholders;
(iv) the payment of any distributions related to redemption of
Shares; (v) payment for routine services of the Trustee, legal
counsel and independent accountants; (vi) payment for routine
accounting, bookkeeping, custody and transfer agency services,
whether performed by an outside service provider or by Affiliates
of the Sponsor; (vii) postage and insurance; (viii) costs and
expenses associated with client relations and services; (ix) costs
of preparation of all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns
and any taxes payable on the income, assets or operations of the
Fund; and (x) extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited
to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any
indemnification related thereto).
While the Sponsor has agreed to
pay registration fees to the SEC, FINRA and any other regulatory
agency in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares offered
through this prospectus, the legal, printing, accounting and other
expenses associated with such registrations, and the initial fee of
$5,000 for listing the Shares on the NYSE Arca, the Fund will be
responsible for any registration fees and related expenses incurred
in connection with any future offer and sale of Shares of the Fund
in excess of those offered through this
prospectus.
The Fund pays its own brokerage
and other transaction costs. The Fund pays fees to FCMs
in connection with its transactions in futures
contracts. FCM fees are estimated to be
minimal annually for the
Fund. In general, transaction costs on over-the-counter
Soybean Interests and on short-term securities are embedded in the
purchase or sale price of the instrument being purchased or sold,
and may not readily be estimated. Other expenses to be
paid by the Fund, including but not limited to the fees paid to the
Custodian, Administrator, and Distributor with respect to the Fund
are estimated to be 2.57% for the twelve-month period ending
April 30, 2019 though this amount may change in future
years. The Sponsor may, in its discretion, pay or
reimburse the Fund for, or waive a portion of its management fee to
offset, expenses that would otherwise be borne by the
Fund.
Any general expenses of the Trust
will be allocated among the Teucrium Funds and each other series
that may be established under the Trust in the future as determined
by the Sponsor in its sole and absolute discretion. The
Trust is also responsible for extraordinary expenses, including,
but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation
costs and any indemnification related thereto. The Trust
and/or the Sponsor may be required to indemnify the Trustee,
Distributor or Custodian/Administrator under certain
circumstances.
The parties cannot anticipate the
amount of payments that will be required under these arrangements
for future periods as the Fund’s NAV and trading levels to
meet their investment objectives will not be known until a future
date. These agreements are effective for a specific term
agreed upon by the parties with an option to renew, or, in some
cases, are in effect for the duration of the Fund’s
existence. The parties may terminate these agreements
earlier for certain reasons listed in the
agreements.
The following paragraphs are a
summary of certain provisions of the Trust Agreement. The following
discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Trust
Agreement.
Authority of the Sponsor
The Sponsor is generally
authorized to perform all acts deemed necessary to carry out the
purposes of the Trust and to conduct the business of the
Trust. The Trust and the Fund will continue to exist
until terminated in accordance with the Trust
Agreement. The Sponsor’s authority includes,
without limitation, the right to take the following
actions:
|
●
|
To enter into, execute, deliver
and maintain contracts, agreements and any other documents as may
be in furtherance of the Trust’s purpose or necessary or
appropriate for the offer and sale of the Shares and the conduct of
Trust activities;
|
|
●
|
To establish, maintain, deposit
into, sign checks and otherwise draw upon accounts on behalf of the
Trust with appropriate banking and savings institutions, and
execute and accept any instrument or agreement incidental to the
Trust’s business and in furtherance of its
purposes;
|
|
●
|
To supervise the preparation and
filing of any registration statement (and supplements and
amendments thereto) for the Fund;
|
|
●
|
To adopt, implement or amend, from
time to time, such disclosure and financial reporting information
gathering and control policies and procedures as are necessary or
desirable to ensure compliance with applicable disclosure and
financial reporting obligations under any applicable securities
laws;
|
|
●
|
To make any necessary
determination or decision in connection with the preparation of the
Trust’s financial statements and amendments
thereto;
|
|
●
|
To prepare, file and distribute,
if applicable, any periodic reports or updates that may be required
under the Exchange Act, the CEA or rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder;
|
|
●
|
To pay or authorize the payment of
distributions to the Shareholders and expenses of the
Fund;
|
|
●
|
To make any elections on behalf of
the Trust under the Code, or any other applicable U.S. federal or
state tax law as the Sponsor shall determine to be in the best
interests of the Trust; and
|
|
●
|
In its sole discretion, to
determine to admit an affiliate or affiliates of the Sponsor as
additional Sponsors.
|
The Sponsor’s Obligations
In addition to the duties imposed
by the Delaware Trust Statute, under the Trust Agreement the
Sponsor has the following obligations as a sponsor of the
Trust:
|
●
|
Devote to the business and affairs
of the Trust such of its time as it determines in its discretion
(exercised in good faith) to be necessary for the benefit of the
Trust and the Shareholders;
|
|
●
|
Execute, file, record and/or
publish all certificates, statements and other documents and do any
and all other things as may be appropriate for the formation,
qualification and operation of the Trust and for the conduct of its
business in all appropriate jurisdictions;
|
|
●
|
Appoint and remove independent
public accountants to audit the accounts of the Trust and employ
attorneys to represent the Trust;
|
|
●
|
Use its best efforts to maintain
the status of the Trust as a statutory trust for state law purposes
and as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax
purposes;
|
|
●
|
Invest, reinvest, hold uninvested,
sell, exchange, write options on, lease, lend and subject to
certain limitations set forth in the Trust Agreement, pledge,
mortgage, and hypothecate the estate of the Fund in accordance with
the purposes of the Trust and any registration statement filed on
behalf of the Fund;
|
|
●
|
Have fiduciary responsibility for
the safekeeping and use of the Trust’s assets, whether or not
in the Sponsor’s immediate possession or
control;
|
|
●
|
Enter into and perform agreements
with each Authorized Purchaser, receive from Authorized Purchasers
and process properly submitted purchase orders, receive Creation
Basket Deposits, deliver or cause the delivery of Creation Baskets
to the Depository for the account of the Authorized Purchaser
submitting a purchase order;
|
|
●
|
Receive from Authorized Purchasers
and process, or cause the Distributor or other Fund service
provider to process, properly submitted redemption orders, receive
from the redeeming Authorized Purchasers through the Depository,
and thereupon cancel or cause to be cancelled, Shares corresponding
to the Redemption Baskets to be redeemed;
|
|
●
|
Interact with the Deposity;
and
|
|
●
|
Delegate duties to one or more
administrators, as the Sponsor
determines.
|
To the extent that, at law (common
or statutory) or in equity, the Sponsor has duties (including
fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Trust,
the Fund, the Shareholders or to any other person, the Sponsor will
not be liable to the Trust, the Fund, the Shareholders or to any
other person for its good faith reliance on the provisions of the
Trust Agreement or this prospectus unless such reliance constitutes
gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the
Sponsor.
Liability and Indemnification
Under the Trust Agreement, the
Sponsor, the Trustee and their respective Affiliates (collectively,
“Covered Persons”) shall have no liability to the
Trust, the Fund, or to any Shareholder for any loss suffered by the
Trust or the Fund which arises out of any action or inaction of
such Covered Person if such Covered Person, in good faith,
determined that such course of conduct was in the best interest of
the Trust or the Fund and such course of conduct did not constitute
gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Covered
Person. Subject to the foregoing, neither the Sponsor
nor any other Covered Person shall be personally liable for the
return or repayment of all or any portion of the capital or profits
of any Shareholder or assignee thereof, it being expressly agreed
that any such return of capital or profits made pursuant to the
Trust Agreement shall be made solely from the assets of the
applicable Teucrium Fund without any rights of contribution from
the Sponsor or any other Covered Person. A Covered Person shall not
be liable for the conduct or willful misconduct of any
administrator or other delegatee selected by the Sponsor with
reasonable care, provided, however, that the Trustee and its
Affiliates shall not, under any circumstances be liable for the
conduct or willful misconduct of any administrator or other
delegatee or any other person selected by the Sponsor to provide
services to the Trust.
To the extent that, at law (common
or statutory) or in equity, the Sponsor has duties (including
fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating to the Trust, the
Teucrium Funds, the shareholders of the Teucrium Funds, or to any
other person, the Sponsor, acting under the Trust Agreement, shall
not be liable to the Trust, the Teucrium Funds, the shareholders of
the Teucrium Funds or to any other person for its good faith
reliance on the provisions of the Trust Agreement. The provisions
of the Trust Agreement, to the extent they restrict or eliminate
the duties and liabilities of the Sponsor otherwise existing at law
or in equity, replace such other duties and liabilities of the
Sponsor.
The Trust Agreement also provides
that the Sponsor shall be indemnified by the Trust (or by a series
separately to the extent the matter in question relates to a single
series or disproportionately affects a specific series in relation
to other series) against any losses, judgments, liabilities,
expenses and amounts paid in settlement of any claims sustained by
it in connection with its activities for the Trust, provided that
(i) the Sponsor was acting on behalf of or performing services for
the Trust and has determined, in good faith, that such course of
conduct was in the best interests of the Trust and such liability
or loss was not the result of gross
negligence, willful misconduct, or
a breach of the Trust Agreement on the part of the Sponsor and (ii)
any such indemnification will only be recoverable from the assets
of the applicable series. The Sponsor’s rights to
indemnification permitted under the Trust Agreement shall not be
affected by the dissolution or other cessation to exist of the
Sponsor, or the withdrawal, adjudication of bankruptcy or
insolvency of the Sponsor, or the filing of a voluntary or
involuntary petition in bankruptcy under Title 11 of the Bankruptcy
Code by or against the Sponsor.
Notwithstanding the above, the
Sponsor shall not be indemnified for any losses, liabilities or
expenses arising from or out of an alleged violation of U.S.
federal or state securities laws unless (i) there has been a
successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving
alleged securities law violations as to the particular indemnitee
and the court approves the indemnification of such expenses
(including, without limitation, litigation costs), (ii) such claims
have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of
competent jurisdiction as to the particular indemnitee and the
court approves the indemnification of such expenses (including,
without limitation, litigation costs), or (iii) a court of
competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against
a particular indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the
settlement and related costs should be made.
The payment of any indemnification
shall be allocated, as appropriate, among the Trust’s
series. The Trust and its series shall not incur the
cost of that portion of any insurance which insures any party
against any liability, the indemnification of which is prohibited
under the Trust Agreement.
Expenses incurred in defending a
threatened or pending action, suit or proceeding against the
Sponsor shall be paid by the Trust in advance of the final
disposition of such action, suit or proceeding, if (i) the legal
action relates to the performance of duties or services by the
Sponsor on behalf of the Trust; (ii) the legal action is initiated
by a party other than the Trust; and (iii) the Sponsor undertakes
to repay the advanced funds with interest to the Trust in cases in
which it is not entitled to indemnification.
The Trust Agreement provides that
the Sponsor and the Trust shall indemnify the Trustee and its
successors, assigns, legal representatives, officers, directors,
shareholders, employees, agents and servants (the “Trustee
Indemnified Parties”) against any liabilities, obligations,
losses, damages, penalties, taxes, claims, actions, suits, costs,
expenses or disbursements which may be imposed on a Trustee
Indemnified Party relating to or arising out of the formation,
operation or termination of the Trust, the execution, delivery and
performance of any other agreements to which the Trust is a party,
or the action or inaction of the Trustee under the Trust Agreement
or any other agreement, except for expenses resulting from the
gross
negligence or
willful misconduct of a Trustee Indemnified Party. Further, certain
officers of the Sponsor are insured against liability for certain
errors or omissions which an officer may incur or that may arise
out of his or her capacity as such.
In the event the Trust is made a
party to any claim, dispute, demand or litigation or otherwise
incurs any liability or expense as a result of or in connection
with any Shareholder’s (or assignee’s) obligations or
liabilities unrelated to the Trust business, such Shareholder (or
assignees cumulatively) is required under the Trust Agreement to
indemnify the Trust for all such liability and expense incurred,
including attorneys’ and accountants’
fees.
Withdrawal of the Sponsor
The Sponsor may withdraw
voluntarily as the Sponsor of the Trust only upon ninety (90)
days’ prior written notice to the holders of the
Trust’s outstanding shares and the Trustee. If the
withdrawing Sponsor is the last remaining Sponsor, shareholders
holding a majority (over 50%) of the outstanding shares of the
Teucrium Funds, voting together as a single class (not including
shares acquired by the Sponsor through its initial capital
contribution) may vote to elect a successor Sponsor. The
successor Sponsor will continue the business of the
Trust. Shareholders have no right to remove the
Sponsor.
In the event of withdrawal, the
Sponsor is entitled to a redemption of the shares it acquired
through its initial capital contribution to any of the series of
the Trust at their NAV per Share. If the Sponsor
withdraws and a successor Sponsor is named, the withdrawing Sponsor
shall pay all expenses as a result of its
withdrawal.
Meetings
Meetings of the Trust’s
shareholders may be called by the Sponsor and will be called by it
upon the written request of Shareholders holding at least 25% of
the outstanding Shares of the Trust or the Fund, as applicable (not
including Shares acquired by the Sponsor through its initial
capital contribution). The Sponsor shall deposit in the
United States mail or electronically transmit written notice to all
Shareholders of the Fund of the meeting and the purpose of the
meeting, which shall be held on a date not less than 30 nor more
than 60 days after the date of mailing of such notice, at a
reasonable time and place. Where the meeting is called
upon the written request of the shareholders of the Teucrium Funds,
or any Teucrium fund, as applicable, such written notice shall be
mailed or transmitted not more than 45 days after such written
request for a meeting was received by the Sponsor. Any
notice of meeting shall be accompanied by a description of the
action to be taken at the meeting and, if applicable, an opinion of
independent counsel as to the effect of such proposed action on the
liability of shareholders of the Teucrium Funds, or any Teucrium
fund, as applicable, for the debts of the applicable Teucrium
Fund. Shareholders may vote in person or by proxy at any
such meeting. The Sponsor shall be entitled to establish
voting and quorum requirements and other reasonable procedures for
shareholder voting. Any action required or permitted to be taken by
Shareholders by vote may be taken without a meeting by written
consent setting forth the actions so taken. Such written
consents shall be treated for all purposes as votes at a
meeting. If the vote or consent of any Shareholder to
any action of the Trust, the Fund or any Shareholder, as
contemplated by the Trust Agreement, is solicited by the Sponsor,
the solicitation shall be effected by notice to each Shareholder
given in the manner provided in accordance with the Trust
Agreement.
Voting Rights
Shareholders have very limited
voting rights. Specifically, the Trust Agreement
provides that shareholders of the Teucrium Funds holding shares
representing at least a majority (over 50%) of the outstanding
shares of the teucrium Funds voting together as a single class
(excluding shares acquired by the Sponsor in connection with its
initial capital contribution to any Trust series) may vote to (i)
continue the Trust by electing a successor Sponsor as described
above, and (ii) approve amendments to the Trust Agreement that
impair the right to surrender Redemption Baskets for
redemption. (Trustee consent to any amendment to the
Trust Agreement is required if the Trustee reasonably believes that
such amendment adversely affects any of its rights, duties or
liabilities.) In addition, shareholders of the Teucrium
Funds holding shares representing seventy-five percent (75%) of the
outstanding shares of the Teucrium Funds, voting together as a
single class (excluding shares acquired by the Sponsor in
connection with its initial capital contribution to any Trust
series) may vote to dissolve the Trust upon not less than ninety
(90) days’ notice to the Sponsor. Shareholders
have no voting rights with respect to the Trust or the Fund except
as expressly provided in the Trust Agreement.
Limited Liability of Shareholders
Shareholders shall be entitled to
the same limitation of personal liability extended to stockholders
of private corporations for profit organized under the general
corporation law of Delaware, and no Shareholder shall be liable for
claims against, or debts of the Trust or the Fund in excess of his
share of the Fund’s assets. The Trust or the Fund
shall not make a claim against a Shareholder with respect to
amounts distributed to such Shareholder or amounts received by such
Shareholder upon redemption unless, under Delaware law, such
Shareholder is liable to repay such amount.
The Trust or the Fund shall
indemnify to the full extent permitted by law and the Trust
Agreement each Shareholder (excluding the Sponsor to the extent of
its ownership of any Shares acquired through its initial capital
contribution) against any claims of liability asserted against such
Shareholder solely because of its ownership of Shares (other than
for taxes on income from Shares for which such Shareholder is
liable).
Every written note, bond,
contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking made or issued by
the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust or the Fund shall give notice to
the effect that the same was executed or made by or on behalf of
the Trust or the Fund and that the obligations of such instrument
are not binding upon the Shareholders individually but are binding
only upon the assets and property of the Fund and no recourse may
be had with respect to the personal property of a Shareholder for
satisfaction of any obligation or claim.
Amendments to the Trust Agreement
Effective April 16, 2018, the
Sponsor, pursuant to its authority under the Trust Agreement, has
amended the Trust Agreement to reflect certain provisions of the
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of
2017, each of which became effective on January 1, 2018. The
changes to the Trust Agreement reflect changes to partnership audit
rules under the Code and reflect certain changes to partnership
rules under the Code (see
“U.S. Federal Income Tax
Classification”
for additional information about the
changes to the Code.)
T
he Sponsor Has Conflicts of
Interest
There are present and potential
future conflicts of interest in the Trust’s structure and
operation you should consider before you purchase Shares. The
Sponsor may use this notice of conflicts as a defense against any
claim or other proceeding made.
The Sponsor’s principals,
officers and employees do not devote their time exclusively to the
Fund. Under the organizational documents of the Sponsor, Mr. Sal
Gilbertie and Mr. Dale Riker, in their respective capacities as
President and Chief Investment Officer of the Sponsor and Chief
Executive Officer and Secretary of the Sponsor, are obligated to
use commercially reasonable efforts to manage the Sponsor, devote
such amount of time to the Sponsor as would be consistent with
their roles in similarly placed commodity pool operators, and
remain active in managing the Sponsor until they are no longer
managing members of the Sponsor or the Sponsor dissolves. In
addition, the Sponsor expects that operating the Teucrium Funds
will generally constitute the principal and fulltime business
activity of its principals, officers and employees. Notwithstanding
these obligations and expectations, the Sponsor’s principals
may be directors, officers or employees of other entities, and may
manage assets of other entities, including the other Teucrium
Funds, through the Sponsor or otherwise. In particular, the
principals could have a conflict between their responsibilities to
the Fund on the one hand and to those other entities on the other.
It is not possible to quantify the proportion of their time that
the Sponsor’s personnel will devote to the Fund and its
management.
The Sponsor and its principals,
officers and employees may trade securities, futures and related
contracts for their own accounts, creating the potential for
preferential treatment of their own accounts. Shareholders will not
be permitted to inspect the trading records of such persons or any
written policies of the Sponsor related to such trading. A conflict
of interest may exist if their trades are in the same markets and
at approximately the same times as the trades for the Fund. A
potential conflict also may occur when the Sponsor’s
principals trade their accounts more aggressively or take positions
in their accounts which are opposite, or ahead of, the positions
taken by the Fund.
The Sponsor has sole current
authority to manage the investments and operations of the Fund, and
this may allow it to act in a way that furthers its own interests
which may create a conflict with your best interests, including the
authority of the Sponsor to allocate expenses to and between the
Teucrium Funds. Shareholders have very limited voting rights with
respect to the Fund, which will limit the ability to influence
matters such as amendment of the Trust Agreement, change in the
Fund’s basic investment policies, or dissolution of the Fund
or the Trust.
The Sponsor serves as the Sponsor
to the Teucrium Funds, and may in the future serve as the Sponsor
or investment adviser to commodity pools other than the Teucrium
Funds. The Sponsor may have a conflict to the extent that its
trading decisions for the Fund may be influenced by the effect they
would have on the other pools it manages. In addition, the Sponsor
may be required to indemnify the officers and directors of the
other pools, if the need for indemnification arises. This potential
indemnification will cause the Sponsor’s assets to decrease.
If the Sponsor’s other sources of income are not sufficient
to compensate for the indemnification, it could cease operations,
which could in turn result in Fund losses and/or termination of the
Fund.
If the Sponsor acquires knowledge
of a potential transaction or arrangement that may be an
opportunity for the Fund, it shall have no duty to offer such
opportunity to the Fund. The Sponsor will not be liable to the Fund
or the Shareholders for breach of any fiduciary or other duty if
Sponsor pursues such opportunity or directs it to another person or
does not communicate such opportunity to the
Fund. Neither the Fund nor any
Shareholder has any rights or obligations by virtue of the Trust
Agreement, the trust relationship created thereby, or this
prospectus in such business ventures or the income or profits
derived from such business ventures. The pursuit of such business
ventures, even if competitive with the activities of the Fund, will
not be deemed wrongful or improper.
Resolution of Conflicts Procedures
The Trust Agreement provides that
whenever a conflict of interest exists between the Sponsor or any
of its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Trust, any shareholder
of a Trust series, or any other person, on the other hand, the
Sponsor shall resolve such conflict of interest, take such action
or provide such terms, considering in each case the relative
interest of each party (including its own interest) to such
conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and
burdens relating to such interests, any customary or accepted
industry practices, and any applicable generally accepted
accounting practices or principles.
In the absence of bad faith by the
Sponsor, the resolution, action or terms so made, taken or provided
by the Sponsor shall not constitute a breach of the Trust Agreement
or any other agreement contemplated therein or of any duty or
obligation of the Sponsor at law or in equity or
otherwise.
The Sponsor or any affiliate
thereof may engage in or possess an interest in other
profit-seeking or business ventures of any nature or description,
independently or with others, whether or not such ventures are
competitive with the Trust and the doctrine of corporate
opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to the
Sponsor. If the Sponsor acquires knowledge of a potential
transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be an
opportunity for the Trust, it shall have no duty to communicate or
offer such opportunity to the Trust, and the Sponsor shall not be
liable to the Trust or to the Shareholders for breach of any
fiduciary or other duty by reason of the fact that the Sponsor
pursues or acquires for, or directs such opportunity to, another
person or does not communicate such opportunity or information to
the Trust. Neither the Trust nor any Shareholder shall have any
rights or obligations by virtue of the Trust Agreement or the trust
relationship created thereby in or to such independent ventures or
the income or profits or losses derived therefrom, and the pursuit
of such ventures, even if competitive with the activities of the
Trust, shall not be deemed wrongful or improper. Except to the
extent expressly provided in the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor may
engage or be interested in any financial or other transaction with
the Trust, the Shareholders or any affiliate of the Trust or the
Shareholders.
I
nterests of Named Experts and
Counsel
No expert hired by the Fund to
give advice on the preparation of this offering document has been
hired on a contingent fee basis, nor do any of them have any
present or future expectation of interest in the Sponsor,
Distributor, Authorized Purchasers, Custodian/Administrator or
other service providers to the Fund.
P
rovisions of Federal and State Securities
Laws
This offering is made pursuant to
federal and state securities laws. The SEC and state
securities agencies take the position that indemnification of the
Sponsor that arises out of an alleged violation of such laws is
prohibited unless certain conditions are met. Those
conditions require that no indemnification of the Sponsor or any
underwriter for the Fund may be made in respect of any losses,
liabilities or expenses arising from or out of an alleged violation
of federal or state securities laws unless: (i) there
has been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count
involving alleged securities law violations as to the party seeking
indemnification and the court approves the indemnification; (ii)
such claim has been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a
court of competent jurisdiction as to the party seeking
indemnification; or (iii) a court of competent jurisdiction
approves a settlement of the claims against the party seeking
indemnification and finds that indemnification of the settlement
and related costs should be made, provided that, before seeking
such approval, the Sponsor or other indemnitee must apprise the
court of the position held by regulatory agencies against such
indemnification.
The Trust keeps its books of
record and account at its office located at 115 Christina Landing
Drive Unit 2004, Wilmington, DE 19801, or at the offices of the
Administrator, U.S. Bancorp, LLC, located at 615 East Michigan
Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, or such office, including of an
administrative agent, as it may subsequently designate upon notice.
The books of account of the Fund are open to inspection by any
Shareholder (or any duly constituted designee of a Shareholder) at
all times during the usual business hours of the Fund upon
reasonable advance notice to the extent such access is required
under CFTC rules and regulations. In addition, the Trust keeps a
copy of the Trust Agreement on file in its office which will be
available for inspection by any Shareholder at all times during its
usual business hours upon reasonable advance
notice.
A
nalysis of Critical Accounting
Policies
The Fund’s critical
accounting policies are set forth in the financial statements that
are incorporated by reference in this prospectus prepared in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America, which require the use of certain
accounting policies that affect the amounts reported in these
financial statements, including the following: (i) Fund
trades are accounted for on a trade-date basis and marked to market
on a daily basis; (ii) the difference between the cost and market
value of Soybean Interests is recorded as “change in
unrealized profit/loss” for open (unrealized) contracts, and
recorded as “realized profit/loss” when open positions
are closed out; and (iii) earned interest income, as well as the
fees and expenses of the Fund, are recorded on an accrual
basis. The Sponsor believes that all relevant accounting
assumptions and policies have been considered.
S
tatements, Filings, and Reports to
Shareholders
The Trust will furnish to DTC
Participants for distribution to Shareholders annual reports (as of
the end of each fiscal year) for the Fund as are required to be
provided to Shareholders by the CFTC and the NFA. These
annual reports will contain financial statements prepared by the
Sponsor and audited by an independent registered public accounting
firm designated by the Sponsor. The Trust will also post
monthly reports to the Fund’s website (
www.teucriumsoybfund.com
). These
monthly reports will contain certain unaudited financial
information regarding the Fund, including the Fund’s
NAV. The Sponsor will furnish to the Shareholders other
reports or information which the Sponsor, in its discretion,
determines to be necessary or appropriate. In addition,
under SEC rules the Trust will be required to file quarterly and
annual reports for the Fund with the SEC, which need not be sent to
Shareholders but will be publicly available through the
SEC. The Trust will post the same information that would
otherwise be provided in the Trust’s CFTC, NFA and SEC
reports on the Fund’s website
www.teucriumsoybfund.com
.
The Sponsor is responsible for the
registration and qualification of the Shares under the federal
securities laws, federal commodities laws, and laws of any other
jurisdiction as the Sponsor may select. The Sponsor is
responsible for preparing all required reports, but has entered
into an agreement with the Administrator to prepare these reports
on the Trust’s behalf.
The accountants’ report on
its audit of the Fund’s financial statements will be
furnished by the Trust to Shareholders upon request. The
Trust will make such elections, file such tax returns, and prepare,
disseminate and file such tax reports for the Fund, as it is
advised by its counsel or accountants are from time to time
required by any applicable statute, rule or
regulation.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
(“PwC”), 2001 Ross Avenue, Suite 1800, Dallas, Texas
75201-2997, will provide tax information in accordance with
the Code and applicable U.S. Treasury
Regulations. Persons treated as middlemen for purposes
of these regulations may obtain tax information regarding the Fund
from PwC or from the Fund’s website,
www.teucriumsoybfund.com
.
The fiscal year of the Fund is the
calendar year.
G
overning Law; Consent to Delaware
Jurisdiction
The rights of the Sponsor, the
Trust, the Fund, DTC (as registered owner of the Fund’s
global certificate for Shares) and the Shareholders are governed by
the laws of the State of Delaware. The Sponsor, the Trust, the Fund
and DTC and, by accepting Shares, each DTC Participant and each
Shareholder, consent to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State
of Delaware and any federal courts located in
Delaware. Such consent is not required for any person to
assert a claim of Delaware jurisdiction over the Sponsor, the Trust
or the Fund.
S
ecurity Ownership of Principal Shareholders and
Management
The following table sets forth
information regarding the beneficial ownership of shares by the
executive officers of the Sponsor as of December 31, 2017.
Except as listed, no other executive officer of the Sponsor is a
beneficial owner of shares of the Fund.
(1)
Title of Class
|
(2)
Name of Beneficial
Owner
|
(3)
Amount and nature of Beneficial
Ownership
|
(4)
Percent of
Class
|
SOYB
|
Sal Gilbertie
|
100 common
units
|
*
|
______________________
* Less than
1%.
|
|
The following table sets forth
information with respect to each person known to own beneficially
more than 5% of the outstanding shares of any series in the Trust
as of December 31, 2017, based on information known to the
Sponsor.
|
(2)
Name and Address of Beneficial
Owner
|
(3)
Amount and Nature of Beneficial
Ownership
|
(4)
Percent of
Class
|
Chang-Chen Koo
San Marino, CA
91108
|
40,000 common
units
|
6.96%
|
______________________
Litigation and Claims
Within the past 10 years of the
date of this prospectus, there have been no material
administrative, civil or criminal actions against the Sponsor, the
Trust or the Fund, or any principal or affiliate of any of
them. This includes any actions pending, on appeal,
concluded, threatened, or otherwise known to
them.
Legal Opinion
Vedder Price, P.C. has been
retained to advise the Trust and the Sponsor with respect to the
Shares being offered hereby and has passed upon the validity of the
Shares being issued hereunder. Vedder Price, P.C. has
also provided the Sponsor with its opinion with respect to federal
income tax matters addressed herein under the heading "U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations".
Experts
The financial statements of the
Trust and the Fund and management’s assessment of the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of the
Trust and the Fund incorporated by reference in this prospectus and
elsewhere in the registration statement have been so incorporated
by reference in reliance upon the reports of Grant Thornton LLP,
independent registered public accountants, upon the authority of
said firm as experts in accounting and
auditing.
This Privacy Policy explains the
policies of the Sponsor, a commodity pool operator registered with
the CFTC, and (i) the Trust, and (ii) each commodity pool for which
the Sponsor serves as Sponsor currently or in the future including
Teucrium Corn Fund, Teucrium Wheat Fund, Teucrium Sugar Fund, and
Teucrium Soybean Fund, and Teucrium Agricultural Fund (each of
which is a series of the Trust), relating to the collection,
maintenance, and use of nonpublic personal information about the
Teucrium Funds’ investors, as required under federal law.
Federal law gives investors the
right to limit some but not all sharing of their nonpublic personal
information. Federal law also requires the Sponsor to tell
investors how it collects, shares, and protects such nonpublic
personal information. Please read this policy carefully to
understand what the Sponsor does.
This Privacy Policy
applies to the nonpublic personal information of investors who are
individuals and who obtain financial products or services from the
Sponsor, the Trust, and the Teucrium Funds primarily for personal,
family, or household purposes. This Privacy Policy applies to both
current and former Fund investors; the Sponsor will only disclose
nonpublic personal information about former investors to the same
extent as for current investors, as described
below.
Collection of Nonpublic Personal Information
The Sponsor may collect or have
access to nonpublic personal information about current and former
Fund investors for certain purposes relating to the operation of
the Funds. This information may include information received from
investors, such as their name, social security number, telephone
number, and address, and information about investors’
holdings and transactions in shares of the
Funds.
Use and Disclosure of Nonpublic Personal
Information
The Sponsor recognizes and
respects the privacy expectation of each of the Teucrium
Funds’ investors. The Sponsor believes that the
confidentiality and protection of investors’ nonpublic
personal information is one of its fundamental responsibilities.
This means, most importantly, that the Sponsor does not sell
nonpublic personal information to any third parties. The Sponsor
primarily uses investors’ nonpublic personal information to
complete financial transactions that may be requested. Below are
the circumstances in which the Sponsor may disclose
investors’ nonpublic personal information to third parties;
investors may not opt out of these disclosures:
●
The
Sponsor may provide an investor’s nonpublic personal
information to non-affiliated service providers involved in
servicing and administering products and services for, or on behalf
of the Sponsor (
e.g.
,
accountants, compliance consultants, legal advisors,
broker-dealers, introducing brokers, futures commissions merchants,
investment companies, investment advisers, commodity trading
advisors, commodity pool operators, administrators, and
custodians). In all such cases, the Sponsor will provide the third
party with only the nonpublic personal information necessary to
carry out its assigned responsibilities and only for that
purpose.
●
The
Sponsor will release nonpublic personal information if directed by
an investor to do so. The Sponsor may also release nonpublic
personal information to persons acting in a fiduciary or
representative capacity on behalf of an
investor.
●
The
Sponsor may release an investor’s nonpublic personal
information to courts and other parties related to a subpoena or
other court, government, or SRO order or process, as authorized by
law.
●
The
Sponsor may release an investor’s nonpublic personal
information to regulators (including SROs) or governmental entities
that have made a reasonable request for such information, as
authorized by law.
●
The
Sponsor may release an investor’s nonpublic personal
information to certain governmental entities and others to prevent
money laundering, as authorized by law.
Investors’ nonpublic
personal information, particularly information about
investors’ holdings and transactions in shares of the
teucrium Funds, may be shared between and amongst the Sponsor and
the Teucrium Funds.
An investor
cannot opt-out of the sharing of nonpublic personal information
between and amongst the Sponsor and the Teucrium Funds.
However, the Sponsor and the Teucrium Funds will not use this
information for any cross-marketing purposes.
In other words, all investors will be treated
as having “opted out” of receiving marketing
solicitations from teucrium Funds other than the Teucrium Fund(s)
in which it invests.
Protection of Nonpublic Personal Information
●
The
Sponsor restricts access to investors’ nonpublic personal
information only to those employees, agents, and representatives
who require that information to provide financial products and
services.
●
The
Sponsor requires all employees, financial professionals, and
companies providing services on its behalf to keep investors’
nonpublic personal information confidential.
●
Third parties with whom the
Sponsor shares investor nonpublic personal information must agree
to follow appropriate standards of security and confidentiality,
which includes safeguarding such information physically,
electronically, and procedurally.
●
The
Sponsor maintains physical, technical, administrative, and
procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to protect
the confidentiality and security of investors’ nonpublic
personal information including, where applicable, its
disposal.
●
Employees, agents, and
representatives who have access to shareholder reports or other
correspondence containing investors’ nonpublic personal
information are required to utilize passwords on all electronic
devices used to carry out their professional
responsibilities.
U
.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations
The following discussion
summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the
purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares of the Fund and the
U.S. federal income tax treatment of the Fund. Except
where noted otherwise, it deals only with the tax consequences
relating to Shares held as capital assets by U.S.
Shareholders (as defined below) who are not subject to
special tax treatment. For example, in general it does
not address the tax consequences, such as, but not limited
to dealers in securities or currencies or commodities,
traders in securities or dealers or traders in commodities that
elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting, financial
institutions, tax-exempt entities (except as discussed
below), insurance companies, persons holding Shares as a
part of a position in a “straddle” or as part of a
“hedging,” “conversion” or other integrated
transaction for federal income tax purposes, or holders of Shares
whose “functional currency” is not the U.S.
dollar. Furthermore, the discussion below is based upon
the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the "Code"), and regulations (“Treasury
Regulations”), rulings and judicial decisions thereunder as
of the date hereof, and such authorities may be repealed, revoked
or modified (possibly with retroactive effect) so as to result in
U.S. federal income tax consequences different from those discussed
below.
The Sponsor has received the
opinion of Vedder Price, P.C. (“Vedder Price”), counsel
to the Trust, that the material U.S. federal income tax
consequences to the Fund and to U.S. Shareholders and Non-U.S.
Shareholders (as defined below) will be as described in the
following paragraphs. In rendering its opinion,
VedderPrice has relied on the facts and assumptions
described in this prospectus as well as certain factual
representations made by the Trust and the Sponsor. This
opinion is not binding on the
Internal Revenue Service (the
"IRS")
.
No ruling has been
requested from the IRS with respect to any matter affecting the
Fund or prospective investors, and the IRS may disagree with the
tax positions taken by the Trust. If the IRS were to
challenge the Trust’s tax positions in litigation, they might
not be sustained by the courts.
As used herein, the term
“U.S. Shareholder” means a Shareholder that is, for
United States federal income tax purposes, (i) a citizen or
resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation or partnership
created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or
any political subdivision thereof, (iii) an estate the income of
which is subject to United States federal income taxation
regardless of its source or (iv) a trust that (X) is subject to the
supervision of a court within the United States and the control of
one or more United States persons as described in section
7701(a)(30) of the Code, or (Y) has a valid election in effect
under applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United
States person. A “Non-U.S. Shareholder” is a
holder that is not a U.S. Shareholder. If a partnership
holds our Shares, the tax treatment of a partner will generally
depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the
partnership. If you are a partner of a partnership holding our
Shares, you should consult your own tax advisor regarding the tax
consequences.
EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IS
ADVISED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL
INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN SHARES, AS WELL AS ANY
APPLICABLE STATE, LOCAL OR FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES, IN LIGHT OF
ITS PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.
Tax Classification of the Trust and the Fund
The Trust is organized and will be
operated as a statutory trust in accordance with the provisions of
the Trust Agreement and applicable Delaware
law. Notwithstanding the Trust’s status as a
statutory trust and the Fund’s status as a series of
the Trust, due to the nature of its activities the
Fund will be treated as a partnership rather than a trust for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. In addition, the trading of
Shares on the NYSE Arca will cause the Fund to be classified as a
“publicly traded partnership” for federal income tax
purposes. Under the Code, a publicly traded partnership
is generally taxable as a corporation. In the case of an
entity (such as the Fund) not registered under the Investment
Company Act of 1940 as amended, however, an exception
to this general rule applies if at least 90% of the entity’s
gross income is “qualifying income” for each taxable
year of its existence (the “qualifying income
exception”). For this purpose, qualifying income
is defined as including, in pertinent part, interest (other than
from a financial business), dividends, and gains from the sale or
disposition of capital assets held for the production of interest
or dividends. In the case of a partnership of which a
principal activity is the buying and selling of commodities other
than as inventory or of futures, forwards and options with respect
to commodities, “qualifying income” also includes
income and gains from commodities and from futures, forwards,
options, and swaps and other notional principal contracts with
respect to commodities. The Trust and the Sponsor have
represented the following to Vedder Price:
|
●
|
at least 90% of the Fund’s
gross income for each taxable year will constitute
“qualifying income” within the meaning of Code section
7704 (as described above);
|
|
●
|
the Fund is organized and will be
operated in accordance with its governing documents and
applicable law; and
|
|
●
|
the Fund has not elected, and will
not elect, to be classified as a corporation for U.S. federal
income tax purposes.
|
Based in part on these
representations, Vedder Price is of the opinion that the Fund will
be treated as a partnership that it is not taxable as a corporation
for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Fund’s
taxation as a partnership rather than a corporation will require
the Sponsor to conduct the Fund’s business activities in such
a manner that it satisfies the requirements of the qualifying
income exception on a continuing basis. No assurances
can be given that the Fund’s operations for any given year
will produce income that satisfies these
requirements. Vedder Price will not review the
Fund’s ongoing compliance with these requirements and will
have no obligation to advise the Trust, the Fund or the
Fund’s Shareholders in the event of any subsequent change in
the facts, representations or applicable law relied upon in
reaching its opinion.
If the Fund failed to satisfy the
qualifying income exception in any year, other than a failure that
is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent and that is cured within
a reasonable time after discovery (in which case, as a condition of
relief, the Fund could be required to pay the government amounts
determined by the IRS), the Fund would be taxable as a corporation
for federal income tax purposes and would pay federal income tax on
its income at regular corporate rates. In that event,
Shareholders would not report their share of the Fund’s
income or loss on their tax returns. Distributions by
the Fund (if any) would be treated as dividend income to the
Shareholders to the extent of the Fund’s current and
accumulated earnings and profits. Accordingly, if the
Fund were to be taxable as a corporation, it would likely have a
material adverse effect on the economic return from an investment
in the Fund and on the value of the Shares.
The remainder of this summary
assumes that the Fund is classified for federal income tax purposes
as a partnership that it is not taxable as a
corporation.
U.S. Shareholders
Tax Consequences of Ownership of Shares
Taxation of the Fund’s
Income
. No U.S. federal income tax is paid by the
Fund on its income. Instead, the Fund files annual
partnership returns, and each U.S. Shareholder is required to
report on its U.S. federal income tax return its allocable share of
the income, gain, loss, deductions and credits reflected on such
returns. If the Fund recognizes income in the form of
interest on cash equivalents and net capital gains from cash
settlement of Soybean Interests for a taxable year, Shareholders
must report their share of these items even though the Fund makes
no distributions of cash or property during the taxable
year. Consequently, a Shareholder may be taxable on
income or gain recognized by the Fund but receive no cash
distribution with which to pay the resulting tax liability, or may
receive a distribution that is insufficient to pay such
liability. Because the Sponsor currently does not intend
to make distributions, it is likely that a U.S. Shareholder that
realizes net income or gain with respect to Shares for a taxable
year will be required to pay any resulting tax from sources other
than Fund distributions. Additionally, individuals with
modified adjusted gross income in excess of $200,000
($250,000 in the case of married individuals filing jointly) and
certain estates and trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on
their “net investment income,” which generally includes
net income from interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, and
rents, and net capital gains (other than certain amounts earned
from trades or businesses). Also included as income subject to the
additional 3.8% tax is income from businesses involved in the
trading of financial instruments or
commodities.
Monthly Conventions for Allocations of the
Fund’s Profit and Loss and Capital
Account Restatements
. Under Code
section 704, the determination of a partner’s distributive
share of any item of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit is
governed by the applicable organizational document unless the
allocation provided by such document lacks “substantial
economic effect.” An allocation that lacks
substantial economic effect nonetheless will be respected if it is
in accordance with the partners’ interests in the
partnership, determined by taking into account all facts and
circumstances relating to the economic arrangements among the
partners. Subject to the possible exceptions
noted below concerning certain conventions to be used by the
Fund, allocations pursuant to the Trust Agreement should be
considered as having substantial economic effect or being in
accordance with Shareholders’ interests in the
Fund.
In situations where a
partner’s interest in a partnership is redeemed or sold
during a taxable year, the Code generally requires that partnership
tax items for the year be allocated to the partner using either an
interim closing of the books or a daily proration
method. The Fund intends to allocate tax items using an
interim closing of the books method under which income, gains,
losses and deductions will be determined on a monthly basis, taking
into account the Fund’s accrued income and deductions and
gains and losses (both realized and unrealized) for the
month. The tax items for each month during a taxable
year will then be allocated among the holders of Shares in
proportion to the number of Shares owned by them as of the close of
trading on the last trading day of the preceding month (the
“monthly allocation convention”).
Under the monthly allocation
convention, an investor who disposes of a Share during the current
month will be treated as disposing of the Share as of the end of
the last day of the calendar month. For example, an
investor who buys a Share on April 10 of a year and sells it on May
20 of the same year will be allocated all of the tax items
attributable to May (because it is deemed to hold the Share through
the last day of May) but none of those attributable to
April. The tax items attributable to that Share for
April will be allocated to the person who is the actual or deemed
holder of the Share as of the close of trading on the last trading
day of March. Under the monthly allocation convention,
an investor who purchases and sells a Share during the same month,
and therefore does not hold (and is not deemed to hold) the Share
at the close of the last trading day of either that month or the
previous month, will receive no allocations with respect to that
Share for any period. Accordingly, investors may receive
no allocations with respect to Shares that they actually held, or
may receive allocations with respect to Shares attributable to
periods that they did not actually hold the
Shares. Investors who hold a Share on the last trading
day of the first month of the Fund’s operation will be
allocated the tax items for that month, as well as the tax items
for the following month, attributable to the
Share.
By investing in Shares, a U.S.
Shareholder agrees that, in the absence of new legislation,
regulatory or administrative guidance, or judicial rulings to the
contrary, it will file its U.S. income tax returns in a manner that
is consistent with the monthly allocation convention as
described above and with the IRS Schedule K-1 or any successor form
provided to Shareholders by the Fund or the
Trust.
For any month in which a Creation
Basket is issued or a Redemption Basket is redeemed, the Fund will
credit or debit the “book” capital accounts of existing
Shareholders with the amount of any unrealized gain or loss,
respectively, on Fund assets. For this purpose,
unrealized gain or loss will be computed based on the lowest NAV of
the Fund’s assets during the month in which Shares are issued
or redeemed, which may be different than the value of the assets on
the date of an issuance or redemption. The capital
accounts as adjusted in this manner will be used in making tax
allocations intended to account for differences between the tax
basis and fair market value of property owned by the Fund at the
time new Shares are issued or outstanding Shares are redeemed
(so-called “reverse Code section 704(c)
allocations”). The intended effect of these
adjustments is to equitably allocate among Shareholders any
unrealized appreciation or depreciation in the Fund’s assets
existing at the time of a contribution or redemption for book and
tax purposes.
As noted above, the conventions
used by the Fund in making tax allocations may cause a Shareholder
to be allocated more or less income or loss for U.S. federal income
tax purposes than its proportionate share of the economic income or
loss realized by the Fund during the period it held its
Shares. This mismatch between taxable and economic
income or loss in some cases may be temporary, reversing itself in
a later year when the Shares are sold, but could be
permanent. For example, a Shareholder could be allocated
income accruing after it sold its Shares, resulting in an increase
in the basis of the Shares (see “
Tax Basis of Shares
”,
below). In connection with the disposition of the
Shares, the additional basis might produce a capital loss the
deduction of which may be limited (see “
Limitations on Deductibility of Losses and
Certain Expenses
”, below).
Section 754 election.
The
Fund intends to make the election permitted by section 754 of the
Code, which election is irrevocable without the consent of the
IRS. The effect of this election is that when a
secondary market sale of Shares occurs, the Fund adjusts the
purchaser’s proportionate share of the tax basis of the
Fund’s assets to fair market value, as reflected in the price
paid for the Shares, as if the purchaser had directly acquired an
interest in the Fund’s assets. The section 754
election is intended to eliminate disparities between a
partner’s basis in its partnership interest and its share of
the tax basis of the partnership’s assets, so that the
partner’s allocable share of taxable gain or loss on a
disposition of an asset will correspond to its share of the
appreciation or depreciation in the value of the asset since it
acquired its interest. Depending on the price paid for
Shares and the tax basis of the Fund’s assets at the time of
the purchase, the effect of the section 754 election on a purchaser
of Shares may be favorable or unfavorable. In order to
make the appropriate basis adjustments in a cost effective manner,
the Fund will use certain simplifying conventions and
assumptions. In particular, the Fund will obtain
information regarding secondary market transactions in its Shares
and use this information to make adjustments to the
Shareholders’ indirect basis in Fund assets. It is
possible the IRS could successfully assert that the conventions and
assumptions applied are improper and require different basis
adjustments to be made, which could adversely affect some
Shareholders.
Section
1256 Contracts
. Under the Code,
special rules apply to instruments constituting “section 1256
contracts.” A section 1256 contract is defined as
including, in relevant part: (1) a futures contract that is traded
on or subject to the rules of a national securities exchange which
is registered with the SEC, a domestic board of trade designated as
a contract market by the CFTC, or any other board of trade or
exchange designated by the Secretary of the Treasury, and with
respect to which the amount required to be deposited and the amount
that may be withdrawn depends on a system of “marking to
market”; and (2) a non-equity option traded on or subject to
the rules of a qualified board or exchange. Section 1256
contracts held at the end of each taxable year are treated as if
they were sold for their fair market value on the last business day
of the taxable year (
i.e.
,
are “marked to market”). In addition,
any gain or loss realized from a disposition, termination or
marking-to-market of a section 1256 contract is treated as
long-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 60% thereof, and as
short-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 40% thereof,
without regard to the actual holding period (“60-40
treatment”).
Many of the Fund’s Soybean
Futures Contracts will qualify as “section 1256
contracts” under the Code. Some Other Soybean
Interests that are cleared through a qualified board or exchange
will also constitute section 1256 contracts. Gain or
loss recognized as a result of the disposition, termination or
marking-to-market of the Fund’s section 1256 contracts during
a calendar month will be subject to 60-40 treatment and allocated
to Shareholders in accordance with the monthly allocation
convention. Commodity swaps will most likely not
qualify as section 1256 contracts. If a commodity swap
is not taxable as a section 1256 contract, any gain or loss on the
swap will be recognized at the time of disposition or termination
as long-term or short-term capital gain or loss depending on the
holding period of the swap in the Fund’s
hands.
Limitations on Deductibility of Losses and
Certain Expenses
. A number of different
provisions of the Code may defer or disallow the deduction of
losses or expenses allocated to Shareholders by the Fund, including
but not limited to those described below.
A Shareholder’s deduction of
its allocable share of any loss of the Fund is limited to the
lesser of (1) the tax basis in its Shares or (2) in the case of a
Shareholder that is an individual or a closely held corporation,
the amount which the Shareholder is considered to have “at
risk” with respect to the Fund’s
activities. In general, the amount at risk
initially will be a Shareholder’s invested
capital. Losses in excess of the amount at risk must be
deferred until years in which the Fund generates additional taxable
income against which to offset such carryover losses or until
additional capital is placed at risk.
Individuals and other
non-corporate taxpayers are permitted to deduct capital losses only
to the extent of their capital gains for the taxable year plus
$3,000 of other income. Unused capital losses can be
carried forward and used to offset capital gains in future
years. In addition, a non-corporate taxpayer may elect
to carry back net losses on section 1256 contracts to each of the
three preceding years and use them to offset section 1256 contract
gains in those years, subject to certain
limitations. Corporate taxpayers generally may deduct
capital losses only to the extent of capital gains, subject to
special carryback and carryforward rules.
The deductible for expenses
incurred by non-corporate taxpayers constituting
“miscellaneous itemized deductions,” generally
including investment-related expenses (other than interest and
certain other specified expenses), is suspended for taxable
years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2016.
During these taxable years, non-corporate taxpayers will not be
able to deduct miscellaneous itemized deductions. Provided the
suspension is extended, for taxable years ending on or after
January 1, 2026, miscellanous itemized deductions are
deductible only to the extent they exceed 2% of the
taxpayer’s adjusted gross income for the
year. Although the matter is not free from doubt, we
believe management fees the Fund pays to the Sponsor and other
expenses of the Fund constitute investment-related expenses subject
to this miscellaneous itemized deduction limitation, rather than
expenses incurred in connection with a trade or business, and will
report these expenses consistent with that interpretation.
For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, the
Code imposes additional limitations on the amount of certain
itemized deductions allowable to individuals with adjusted gross
income in excess of certain amounts by reducing the otherwise
allowable portion of such deductions by an amount equal to the
lesser of:
● 3% of the
individual’s adjusted gross income in excess of certain
threshold amounts; or
● 80% of the amount of
certain itemized deductions otherwise allowable for the taxable
year.
Non-corporate Shareholders
generally may deduct “investment interest expense” only
to the extent of their “net investment
income.” Investment interest expense of a
Shareholder will generally include any interest accrued by the Fund
and any interest paid or accrued on direct borrowings by a
Shareholder to purchase or carry its Shares, such as interest with
respect to a margin account. Net investment income
generally includes gross income from property held for investment
(including “portfolio income” under the passive loss
rules but not, absent an election, long-term capital gains or
certain qualifying dividend income) less deductible expenses other
than interest directly connected with the production of investment
income.
If
the Fund incurs indebtedness, the Fund’s ability to deduct
interest on its indebtedness allocable to its trade or business is
limited to an amount equal to the sum of (1) the Fund’s
business interest income during the year and (2) 30% of the
Fund’s adjusted taxable income for such taxable year. If the
Fund is not entitled to fully deduct its business interest in any
taxable year, such excess business interest expense will be
allocated to each Shareholder as excess business interest and can
be carried forward by the Shareholder to successive taxable years
and used to offset any excess taxable income allocated by the Fund
to such Shareholder. Any excess business interest expense allocated
to a Shareholder will reduce such Shareholder’s basis in its
Shares in the year of the allocation even if the expense does not
give rise to a deduction to the Shareholder in that year.
Immediately prior to a Shareholder’s disposition of its
Shares, the Shareholder’s basis will be increased by the
amount by which such basis reduction exceeds the excess interest
expense that has been deducted by such
Shareholder.
To the extent that the Fund
allocates losses or expenses to you that must be deferred or are
disallowed as a result of these or other limitations in the Code,
you may be taxed on income in excess of your economic income or
distributions (if any) on your Shares. As one example,
you could be allocated and required to pay tax on your share of
interest income accrued by the Fund for a particular taxable year,
and in the same year allocated a share of a capital loss that you
cannot deduct currently because you have insufficient capital gains
against which to offset the loss. As another example,
you could be allocated and required to pay tax on your share of
interest income and capital gain for a year, but be unable to
deduct some or all of your share of management fees and/or margin
account interest incurred by you with respect to your
Shares. Shareholders are urged to consult their own
professional tax advisor regarding the effect of limitations under
the Code on their ability to deduct your allocable share of the
Fund’s losses and expenses.
Tax Basis of Shares
A Shareholder’s tax basis in
its Shares is important in determining (1) the amount of taxable
gain or loss it will realize on the sale or other disposition of
its Shares, (2) the amount of non-taxable distributions that it may
receive from the Fund, and (3) its ability to utilize its
distributive share of any losses of the Fund on its tax
return. A Shareholder’s initial tax basis of its
Shares will equal its cost for the Shares plus its share of the
Fund’s liabilities (if any) at the time of
purchase. In general, a Shareholder’s
“share” of those liabilities will equal the sum of (i)
the entire amount of any otherwise nonrecourse liability of the
Fund as to which the Shareholder or an affiliate of the Shareholder
is the creditor (a “partner nonrecourse liability”) and
(ii) a pro rata share of any nonrecourse liabilities of the Fund
that are not partner nonrecourse liabilities as to any
Shareholder.
A Shareholder’s tax basis in
its Shares generally will be (1) increased by (a) its allocable
share of the Fund’s taxable income and gain and (b) any
additional contributions by the Shareholder to the Fund and (2)
decreased (but not below zero) by (a) its allocable share of the
Fund’s tax deductions and losses and (b) any distributions by
the Fund to the Shareholder. For this purpose, an
increase in a Shareholder’s share of the Fund’s
liabilities will be treated as a contribution of cash by the
Shareholder to the Fund and a decrease in that share will be
treated as a distribution of cash by the Fund to the
Shareholder. Pursuant to certain IRS rulings, a
Shareholder will be required to maintain a single,
“unified” basis in all Shares that it
owns. As a result, when a Shareholder that acquired its
Shares at different prices sells less than all of its Shares, such
Shareholder will not be entitled to specify particular Shares
(
e.g.
, those with a higher
basis) as having been sold. Rather, it must determine
its gain or loss on the sale by using an “equitable
apportionment” method to allocate a portion of its unified
basis in its Shares to the Shares sold.
Treatment of Fund
Distributions
. If the Fund makes non-liquidating
distributions to Shareholders, such distributions generally will
not be taxable to the Shareholders for federal income tax purposes
except to the extent that the sum of (i) the amount of cash and
(ii) the fair market value (subject to certain exceptions and
adjustments) of marketable securities distributed exceeds the
Shareholder’s adjusted basis of its interest in the Fund
immediately before the distribution. Any cash
distributions and such fair market value of the marketable
securitities distributed that are in excess of a
Shareholder’s tax basis generally will be treated as gain
from the sale or exchange of Shares.
Tax Consequences of
Disposition of Share
s
If a Shareholder sells its Shares,
it will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the
amount realized and its adjusted tax basis for the Shares
sold. A Shareholder’s amount realized will be the
sum of the cash or the fair market value of other property received
plus its share of the Fund's
liabilities.
Gain or loss recognized by a
Shareholder on the sale or exchange of Shares held for more than
one year will generally be taxable as long-term capital gain or
loss; otherwise, such gain or loss will generally be taxable as
short-term capital gain or loss. A special election is
available under the Treasury Regulations that allows Shareholders
to identify and use the actual holding periods for the Shares sold
for purposes of determining whether the gain or loss recognized on
a sale of Shares will give rise to long-term or short-term capital
gain or loss. It is expected that most Shareholders will
be eligible to elect, and generally will elect, to identify and use
the actual holding period for Shares sold. If a
Shareholder fails to make the election or is not able to identify
the holding periods of the Shares sold, the Shareholder will have a
split holding period in the Shares sold. Under such
circumstances, a Shareholder will be required to determine its
holding period in the Shares sold by first determining the portion
of its entire interest in the Fund that would give rise to
long-term capital gain or loss if its entire interest were sold and
the portion that would give rise to short-term capital gain or loss
if the entire interest were sold. The Shareholder would
then treat each Share sold as giving rise to long-term capital gain
or loss and short-term capital gain or loss in the same proportions
as if it had sold its entire interest in the
Fund.
Under Section 751 of the Code, a
portion of a Shareholder’s gain or loss from the sale of
Shares (regardless of the holding period for such Shares), will be
separately computed and taxed as ordinary income or loss to the
extent attributable to “unrealized receivables” or
“inventory” owned by the Fund. The term
“unrealized receivables” includes, among other things,
market discount bonds and short-term debt instruments to the extent
such items would give rise to ordinary income if sold by the Fund.
However, the short term capital gain on section 1256 contracts
resulting from 60-40 treatment, described above, should not be
subject to this rule.
If some or all of a
Shareholder’s Shares are lent by its broker or other agent to
a third party — for example, for use by the third
party in covering a short sale — the Shareholder
may be considered as having made a taxable disposition of the
loaned Shares, in which case —
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●
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the Shareholder may recognize
taxable gain or loss to the same extent as if it had sold the
Shares for cash;
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●
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any of the income, gain, loss or
deduction allocable to those Shares during the period of the loan
is not reportable by the Shareholder for tax purposes;
and
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●
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any distributions the Shareholder
receives with respect to the Shares under the loan agreement will
be fully taxable to the Shareholder, most likely as ordinary
income.
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Shareholders desiring to avoid
these and other possible consequences of a deemed disposition of
their Shares should consider modifying any applicable brokerage
account agreements to prohibit the lending of their
Shares.
Other Tax Matters
Information
Reporting. The Fund provides tax information to the
Shareholders and to the IRS, as needed. Shareholders of
the Fund are treated as partners for federal income tax
purposes. Accordingly, the Fund will furnish
Shareholders each year, with tax information on IRS Schedule K-1
(Form 1065), which will be used by the Shareholders in completing
their tax returns. The IRS has ruled that assignees of
partnership interests who have not been admitted to a partnership
as partners but who have the capacity to exercise substantial
dominion and control over the assigned partnership interests will
be considered partners for federal income tax
purposes. On the basis of this ruling, except as
otherwise provided herein, we will treat as a Shareholder any
person whose shares are held on their behalf by a broker or other
nominee if that person has the right to direct the nominee in the
exercise of all substantive rights attendant to the ownership of
the Shares.
Persons who hold an interest in
the Fund as a nominee for another person are required to furnish to
us the following information: (1) the name, address and taxpayer
identification number of the beneficial owner and the nominee; (2)
whether the beneficial owner is (a) a person that is not a U.S.
person, (b) a foreign government, an international organization or
any wholly-owned agency or instrumentality of either of the
foregoing, or (c) a tax-exempt entity; (3) the number and a
description of Shares acquired or transferred for the beneficial
owner; and (4) certain information including the dates of
acquisitions and transfers, means of acquisitions and transfers,
and acquisition cost for purchases, as well as the amount of net
proceeds from sales. Brokers and financial institutions
are required to furnish additional information, including whether
they are U.S. persons and certain information on Shares they
acquire, hold or transfer for their own account. A
penalty of $250 per failure (as adjusted for
inflation), up to a maximum of $1,300,000 per
calendar year (as adjusted for inflation), is imposed by the Code
for failure to report such information correctly to the
Fund. If the failure to furnish such information
correctly is determined to be willful, the per failure penalty
increases to $500 (as adjusted for inflation) or, if
greater, 10% of the aggregate amount of items required to be
reported, and the $1,300,000 maximum does not apply.
The nominee is required to supply the beneficial owner of the
Shares with the information furnished to the
Fund.
Partnership Audit
Procedures. The IRS may audit the federal income tax
returns filed by the Fund. Adjustments resulting from
any such audit may require a Shareholder to adjust a prior
year’s tax liability and could result in an audit of the
Shareholder’s own return. Any audit of a
Shareholder’s return could result in adjustments of
non-partnership items as well as Fund
items. Partnerships are generally treated as separate
entities for purposes of federal tax audits, judicial review of
administrative adjustments by the IRS, and tax settlement
proceedings. The tax treatment of partnership items of
income, gain, loss and deduction are determined at the partnership
level in a unified partnership proceeding rather than in separate
proceedings with the partners. The Code provides for one
partner to be designated as the “tax matters partner”
and to represent the partnership for purposes of these
proceedings. The Trust Agreement appoints the Sponsor as
the tax matters partner of the Fund.
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015
adopted a new partnership-level audit and assessment
procedure for all entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal
income tax purposes. These new rules generally apply to partnership
taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. Under these rules,
tax deficiencies (including interest and penalties) that arise from
an adjustment to partnership items generally would be assessed and
collected from the partnership (rather than from the partners), and
generally would be calculated using maximum applicable tax rates
(although such partnership level tax may be reduced or eliminated
under limited circumstances). A narrow category of partnerships
(generally, partnerships having no more than 100 partners that
consist exclusively of individuals, C corporations, S corporations
and estates) are permitted to elect out of the new
partnership-level audit rules. As an alternative to
partnership-level tax liability, a partnership may elect to furnish
adjusted Schedule K-1s to the IRS and to each person who was a
partner in the audit year, stating such partner’s share of
any partnership adjustments, and each such partner would then take
the adjustments into account on its tax returns in the year in
which it receives its adjusted Schedule K-1 (rather than by
amending their tax returns for the audited year). If the Fund were
subject to a partnership level tax as a result of these new rules,
the economic return of all Shareholders (including
Shareholders that did not own Shares in the Fund during the taxable
year to which the audit relates) may be
affected.
To address these new rules, the
Sponsor amended the Trust Agreement so that if the
Fund becomes subject to any tax as a result of any adjustment to
taxable income, gain, loss, deduction or credit for any taxable
year of the Fund (pursuant to a tax audit or otherwise), such
Shareholder (and each former Shareholder) is obligated to indemnify
the Fund and the Sponsor against any such taxes (including any
interest and penalties) to the extent such tax (or portion thereof)
is properly attributable to such Shareholder (or former
Shareholder). In addition, the Sponsor, on behalf of the Fund, will
be authorized to take any action permitted under applicable law to
avoid the assessment of any such taxes against the Fund (including
an election to issue adjusted Schedule K-1s to the Shareholders
(and/or former Shareholders) which takes such adjustments to
taxable income, gain, loss, deduction or credit into
account.
Reportable Transaction
Rules. In certain circumstances the Code and Treasury
Regulations require that the IRS be notified of transactions
through a disclosure statement attached to a taxpayer’s
United States federal income tax return. These
disclosure rules may apply to transactions irrespective of whether
they are structured to achieve particular tax
benefits. They could require disclosure by the Trust or
Shareholders if a Shareholder incurs a loss in excess of a
specified threshold from a sale or redemption of its Shares and
possibly in other circumstances. While these rules
generally do not require disclosure of a loss recognized on the
disposition of an asset in which the taxpayer has a
“qualifying basis” (generally a basis equal to the
amount of cash paid by the taxpayer for such asset), they apply to
a loss recognized with respect to interests in a pass-through
entity, such as the Shares, even if the taxpayer’s basis in
such interests is equal to the amount of cash it
paid. In addition, significant monetary penalties may be
imposed in connection with a failure to comply with these reporting
requirements. Investors should consult their own tax
advisor concerning the application of these reporting requirements
to their specific situation.
Tax-Exempt
Organizations. Subject to numerous exceptions, qualified
retirement plans and individual retirement accounts, charitable
organizations and certain other organizations that otherwise are
exempt from U.S. federal income tax (collectively, “exempt
organizations”) nonetheless are subject to the tax on
unrelated business taxable income
(“UBTI”). Generally, UBTI means the gross
income derived by an exempt organization from a trade or business
that it regularly carries on, the conduct of which is not
substantially related to the exercise or performance of its exempt
purpose or function, less allowable deductions directly connected
with that trade or business. If the Fund were to
regularly carry on (directly or indirectly) a trade or business
that is unrelated with respect to an exempt organization
Shareholder, then in computing its UBTI, the Shareholder must
include its share of (1) the Fund’s gross income from the
unrelated trade or business, whether or not distributed, and (2)
the Fund’s allowable deductions directly connected with that
gross income.
UBTI generally does not include
dividends, interest, or payments with respect to securities loans
and gains from the sale of property (other than property held for
sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or
business). Nonetheless, income on, and gain from the
disposition of, “debt-financed property” is
UBTI. Debt-financed property generally is
income-producing property (including securities), the use of which
is not substantially related to the exempt organization’s
tax-exempt purposes, and with respect to which there is
“acquisition indebtedness” at any time during the
taxable year (or, if the property was disposed of during the
taxable year, the 12-month period ending with the
disposition). Acquisition indebtedness includes debt
incurred to acquire property, debt incurred before the acquisition
of property if the debt would not have been incurred but for the
acquisition, and debt incurred subsequent to the acquisition of
property if the debt would not have been incurred but for the
acquisition and at the time of acquisition the incurrence of debt
was foreseeable. The portion of the income from
debt-financed property attributable to acquisition indebtedness is
equal to the ratio of the average outstanding principal amount of
acquisition indebtedness over the average adjusted basis of the
property for the year. The Fund currently does not
anticipate that it will borrow money to acquire investments;
however, the Fund cannot be certain that it will not borrow for
such purpose in the future. In addition, an exempt
organization Shareholder that incurs acquisition indebtedness to
purchase its Shares in the Fund may have UBTI.
The federal tax rate applicable to
an exempt organization Shareholder on its UBTI generally will be
either the corporate or trust tax rate, depending upon the
Shareholder’s form of organization. The Fund may
report to each such Shareholder information as to the portion, if
any, of the Shareholder’s income and gains from the Fund for
any year that will be treated as UBTI; the calculation of that
amount is complex, and there can be no assurance that the
Fund’s calculation of UBTI will be accepted by the
IRS. An exempt organization Shareholder will be required
to make payments of estimated federal income tax with respect to
its UBTI.
Regulated Investment
Companies. Interests in and income from “qualified
publicly traded partnerships” satisfying certain gross income
tests are treated as qualifying assets and income, respectively,
for purposes of determining eligibility for regulated investment
company (“RIC”) status. A RIC may invest up
to 25% of its assets in interests in qualified publicly traded
partnerships. The determination of whether
a publicly traded partnership such as the Fund is a qualified
publicly traded partnership is made on an annual
basis. The Fund expects to be a qualified publicly
traded partnership in each of its taxable
years. However, such qualification is not
assured.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
Generally, non-U.S. persons who
derive U.S. source income or gain from investing or engaging in a
U.S. business are taxable on two categories of
income. The first category consists of amounts that are
fixed or determinable, annual or periodic income, such as interest,
dividends and rent that are not connected with the operation of a
U.S. trade or business (“FDAP”). The second
category is income that is effectively connected with the conduct
of a U.S. trade or business (“ECI”). FDAP
income (other than interest that is considered “portfolio
interest;” as discussed below) is generally subject to a 30%
withholding tax, which may be reduced for certain categories of
income by a treaty between the U.S. and the recipient’s
country of residence. In contrast, ECI is generally
subject to U.S. tax on a net basis at graduated rates upon the
filing of a U.S. tax return. Where a non-U.S. person has
ECI as a result of an investment in a partnership, the ECI is
currently subject to a withholding tax at a rate of
37% for individual Shareholders and a rate of
21% for corporate Shareholders. The tax
withholding on ECI, which is the highest tax rate under Code
section 1 for non-corporate Non-U.S. Shareholders and Code section
11(b) for corporate Non-U.S. Shareholders, may increase in future
tax years if tax rates increase from their current
levels.
Withholding on Allocations and
Distributions. The Code provides that a non-U.S. person
who is a partner in a partnership that is engaged in a U.S. trade
or business during a taxable year will also be considered to be
engaged in a U.S. trade or business during that
year. Classifying an activity by a partnership as an
investment or an operating business is a factual
determination. Under certain safe harbors in the Code,
an investment fund whose activities consist of trading in stocks,
securities, or commodities for its own account generally will not
be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business unless it
is a dealer is such stocks, securities, or
commodities. This safe harbor applies to investments in
commodities only if the commodities are of a kind customarily dealt
in on an organized commodity exchange and if the transaction is of
a kind customarily consummated at such place. Although
the matter is not free from doubt, the Fund believes that the
activities directly conducted by the Fund do not result in the Fund
being engaged in a trade or business within in the United
States. However, there can be no assurance that the IRS
would not successfully assert that the Fund’s activities
constitute a U.S. trade or business.
In the event that the
Fund’s activities were considered to constitute a U.S. trade
or business, the Fund would be required to withhold at the highest
rate specified in Code section 1 (currently 37%) on
allocations of our income to non-corporate Non-U.S. Shareholders
and the highest rate specified in Code section 11(b) (currently
21%) on allocations of our income to corporate
Non-U.S. Shareholders, when such income is distributed.
Non-U.S. Shareholders would also be subject to a 10%
withholding tax upon a sale or exchange of such Non U.S.
Shareholder’s Shares, although the IRS has temporarily
suspended this withholding for interests in publicly traded
partnerships until regulations implementing such withholding are
issued. A Non-U.S. Shareholder with ECI will generally be
required to file a U.S. federal income tax return, and the return
will provide the Non-U.S. Shareholder with the mechanism to seek a
refund of any withholding in excess of such Shareholder’s
actual U.S. federal income tax liability. Any amount
withheld by the Fund will be treated as a distribution to the
Non-U.S. Shareholder to the extent possible. In some
cases, the Fund may not be able to match the economic cost of
satisfying its withholding obligations to a particular Non-U.S.
Shareholder, which may result in said cost being borne by the Fund,
generally, and accordingly, by all
Shareholders.
If the Fund is not treated as
engaged in a U.S. trade or business, a Non-U.S. Shareholder may
nevertheless be treated as having FDAP income, which would be
subject to a 30% withholding tax (possibly subject to reduction by
treaty), with respect to some or all of its distributions from the
Fund or its allocable share of Fund income. Amounts
withheld on behalf of a Non-U.S. Shareholder will be treated as
being distributed to such Shareholder.
To the extent any interest income
allocated to a Non-U.S. Shareholder that otherwise constitutes FDAP
is considered “portfolio interest,” neither the
allocation of such interest income to the non-U.S. Shareholder nor
a subsequent distribution of such interest income to the non-U.S.
Shareholder will be subject to withholding, provided that the
Non-U.S. Shareholder is not otherwise engaged in a trade or
business in the U.S. and provides the Fund with a timely and
properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable
form. In general, portfolio interest is interest paid on
debt obligations issued in registered form, unless the recipient
owns 10% or more of the voting power of the issuer. A
Non-U.S. Shareholder’s allocable share of interest on U.S.
bank deposits, certificates of deposit and discount obligations
with maturities from original issue of 183 days or less should
qualify as portfolio interest. Generally, other interest from U.S.
sources paid to the Fund and allocable to Non-U.S. Shareholders
will be subject to withholding.
The Trust expects that most of
the Fund’s interest income will qualify as portfolio
interest. In order for the Fund to avoid withholding on
any interest income allocable to Non-U.S. Shareholders that would
qualify as portfolio interest, it will be necessary for all
Non-U.S. Shareholders to provide the Fund with a timely and
properly completed and executed Form W-8BEN (or other applicable
form).
Gain from Sale of
Shares. Gain from the sale or exchange of Shares may be
taxable to a Non-U.S. Shareholder if the Non-U.S. Shareholder is a
nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for 183
days or more during the taxable year. In such case, the
nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% withholding
tax on the amount of such individual’s
gain.
Branch Profits Tax on
Corporate Non-U.S. Shareholders. In addition to the taxes noted
above, any Non-U.S. Shareholders that are corporations may also be
subject to an additional tax, the branch profits tax, at a rate of
30%. The branch profits tax is imposed on a non-U.S.
corporation’s dividend equivalent amount, which generally
consists of the corporation’s after-tax earnings and profits
that are effectively connected with the corporation’s U.S.
trade or business but are not reinvested in a U.S. business. This
tax may be reduced or eliminated by an income tax treaty between
the United States and the country in which the Non-U.S. Shareholder
is a “qualified
resident.”
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.
Legislation commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax
Compliance Act or "FACTA", generally imposes a 30% U.S.
withholding tax on payments of certain types of income to foreign
financial institutions that fail to enter into an agreement with
the United States Treasury to report certain required information
with respect to accounts held by U.S. persons (or held by foreign
entities that have U.S. persons as substantial owners). The types
of income subject to the withholding tax include
U.S.-source interest and dividends and the gross proceeds from the
sale of any property that could produce U.S.-source interest or
dividends. The information required to be reported includes the
identity and taxpayer identification number of each account holder
that is a U.S. person and transaction activity within the
holder’s account. In addition, subject to certain exceptions,
this legislation also imposes a 30% U.S. withholding tax on
payments to foreign entities that are not financial institutions
unless the foreign entity certifies that it does not have a greater
than 10% U.S. owner or provides the withholding agent with
identifying information on each greater than 10% U.S. owner.
Depending on the status of a Non-U.S. Shareholder and
the status of the intermediaries through which it holds Shares, a
Non-U.S. Shareholder could be subject to this 30% U.S. withholding
tax with respect to distributions on its Shares and proceeds from
the sale of its Shares. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S.
Shareholder may be eligible for a refund or credit of such
taxes.
Prospective Non-U.S. Shareholders
should consult their own tax advisor regarding these and other tax
issues unique to Non-U.S. Shareholders.
Backup Withholding
The Fund may be required to
withhold U.S. federal income tax (“backup withholding”)
from payments to: (1) any Shareholder who fails to furnish the Fund
with his, her or its correct taxpayer identification number or a
certificate that the Shareholder is exempt from backup withholding,
and (2) any Shareholder with respect to whom the IRS notifies the
Fund that the Shareholder is subject to backup
withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax
and may be returned or credited against a taxpayer’s regular
federal income tax liability if appropriate information is provided
to the IRS. The backup withholding rate is the fourth
lowest rate applicable to individuals under Code section
1(c)(currently 24%), and may increase in future tax
years.
Other Tax Considerations
In addition to federal income
taxes, Shareholders may be subject to other taxes, such as state
and local income taxes, unincorporated business taxes, business
franchise taxes, and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that
may be imposed by the various jurisdictions in which the Fund does
business or owns property or where the Shareholders
reside. Although an analysis of those various taxes is
not presented here, each prospective Shareholder should consider
their potential impact on its investment in the Fund. It
is each Shareholder’s responsibility to file the appropriate
U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign tax
returns. Vedder Price has not provided an
opinion concerning any aspects of state, local or foreign tax or
U.S. federal tax other than those U.S. federal income tax issues
discussed herein.
I
nvestment By ERISA Accounts
General
Most employee benefit plans and
individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) are subject to
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
(“ERISA”), or the Code, or both. This
section discusses certain considerations that arise under ERISA and
the Code that a fiduciary of: (i) an employee benefit plan as
defined in ERISA; (ii) a plan as defined in Section 4975 of the
Code; or (iii) any collective investment vehicle, business trust,
investment partnership, pooled separate account or other entity the
assets of which are treated as comprised (at least in part) of
“plan assets” under the ERISA “plan assets”
rules (“plan asset entity”) who has investment
discretion should take into account before deciding to invest the
plan’s assets in the Fund. Employee benefit plans
under ERISA, plans under the Code and plan asset entities are
collectively referred to below as “plans,” and
fiduciaries with investment discretion are referred to below as
“plan fiduciaries.”
This summary is based on the
provisions of ERISA and the Code as of the date
hereof. This summary is not intended to be complete, but
only to address certain questions under ERISA and the Code likely
to be raised by your advisors. The summary does not
include state or local law.
Potential plan
investors are urged to consult with their own professional advisors
concerning the appropriateness of an investment in the Fund and the
manner in which Shares should be purchased.
Special Investment Considerations
Each plan fiduciary must consider
the facts and circumstances that are relevant to an investment in
the Fund, including the role that an investment in the Fund would
play in the plan’s overall investment
portfolio. Each plan fiduciary, before deciding to
invest in the Fund, must be satisfied that the investment is
prudent for the plan, that the investments of the plan are
diversified so as to minimize the risk of large losses, and that an
investment in the Fund complies with the terms of the plan.
The
Sponsor is not undertaking to provide investment advice, or to give
advice in a fiduciary capacity, in connection with a plan’s
investment in the
Fund.
The Fund and Plan Assets
A regulation issued under ERISA
contains rules for determining when an investment by a plan in an
equity interest of a statutory trust will result in the underlying
assets of the statutory trust being deemed plan assets for purposes
of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code. Those rules
provide that assets of a statutory trust will not be plan assets of
a plan that purchases an equity interest in the statutory trust if
the equity interest purchased is a publicly-offered
security. If the underlying assets of a statutory trust
are considered to be assets of any plan for purposes of ERISA or
Section 4975 of the Code, the operations of that trust would be
subject to and, in some cases, limited by the provisions of ERISA
and Section 4975 of the Code.
The publicly-offered security
exception described above applies if the equity interest is a
security that is:
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(1)
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freely transferable (determined
based on the relevant facts and circumstances);
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(2)
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part of a class of securities that
is widely held (meaning that the class of securities is owned by
100 or more investors independent of the issuer and of each other);
and
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(3)
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either (a) part of a class of
securities registered under Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange
Act or (b) sold to the plan as part of a public offering pursuant
to an effective registration statement under the 1933 Act and the
class of which such security is a part is registered under the
Exchange Act within 120 days (or such later time as may be allowed
by the SEC) after the end of the fiscal year of the issuer in which
the offering of such security occurred.
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The plan asset regulations under
ERISA state that the determination of whether a security is freely
transferable is to be made based on all the relevant facts and
circumstances. In the case of a security that is part of
an offering in which the minimum investment is $10,000 or less, the
following requirements, alone or in combination, ordinarily will
not affect a finding that the security is freely transferable: (1)
a requirement that no transfer or assignment of the security or
rights relating to the security be made that would violate any
federal or state law; and (2) a requirement that no transfer or
assignment be made without advance written notice given to the
entity that issued the security.
The Sponsor believes that the
conditions described above are satisfied with respect to the
Shares. The Sponsor believes that the Shares therefore
constitute publicly-offered securities, and the underlying assets
of the Fund should not be considered to constitute plan assets of
any plan that purchases Shares.
Prohibited Transactions
ERISA and the Code generally
prohibit certain transactions involving a plan and persons who have
certain specified relationships to the plan. In general,
Shares may not be purchased with the assets of a plan if the
Sponsor, the clearing brokers, the trading advisors (if any), or
any of their affiliates, agents or employees
either:
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exercise any discretionary
authority or discretionary control with respect to management of
the plan;
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exercise any authority or control
with respect to management or disposition of the assets of the
plan;
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render investment advice for a fee
or other compensation, direct or indirect, with respect to any
moneys or other property of the plan;
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have any authority or
responsibility to render investment advice with respect to any
monies or other property of the plan; or
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have any discretionary authority
or discretionary responsibility in the administration of the
plan.
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Also, a prohibited transaction may
occur under ERISA or the Code when circumstances indicate that (1)
the investment in Shares is made or retained for the purpose of
avoiding application of the fiduciary standards of ERISA, (2) the
investment in Shares constitutes an arrangement under which the
Fund is expected to engage in transactions that would otherwise be
prohibited if entered into directly by the plan purchasing the
Shares, (3) the investing plan, by itself, has the authority or
influence to cause the Fund to engage in such transactions, or (4)
a person who is prohibited from transacting with the investing plan
may, but only with the aid of certain of its affiliates and the
investing plan, cause the Fund to engage in such transactions with
such person.
Special IRA Rules
IRAs are not subject to
ERISA’s fiduciary standards, but are subject to their own
rules, including the prohibited transaction rules of Section 4975
of the Code, which generally mirror ERISA’s prohibited
transaction rules. For example, IRAs are subject to
special custody rules and must maintain a qualifying IRA custodial
arrangement separate and distinct from the Fund and its custodial
arrangement. If a separate qualifying custodial
arrangement is not maintained, an investment in the Shares will be
treated as a distribution from the IRA. Second, IRAs are
prohibited from investing in certain commingled investments, and
the Sponsor makes no representation regarding whether an investment
in Shares is an inappropriate commingled investment for an
IRA. Third, in applying the prohibited transaction
provisions of Section 4975 of the Code, in addition to the rules
summarized above, the individual for whose benefit the IRA is
maintained is also treated as the creator of the
IRA. For example, if the owner or beneficiary of an IRA
enters into any transaction, arrangement, or agreement involving
the assets of his or her IRA to benefit the IRA owner or
beneficiary (or his or her relatives or business affiliates)
personally, or with the understanding that such benefit will occur,
directly or indirectly, such transaction could give rise to a
prohibited transaction that is not exempted by any available
exemption. Moreover, in the case of an IRA, the
consequences of a non-exempt prohibited transaction are that the
IRA’s assets will be treated as if they were distributed,
causing immediate taxation of the assets (including any early
distribution penalty tax applicable under Section 72 of the Code),
in addition to any other fines or penalties that may
apply.
Exempt Plans
Certain employee benefit plans may
be governmental plans or church plans. Governmental
plans and church plans are generally not subject to ERISA, nor do
the prohibited transaction provisions described above apply to
them. These plans are, however, subject to prohibitions
against certain related-party transactions under Section 503 of the
Code, which are similar to the prohibited transaction rules
described above. In addition, the fiduciary of any
governmental or church plan must consider any applicable state or
local laws and any restrictions and duties of common law imposed
upon the plan.
No view is expressed as to whether
an investment in the Fund (and any continued investment in the
Fund), or the operation and administration of the fund, is
appropriate or permissible for any governmental plan or church plan
under Code Section 503, or under any state, county, local or other
law relating to that type of plan.
Allowing an
investment in the Fund is not to be construed as a representation
by the Trust, the Fund, the Sponsor, any trading advisor, any
clearing broker, the Distributor or legal counsel or other advisors
to such parties or any other party that this investment meets some
or all of the relevant legal requirements with respect to
investments by any particular plan or that this investment is
appropriate for any such particular plan. The person
with investment discretion should consult with the plan’s
attorney and financial advisors as to the propriety of an
investment in the Fund in light of the circumstances of the
particular plan, current tax law and ERISA.
I
NCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF CERTAIN
INFORMATION
We are a reporting company and
file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information
with the SEC. The rules of the SEC allow us to “incorporate
by reference” information that we file with them, which means
that we can disclose important information to you by referring you
to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an
important part of this prospectus. This prospectus incorporates by
reference the documents set forth below that have been previously
filed with the SEC and any other future filing that we make with
the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (in each case other than those documents or
portions of those documents not deemed to have been filed in
accordance with SEC rules) between the date of this prospectus and
the termination of the offering of the securities to be issued
under the registration statement:
●
our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2017, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2018.
Any statement contained in a
document incorporated by reference in this prospectus shall be
deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus
to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or in
any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to
be incorporated by reference in this prospectus modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded
shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to
constitute a part of this prospectus.
We will provide to each person to
whom a prospectus is delivered, including any beneficial owner, a
copy of any document incorporated by reference in the prospectus
(excluding any exhibits to those documents unless the exhibit is
specifically incorporated by reference in that document) at no
cost, upon written or oral request at the following address or
telephone number:
Teucrium Soybean
Fund
Attention: Barbara
Riker
115 Christina Landing Drive Unit
2004
Wilmington, DE
19801
(302) 543-5977
Our Internet website is
www.teucriumsoybfund.com. We make our electronic filings with the
SEC, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports
on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these
reports available on our website free of charge as soon as
practicable after we file or furnish them with the SEC. The
information contained on our website is not incorporated by
reference in this prospectus and should not be considered a part of
this prospectus.
I
NFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
This prospectus contains
information you should consider when making an investment decision
about the Shares. You should rely only on the
information contained in this prospectus or any applicable
prospectus supplement. None of the Trust, the Fund or
the Sponsor has authorized any person to provide you with different
information and, if anyone provides you with different or
inconsistent information, you should not rely on
it. This prospectus is not an offer to sell the Shares
in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of the Shares is not
permitted.
The information contained in this
prospectus was obtained from us and other sources believed by us to
be reliable.
You should disregard anything we
said in an earlier document that is inconsistent with what is
included in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus
supplement. Where the context requires, when we refer to
this “prospectus,” we are referring to this prospectus
and (if applicable) the relevant prospectus
supplement.
You should not assume that the
information in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus
supplement is current as of any date other than the date on the
front page of this prospectus or the date on the front page of any
applicable prospectus supplement.
We include cross references in
this prospectus to captions in these materials where you can find
further related discussions. The table of contents tells
you where to find these captions.
W
HERE YOU CAN FIND MORE
INFORMATION
The Trust has filed on behalf of
the Fund a registration statement 1 with the SEC under the 1933
Act. This prospectus does not contain all of the
information set forth in the registration statement (including the
exhibits to the registration statement), parts of which have been
omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the
SEC. For further information about the Trust, the Fund
or the Shares, please refer to the registration statement, which
you may inspect, without charge, at the public reference facilities
of the SEC at the below address or online at www.sec.gov, or obtain
at prescribed rates from the public reference facilities of the SEC
at the below address. Information about the Trust, the
Fund and the Shares can also be obtained from the Fund’s
website, which is
www.teucriumsoybfund.com
. The
Fund’s website address is only provided here as a convenience
to you and the information contained on or connected to the website
is not part of this prospectus or the registration statement of
which this prospectus is part. The Trust is subject to
the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and will file
certain reports and other information with the SEC under the
Exchange Act. The Sponsor will file an updated
prospectus annually for the Fund pursuant to the 1933
Act. The reports and other information can be inspected
at the public reference facilities of the SEC located at 100 F
Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549 and online at
www.sec.gov
,
which is the Internet site maintained by the SEC that contains
reports, proxy and information statements and other information
regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. You may
also obtain copies of such material from the public reference
facilities of the SEC at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549,
at prescribed rates. You may obtain more information concerning the
operation of the public reference facilities of the SEC by calling
the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 or visiting online at
www.sec.gov
.
Glossary of
Defined Terms
In this prospectus, each of the
following terms have the meanings set forth after such
term:
Administrator:
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services,
LLC
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Authorized Purchaser:
One that purchases or redeems Creation
Baskets or Redemption Baskets, respectively, from or to the
Fund.
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Benchmark
: A weighted average of the closing
settlement prices for three Soybean Futures Contracts that are
traded on the CBOT: (1) the second-to-expire Soybean Futures
Contract, weighted 35%, (2) the third-to-expire Soybean Futures
Contract, weighted 30%, and (3) the Soybean Futures Contract
expiring in the November following the expiration month of the
third-to-expire contract, weighted 35%, except that the Benchmark
will never include Soybean Futures Contracts expiring in August or
September.
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Benchmark Component Futures
Contracts:
The three Soybean
Futures Contracts that at any given time make up the
Benchmark.
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Business Day:
Any day other than a day when any of
the NYSE Arca, the CBOT or the New York Stock Exchange is closed
for regular trading.
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CFTC:
Commodity Futures Trading Commission, an
independent federal agency with the mandate to regulate commodity
futures and options in the United
States.
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Chicago Board of Trade
(CBOT):
The primary exchange on
which Soybean Futures Contracts are traded in the U.S. The Fund
expressly disclaims any association with the CBOT or endorsement of
the Fund by the CBOT and acknowledges that “CBOT” and
“Chicago Board of Trade” are registered trademarks of
such exchange. The CBOT is part of the CME
Group.
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Code:
Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
amended.
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Commodity Pool:
An enterprise in which several
individuals contribute funds in order to trade futures contracts or
options on futures contracts
collectively.
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Commodity Pool Operator or
CPO:
Any person engaged in a
business which is of the nature of an investment trust, syndicate,
or similar enterprise, and who, in connection therewith, solicits,
accepts, or receives from others, funds, securities, or property,
either directly or through capital contributions, the sale of stock
or other forms of securities, or otherwise, for the purpose of
trading in any swap or commodity for future delivery or commodity
option on or subject to the rules of any contract
market.
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Creation Basket:
A block of 25,000 Shares used by the
Fund to issue Shares.
Custodian:
U.S. Bank, N.A.
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Distributor:
Foreside Fund Services,
LLC.
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DTC:
The Depository Trust Company. DTC will act as the
securities depository for the Shares.
DTC Participant:
An entity that has an account with
DTC.
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Exchange Act:
The Securities Exchange Act of
1934.
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Exchange for Related
Position:
A privately
negotiated and simultaneous exchange of a futures contract position
for a swap or other overthecounter instrument on the
corresponding commodity.
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FINRA:
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, formerly
the National Association of Securities
Dealers.
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Indirect Participants:
Banks, brokers, dealers and trust
companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship
with a DTC Participant, either directly or
indirectly.
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Limited Liability Company
(LLC):
A type of business
ownership combining several features of corporation and partnership
structures.
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Margin:
The
amount of equity required for an investment in futures
contracts.
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NAV:
Net
Asset Value of the Fund.
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NFA:
National Futures
Association.
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NSCC:
National
Securities Clearing Corporation.
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1933
Act:
The Securities
Act of 1933.
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Option:
The right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell
a futures contract or forward contract at a specified price on or
before a specified date.
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Other Soybean
Interests:
Other
soybean-related investments such as cash-settled options on Soybean
Futures Contracts, swaps agreements and forward contracts relating
to soybeans, and over-the-counter transactions that are based on
the price of soybeans, Soybean Futures Contracts and indices based
on the foregoing.
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Over-the-Counter
Derivative:
A
financial contract, whose value is designed to track the return on
stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities, or some other benchmark,
that is traded over-the-counter or off organized
exchanges.
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Redemption
Basket:
A block of
25,000 Shares used by the Fund to redeem
Shares.
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SEC:
Securities
and Exchange Commission.
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Secondary
Market:
The stock
exchanges and the over-the-counter market. Securities are first
issued as a primary offering to the public. When the securities are
traded from that first holder to another, the issues trade in these
secondary markets.
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Shareholders:
Holders
of Shares.
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Shares:
Common units representing fractional
undivided beneficial interests in the
Fund.
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Sponsor:
Teucrium
Trading, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is
registered as a Commodity Pool Operator, who controls the
investments and other decisions of the
Fund.
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Spot
Contract:
A cash
market transaction in which the buyer and seller agree to the
immediate purchase and sale of a commodity, usually with a two-day
settlement.
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Soybean Futures
Contracts:
Futures
contracts for soybeans that are traded on CBOT or foreign
exchanges.
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Soybean
Interests:
Soybean
Futures Contracts, Soybean Swaps and Other Soybean
Interests.
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Swap
Agreement:
An
over-the-counter derivative that generally involves an exchange of
a stream of payments between the contracting parties based on a
notional amount and a specified index.
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Tracking
Error:
Possibility
that the daily NAV of the Fund will not track the
Benchmark.
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Trust
Agreement:
The
Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust
Agreement of the Trust effective as of October 21,
2010.
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Valuation
Day:
Any day as of
which the Fund calculates its NAV.
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You:
The
owner of Shares.
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STATEMENT OF
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
TEUCRIUM
SOYBEAN FUND
This statement of additional
information is the second part of a two part
document. The first part is the Fund’s disclosure
document. The disclosure document and this statement of
additional information are bound together, and both parts contain
important information. This statement of additional
information should be read in conjunction with the disclosure
document. To obtain a copy of the disclosure document
without charge, call the Fund at (302) 543-5977. Before you decide
whether to invest, you should read the entire prospectus carefully
and consider the risk factors beginning on
page 10.
This statement of additional
information and accompanying disclosure document are both dated
April 30, 2018.
TEUCRIUM SOYBEAN
FUND
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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Commodity Market
Participants
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77
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Regulation
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77
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Potential Advantages of
Investment
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80
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Fund
Performance
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80
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Commodity
Market Participants
The two broad classes of persons
who trade commodities are hedgers and speculators. Hedgers include
financial institutions that manage or deal in interest
ratesensitive instruments, foreign currencies or stock
portfolios, and commercial market participants, such as farmers and
manufacturers, that market or process commodities. Hedging is a
protective procedure designed to effectively lock in prices that
would otherwise change due to an adverse movement in the price of
the underlying commodity, such as, the adverse price movement
between the time a merchandiser or processor enters into a contract
to buy or sell a raw or processed commodity at a certain price and
the time he must perform the contract. For example, if a hedger
contracts to physically sell the commodity at a future date, he may
simultaneously buy a futures or forward contract for the necessary
equivalent quantity of the commodity. At the time for performance
of the physical contract, the hedger may accept delivery under his
futures contract and sell the commodity quantity as required by the
physical contract or he may buy the actual commodity, sell it under
the physical contract and close out his futures contract position
by making an offsetting sale.
The Commodity Interest markets
enable the hedger to shift the risk of price fluctuations. The
usual objective of the hedger is to protect the profit that he
expects to earn from farming, merchandising, or processing
operations rather than to profit from his
trading. However, at times the
impetus for a hedge transaction may result in part from speculative
objectives and hedgers can end up paying higher prices than they
would have if they did not enter into a Commodity Interest
transaction if current market prices are lower than the
lockedin price.
Unlike the hedger, the speculator
generally expects neither to make nor take delivery of the
underlying commodity. Instead, the speculator risks his capital
with the hope of making profits from price fluctuations in the
commodities. The speculator is, in effect, the risk bearer who
assumes the risks that the hedger seeks to avoid. Speculators
rarely make or take delivery of the underlying commodity. rather
they attempt to close out their positions prior to the delivery
date. A speculator who takes a long position generally will make a
profit if the price of the underlying commodity goes up and incur a
loss if the price of the underlying commodity goes down, while a
speculator who takes a short position generally will make a profit
if the price of the underlying commodity goes down and incur a loss
if the price of the underlying commodity goes
up.
Regulation
The regulation of futures markets,
futures contracts, and futures exchanges has historically been
comprehensive. The CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take
extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency including,
for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position
limits, increased margin requirements, the establishment of daily
price limits and the suspension of trading on an exchange or
trading facility.
Pursuant to authority in the CEA,
the NFA has been formed and registered with the CFTC as a
registered futures association. At the present time, the NFA
is the only SRO for commodity interest professionals, other than
futures exchanges. The CFTC has delegated to the NFA
responsibility for the registration of CPOs and FCMs and their
respective associated persons. The Sponsor and the
Fund’s clearing broker are members of the NFA. As such,
they will be subject to NFA standards relating to fair trade
practices, financial condition and consumer
protection. The NFA also arbitrates disputes
between members and their customers and conducts registration and
fitness screening of applicants for membership and audits of its
existing members. Neither the Trust nor the Teucrium Funds
are required to become a member of the NFA. The regulation of
commodity interest transactions in the United States is a rapidly
changing area of law and is subject to ongoing modification by
governmental and judicial action. Considerable regulatory attention
has been focused on non-traditional investment pools that are
publicly distributed in the United States. There is a possibility
of future regulatory changes within the United States altering,
perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the
Fund, or the ability of a Fund to continue to implement its
investment strategy. In addition, various national governments
outside of the United States have expressed concern regarding the
disruptive effects of speculative trading in the commodities
markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets in
general. The effect of any future regulatory change on the Teucrium
Funds is impossible to predict but could be substantial and
adverse.
The CFTC possesses exclusive
jurisdiction to regulate the activities of commodity pool operators
and commodity trading advisors with respect to "commodity
interests," such as futures and swaps and options, and has adopted
regulations with respect to the activities of those persons and/or
entities. Under the Commodity Exchange Act
(“CEA”), a registered commodity pool operator, such as
the Sponsor, is required to make annual filings with the CFTC and
the NFA describing its organization, capital structure, management
and controlling persons. In addition, the CEA authorizes the
CFTC to require and review books and records of, and documents
prepared by, registered commodity pool operators. Pursuant to
this authority, the CFTC requires commodity pool operators to keep
accurate, current and orderly records for each pool that they
operate. The CFTC may suspend the registration of a commodity
pool operator (1) if the CFTC finds that the operator’s
trading practices tend to disrupt orderly market conditions, (2) if
any controlling person of the operator is subject to an order of
the CFTC denying such person trading privileges on any exchange,
and (3) in certain other circumstances. Suspension,
restriction or termination of the Sponsor’s registration as a
commodity pool operator would prevent it, until that registration
were to be reinstated, from managing the Fund, and might result in
the termination of the Fund if a successor sponsor is not elected
pursuant to the Trust Agreement. Neither the Trust nor the
Fund is required to be registered with the CFTC in any
capacity.
The Fund’s investors are
afforded prescribed rights for reparations under the CEA.
Investors may also be able to maintain a private right of action
for violations of the CEA. The CFTC has adopted rules
implementing the reparation provisions of the CEA, which provide
that any person may file a complaint for a reparations award with
the CFTC for violation of the CEA against a floor broker or an FCM,
introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, CPO, and their
respective associated persons.
The regulations of the CFTC and
the NFA prohibit any representation by a person registered with the
CFTC or by any member of the NFA, that registration with the CFTC,
or membership in the NFA, in any respect indicates that the CFTC or
the NFA has approved or endorsed that person or that person’s
trading program or objectives. The registrations and
memberships of the parties described in this summary must not be
considered as constituting any such approval or endorsement.
Likewise, no futures exchange has given or will give any similar
approval or endorsement.
Trading venues in the United
States are subject to varying degrees of regulation under the CEA
depending on whether such exchange is a designated contract market
(i.e. a futures exchange) or a swap execution facility. Clearing
organizations are also subject to the CEA and the rules and
regulations adopted thereunder as administered by the CFTC. The
CFTC’s function is to implement the CEA’s objectives of
preventing price manipulation and excessive speculation and
promoting orderly and efficient commodity interest markets. In
addition, the various exchanges and clearing organizations
themselves as SROs exercise regulatory and supervisory authority
over their member firms.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform
and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) was
enacted in response to the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009 and it
significantly altered the regulatory regime to which the securities
and commodities markets are subject. To date, the CFTC has issued
proposed or final versions of almost all of the rules it is
required to promulgate under the Dodd-Frank Act, and it continues
to issue proposed versions of additional rules that it has
authority to promulgate. Provisions of the new law include the
requirement that position limits be established on a wide range of
commodity interests, including agricultural, energy, and
metal-based commodity futures contracts, options on such futures
contracts and uncleared swaps that are economically equivalent to
such futures contracts and options (“Reference
Contracts”); new registration and recordkeeping requirements
for swap market participants; capital and margin requirements for
“swap dealers” and “major swap
participants,” as determined by the new law and applicable
regulations; reporting of all swap transactions to swap data
repositories; and the mandatory use of clearinghouse mechanisms for
sufficiently standardized swap transactions that were historically
entered into in the over-the-counter market, but are now designated
as subject to the clearing requirement; and margin requirements for
over-the-counter swaps that are not subject to the clearing
requirements.
In addition, considerable
regulatory attention has recently been focused on non-traditional
publicly distributed investment pools such as the Fund.
Furthermore, various national governments have expressed concern
regarding the disruptive effects of speculative trading in certain
commodity markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets
in general. The effect of any future regulatory change on the
Teucrium Funds is impossible to predict, but could be substantial
and adverse.
The Dodd-Frank Act was intended to
reduce systemic risks that may have contributed to the 2008/2009
financial crisis. Since the first draft of what became the
Dodd-Frank Act, opponents have criticized the broad scope of the
legislation and, in particular, the regulations implemented by
federal agencies as a result. Since 2010, and most notably in 2015
and 2016, Republicans have proposed comprehensive legislation both
in the House and the Senate of the US Congress. These bills are
intended to pare back some of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act
of 2010 that critics view as overly broad, unnecessary to the
stability of the U.S. financial system, and inhibiting the growth
of the U.S. economy. Further, during the campaign and after taking
office, President Donald J. Trump has promised and issued several
executive orders intended to relieve the financial burden created
by the Dodd-Frank Act, although these executive orders only set
forth several general principles to be followed by the federal
agencies and do not mandate the wholesale repeal of the Dodd-Frank
Act. The scope of the effect that passage of new financial reform
legislation could have on U.S. securities, derivatives and
commodities markets is not clear at this time because each federal
regulatory agency would have to promulgate new regulations to
implement such legislation. Nevertheless, regulatory reform may
have a significant impact on U.S.-regulated
entities.
Position
Limits, Aggregation Limits, Price Fluctuation
Limits
On December 16, 2016, the CFTC
issued a final rule to amend part 150 of the CFTC’s
regulations with respect to the policy for aggregation under the
CFTC’s position limits regime for futures and option
contracts on nine agricultural commodities (“the Aggregation
Requirements”). This final rule addressed the circumstances
under which market participants would be required to aggregate all
their positions, for purposes of the position limits, of all
positions in Reference Contracts of the 9 agricultural commodities
held by a single entity and its affiliates, regardless of whether
such positions exist on US futures exchanges, non-US futures
exchanges, or in over-the-counter swaps. An affiliate of a
market participant is defined as two or more persons acting
pursuant to an express or implied agreement or understanding.
The Aggregation Requirements became effective on February 14, 2017.
On August 10, 2017, the CFTC issued No-Action Relief Letter No.
17-37 to clarify several provisions under regulation 150.4
regarding position aggregation filing requirements of market
participants. The Sponsor does not anticipate that this order will
have an impact on the ability of the Fund to meet its respective
investment objectives.
In addition, on December 30, 2016,
the CFTC reproposed regulations that would establish revised
specific limits on speculative positions in futures contracts,
option contracts and swaps on 25 agricultural, energy and metals
commodities (the “Proposed Position Limit
Rules”).
The Proposed Position Limit Rules
were a reproposal and the CFTC has requested comments from the
public. It remains to be seen whether the Proposed Position Limit
Rules will become effective as the CFTC has proposed, as comments
could result in modifications to the proposed limits or
implementation could be delayed for other reasons. In general, the
Proposed Position Limit Rules do not appear to have a substantial
or adverse effect on the Funds. However, if the total net assets of
the Fund were to increase significantly from current levels, the
Position Limit Rules as proposed could negatively impact the
ability of the Fund to meet its respective investment objectives
through limits that may inhibit the Sponsor’s ability to sell
additional Creation Baskets of the Fund. However, it is not
expected that the Fund will reach asset levels that would cause
these position limits to be reached in the near
future.
In addition, the Proposed Position
Limit Rules state that the CFTC will review, and may amend, the
Position Limit Rules at a minimum every two years and more often as
deemed necessary. Such future amendments may affect the Fund, and
it may, at that time, be substantial and adverse. By way of
example, future amendments, in combination with the Position Limit
Rules, may negatively impact the ability of the Fund to meet its
respective investment objectives through limits that may inhibit
the Sponsor’s ability to sell additional Creation Baskets of
the Fund, if the total net assets of a Fund grow significantly from
current levels.
The futures exchanges, e.g. the
CME, may under the Proposed Position Limit Rules impose position
limits which are lower than those imposed by the CFTC. Such a limit
by an exchange on which the Fund trades futures contracts may
negatively and adversely impact the ability of the Fund to meet its
respective investment objectives through limits that may inhibit
the Sponsor’s ability to sell additional Creation Baskets of
the Fund. No such lower limits by an exchange are currently in
place.
The aggregate position limits
currently in place under the current position limits and the
Aggregation Requirements are as follows for each of the commodities
traded by the Fund:
Commodity
Future
|
Spot Month Position
Limit
|
All Month Aggregate Position
Limit
|
soybeans
|
600 contracts
|
15,000
contracts
|
The aggregate speculative position
limits currently as proposed in the Proposed Position Limit Rules
are as follows for each of the commodities traded by the
Fund:
Commodity
Future
|
Spot Month Position
Limit
|
All Month Aggregate Position
Limit
|
soybeans
|
600 contracts
|
31,900
contracts
|
Accountability levels differ from
position limits in that they do not represent a fixed ceiling, but
rather a threshold above which a futures exchange may exercise
greater scrutiny and control over an investor’s
positions. If the Fund were to exceed an applicable
accountability level for investments in futures contracts, the
exchange will monitor the Fund’s exposure and may ask for
further information on its activities, including the total size of
all positions, investment and trading strategy, and the extent of
liquidity resources of the Fund. If deemed necessary by the
exchange, the Fund could be ordered to reduce its aggregate net
position back to the accountability
level.
In addition to position limits and
accountability levels, the exchanges set daily price fluctuation
limits on futures contracts. The daily price fluctuation
limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of futures
contracts may vary either up or down from the previous day’s
settlement price. Once the daily price fluctuation limit has
been reached in a particular futures contract, no trades may be
made at a price beyond that limit.
As of May 1, 2014, the CME
replaced the fixed price fluctuation limits with variable price
limits for soybeans. The change, which is now effective and is
described in the CME Group Special Executive Report S7038 and
can be accessed at
http://www.cmegroup.com/toolsinformation/lookups/advisories/ser/SER7038.html
.
Margin for OTC
Uncleared Swaps
During 2015 and 2016, the CFTC and
the US bank prudential regulators completed their rulemakings under
the Dodd-Frank Act on margin for uncleared over-the-counter swaps
(and option agreements that qualify as swaps). Margin requirements
went into effect for the largest swap entities in September 2016,
and went into effect for financial end users in March 2017. Under
these regulations, swap dealers (such as sell-side counterparties
to swaps), major swap participants, and financial end users (such
as buy-side counterparties to swaps who are not physical traders)
are required in most instances, to post and collect initial and
variation margin, depending on the regulatory classification of
their counterparty. European and Asian regulators are also
implementing similar regulations, which were scheduled to become
effective on the same dates as the US-promulgated rules. As a
result of these requirements, additional capital will be required
to be committed to the margin accounts to support transactions
involving uncleared over-the-counter swaps and, consequently, these
transactions may become more expensive. While the Fund currently
does not generally engage in uncleared over the counter swaps, to
the extent they do so in the future, the additional margin required
to be posted could adversely impact the profitability (if any) to
the Fund from entering into these transactions.
FCMs
The CEA requires all FCMs, such as
the Teucrium Funds’ clearing brokers, to meet and maintain
specified fitness and financial requirements, to segregate customer
funds from proprietary funds and account separately for all
customers’ funds and positions, and to maintain specified
books and records open to inspection by the staff of the CFTC. The
CFTC has similar authority over introducing brokers, or persons who
solicit or accept orders for commodity interest trades but who do
not accept margin deposits for the execution of trades. The CEA
authorizes the CFTC to regulate trading by FCMs and by their
officers and directors, permits the CFTC to require action by
exchanges in the event of market emergencies, and establishes an
administrative procedure under which customers may institute
complaints for damages arising from alleged violations of the CEA.
The CEA also gives the states powers to enforce its provisions and
the regulations of the CFTC.
On November 14, 2013, the CFTC
published final regulations that require enhanced customer
protections, risk management programs, internal monitoring and
controls, capital and liquidity standards, customer disclosures and
auditing and examination programs for FCMs. The rules are intended
to afford greater assurances to market participants that customer
segregated funds and secured amounts are protected, customers are
provided with appropriate notice of the risks of futures trading
and of the FCMs with which they may choose to do business, FCMs are
monitoring and managing risks in a robust manner, the capital and
liquidity of FCMs are strengthened to safeguard the continued
operations and the auditing and examination programs of the CFTC
and the SROs are monitoring the activities of FCMs in a thorough
manner.
Potential
Advantages of Investment
Interest Income
Unlike some alternative investment
funds, the Fund does not borrow money in order to obtain leverage,
so the Fund does not incur any interest expense. Rather,
the Fund’s margin deposits and cash reserves are maintained
in cash and cash equivalents and interest is generally earned on
available assets, which include unrealized profits credited to the
Fund’s accounts
Fund
Performance
The following graph sets forth the
historical performance of the Fund from commencement of operations
on September 19, 2011 until January 31, 2018.
PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS.
PART II
Information Not
Required in the Prospectus
Item
13.
Other Expenses
of Issuance and Distribution
Set forth below is an estimate
(except as indicated) of the amount of fees and expenses (other
than underwriting commissions and discounts) payable by the
registrant in connection with the issuance and distribution of the
units pursuant to the prospectus contained in this registration
statement.
|
|
SEC registration fee
(actual)
|
$
11,691
|
NYSE Arca Listing
Fee
|
n/a
|
FINRA filing
fees
|
n/a
|
Blue Sky
expenses
|
n/a
|
Auditor’s fees and
expenses
|
$
2,000
|
Legal fees and
expenses
|
$
10,000
|
Printing
expenses
|
$
2,000
|
Miscellaneous
expenses
|
n/a
|
Total
|
$
25,691
|
Item
14.
Indemnification
of Directors and Officers
The Trust’s Third Amended
and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement (the
“Trust Agreement”) provides that the Sponsor shall be
indemnified by the Trust (or, by a series of the Trust separately
to the extent the matter in question relates to a single series or
disproportionately affects a series in relation to other series)
against any losses, judgments, liabilities, expenses and amounts
paid in settlement of any claims sustained by it in connection with
its activities for the Trust, provided that (i) the Sponsor
was acting on behalf of or performing services for the Trust and
has determined, in good faith, that such course of conduct was in
the best interests of the Trust and such liability or loss was not
the result of gross negligence, willful misconduct, or a breach of
the Trust Agreement on the part of the Sponsor and (ii) any
such indemnification will only be recoverable from the applicable
trust estate or trust estates. All rights to indemnification
permitted by the Trust Agreement and payment of associated expenses
shall not be affected by the dissolution or other cessation to
exist of the Sponsor, or the withdrawal, adjudication of bankruptcy
or insolvency of the Sponsor, or the filing of a voluntary or
involuntary petition in bankruptcy under Title 11 of the Bankruptcy
Code by or against the Sponsor.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Sponsor shall not be indemnified for any losses, liabilities or
expenses arising from or out of an alleged violation of U.S.
federal or state securities laws unless (i) there has been a
successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving
alleged securities law violations as to the particular indemnitee
and the court approves the indemnification of such expenses
(including, without limitation, litigation costs), (ii) such
claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court
of competent jurisdiction as to the particular indemnitee and the
court approves the indemnification of such expenses (including,
without limitation, litigation costs) or (iii) a court of
competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against
a particular indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the
settlement and related costs should be made.
The Trust and its series shall not
incur the cost of that portion of any insurance which insures any
party against any liability, the indemnification of which is
prohibited by the Trust Agreement.
Expenses incurred in defending a
threatened or pending civil, administrative or criminal action,
suit or proceeding against the Sponsor shall be paid by the Trust
or the applicable series of the Trust in advance of the final
disposition of such action, suit or proceeding, if (i) the
legal action relates to the performance of duties or services by
the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust or a series of the Trust;
(ii) the legal action is initiated by a party other than the
Trust; and (iii) the Sponsor undertakes to repay the advanced
funds with interest to the Trust or the applicable series of the
Trust in cases in which it is not entitled to indemnification under
the Trust Agreement.
For purposes of the
indemnification provisions of the Trust Agreement, the term
“Sponsor” includes, in addition to the Sponsor, any
other covered person performing services on behalf of the Trust and
acting within the scope of the Sponsor’s authority as set
forth in the Trust Agreement.
In the event the Trust or a series
of the Trust is made a party to any claim, dispute, demand or
litigation or otherwise incurs any loss, liability, damage, cost or
expense as a result of or in connection with any
Shareholder’s (or assignee’s) obligations or
liabilities unrelated to Trust business, such Shareholder (or
assignees cumulatively) shall indemnify, defend, hold harmless, and
reimburse the Trust or the applicable series of the Trust for all
such loss, liability, damage, cost and expense incurred, including
attorneys’ and accountants’ fees.
The payment of any amount pursuant
to the Trust Agreement shall take into account the allocation of
liabilities and other amounts, as appropriate, among the series of
the Trust.
Item
15.
Recent Sales of
Unregistered Securities
Not
applicable.
Item
16.
Exhibits and
Financial Statement Schedules
(a) Exhibits
|
Third Amended and Restated
Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement.
|
|
Certificate of Trust of the
Registrant.
|
|
Instrument Establishing the Fund.
(included as Exhibit C to the Third Amended and Restated
Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement)
|
|
Opinion of Vedder Price P.C.
relating to the legality of the Shares.
|
|
Opinion of Vedder Price P.C. with
respect to federal income tax consequences.
|
|
Form of Authorized Purchaser
Agreement. (included as Exhibit B to the Third Amended and Restated
Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement)
|
|
Amended and Restated Distribution
Services Agreement.
|
|
Amendment to Amended and Restated
Distribution Services Agreement.
|
|
Second Amendment to Amended and
Restated Distribution Services Agreement.
|
|
Third Amendment to Amended and
Restated Distribution Services Agreement.
|
|
Fourth Amendment to Amended and
Restated Distribution Services Agreement.
|
|
Custody
Agreement.
|
|
Fund Accounting Servicing
Agreement.
|
|
Transfer Agent Servicing
Agreement.
|
|
Fund Administration Servicing
Agreement.
|
|
Distribution Consulting and
Marketing Services Agreement
|
|
|
|
|
|
Power of Attorney (included on
signature page to this Registration Statement)
|
(1)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 3.2 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on
Form S-1 (333-162033), filed on September 21, 2009 and
incorporated by reference herein.
(2)
Previously filed
as 3.3 to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant's
Registration Statement on Form S-1 (333-167591), filed on March 9,
2011 and incorporated by reference
herein.
(3)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 10.2(1) to the Registrant’s Current Report on
Form 8-K for the Teucrium Soybean Fund, filed on
November 1, 2011 and incorporated by reference
herein.
(4)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 10.2(2) to the Registrant’s Current Report on
Form 8-K for the Teucrium Soybean Fund, filed on
November 1, 2011 and incorporated by reference
herein.
(5)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 10.2(3) to the Registrant’s Current Report on
Form 8-K for the Teucrium Soybean Fund, filed on
November 1, 2011 and incorporated by reference
herein.
(6)
Previously filed as like-numbered
exhibit to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s
Registration Statement on Form S-1 (333-187463), filed on
April 26, 2013 and incorporated by reference
herein.
(7)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 10.9 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on
Form S-1 (File No. 333-201953) filed on February 9, 2015 and
incorporated by reference herein.
(8)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 10.8 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed on
March 15, 2016, and incorporated by reference
herein.
(9)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 10.9 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed on
March 15, 2016, and incorporated by reference
herein.
(10)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 10.10 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed on
March 15, 2016, and incorporated by reference
herein.
(11)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 10.11 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed on
March 15, 2016, and incorporated by reference
herein.
(12)
Previously filed as
Exhibit 10.6 to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to
Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (333-162033)
filed on October 22, 2010 and incorporated by reference
herein.
(b) Financial Statement Schedules
The financial statement schedules
are either not applicable or the required information is included
in the financial statements and footnotes related
thereto.
(a) The
undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To
file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a
post-effective amendment to this registration
statement:
(i) To
include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the
Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To
reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the
effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent
post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set
forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the
total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that
which was registered) and any deviation from thelow or high end of
the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form
of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume
and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum
aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of
Registration Fee” table in the effective registration
statement.
(iii) To
include any material information with respect to the plan of
distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement
or any material change to such information in the registration
statement.
Provided, however, that paragraphs
(a)(1)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this section do not apply if the
registration statement is on Form S-1, Form S-3, Form SF-3 or Form
F-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective
amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or
furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section
13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or, as to
a registration statement on Form S-3, is contained in a form of
prospectus filed pursuant to § 230.424(b) that is part of
the registration statement.
(2) That,
for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities
Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to
be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be
deemed to be the initial
bona
fide
offering thereof.
(3) To
remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any
of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.
(4) That,
for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act
of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i) If
the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement
relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying
on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule
430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the
registration statement as of the date it is first used after
effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a
registration statement or prospectus that is part of the
registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed
incorporated by reference into the registration statement or
prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, asto a
purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use,
supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration
statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement
or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of
first use.
(5) That,
for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under
the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial
distribution of the securities: The undersigned registrant
undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the
undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement,
regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities
to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such
purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the
undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will
be considered to offer or sell such securities to such
purchaser:
(i) Any
preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant
relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule
424;
(ii) Any
free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on
behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the
undersigned registrant;
(iii) The
portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the
offering containing material information about the undersigned
registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the
undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any
other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the
undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
(b) Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or
otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of
the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant
of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling
person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action,
suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or
controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its
counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether
such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in
the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such
issue.
Pursuant to the requirements of
the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant has duly caused this
Registration Statement on Form S-1 to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the town of
Wilmington, state of Delaware, on April 20,
2018.
|
Teucrium Commodity
Trust
|
|
|
|
Teucrium Trading, LLC,
Sponsor
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Dale
Riker
|
|
|
|
Dale
Riker
|
|
|
|
Principal Executive Officer,
Secretary and Member
|
|
Pursuant to the requirements of
the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been
signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates
as indicated. The document may be executed by signatories hereto on
any number of counterparts, all of which shall constitute one and
the same instrument. The undersigned members and officers of
Teucrium Trading, LLC, the sponsor of Teucrium Commodity Trust,
hereby constitute and appoint Sal Gilbertie and Dale Riker and each
of them with full power to act with full power of substitution and
resubstitution, our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact with full
power to execute in our name and behalf in the capacities indicated
below this Registration Statement on Form S-1 and any and all
amendments thereto, including post-effective amendments to this
Registration Statement and to sign any and all additional
registration statements relating to the same offering of securities
as this Registration Statement that are filed pursuant to Rule
462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the
same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection
therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission and thereby
ratify and confirm that such attorneys-in-fact, or any of them, or
their substitutes shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
hereof.
Signature
|
|
Title
|
|
Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Sal
Gilbertie
|
|
President/Chief Investment
Officer/Member of the Sponsor
|
|
April 20,
2018
|
Sal
Gilbertie
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Dale
Riker
|
|
Secretary/Chief Executive
Officer/Principal Executive Officer/Member of the
Sponsor
|
|
|
Dale
Riker
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Barbara
Riker
|
|
Chief Financial Officer/Chief
Accounting Officer/Chief Compliance Officer/Principal Financial
Officer
|
|
|
Barbara
Riker
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Steve
Kahler
|
|
Chief Operating
Officer
|
|
|
Steve
Kahler
|
|
|
|
|
EXHIBIT INDEX
86
EXHIBIT 3.1
THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED
DECLARATION OF TRUST
AND
TRUST AGREEMENT
of
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
Dated
as of April 15, 2018
By and
Between
TEUCRIUM TRADING, LLC
as
Sponsor
and
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY
as
Delaware Trustee
Article I
DEFINITIONS; THE TRUST
|
1
|
Section
1.1
|
Definitions
|
6
|
Section
1.2
|
Name
|
7
|
Section
1.3
|
Delaware Trustee; Business Offices
|
7
|
Section
1.4
|
Declaration of Trust
|
7
|
Section
1.5
|
Purposes and Powers
|
7
|
Section
1.6
|
Tax Matters
|
8
|
Section
1.7
|
General Liability of Shareholders
|
11
|
Section
1.8
|
Legal Title
|
11
|
Section
1.9
|
Series Trust
|
11
|
Article II
THE TRUSTEE
|
12
|
Section
2.1
|
Term; Resignation
|
12
|
Section
2.2
|
Powers
|
12
|
Section
2.3
|
Compensation and Expenses of the Trustee
|
12
|
Section
2.4
|
Indemnification
|
13
|
Section
2.5
|
Successor Trustee
|
13
|
Section
2.6
|
Liability of Trustee
|
13
|
Section
2.7
|
Reliance; Advice of Counsel
|
14
|
Section
2.8
|
Payments to the Trustee
|
15
|
Article III
SHARES; DEPOSITS
|
15
|
Section
3.1
|
General
|
15
|
Section
3.2
|
Establishment of Series, or Funds, of the Trust
|
16
|
Section
3.3
|
Establishment of Classes and Sub-Classes
|
17
|
Section
3.4
|
Offer of Limited Shares
|
17
|
Section
3.5
|
Procedures for Creation and Issuance of Creation
Baskets
|
17
|
Section
3.6
|
Book-Entry-Only System, Global Security
|
19
|
Section
3.7
|
Assets
|
22
|
Section
3.8
|
Liabilities of Funds
|
22
|
Section
3.9
|
Voting Rights
|
23
|
Section
3.10
|
Equality
|
23
|
Article IV
THE SPONSOR
|
23
|
Section
4.1
|
Management of the Trust
|
23
|
Section
4.2
|
Authority of Sponsor
|
23
|
Section
4.3
|
Obligations of the Sponsor
|
24
|
Section
4.4
|
General Prohibitions
|
25
|
Section
4.5
|
Liability of Covered Persons
|
26
|
Section
4.6
|
Fiduciary Duty
|
26
|
Section
4.7
|
Indemnification of the Sponsor
|
27
|
Section
4.8
|
Expenses and Limitations Thereon
|
28
|
Section
4.9
|
Compensation to the Sponsor
|
29
|
Section
4.10
|
Other Business of Shareholders
|
29
|
Section
4.11
|
Withdrawal of the Sponsor
|
30
|
Section
4.12
|
Authorization of Registration Statements
|
30
|
Section
4.13
|
Litigation
|
30
|
Article V
TRANSFERS OF SHARES
|
31
|
Section
5.1
|
Transfer of Limited Shares
|
31
|
Section
5.2
|
Transfer of Sponsor’s Shares
|
31
|
Article VI
CAPITAL ACCOUNTS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND ALLOCATIONS
|
30
|
Section
6.1
|
Capital Accounts
|
30
|
Section
6.2
|
Allocations for Capital Account Purposes
|
32
|
Section
6.3
|
Allocations of Profits and Losses for Tax Purposes
|
33
|
Section
6.4
|
Tax Conventions
|
33
|
Section
6.5
|
No Interest on Capital Account
|
34
|
Section
6.6
|
Valuation
|
34
|
Section
6.7
|
Distributions
|
35
|
Article VII
REDEMPTIONS
|
35
|
Section
7.1
|
Redemption of Redemption Baskets
|
35
|
Section
7.2
|
Other Redemption Procedures
|
37
|
Article VIII
LIMITED SHAREHOLDERS
|
37
|
Section
8.1
|
No Management or Control; Limited Liability; Exercise of Rights
through DTC
|
37
|
Section
8.2
|
Rights and Duties
|
38
|
Section
8.3
|
Limitation on Liability
|
38
|
Section
8.4
|
Derivative Actions
|
39
|
Article IX
BOOKS OF ACCOUNT AND REPORTS
|
40
|
Section
9.1
|
Books of Account
|
40
|
Section
9.2
|
Reports to Shareholders
|
40
|
Section
9.3
|
Calculation of Net Asset Value
|
40
|
Section
9.4
|
Maintenance of Records
|
40
|
Section
9.5
|
Certificate of Trust
|
41
|
Article X
FISCAL YEAR
|
41
|
Section
10.1
|
Fiscal Year
|
41
|
Article XI
AMENDMENT OF TRUST AGREEMENT; MEETINGS
|
41
|
Section
11.1
|
Amendments to the Trust Agreement
|
41
|
Section
11.2
|
Meetings of the Shareholders
|
42
|
Section
11.3
|
Action Without a Meeting
|
42
|
Article XII
TERM
|
43
|
Section
12.1
|
Term
|
43
|
Article XIII
TERMINATION
|
43
|
Section
13.1
|
Events Requiring Dissolution of the Trust or any Fund
|
43
|
Section
13.2
|
Distributions on Dissolution
|
44
|
Section
13.3
|
Termination; Certificate of Cancellation
|
44
|
Article XIV
MERGER, CONSOLIDATION, INCORPORATION
|
45
|
Section
14.1
|
Merger, Consolidation
|
45
|
Section
14.2
|
Changes to Trust Agreement
|
45
|
Section
14.3
|
Successor Trust
|
45
|
Article XV
POWER OF ATTORNEY
|
45
|
Section
15.1
|
Power of Attorney Executed Concurrently
|
45
|
Section
15.2
|
Effect of Power of Attorney
|
46
|
Section
15.3
|
Limitation on Power of Attorney
|
46
|
Article XVI
MISCELLANEOUS
|
47
|
Section
16.1
|
Governing Law
|
47
|
Section
16.2
|
Provisions In Conflict With Law or Regulations
|
47
|
Section
16.3
|
Construction
|
48
|
Section
16.4
|
Notices
|
48
|
Section
16.5
|
Counterparts
|
48
|
Section
16.6
|
Binding Nature of Trust Agreement
|
48
|
Section
16.7
|
No Legal Title to Trust Estate
|
48
|
Section
16.8
|
Creditors
|
48
|
Section
16.9
|
Integration
|
48
|
Section
16.10
|
Goodwill; Use of Name
|
48
|
Exhibit A
|
Form of
Global Certificate
|
Exhibit
B
|
Form of
Authorized Purchaser Agreement
|
Exhibit
C
|
Form of
Instrument Establishing Series or Class
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TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
Third
AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST
AND TRUST
AGREEMENT
This
Third AMENDED AND RESTATED
DECLARATION OF TRUST AND TRUST AGREEMENT
of
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
(the
“
Trust
”) is made and
entered into as of the 15th day of April, 2018, by and between
TEUCRIUM TRADING, LLC
, a
Delaware limited liability company, as Sponsor, and
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY
, a Delaware
banking corporation, as Delaware trustee.
WHEREAS
, the Sponsor formed the Trust on
September 11, 2009 as a statutory trust organized in series,
pursuant to the Delaware Statutory Trust Act;
WHEREAS
, the Sponsor and the Trustee
were parties to a Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the
Trust dated September 11, 2009 (the “
Initial Trust
Agreement
”), and are parties to an Amended and
Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement dated
March 31, 2010, as amended by an instrument dated
June 16, 2010 establishing and designating additional series
of the Trust pursuant to Section 3.2(b) of such Amended and
Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement (together, the
“
First Amended Trust
Agreement
”), and are parties to an Amended and
Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement dated October 21,
2010 (the “
Second
Amended Trust Agreement
”);
WHEREAS
, the Sponsor and the Trustee
desire to amend and restate the Second Amended Trust Agreement to
revise and/or clarify certain terms and conditions upon which the
Trust is administered, as hereinafter provided.
NOW
,
THEREFORE
, in consideration of the
agreements and obligations set forth herein and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are
hereby acknowledged, each party hereby agrees as
follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS; THE
TRUST
Section
1.1
Definitions
. As used in this Trust
Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings
unless the context otherwise requires:
“
Adjusted Property
” means
any property the book value of which has been adjusted as provided
by Section 6.1(d).
“
Administrator
” means any
Person from time to time engaged to provide administrative services
to the Trust pursuant to authority delegated by the
Sponsor.
“
Affiliate
” of a Person
means (i) any Person directly or indirectly owning,
controlling or holding with power to vote 10% or more of the
outstanding voting securities of such Person, (ii) any Person
10% or more of whose outstanding voting securities are directly or
indirectly owned, controlled or held with power to vote by such
Person, (iii) any Person, directly or indirectly, controlling,
controlled by or under common control of such Person, (iv) any
employee, officer, director, member, manager or partner of such
Person, or (v) if such Person is an employee, officer,
director, member, manager or partner, any Person for which such
Person acts in any such capacity.
“
Authorized Purchaser
Agreement
” means an agreement between the Sponsor (on
behalf of Trust) and a Participant, and accepted by the
Distributor, substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, as
it may be amended or supplemented from time to time in accordance
with its terms. “
Basket
” means a Creation
Basket or a Redemption Basket, as the context may
require.
“
Book-Tax Disparity
”
means, with respect to any property held by a Fund, as of any date
of determination, the difference between the book value of such
property (as initially determined under Section 6.4(b)(ii) in
the case of contributed property, and as adjusted from time to time
in accordance with Section 6.1(d)) and the adjusted basis
thereof for United States federal income tax purposes, as of such
date of determination.
“
Business Day
” means any
day other than a day when any of the Exchange, the New York Stock
Exchange, or the applicable Fund’s Futures Exchange is closed
for regular trading.
“
Capital Account
” shall
have the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 6.1(a).
“
Capital Contribution
”
means, with respect to any Shareholder of a Fund, the amount of
money and the fair market value of any property (other than money)
contributed to the Fund by such Shareholder.
“
CE Act
” means the
Commodity Exchange Act, as amended.
“
Certificate of Trust
”
means that certain Certificate of Trust of the Trust filed with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on September 11,
2009, as may be amended from time to time, pursuant to
Section 3810 of the Delaware Trust Statute.
“
CFTC
” means the United
States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, an independent agency
with the mandate to regulate commodity futures and options in the
United States.
“
Code
” means the United
States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“
Commodity
” means a traded
physical commodity.
“
Commodity Contract
” means
a contract for the purchase or sale of a Commodity or any other
contract whose value is determined by reference to the value of a
Commodity, one or more Commodities, including a Commodity-based
forward contract, futures contract, swap or option.
“
Covered Person
” means the
Trustee, the Sponsor and their respective Affiliates.
“
Creation Basket
” means a
basket of 100,000 Limited Shares of a Fund, or such greater or
lesser number of Limited Shares as the Sponsor may determine from
time to time for each Fund.
“
Creation Basket Deposit
”
of a Fund means the Deposit made by a Participant in connection
with a Purchase Order and the creation of a Creation Basket in an
amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying (i) the
number of Creation Baskets set forth in the relevant Purchase Order
by (ii) the Net Asset Value Per Basket of a Fund calculated on
the Purchase Order Date.
“
Delaware Trust Statute
”
means the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, Chapter 38 of Title 12
of the Delaware Code, 12 Del. C. § 3801
et seq.
, as the same may be amended
from time to time.
“
Deliver
,”
“
Delivered
” or
“
Delivery
” means, when
used with respect to Shares, either (A) one or more book-entry
transfers of such Shares to an account or accounts at the
Depository designated by the Person entitled to such delivery for
further credit as specified by such Person or (B) if the
Depository ceases to make its book-entry settlement system
available for the Shares, execution and delivery at the
Trust’s principal office of one or more certificates
evidencing those Shares.
“
Deposit
” means the amount
of cash or other property contributed or agreed to be contributed
to the Trust by any Participant or by the Sponsor, as applicable,
in accordance with Article III hereof.
“
Depository
” means The
Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, or such other
depository of Limited Shares as may be selected by the Sponsor as
specified herein.
“
Depository Agreement
”
means the Letter of Representations relating to each Fund from the
Sponsor to the Depository pursuant to which the Depository will act
as securities depository for Limited Shares of each Fund, as the
same may be amended or supplemented from time to time.
“
Distributor
” means ALPS
Distributors, Inc. or any Person from time to time engaged to
provide distribution services or related services to the Trust
pursuant to authority delegated by the Sponsor.
“
DTC
” shall have the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.6(b).
“
DTC Participants
” shall
have the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 3.6(c).
“
Event of Withdrawal
”
means the filing of a certificate of dissolution or cancellation of
the Sponsor, the revocation of the Sponsor’s charter (and the
expiration of 90 days after the date of notice to the Sponsor of
revocation without a reinstatement of its charter), or the
provision of written notice by the Sponsor of its withdrawal as
Sponsor in accordance with Section 4.11(a) of this Trust
Agreement.
“
Exchange
” means NYSE
Arca, Inc. or, if the Limited Shares of any Fund shall cease to be
listed on such exchange and are listed on one or more other
exchanges, the exchange on which the Shares of such Fund are
principally traded, as determined by the Sponsor.
“
Fiscal Year
” shall have
the meaning assigned to such term in Article X
hereof.
“
Fund
” means a Fund
established and designated as a series of the Trust as provided in
Section 3.2(a).
“
Futures Exchange
” means
the contract market or derivative transaction execution facility on
which futures contracts relating to the Commodity that is a
Fund’s principal investment focus are principally
traded.
“
Global Security
” means
the global certificate or certificates for each Fund issued to the
Depository as provided in the Depository Agreement, each of which
shall be in substantially the form attached hereto as
Exhibit A.
“
Indirect Participants
”
shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.6
(c).
“
Internal Revenue Service
”
or “
IRS
” means the United
States Internal Revenue Service or any successor
thereto.
“
Liquidating Trustee
”
shall have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 13.2.
“
Limited Shares
” means
Shares other than Sponsor’s Shares.
“
Limited Shareholders
”
means Shareholders of Limited Shares.
“
Net Asset Value
” at any
time means the total assets in the Trust Estate of a Fund
including, but not limited to, all cash and cash equivalents, other
debt securities or other property, less total expenses and
liabilities of such Fund, each determined on the basis of generally
accepted accounting principles in the United States, consistently
applied under the accrual method of accounting. The amount of any
distribution made pursuant to Article VI hereof shall be a
liability of such Fund from the day when the distribution is
declared until it is paid.
“
Net Asset Value Per
Basket
” means the product obtained by multiplying the
Net Asset Value Per Share of a Fund by the number of Shares
comprising a Basket at such time.
“
Net Asset Value Per
Share
” means the Net Asset Value of a Fund divided by
the number of Shares of a Fund outstanding on the date of
calculation.
“
NFA
” means the National
Futures Association.
“
Order Cut-Off Time
” means
such time as disclosed in the Prospectus by which orders for
creation or redemption of Baskets must be placed.
“
Organization and Offering
Expenses
” shall have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 4.8(a)(ii).
“
Participant
” means a
Person that is a DTC Participant (as defined in
Section 3.6(c)) and has entered into an Authorized Purchaser
Agreement that, at the relevant time, is in full force and
effect.
“
Partnership
Representative
” means the Sponsor or any successor in
its capacity as the “partnership representative” within
the meaning of Section 6223 of the Code (as amended by the
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015) and any similar provisions of
applicable state, local or foreign law.
“
Percentage Interest
”
means, as to each Shareholder, the portion (expressed as a
percentage) of the total outstanding Shares held by such
Shareholder.
“
Person
” means any natural
person, or any partnership, limited liability company, trust,
estate, corporation, association or other legal entity, in its own
or any representative capacity.
“
Prospectus
” means the
final prospectus and disclosure document of the Trust, constituting
a part of the Registration Statement filed with the SEC and
declared effective thereby, as such prospectus may at any time and
from time to time be supplemented.
“
Purchase Order
” shall
have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 3.5(a)(i).
“
Purchase Order Date
”
shall have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 3.5(a)(i).
“
Reconstituted Trust
”
shall have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 13.1(a).
“
Redemption Basket
” means
the minimum number of Limited Shares of a Fund that may be redeemed
pursuant to Section 7.1, which shall be the number of Limited
Shares of such Fund constituting a Creation Basket on the relevant
Redemption Order Date.
“
Redemption Distribution
”
means the cash or the combination of United States Treasury
securities, cash and/or cash equivalents or other securities·
or property to be delivered in satisfaction of a redemption of a
Redemption Basket as specified in Section 7.1(c).
“
Redemption Order
” shall
have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 7.1(a).
“
Redemption Order Date
”
shall have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 7.1(b).
“
Redemption Settlement
Date
” shall have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 7.1(d).
“
Registration Statement
”
means a registration statement filed with the SEC on Form S-1
or any successor form or any other SEC registration statement form
that the Trust may be permitted to use, as any such form may be
amended from time to time, pursuant to which the Trust registered
Limited Shares, as such Registration Statement may at any time and
from time to time be amended.
“
SEC
” means the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“
Shareholder
” means, with
respect to any Share, the Person who owns the ultimate economic
beneficial interest in such Share and does not hold the Share as a
mere nominee or custodian for another Person.
“
Shares
” means the units
of fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of a
Fund.
“
Sponsor
” means Teucrium
Trading, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company which is
registered as a Commodity Pool Operator and controls the
investments and other decisions of the Funds, and any successor
thereto or any substitute therefore as provided
herein.
“
Sponsor’s Shares
”
means the shares issued by a Fund to the Sponsor pursuant to
Section 1.4, evidencing the Sponsor’s beneficial
interests in the net assets of such Fund.
“
Suspended Redemption
Order
” shall have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 7.1(d).
“
Tax Matters Partner
”
means the Sponsor or any successor in its capacity as the
“tax matters partner” designated to represent a Fund in
certain federal income tax matters pursuant to subchapter C of
chapter 63 of the Code prior to its amendment by the
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 or under any comparable provisions of
state, local or foreign law.
“
Transaction Fee
” shall
have the meaning assigned thereto in
Section 3.5(d).
“
Trust
” means Teucrium
Commodity Trust, the Delaware statutory trust formed pursuant to
the Certificate of Trust, the business and affairs of which are
governed by this Trust Agreement.
“
Trust Agreement
” means
this Third Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust
Agreement, including the instrument dated June 16, 2010
establishing and designating additional series of the Trust, as the
same may at any time or from time to time be amended.
“
Trustee
” means Wilmington
Trust Company, or any successor thereto as provided herein, acting
not in its individual capacity but solely as trustee of the
Trust.
“
Trust Estate
” means, with
respect to a Fund, all property and cash held by such
Fund.
“
Unrealized Gain
”
attributable to any property of a Fund means, as of any date of
determination, the excess, if any, of the fair market value of such
property as of such date of determination over the adjusted basis
of such property (as determined for purposes of
Section 6.1(d)) as of such date of determination.
“
Unrealized Loss
”
attributable to any property of a Fund means, as of any date of
determination, the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of such
property (as determined for purposes of Section 6.1(d)) as of
such date of determination over the fair market value of such
property as of such date of determination.
Section
1.2
Name
. The name of the Trust shall be
“Teucrium Commodity Trust” in which name the Trustee
and the Sponsor may engage in the business of the Trust, make and
execute contracts and other instruments on behalf of the Trust and
sue and be sued on behalf of the Trust.
Section
1.3
Delaware Trustee; Business
Offices
.
(a) The
sole Trustee of the Trust is Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware
banking corporation, with its principal place of business in the
State of Delaware, which is located at 1100 North Market Street,
Wilmington, Delaware 19890-0001 or at such other address in the
State of Delaware as the Trustee may designate in writing to the
Sponsor. The Trustee shall receive service of process on the Trust
in the State of Delaware at the foregoing address. In the event
Wilmington Trust Company resigns or is removed as the Trustee,
another Person in the State of Delaware shall be the successor
Trustee.
(b) The
principal office of the Trust, and such additional offices as the
Sponsor may establish, shall be located at such place or places
inside or outside the State of Delaware as the Sponsor may
designate from time to time in writing to the Trustee and the
Shareholders. Initially, the principal office of the Trust shall be
at 232 Hidden Lake Road, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301.
Section
1.4
Declaration of Trust
. The
Trustee hereby acknowledges that pursuant to the Initial Trust
Agreement the Trust has received from the Sponsor the sum of $100
(100 U.S. dollars), which amount shall constitute consideration for
the Sponsor’s Shares in the Fund designated in
Section 3.2 hereof, which sum is held in a bank account in the
name of such Fund. The Sponsor agrees that upon the creation of any
additional Fund pursuant to this Trust Agreement it will pay an
appropriate amount to the Trustee as consideration for its Shares
in such Fund. The Trustee declares that it holds and will hold the
Trust Estate of each Fund so established, as Trustee, for the
benefit of the Fund’s Shareholders for the purposes of, and
subject to the terms and conditions set forth in, this Agreement;
provided that, at any time, the Sponsor may direct that all or a
portion of the Trust Estate of each Fund be held by a custodian of
behalf of the Trust. It is the intention of the Parties hereto to
create a statutory trust under the Delaware Trust Statute,
organized in series or Funds, and that this Trust Agreement shall
constitute the governing instrument of the Trust. Nothing in this
Trust Agreement shall be construed to make the Shareholders of any
Fund members of a limited liability company, joint stock
association, corporation or, except for tax purposes as provided in
Section 1.6, partners in a partnership. Effective as of the
date hereof, the Trustee and the Sponsor shall have all of the
rights, powers and duties set forth herein and, to the extent not
inconsistent with this Trust Agreement, in the Delaware Trust
Statute with respect to accomplishing the purposes of the Trust.
The Trustee has filed the Certificate of Trust required by
Section 3810 of the Delaware Trust Statute in connection with
the formation of the Trust under the Delaware Trust
Statute.
Section
1.5
Purposes and Powers
. The
purpose and powers of the Trust and each Fund shall be: (a) to
implement the investment strategy of each Fund as contemplated by
the Prospectus; (b) to enter into any lawful transaction and
engage in any lawful activity in furtherance of or incidental to
the foregoing purposes; and (c) as determined from time to
time by the Sponsor, to engage in any other lawful business or
activity for which a statutory trust may be organized under the
Delaware Trust Statute. The Trust shall have all of the powers
specified in this Section 1.5 hereof, including, without
limitation, all of the powers which may be exercised by a Trustee
or Sponsor on behalf of the Trust under this Trust
Agreement.
Section
1.6
Tax Matters
.
(a) The
Sponsor, and each Limited Shareholder by virtue of its purchase of
Shares in a Fund, (i) express their intent that the Shares of
such Fund qualify under applicable tax law as interests in a
partnership, and (ii) agree to file U.S. federal, state and
local income, franchise and other tax returns in a manner that is
consistent with the treatment of such Fund as a partnership in
which each of the Shareholders thereof is a partner. The Tax
Matters Partner, the Partnership Representative and the
Shareholders (as appropriate) will make or refrain from making any
tax elections to the extent necessary to obtain treatment
consistent with the foregoing. The Sponsor shall not be liable to
any Person for the failure of any Fund to qualify as a partnership
under the Code or any comparable provision of the laws of any State
or other jurisdiction where such treatment is sought.
(b) The
Sponsor shall obtain a separate federal taxpayer identification
number for each Fund prior to the commencement of the Fund’s
operations. The Sponsor, at its expense, shall prepare or cause to
be prepared all federal, state, and local tax returns of a Fund for
each year for which such returns are required to be filed and shall
timely file or cause to be timely filed such returns and timely pay
or cause to be timely paid, out of the Trust Estate of such Fund,
any taxes, assessments or other governmental charges owing with
respect to the Fund. The Trustee and the Administrator shall
promptly notify the Sponsor if it becomes aware that any tax,
assessment or other governmental charge is due or claimed to be due
with respect to a Fund. The Sponsor shall deliver or cause to be
delivered to each Limited Shareholder of a Fund and the broker or
nominee through which a Limited Shareholder owns its Shares an IRS
Schedule K-1 and such other information, if any, with respect
to the Fund as may be necessary for the preparation of the federal
income tax or information returns of such Limited Shareholder,
including a statement showing the Limited Shareholder’s share
of the Fund’s items of income, gain, loss, expense, deduction
and credit for the Fiscal Year for federal income tax purposes, as
soon as practicable after the last day of the Fiscal Year but not
later than March 15 of the following year.
(c) Except
as provided herein, the Tax Matters Partner for taxable years
beginning prior to January 1, 2018 and the Partnership
Representative for taxable years beginning on or after January 1,
2018 may, in its sole discretion, cause a Fund to make, or refrain
from making, any tax elections that the Tax Matters Partner or the
Partnership Representative, as applicable, reasonably deems
necessary or advisable, including, but not limited to, an election
pursuant to Section 754 of the Code.
(d) (i)
Each Limited Shareholder of a Share in a Fund, by its acceptance or
acquisition of a beneficial interest therein, agrees to furnish the
Sponsor with such representations, forms, documents or other
information as may be necessary to enable such Fund to comply with
its U.S. federal income tax reporting obligations in respect of
such Share, including an Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 (or
the substantial equivalent thereof) in the case of a Limited
Shareholder that is a United States person within the meaning of
the Code or an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or other
applicable form in the case of a Limited Shareholder that is not a
United States person. The Fund shall file any required forms with
applicable jurisdictions and, unless an exemption from withholding
and backup withholding tax is properly established by a Limited
Shareholder, shall remit amounts withheld with respect to the
Limited Shareholder to the applicable tax authorities. (ii) To the
extent that the Sponsor reasonably believes that the Fund is
required to withhold and pay over any amounts (including taxes,
interest, penalties, assessments or additions to tax) to any tax
authority with respect to distributions, allocations or adjustments
to any Limited Shareholder, the Fund may withhold such amounts and
treat the amounts withheld as distributions of cash to the Limited
Shareholder in the amount of the withholding and reduce the amount
of cash or other property otherwise distributable to such Limited
Shareholder. If an amount required to be withheld was not withheld,
the Fund may reduce subsequent distributions to such Limited
Shareholder by the amount of such required withholding. In the
event of any claimed over-withholding, Limited Shareholders shall
be limited to an action against the applicable jurisdiction. (iii)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Trust Agreement, the
Sponsor is authorized to take any action that may be required to
cause the Trust or Funds to comply with any withholding
requirements established under the Code or any other federal,
state, local or foreign law including pursuant to sections 1441,
1442, 1445 and 1446 of the Code. To the extent that the Trust or a
Fund is required or elects to withhold and pay over to any taxing
authority any amount resulting from the allocation, distribution or
adjustment of income to any Shareholder (including by reason of
section 1446 of the Code), the Sponsor may treat the amount
withheld as a distribution of cash to such Shareholder for purposes
of this Trust Agreement in the amount of such withholding. Any
increase or decrease in withholding tax incurred by the Trust or a
Fund resulting from the identity, nationality, residence or status
of a Shareholder shall be allocable to and reduce the distributions
of such Shareholder.
(e) By
its acceptance of a beneficial interest in a Share, a Limited
Shareholder waives all confidentiality rights, including all
confidentiality rights provided by Section 3406(f) of the Code
and Treasury Regulations section 31.3406(f)-1, with respect to any
representations, forms, documents or information, and any
information contained in such representations, forms or documents,
that the Shareholder provides, or has previously provided, to any
broker or nominee through which it owns its Shares, to the extent
such representations, forms, documents or information may be
necessary to enable the Fund to comply with its withholding tax and
backup withholding tax and information reporting obligations or to
satisfy any other legal requirements with respect to the Shares.
Furthermore, the parties hereto, and by its acceptance or
acquisition of a beneficial interest in a Share, a Limited
Shareholder, acknowledge and agree that any broker or nominee
through which a Limited Shareholder holds its Shares shall be a
third party beneficiary to this Trust Agreement for the purposes
set forth in this Section 1.6.
(f)
(i) For
taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018, the Sponsor is
specifically authorized to act as the “Tax Matters
Partner” under the Code for each Fund and in any similar
capacity under state or local law. The Tax Matters Partner shall
have the authority without any further consent of Fund Shareholders
being required (except as specifically required herein) to make any
and all elections for federal, state, local, and foreign tax
purposes including any election, if permitted by applicable law:
(i) to make the election provided for in Code
Section 6231(a)(1)(B)(ii), (ii) to adjust the basis of
the Fund’s assets pursuant to Code Sections 754, 734(b)
and 743(b) or comparable provisions of state, local, or foreign
law, in connection with transfers of Shares and distributions;
(iii) to extend the statute of limitations for assessment of
tax deficiencies against the Shareholders with respect to
adjustments to the Fund’s federal, state, local, or foreign
tax returns; and (iv) to the extent provided in Code
Sections 6221 through 6231 and similar provisions of federal,
state, local, or foreign law, to represent the Fund and its
Shareholders before taxing authorities or courts of competent
jurisdiction in tax matters affecting the Fund or the Shareholders
in their capacities as Shareholders and to file any tax returns and
execute any agreements or other documents relating to or affecting
such tax matters, including agreements or other documents that bind
the Shareholders with respect to such tax matters or otherwise
affect the rights of the Fund and its Shareholders.
(ii) For
taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, the Sponsor is
specifically authorized to act as the “Partnership
Representative” for each Fund (at the Fund’s expense)
and in any similar capacity under state, local or foreign law. In
its capacity as the Partnership Representative, the Sponsor shall
exercise any and all authority of the “partnership
representative” under the Code, including, without
limitation, the authority to make any available elections,
including an election under section 6226 of the Code to pass any
tax adjustment through to the persons who were Shareholders of the
relevant Fund in the year to which the adjustment relates, to
represent or otherwise act on behalf of the relevant Fund in any
examination of the Fund’s affairs by any taxing authority,
including resulting administrative and judicial proceedings, and to
bind the relevant Fund and its Shareholders with respect to any
applicable tax matters. The Partnership Representative may expend
funds for professional services and costs associated therewith,
which shall be borne by, or reimbursed by, the applicable Fund. To
the extent that a Fund or the Trust incurs any liability for tax
under section 6225 of the Code as the result of any “imputed
underpayment,” (A) the amount of such tax liability,
including any interest or penalties related thereto, shall be
allocated by the Sponsor among the Shareholders in an equitable
manner as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion and (B)
the amount of such tax liability allocated to a Shareholder in
accordance with (A) shall be treated as a withholding of tax
subject to Section 1.6(d) of this Trust Agreement. Each Shareholder
agrees to cooperate with the Partnership Representative and to do
or refrain from doing any and all things reasonably requested by
the Sponsor in its capacity as the Partnership Representative. This
obligation shall continue after such Shareholder transfers, redeems
or liquidates any or all of its Shares in a given Fund. Each
Shareholder (or former Shareholder) agrees to indemnify the
applicable Fund for any taxes (and related interest, penalties, or
other charges or expenses) payable by the Fund and attributable to
such Shareholder’s (or former Shareholder’s) interest
in the Fund, as reasonably determined by the Sponsor. No
Shareholder shall have any claim against the Trust, a Fund, the
Sponsor, or the Partnership Representative for any form of damages
or liability as a result of actions taken or remedies pursued by or
on behalf of the Fund in connection with a tax audit of a Fund. The
foregoing obligations shall survive the withdrawal of any
Shareholder and the dissolution and liquidation of the relevant
Fund, or both.
(g) By
its acceptance of a beneficial interest in a Share of a Fund, a
Limited Shareholder agrees to the designation of the Sponsor as the
initial Tax Matters Partner of the Fund and the initial Partnership
Representative of the Fund. Each Shareholder agrees to take any
further action as may be required by regulation or otherwise to
effectuate such designation. The Tax Matters Partner or Partnership
Representative, as the case may be, of a Fund shall be authorized
to exercise all rights and responsibilities conferred upon a Tax
Matters Partner, or Partnership Representative, as the case may be
under the Code and the applicable Treasury Regulations with respect
to such Fund, including, without limitation: (i) handling all
audits and other administrative proceedings conducted by the IRS
with respect to the Fund; (ii) extending the statute of
limitations with respect to the Fund’s partnership tax
returns; (iii) entering into a settlement with the IRS with
respect to the Fund’s partnership items on behalf of those
Limited Owners having less than a 1% interest in the Fund; and
(iv) filing a petition or complaint with an appropriate U.S.
federal court for review of a final partnership administrative
adjustment.
(h) The
Sponsor shall maintain all books, records and supporting documents
that are necessary to comply with any and all aspects of its duties
under this Trust Agreement.
Section
1.7
General Liability of
Shareholders
. Subject to Sections 1.6(f)(ii), 8.1 and
8.3 hereof, no Shareholder, other than the Sponsor to the extent
set forth above, shall have any personal liability for any
liability or obligation of the Trust or any Fund.
Section
1.8
Legal Title
. Legal title to
all of the Trust Estate of each Fund shall be vested in the Trust
as a separate legal entity; provided, however, that where
applicable law in any jurisdiction requires any part of the Trust
Estate to be vested otherwise, the Sponsor may cause legal title to
the Trust Estate or any portion thereof to be held by or in the
name of the Sponsor or any other Person (other than a Limited
Shareholder) as nominee.
Section
1.9
Series Trust
. The Trust is
a series trust pursuant to Sections 3804(a) and 3806(b)(2) of
the Delaware Trust Statute. The Shares of the Trust shall be
divided into series, each a Fund, as provided in
Section 3806(b)(2) of the Delaware Trust Statute. Separate and
distinct records shall be maintained for each Fund and the assets
associated with a Fund shall be held in such separate and distinct
records (directly or indirectly, including a nominee or otherwise)
and accounted for in such separate and distinct records separately
from the assets of any other Fund. The use of the terms
“Trust”, “Fund” or “series” in
this Trust Agreement shall in no event alter the intent of the
parties hereto that the Trust and each Fund receive the full
benefit of the limitation on inter-series liability as set forth in
Section 3804 of the Delaware Trust Statute.
ARTICLE II
THE
TRUSTEE
Section
2.1
Term;
Resignation
.
(a) The
Trust shall have only one trustee unless otherwise determined by
the Sponsor. Wilmington Trust Company has been appointed and hereby
agrees to serve as the Trustee of the Trust. The Sponsor is
entitled to appoint additional Trustees and remove any Trustee
without cause and appoint a successor Trustee in accordance with
the terms hereof at any time. The Trustee is appointed to serve as
the trustee of the Trust in the State of Delaware for the purpose
of satisfying the requirement of Section 3807(a) of the
Delaware Trust Statute that the Trust have at least one trustee
with a principal place of business in Delaware. It is understood
and agreed by the parties hereto that the Trustee shall have none
of the duties or liabilities of the Sponsor and shall have no
obligation to supervise or monitor the Sponsor or otherwise manage
the Trust.
(b) Any
Trustee of the Trust, including the current Trustee, may resign
upon 60 days’ prior written notice to the Sponsor and the
other Trustee(s), if any;
provided
, that such resignation
shall not become effective unless and until a successor Trustee
shall have been appointed by the Sponsor in accordance with
Section 2.5. If the Sponsor does not appoint a successor
trustee within such 60 day period, the Trustee may, at the expense
of the Trust, petition a court to appoint a successor trustee. Any
person into which the Trustee may be merged or with which it may be
consolidated, or any person resulting from any merger or
consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any person
which succeeds to all or substantially all of the corporate trust
business of the Trustee, shall be the successor Trustee under this
Declaration without the execution, delivery or filing of any paper
or instrument or further act to be done on the part of the parties
hereto, except as may be required by applicable law.
Section
2.2
Powers
. Except to the
extent expressly set forth in Section 1.3(a) and this
Article II, the duty and authority to manage the business and
affairs of the Trust is hereby vested in the Sponsor, which duty
and authority the Sponsor may delegate as provided herein, all
pursuant to Section 3806(b)(7) of the Delaware Trust Statute.
The duties of the Trustee shall be limited to (i) accepting
legal process served on the Trust in the State of Delaware,
(ii) the execution of any certificates required to be filed
with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware which the
Trustee is required to execute under Section 3811 of the
Delaware Trust Statute, and (iii) any other duties
specifically allocated to the Trustee in the Trust Agreement. The
Trustee shall provide prompt notice to the Sponsor of its
performance of any of the foregoing. The Trustee shall not have any
implied rights, duties, obligations and liabilities with respect to
the business and affairs of the Trust or any Fund. The Sponsor
shall reasonably keep the Trustee informed of any actions taken by
the Sponsor with respect to the Trust that would reasonably be
expected to affect the rights, obligations or liabilities of the
Trustee hereunder or under the Delaware Trust Statute.
Section
2.3
Compensation and Expenses of the
Trustee
. The Trustee shall be entitled to receive from the
Sponsor or an Affiliate of the Sponsor (including the Trust)
reasonable compensation for its services hereunder as set forth in
a separate fee agreement and shall be entitled to be reimbursed by
the Sponsor or an Affiliate of the Sponsor (including the Trust)
for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in the
performance of its duties hereunder, including without limitation,
the reasonable compensation, out-of-pocket expenses and
disbursements of counsel and such other agents as the Trustee may
employ in connection with the exercise and performance of its
rights and duties hereunder.
Section
2.4
Indemnification
. Each of
the Sponsor and the Trust shall, whether or not any of the
transactions contemplated hereby shall be consummated, assume
liability for, and does hereby indemnify, protect, save and keep
harmless, the Trustee (in its capacity as Trustee and individually)
and its successors, assigns, legal representatives, officers,
directors, shareholders, employees, agents and servants (the
“
Indemnified
Parties
”) from and against any and all liabilities,
obligations, losses, damages, penalties, taxes (excluding any taxes
payable by the Trustee on or measured by any compensation received
by the Trustee for its services hereunder or any indemnity payments
received by the Trustee pursuant to this Section), claims, actions,
suits, costs, expenses or disbursements (including reasonable legal
fees and expenses) of any kind and nature whatsoever (collectively,
“
Expenses
”), which may be
imposed on, incurred by or asserted against the Indemnified Parties
in any way relating to or arising out of the formation, operation
or termination of the Trust, the execution, delivery and
performance of any other agreements to which the Trust is a party
or the action or inaction of the Trustee hereunder or thereunder,
except for Expenses resulting from the gross negligence or willful
misconduct of any of the Indemnified Parties. The indemnities
contained in this Section 2.4 shall survive the termination of
this Trust Agreement, the termination of the Trust or the removal
or resignation of the Trustee.
Section
2.5
Successor Trustee
. Upon the
resignation or removal of the Trustee, the Sponsor shall appoint a
successor Trustee by delivering a written instrument to the
outgoing Trustee. Any successor Trustee must satisfy the
requirements of Section 3807(a) of the· Delaware Trust
Statute. Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment
of a successor Trustee shall not become effective until a written
acceptance of appointment is delivered by the successor Trustee to
the outgoing Trustee and the Sponsor and any fees and expenses due
to the outgoing Trustee are paid. Following compliance with the
preceding sentence, the successor Trustee shall become fully vested
with all of the rights, powers, duties and obligations of the
outgoing Trustee under this Trust Agreement, with like effect as if
originally named as Trustee, and the outgoing Trustee shall be
discharged of its duties and obligations under this Trust
Agreement.
Section
2.6
Liability of Trustee
.
Except as otherwise provided in this Article II, the Trustee
acts solely as trustee hereunder and not in its individual
capacity, and all Persons having any claim against the Trustee by
reason of the transactions contemplated by this Trust Agreement and
any other agreement to which the Trust or any Fund is a party shall
look only to the appropriate Fund’s Trust Estate for payment
or satisfaction thereof; provided, however, that in no event is the
foregoing intended to affect or limit the liability of the Sponsor
as set forth in Section 1.7 hereof. The Trustee shall not be
liable or accountable hereunder to the Trust or to any other Person
or under any other agreement to which the Trust or any Fund is a
party, except that the Trustee shall be liable to the Trust and the
Shareholders for the Trustee’s own gross negligence or
willful misconduct. In particular, but not by way of
limitation:
(a) The
Trustee shall have no liability or responsibility for the validity
or sufficiency of this Trust Agreement, any agreement contemplated
hereunder, or for the form, character, genuineness, sufficiency,
value or validity of any Trust Estate or any Shares;
(b) The
Trustee shall not be liable for any actions taken or omitted to be
taken by it in good faith in accordance with the instructions of
the Sponsor or the Liquidating Trustee;
(c) The
Trustee shall not have any liability for the acts or omissions of
the Sponsor or its delegatees, any Limited Shareholder, the
Liquidating Trustee, or any other Person;
(d) The
Trustee shall not have any duty or obligation to supervise or
monitor the performance of, or compliance with this Trust Agreement
by, the Sponsor or its delegatees or any Participant;
(e) No
provision of this Trust Agreement shall require the Trustee to
expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial
liability in the performance of any of its rights or powers
hereunder if the Trustee shall have reasonable grounds for
believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity
against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured or
provided to it;
(f) Under
no circumstances shall the Trustee be liable for indebtedness
evidenced by or other obligations of the Trust or any Fund arising
under this Trust Agreement or any other agreements to which the
Trust or any Fund is a party; and
(g) Notwithstanding
anything contained herein to the contrary, the Trustee shall not be
required to take any action in any jurisdiction other than in the
State of Delaware if the taking of such action will
(i) require the consent or approval or authorization or order
of or the giving of notice to, or the registration with or taking
of any action in respect of, any state or other governmental
authority or agency of any jurisdiction other than the State of
Delaware, (ii) result in any fee, tax or other governmental
charge under the laws of any jurisdiction or any political
subdivision thereof in existence as of the date hereof other than
the State of Delaware becoming payable by the Trustee or
(iii) subject the Trustee to personal jurisdiction, other than
in the State of Delaware, for causes of action arising from
personal acts unrelated to the consummation of the transactions by
the Trustee, as the case may be, contemplated hereby.
Section
2.7
Reliance; Advice of
Counsel
.
(a) The
Trustee is authorized to take such action or refrain from taking
such action under this Trust Agreement as it may be directed in
writing by or on behalf of the Sponsor or an Affiliate of the
Sponsor from time to time;
provided
,
however
, that the Trustee shall
not be required to take or refrain from taking any such action if
it shall have determined, or shall have been advised by counsel,
that such performance is likely to involve the Trustee in personal
liability or is contrary to the terms of this Trust Agreement or of
any document contemplated hereby to which the Trust or the Trustee
is a party or is otherwise contrary to law. If at any time the
Trustee determines that it requires or desires guidance regarding
the application of any provision of this Trust Agreement or any
other document, or regarding compliance with any direction received
by it hereunder, then the Trustee may deliver a notice to the
Sponsor requesting written instructions as to the course of action
desired by the Sponsor, and such instructions by or on behalf of
the Sponsor shall constitute full and complete authorization and
protection for actions taken and other performance by the Trustee
in reliance thereon. Until the Trustee has received such
instructions after delivering such notice, it may refrain from
taking any action with respect to the matters described in such
notice.
(b) The
Trustee shall incur no liability to anyone in acting upon any
document reasonably believed by it to be genuine and reasonably
believed by it to be signed by the proper party or parties. The
Trustee may accept a certified copy of a resolution of the board of
directors or other governing body of any corporate party as
conclusive evidence that such resolution has been duly adopted by
such body and that the same is in full force and effect. As to any
fact or matter the manner of ascertainment of which is not
specifically prescribed herein, the Trustee may for all purposes
hereof rely on a certificate, signed by the Sponsor, as to such
fact or matter, and such certificate shall constitute full
protection to the Trustee for any action taken or omitted to be
taken by it in good faith in reliance thereon.
(c) In
the exercise or administration of the Trust hereunder and in the
performance of its duties and obligations under this Trust
Agreement, the Trustee (i) may act directly or, at the expense
of the Trust, through agents or attorneys, and the Trustee shall
not be liable for the default or misconduct of such agents or
attorneys if such agents or attorneys shall have been selected by
the Trustee with reasonable care, and (ii) may, at the expense
of the Trust, consult with counsel, accountants and other experts
selected by the Trustee with reasonable care. The Trustee shall not
be liable for anything done, suffered or omitted in good faith by
it in accordance with the advice or opinion of any such counsel,
accountants or other experts.
Section
2.8
Payments to the Trustee
.
Any amounts paid to the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be
deemed not to be a part of any Fund’s Trust Estate
immediately after such payment. Any amounts owing to the Trustee
under this Trust Agreement shall constitute a claim against the
applicable Fund’s Trust Estate.
ARTICLE III
SHARES;
DEPOSITS
Section
3.1
General
.
(a) The
Sponsor shall have the power and authority, without Limited
Shareholder approval, to establish and designate one or more
series, or Funds, and to issue Shares thereof, from time to time as
set forth in Section 3.2, as it deems necessary or desirable.
Each Fund shall be separate from all other Funds created as series
of the Trust in respect of the assets and liabilities allocated to
that Fund and shall represent a separate investment portfolio of
the Trust. The Sponsor shall have exclusive power to fix and
determine the relative rights and preferences as between the Shares
of the Funds as to right of redemption, special and relative rights
as to dividends and other distributions and on liquidation,
conversion rights, and conditions under which the Funds shall have
separate voting rights or no voting rights.
(b) The
Sponsor may, without Limited Shareholder approval, divide or
subdivide Shares of any Fund into two or more classes or
subclasses, Shares of each such class or subclass having such
preferences and special or relative rights and privileges as the
Sponsor may determine as provided in Section 3.3. The fact
that a Fund shall have been initially established and designated
without any specific establishment or designation of classes or
subclasses shall not limit the authority of the Sponsor to divide a
Fund and establish and designate separate classes or subclasses
thereof.
(c) The
number of Shares authorized shall be unlimited, and the Shares so
authorized may be represented in part by fractional Shares,
calculated to four decimal places. From time to time, the Sponsor
may divide or combine the Shares of any Fund or class into a
greater or lesser number without thereby changing the proportionate
beneficial interests in the Fund or class thereof. The Sponsor may
issue Shares of any Fund or class thereof for such consideration
and on such terms as it may determine (or for no consideration if
pursuant to a Share dividend or split-up), all without action or
approval of the Limited Shareholders. All Shares when so issued on
the terms determined by the Sponsor shall be fully paid and
nonassessable. The Sponsor may classify or reclassify any
unissued Shares or any Shares previously issued and reacquired of
any Fund or class thereof into one or more series or classes
thereof that may be established and designated from time to time.
The Sponsor may hold as treasury Shares, reissue for such
consideration and on such terms as it may determine, or cancel, at
its discretion from time to time, any Shares of any Fund or class
thereof reacquired by the Trust. Unless otherwise determined by the
Sponsor, treasury Shares shall not be deemed
cancelled.
(d) The
Shares of each Fund shall initially be divided into two classes:
Sponsor’s Shares and Limited Shares.
(e) No
certificates or other evidence of beneficial ownership of the
Shares will be issued.
(f) Every
Shareholder, by virtue of having purchased or otherwise acquired a
Share, shall be deemed to have expressly consented and agreed to be
bound by the terms of this Trust Agreement.
Section
3.2
Establishment of Series, or Funds,
of the Trust
.
(a) Without
limiting the authority of the Sponsor set forth in
Section 3.2(b) to establish and designate any further series,
the Sponsor hereby establishes and designates one initial series,
or Fund, as follows:
Teucrium Corn
Fund
The
provisions of this Article III shall be applicable to the
above-designated Fund and any further Fund that may from time to
time be established and designated by the Sponsor as provided in
Section 3.2(b); provided, however, that such provisions may be
amended, varied or abrogated by the Sponsor with respect to any
Fund created after the initial formation of the Trust in the
written instrument creating such additional Fund.
(b) The
establishment and designation of any series, or Funds, other than
those set forth above shall be effective upon the execution by the
Sponsor of an instrument in substantially the form attached hereto
as Exhibit C setting forth such establishment and designation
and the relative rights and preferences of such series, or Funds,
or as otherwise provided in such instrument. At any time that there
are no Shares outstanding of any particular Fund previously
established and designated, the Sponsor may by an instrument
executed by it abolish that Fund and the establishment and
designation thereof. Each instrument referred to in this paragraph
shall have the status of an amendment to this Trust
Agreement.
Section
3.3
Establishment of Classes and
Sub-Classes
. The division of any series, or Funds, into two
or more classes or sub-classes of Shares thereof and the
establishment and designation of such classes or sub-classes of
Shares shall be effective upon the execution by the Sponsor of an
instrument in substantially the form attached hereto as
Exhibit C setting forth such division, and the establishment,
designation, and relative rights and preferences of such classes of
Shares, or as otherwise provided in such instrument. The relative
rights and preferences of the classes or sub-classes of Shares of
any Fund may differ in such respects as the Sponsor may determine
to be appropriate, provided that such differences are set forth in
the aforementioned instrument. At any time that there are no Shares
outstanding of any particular class or sub-class of Shares
previously established and designated, the Sponsor may by an
instrument executed by it abolish that class or sub-class of Shares
and the establishment and designation thereof. Each instrument
referred to in this paragraph shall have the status of an amendment
to this Trust Agreement.
Section
3.4
Offer of Limited Shares
.
During the period commencing with the initial effective date of a
Fund’s Prospectus and ending no later than immediately prior
to the time Shares of the Fund begin trading on an Exchange, each
Fund shall offer Limited Shares to Participants in Creation Baskets
pursuant to SEC Rule 415 at an offering price per Limited Share
specified in the Fund’s Prospectus, provided that the
offering price per Creation Basket will not be less than $1 million
(1 million U.S. dollars). After such period, each Fund shall
continue to offer Limited Shares in Creation Baskets at the Net
Asset Value Per Basket of such Fund. The Sponsor shall make such
arrangements for the sale of the Limited Shares as it deems
appropriate. The offering shall be made on the terms and conditions
set forth in the Prospectus.
Section
3.5
Procedures for Creation and
Issuance of Creation Baskets
.
(a)
General
.
The following procedures, as supplemented by the more detailed
procedures specified in an attachment to the Authorized Purchaser
Agreement for each Fund, which may be amended from time to time in
accordance with the provisions of the Authorized Purchaser
Agreement (and any such amendment will not constitute an amendment
of this Trust Agreement), will govern the Trust with respect to the
creation and issuance of Creation Baskets. Subject to the
limitations upon and requirements for issuance of Creation Baskets
stated herein and in such procedures, the number of Creation
Baskets which may be issued by each Fund is unlimited.
(i) On
any Business Day, a Participant may submit to the Sponsor or its
designee a purchase order to subscribe for and agree to purchase
one or more Creation Baskets for the applicable Fund (such request
by a Participant, a “
Purchase Order
”) in the
manner provided in the Authorized Purchaser Agreement. Any Purchase
Order must be received by the Order CutOff Time on a Business
Day (the “
Purchase
Order Date
”). By placing a Purchase Order, a
Participant agrees to deposit cash or a combination of United
States Treasury securities, cash and/or cash equivalents or other
securities or property with the Trust. Failure to do so shall
result in the cancellation of the Purchase Order. The Sponsor or
its designee will process Purchase Orders only from Participants
with respect to which the Authorized Purchaser Agreement for the
Fund is in full force and effect. The Sponsor or its designee will
maintain and provide to Limited Shareholders upon request a current
list of the Participants for each Fund with respect to which the
Authorized Purchaser Agreement is in full force and
effect.
(ii) Any
Purchase Order is subject to rejection by the Sponsor or its
designee pursuant to Section 3.5(c). The Sponsor determines,
in its sole discretion or in consultation with the Administrator,
the requirements for securities that may be included in Creation
Basket Deposits and publishes, or its agent publishes on its
behalf, such requirements at the beginning of each Business
Day.
(iii) After
accepting a Participant’s Purchase Order, the Sponsor or its
designee will issue and deliver Creation Baskets to fill a
Participant’s Purchase Order on the next Business Day
following the Purchase Order Date (or on such later Business Day,
not to exceed three Business Days after the Purchase Order Date, as
agreed to between the Participant and the Sponsor or its designee
when the Purchase Order is placed), but only if the Sponsor or its
designee has received (A) for its own account, the Transaction
Fee, and (B) for the account of the Trust, the Creation Basket
Deposit due from the Participant submitting the Purchase Order. The
Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion or in consultation with
the Administrator, the requirements for securities or instruments
that may be included in Deposits to create Baskets and publishes,
or its agent publishes on its behalf, such requirements as the
beginning of each Business Day. The Sponsor of its designee will
deliver (or cause to be delivered) a copy of the Prospectus to each
Participant prior to its execution and delivery of the Authorized
Purchaser Agreement and prior to accepting any Purchase
Order.
(b)
Deposit
with the Depository
. Upon issuing a Creation Basket for any
Fund pursuant to a Purchase Order, the Sponsor will cause the Trust
to deposit the Creation Basket with the Depository in accordance
with the Depository’s customary procedures, for credit to the
account of the Participant that submitted the Purchase
Order.
(c)
Rejection
.
For each Fund, the Sponsor or its designee shall have the absolute
right, but shall have no obligation, to reject any Purchase Order
or Creation Basket Deposit: (i) determined by the Sponsor not
to be in proper form; (ii) the acceptance of which would, in
the opinion of counsel to the Sponsor, be unlawful, (iii) if
circumstances outside the control of the Sponsor make it for all
practical purposes not feasible to process creations of Creation
Baskets; (iv) determined by the Sponsor not to be in the best
interest of the Limited Shareholders; or (v) for any other
reason set forth in the Authorized Purchaser Agreement entered into
with that Participant. The Sponsor shall not be liable to any
person by reason of the rejection of any Purchase Order or Creation
Basket Deposit.
(d)
Transaction
Fee
. For each Fund, a non-refundable transaction fee will be
payable by a Participant to the Sponsor for its own account in
connection with each Purchase Order pursuant to this
Section 3.5 and in connection with each Redemption Order of
such Participant pursuant to Section 7.1 (each a
“
Transaction
Fee
”). The Transaction Fee charged in connection with
each such creation and redemption shall be initially $1,000 (1,000
U.S. dollars), but may be changed as provided below. Even though a
single Purchase Order or Redemption Order may relate to multiple
Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets, only a single Transaction
Fee will be due for each Purchase Order or Redemption Order for a
Fund. The Transaction Fee may subsequently be waived, modified,
reduced, increased or otherwise changed by the Sponsor, but will
not in any event exceed 0.1% of the Net Asset Value Per Basket of a
Fund at the time of creation of a Creation Basket or redemption of
a Redemption Basket, as the case may be. The Sponsor shall notify
the Depository of any agreement to change the Transaction Fee and
shall not implement any increase for redemptions of outstanding
Shares until thirty (30) days after the date of that
notice.
(e)
Global
Certificate Only
. Certificates for Creation Baskets will not
be issued, other than the Global Security issued to the Depository.
So long as the Depository Agreement is in effect, Creation Baskets
will be issued and redeemed and Limited Shares will be transferable
solely through the book-entry systems of the Depository and the DTC
Participants and their Indirect Participants as more fully
described in Section 3.6.
(f)
Replacement
of Depository
. The Depository may determine to discontinue
providing its service with respect to Creation Baskets and Limited
Shares by giving notice to the Sponsor pursuant to and in
conformity with the provisions of the Depository Agreement and
discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under
applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Sponsor shall take
action to find a replacement for the Depository to perform its
functions at a comparable cost and on terms acceptable to the
Sponsor or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to either
(i) terminate the Trust or specific Funds, as applicable, or
(ii) execute and deliver separate certificates evidencing
Shares registered in the names of the Limited Shareholders thereof,
with such additions, deletions and modifications to this Trust
Agreement and to the form of certificate evidencing Shares as the
Sponsor deems necessary or appropriate.
Section
3.6
Book-Entry-Only System, Global
Security
.
(a)
Global
Security
. The Trust and the Sponsor will enter into the
Depository Agreement pursuant to which the Depository will act as
securities depository for Limited Shares of each Fund. Limited
Shares of each Fund will be represented by the Global Security
(which may consist of one or more certificates as required by the
Depository), which will be registered, as the Depository shall
direct, in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for the
Depository and deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depository. No
other certificates evidencing Limited Shares will be issued. The
Global Security for each Fund shall be in the form attached hereto
as Exhibit A or described therein and shall represent such
Limited Shares as shall be specified therein, and may provide that
it shall represent the aggregate amount of outstanding Limited
Shares of a Fund from time to time endorsed thereon and that the
aggregate amount of outstanding Limited Shares represented thereby
may from time to time be increased or decreased to reflect
creations or redemptions of Baskets. Any endorsement of a Global
Security to reflect the amount, or any increase or decrease in the
amount, of outstanding Limited Shares represented thereby shall be
made in such manner and upon instructions given by the Sponsor on
behalf of the Trust as specified in the Depository
Agreement.
(b)
Legend
.
Any Global Security issued to The Depository Trust Company or its
nominee shall bear a legend substantially to the following effect:
“Unless this certificate is presented by an authorized
representative of The Depository Trust Company, a New York
corporation (“
DTC
”), to the Trust or
its agent for registration of transfer, exchange, or payment, and
any certificate issued is registered in the name of Cede &
Co., or in such other name as is requested by an authorized
representative of DTC (and any payment is made to Cede &
Co., or to such other entity as is required by an authorized
representative of DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE HEREOF
FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL inasmuch as
the registered owner hereof, Cede & Co., has an interest
herein.”
(c)
The
Depository
. The Depository has advised the Trust and the
Sponsor as follows: The Depository is a limited-purpose trust
company organized under the laws of the State of New York, a member
of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, a “clearing
corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform
Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered
pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Depository was created to
hold securities of its participants (the “
DTC Participants
”) and to
facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions
among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic
book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby
eliminating the need for physical movement of securities
certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and
dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain
other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives)
own the Depository. Access to the Depository’s 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
”).
(d)
Limited
Shareholders
. As provided in the Depository Agreement, upon
the settlement date of any creation, transfer or redemption of
Limited Shares of a Fund, the Depository will credit or debit, on
its book-entry registration and transfer system, the number of
Limited Shares so created, transferred or redeemed to the accounts
of the appropriate DTC Participants. The accounts to be credited
and charged shall be designated by the Sponsor on behalf of each
Fund and each Participant, in the case of a creation or redemption
of Baskets. Ownership of beneficial interest in Limited Shares will
be limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons
holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect
Participants. Limited Shareholders will be shown on, and the
transfer of Limited Shares will be effected only through, in the
case of DTC Participants, the records maintained by the Depository
and, in the case of Indirect Participants and Limited Shareholders
holding through a DTC Participant or an Indirect Participant,
through those records or the records of the relevant DTC
Participants or Indirect Participants. Limited Shareholders are
expected to receive, from or through the broker or bank that
maintains the account through which the Limited Shareholder has
purchased Limited Shares, a written confirmation relating to their
purchase of Limited Shares.
(e)
Reliance
on Procedures
. Limited Shareholders will not be entitled to
have Limited Shares registered in their names, will not receive or
be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificates in
definitive form and will not be considered the record or registered
holder of Limited Shares under this Trust Agreement. Accordingly,
to exercise any rights of a holder of Limited Shares under the
Trust Agreement, a Limited Shareholder must rely on the procedures
of the Depository and, if such Limited Shareholder is not a DTC
Participant, on the procedures of each DTC Participant or Indirect
Participant through which such Limited Shareholder holds its
interests. The Trust and the Sponsor understand that under existing
industry practice, if the Trust or any Fund requests any action of
a Limited Sharesholder, or a Limited Shareholder desires to take
any action that the Depository or its nominee, as the record owner
of all outstanding Limited Shares of each Fund, is entitled to
take, (1) in the case of a Trust request, the Depository will
notify the DTC Participants regarding such request, such DTC
Participants will in turn notify each Indirect Participant holding
Limited Shares through it, with each successive Indirect
Participant continuing to notify each person holding Limited Shares
through it until the request has reached the Limited Shareholder,
and (2) in the case of a request or authorization to act being
sought or given by a Limited Shareholder, such request or
authorization is given by such Limited Shareholder and relayed back
to the Trust or such Fund through each Indirect Participant and DTC
Participant through which the Limited Shareholder’s interest
in the Limited Shares is held.
(f)
Communication
between the Trust and the Limited Shareholders
. As described
above, the Trust and the Funds will recognize the Depository or its
nominee as the owner of all Limited Shares for all purposes except
as expressly set forth in this Trust Agreement. Conveyance of all
notices, statements and other communications to Limited
Shareholders will be effected as follows. Pursuant to the
Depository Agreement, the Depository is required to make available
to the Funds upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Funds
a listing of the Limited Share holdings of each DTC Participant.
The Trust or the Funds shall inquire of each such DTC Participant
as to the number of Limited Shareholders holding Limited Shares of
a Fund, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The
Trust or the Funds shall provide each such DTC Participant with
sufficient copies of such notice, statement or other communication,
in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may
reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or
communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly
or indirectly, to such Limited Shareholders. In addition, the Funds
shall pay to each such DTC Participant an amount as reimbursement
for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to
applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
(g)
Distributions
.
Any distributions on Limited Shares pursuant to Section 6.7
shall be made to the Depository or its nominee, Cede &
Co., as the registered owner of all Limited Shares. The Trust and
the Sponsor expect that the Depository or its nominee, upon receipt
of any payment of distributions in respect of Limited Shares, shall
credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments
in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests
in Limited Shares as shown on the records of the Depository or its
nominee. The Trust and the Sponsor also expect that payments by DTC
Participants to Indirect Participants and Limited Shareholders
holding Limited Shares through such DTC Participants and Indirect
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 and Indirect Participants. None of the Trust, the
Funds, the Trustee or the Sponsor will have any responsibility or
liability for any aspects of the records relating to or notices to
Limited Shareholders, or payments made on account of beneficial
ownership interests in Limited Shares, or for maintaining,
supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial
ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship
between the Depository and the DTC Participants or the relationship
between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and
Limited Shareholders owning through such DTC Participants or
Indirect Participants or between or among the Depository, any
Limited Shareholder and any person by or through which such Limited
Shareholder is considered to own Limited Shares.
(h)
Limitation
of Liability
. Each Global Security to be issued hereunder is
executed and delivered solely on behalf of the Trust by the
Sponsor, as Sponsor, in the exercise of the powers and authority
conferred and vested in it by this Trust Agreement. The
representations, undertakings and agreements made on the part of
the Trust in each Global Security are made and intended not as
personal representations, undertakings and agreements by the
Sponsor or the Trustee, but are made and intended for the purpose
of binding only the Trust. Nothing in the Global Security shall be
construed as creating any liability on the Sponsor or the Trustee,
individually or personally, to fulfill any representation,
undertaking or agreement other than as provided in this Trust
Agreement.
(i)
Successor
Depository
. If a successor to The Depository Trust Company
shall be employed as Depository hereunder, the Trust and the
Sponsor shall establish procedures acceptable to such successor
with respect to the matters addressed in this
Section 3.6.
Section
3.7
Assets
. All consideration
received by a Fund for the issue or sale of Shares together with
such Fund’s Trust Estate in which such consideration is
invested, all income, earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof,
including any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or
liquidation of such assets, shall belong to each Fund for all
purposes, subject only to the rights of creditors of such Fund and
except as may otherwise be required by applicable tax laws, and
shall be so recorded upon the books of account of such
Fund.
Section
3.8
Liabilities of
Funds
.
(a) The
Trust Estate belonging to each particular Fund shall be charged
with the liabilities of the Trust in respect of that Fund and only
that Fund, and all expenses, costs, charges, indemnities and
reserves attributable to that Fund. Any general liabilities,
expenses, costs, charges, indemnities or reserves of the Trust
which are not readily identifiable as belonging to any particular
Fund shall be allocated and charged by the Sponsor to and among any
one or more of the Funds established and designated from time to
time in such manner and on such basis as the Sponsor in its sole
discretion deems fair and equitable. Each allocation of
liabilities, expenses, costs, charges and reserves by the Sponsor
shall be conclusive and binding upon all Shareholders for all
purposes. The Sponsor shall have full discretion, to the extent not
inconsistent with applicable law, to determine which items shall be
treated as income and which items as capital, and each such
determination and allocation shall be conclusive and binding upon
the Shareholders. Every written agreement, instrument or other
undertaking made or issued by or on behalf of a particular Fund
shall include a recitation limiting the obligation or claim
represented thereby to that Fund and its assets.
(b) Without
limiting the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.8, but
subject to the right of the Sponsor in its discretion to allocate
general liabilities, expenses, costs, charges or reserves as herein
provided, the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses
(“
Claims
”) incurred,
contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to a particular
Fund shall be enforceable against the assets of such Fund only, and
not against the assets of the Trust generally or of any other Fund.
Notice of this limitation on inter-series liabilities is set forth
in the Certificate of Trust of the Trust as filed in the Office of
the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the
Delaware Trust Statute, and upon the giving of such notice in the
Certificate of Trust, the statutory provisions of Section 3804
of the Delaware Trust Statute relating to limitations on
inter-series liabilities (and the statutory effect under
Section 3804 of setting forth such notice in the Certificate
of Trust) became applicable to the Trust and each Fund. Every
Share, note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or other
undertaking made or issued by or on behalf of a particular Fund
shall include a recitation limiting the obligation on the Shares
represented thereby to that Fund and its assets, but the absence of
such a provision shall not be construed as creating recourse to any
other Fund or any other person.
(c) Any
agreement entered into by the Trust, any Fund, or the Sponsor, on
behalf of the Trust generally or any Fund, including, without
limitation, the Purchase Order entered into with each Participant,
will include language substantially similar to the language set
forth in Section 3.8(b).
Section
3.9
Voting Rights
.
Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, on each matter
submitted to a vote of the Shareholders, each Shareholder shall be
entitled to a proportionate vote based upon the number of Shares,
or fraction thereof, standing in its name on the books of such Fund
in accordance with Section 3.6(g).
Section
3.10
Equality
. Except as provided herein,
all Shares of a Fund shall represent an equal proportionate
beneficial interest in the assets of the Fund subject to the
liabilities of the Fund, and each Share shall be equal to each
other Share. The Sponsor may from time to time divide or combine
the Shares into a greater or lesser number of Shares without
thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interest in the
assets of the Fund or in any way affecting the rights of
Shareholders.
ARTICLE IV
THE
SPONSOR
Section
4.1
Management of the Trust
. Pursuant to
Section 3806(b)(7) of the Delaware Trust Statute, the Trust
shall be managed by the Sponsor as an agent of the Trust and the
conduct of the Trust’s business shall be controlled and
conducted solely by the Sponsor in accordance with this Trust
Agreement.
Section
4.2
Authority of Sponsor
. In
addition to and not in limitation of any rights and powers
conferred by law or other provisions of this Trust Agreement, and
except as limited, restricted or prohibited by the express
provisions of this Trust Agreement or the Delaware Trust Statute,
the Sponsor shall have and may exercise on behalf of the Trust, all
powers and rights necessary, proper, convenient or advisable to
effectuate and carry out the purposes, business and objectives of
the Trust, which shall include, without limitation, the
following:
(a) To
enter into, execute, deliver and maintain, and to cause the Trust
to perform its obligations under, contracts, agreements and any or
all other documents and instruments, and to do and perform all such
things as may be in furtherance of Trust purposes or necessary or
appropriate for the offer and sale of the Shares and the conduct of
Trust activities;
(b) To
establish, maintain, deposit into, sign checks and/or otherwise
draw upon accounts on behalf of the Trust with appropriate banking
and savings institutions, and execute and/or accept any instrument
or agreement incidental to the Trust’s business and in
furtherance of its purposes, any such instrument or agreement so
executed or accepted by the Sponsor in the Sponsor’s name
shall be deemed executed and accepted on behalf of the Trust by the
Sponsor;
(c) To
deposit, withdraw, pay, retain and distribute each Fund’s
Trust Estate or any portion thereof in any manner consistent with
the provisions of this Trust Agreement;
(d) To
supervise the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement
and supplements and amendments thereto;
(e) To
adopt, implement or amend, from time to time, such disclosure and
financial reporting information gathering and control policies and
procedures as are necessary or desirable to ensure compliance with
applicable disclosure and financial reporting obligations under any
applicable securities laws;
(f) To
make any necessary determination or decision in connection with the
preparation of the Trust’s financial statements and
amendments thereto, and the Prospectus;
(g) To
prepare, file and distribute, if applicable, any periodic reports
or updates that may be required under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, the CE Act, or the rules and regulations
thereunder;
(h) To
pay or authorize the payment of distributions to the Shareholders
and expenses of each Fund;
(i) To
make any elections on behalf of the Trust and any Fund under the
Code, or any other applicable U.S. federal or state tax law as the
Sponsor shall determine to be in the best interests of the Trust or
the applicable Fund; and
(j) In
the sole discretion of the Sponsor, to admit an Affiliate or
Affiliates of the Sponsor as additional Sponsors.
Section
4.3
Obligations of the Sponsor
.
In addition to the obligations expressly provided by the Delaware
Trust Statute or this Trust Agreement, the Sponsor
shall:
(a)
Devote such of its time to the business and affairs of the Trust as
it shall, in its discretion exercised in good faith, determine to
be necessary to conduct the business and affairs of the Trust for
the benefit of the Trust and the Limited Shareholders;
(b)
Execute, file, record and/or publish all certificates, statements
and other documents and do any and all other things as may be
appropriate for the formation, qualification and operation of the
Trust and for the conduct of its business in all appropriate
jurisdictions;
(c) Appoint
and remove independent public accountants to audit the accounts of
the Trust;
(d) Employ
attorneys to represent the Trust;
(e) Use
its best efforts to maintain the status of the Trust and each Fund
as a “statutory trust” for state law purpose and as a
“partnership” for U.S. federal income tax
purposes;
(f) Invest,
reinvest, hold uninvested, sell, exchange, write options on, lease,
lend and, subject to Section 4.4(b), pledge, mortgage and
hypothecate the Trust Estate of each Fund in accordance with the
purposes of the Trust and the Registration Statement.
(g) Have
fiduciary responsibility for the safekeeping and use of the Trust
Estate, whether or not in the Sponsor’ s immediate possession
or control;
(h) Enter
into a Authorized Purchaser Agreement with each Participant and
discharge the duties and responsibilities of the Trust and the
Sponsor thereunder;
(i) For
each Fund, receive from Participants and process, or cause the
Distributor or other Fund service provider to process, properly
submitted Purchase Orders, as described in
Section 3.5(a)(i);
(j) For
each Fund, in connection with Purchase Order, receive Creation
Basket Deposits from Participants;
(k)
For each Fund, in connection with Purchase Order, deliver or cause
the delivery of Creation Baskets to the Depository for the account
of the Participant submitting a Purchase Order for which the
Sponsor has received the requisite Transaction Fee and the Trust
has received the requisite Deposit, as described in
Section 3.5(d);
(l) For
each Fund, receive from Participants and process, or cause the
Distributor or other Fund service provider to process, properly
submitted Redemption Orders, as described in Section 7.1(a),
or as may from time to time be permitted by
Section 7.2;
(m) For
each Fund, in connection with Redemption Orders, receive from the
redeeming Participant through the Depository, and thereupon cancel
or cause to be cancelled, Limited Shares corresponding to the
Redemption Baskets to be redeemed as described in Section 7.1,
or as may from time to time be permitted by
Section 7.2;
(n) Interact
with the Depository as required; and
(o) Delegate
those of its duties hereunder as it shall determine from time to
time to one or more Administrators or commodity trading or other
advisors.
Section
4.4
General Prohibitions
. The
Trust and each Fund, as applicable, shall not:
(a) Borrow
money from or loan money to any Shareholder (including the
Sponsor);
(b)
Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any lien, mortgage,
pledge, conditional sale or other title retention agreement,
charge, security interest or encumbrance, except (i) liens for
taxes not delinquent or being contested in good faith and by
appropriate proceedings and for which appropriate reserves have
been established, (ii) deposits or pledges to secure
obligations under workmen’s compensation, social security or
similar laws or under unemployment insurance, (iii) deposits
or pledges to secure contracts (other than contracts for the
payment of money), leases, statutory obligations, surety and appeal
bonds and other obligations of like nature arising in the ordinary
course of business, (iv) mechanic’s,
warehousemen’s, carrier’s, workmen’s,
materialmen’s or other like liens arising in the ordinary
course of business with respect to obligations which are not due or
which are being contested in good faith, and for which appropriate
reserves have been established if required by generally accepted
accounting principles, and liens arising under ERISA, or
(v) the deposit of margin or collateral with respect to the
initiation and maintenance of Commodity Contract positions;
or
(c) Operate
the Trust or a Fund in any manner so as to contravene the
requirements to preserve the limitation on inter-series liability
set forth in Section 3804 of the Delaware Trust
Statute.
Section
4.5
Liability of Covered
Persons
. A Covered Person shall have no liability to the
Trust, any Fund, or to any Shareholder or other Covered Person for
any loss suffered by the Trust or any Fund which arises out of any
action or inaction of such Covered Person if such Covered Person,
in good faith, determined that such course of conduct was in the
best interest of the Trust or the applicable Fund and such course
of conduct did not constitute gross negligence or willful
misconduct of such Covered Person. Subject to the foregoing,
neither the Sponsor nor any other Covered Person shall be
personally liable for the return or repayment of all or any portion
of the capital or profits of any Shareholder or assignee thereof,
it being expressly agreed that any such return of capital or
profits made pursuant to this Trust Agreement shall be made solely
from the assets of the applicable Fund without any rights of
contribution from the Sponsor or any other Covered Person. A
Covered Person shall not be liable for the conduct or willful
misconduct of any Administrator or other delegatee selected by the
Sponsor with reasonable care, provided, however, that the Trustee
and its Affiliates shall not under any circumstances be liable for
the conduct or willful misconduct of the Sponsor or any
Administrator or other delegatee or any other Person selected by
the Sponsor to provide services to the Trust.
Section
4.6
Fiduciary
Duty
.
(a)
To the extent that, at law (common or statutory) or in equity, the
Sponsor has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities
relating thereto to the Trust, the Funds, the Shareholders or to
any other Person, the Sponsor acting under this Trust Agreement
shall not be liable to the Trust, the Funds, the Shareholders or to
any other Person for its good faith reliance on the provisions of
this Trust Agreement subject to the standard of care in
Section 4.5 herein. The provisions of this Trust Agreement, to
the extent that they restrict or eliminate the duties and
liabilities of the Sponsor otherwise existing at law or in equity,
are agreed by the parties hereto to replace such other duties and
liabilities of the Sponsor.
(b)
Unless otherwise expressly provided herein:
(i) whenever
a conflict of interest exists or arises between the Sponsor or any
of its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Trust or any
Shareholder or any other Person, on the other hand; or
(ii) whenever
this Trust Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein or
therein provides that the Sponsor shall act in a manner that is, or
provides terms that are, fair and reasonable to the Trust, any
Shareholder or any other Person,
the
Sponsor shall resolve such conflict of interest, take such action
or provide such terms, considering in each case the relative
interest of each party (including its own interest) to such
conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and
burdens relating to such interests, any customary or accepted
industry practices, and any applicable generally accepted
accounting practices or principles. In the absence of bad faith by
the Sponsor, the resolution, action or terms so made, taken or
provided by the Sponsor shall not constitute a breach of this Trust
Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein or of any duty
or obligation of the Sponsor at law or in equity or
otherwise.
(c) The
Sponsor and any Affiliate of the Sponsor may engage in or possess
an interest in other profit-seeking or business ventures of any
nature or description, independently or with others, whether or not
such ventures are competitive with the Trust and the doctrine of
corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply
to the Sponsor. If the Sponsor acquires knowledge of a potential
transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be an
opportunity for the Trust, it shall have no duty to communicate or
offer such opportunity to the Trust, and the Sponsor shall not be
liable to the Trust or to the Shareholders for breach of any
fiduciary or other duty by reason of the fact that the Sponsor
pursues or acquires for, or directs such opportunity to, another
Person or does not communicate such opportunity or information to
the Trust. Neither the Trust nor any Shareholder shall have any
rights or obligations by virtue of this Agreement or the trust
relationship created hereby in or to such independent ventures or
the income or profits or losses derived therefrom, and the pursuit
of such ventures, even if competitive with the activities of the
Trust, shall not be deemed wrongful or improper. Except to the
extent expressly provided herein, the Sponsor may engage or be
interested in any financial or other transaction with the Trust,
the Shareholders or any Affiliate of the Trust or the
Shareholders.
Section
4.7
Indemnification of the
Sponsor
.
(a) The
Sponsor shall be indemnified by the Trust (or, in furtherance of
Section 3.8, by a Fund separately to the extent the matter in
question relates to a single Fund or disproportionately affects a
specific Fund in relation to other Funds) against any losses,
judgments, liabilities, expenses and amounts paid in settlement of
any claims sustained by it in connection with its activities for
the Trust, provided that (i) the Sponsor was acting on behalf
of or performing services for the Trust and has determined, in good
faith, that such course of conduct was in the best interests of the
Trust and such liability or loss was not the result of gross
negligence, willful misconduct, or a breach of this Trust Agreement
on the part of the Sponsor and (ii) any such indemnification
will only be recoverable from the applicable Trust Estate or Trust
Estates. All rights to indemnification permitted herein and payment
of associated expenses shall not be affected by the dissolution or
other cessation to exist of the Sponsor, or the withdrawal,
adjudication of bankruptcy or insolvency of the Sponsor, or the
filing of a voluntary or involuntary petition in bankruptcy under
Title 11 of the Bankruptcy Code by or against the
Sponsor.
(b) Notwithstanding
the provisions of this Section 4.7(a) above, the Sponsor shall
not be indemnified for any losses, liabilities or expenses arising
from or out of an alleged violation of U.S. federal or state
securities laws unless (i) there has been a successful
adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged
securities law violations as to the particular indemnitee and the
court approves the indemnification of such expenses (including,
without limitation, litigation costs), (ii) such claims have
been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent
jurisdiction as to the particular indemnitee and the court approves
the indemnification of such expenses (including, without
limitation, litigation costs) or (iii) a court of competent
jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against a
particular indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the
settlement and related costs should be made.
(c) The
Trust and the Funds shall not incur the cost of that portion of any
insurance which insures any party against any liability, the
indemnification of which is herein prohibited.
(d) Expenses
incurred in defending a threatened or pending civil, administrative
or criminal action suit or proceeding against the Sponsor shall be
paid by the Trust or the applicable Fund or Funds in advance of the
final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding, if
(i) the legal action relates to the performance of duties or
services by the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust or any Fund or
Funds; (ii) the legal action is initiated by a party other
than the Trust; and (iii) the Sponsor undertakes to repay the
advanced funds with interest to the Trust or the applicable Fund or
Funds in cases in which it is not entitled to indemnification under
this Section 4.7.
(e) The
term “Sponsor” as used only in this Section 4.7
shall include, in addition to the Sponsor, any other Covered Person
performing services on behalf of the Trust or any Fund or Funds and
acting within the scope of the Sponsor’s authority as set
forth in this Trust Agreement.
(f) In
the event the Trust or any Fund is made a party to any claim,
dispute, demand or litigation or otherwise incurs any loss,
liability, damage, cost or expense as a result of or in connection
with any Limited Shareholder’s (or assignee’s)
obligations or liabilities unrelated to Trust business, such
Limited Shareholder (or assignees cumulatively) shall indemnify,
defend, hold harmless, and reimburse the Trust or Fund for all such
loss, liability, damage, cost and expense incurred, including
attorneys’ and accountants’ fees.
(g) The
payment of any amount pursuant to this Section 4.7 shall be
subject to Section 3.8 with respect to the allocation of
liabilities and other amounts, as appropriate, among the
Funds.
Section
4.8
Expenses and Limitations
Thereon
.
(a)
The Sponsor or an Affiliate of the Sponsor shall be responsible for
the payment of all Organization Expenses incurred in connection
with the creation of the Trust or any Fund and the sale of
Shares.
(ii) “
Organization
Expenses
” shall mean those expenses incurred in
connection with the formation, qualification and registration of
the Trust, any Fund and the Shares under applicable U.S. federal
and state law, and any other expenses actually incurred and,
directly or indirectly, related to the organization of the Trust or
any Fund or the offering of a Fund’s Shares prior to the time
such Shares begin trading on an Exchange, including, but not
limited to, expenses such as: (i) initial registration fees,
prepaid licensing fees, filing fees, escrow fees and taxes,
(ii) costs of preparing, printing (including typesetting),
amending, supplementing, mailing and distributing the Registration
Statement, the Exhibits thereto and the Prospectus for a Fund,
(iii) the costs of qualifying, printing, (including
typesetting), amending, supplementing, mailing and distributing
sales materials used in connection with the offering and issuance
of the Shares of a Fund, (iv) travel, telegraph, telephone and
other expenses in connection with the offering and issuance of the
Shares of a Fund, and (v) accounting, auditing and legal fees
(including disbursements related thereto) incurred in connection
therewith.
(b) Except
as set forth in Article II and Sections 4.8(a) and
4.8(c), all ongoing charges, costs and expenses of each
Fund’s operation shall be billed to and paid by the
applicable Fund. Such costs and expenses shall include, but not be
limited to: (i) brokerage and other fees and commissions
incurred in connection with the trading activities of the Funds;
(ii) expenses incurred in connection with registering
additional Shares of a Fund or offering Shares of a Fund after the
time any Shares of such Fund have begun trading on an Exchange;
(iii) the routine expenses associated with preparation of
monthly, quarterly, annual and other reports required by applicable
U.S. federal and state regulatory authorities, Trust meetings and
preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements and reports to
Shareholders; (iv) the payment of any distributions related to
redemption of Shares; (v) the Sponsor’s fee in
accordance with Section 4.9; (vi) payment for routine
services of the Trustee, legal counsel and independent accountants;
(vii) payment for routine accounting, bookkeeping, custody and
transfer agency services, whether performed by an outside service
provider or by Affiliates of the Sponsor; (viii) postage and
insurance; (ix) costs and expenses associated with client
relations and services; (x) payment of all federal, state,
local or foreign taxes payable on the income, assets or operations
of the Fund and the preparation of all tax returns related thereto;
and (xi) extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited
to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any
indemnification related thereto).
(c) The
Sponsor or any Affiliate of the Sponsor may only be reimbursed for
the actual cost to the Sponsor or such Affiliate of any expenses
which it advances on behalf of a Fund for which payment a Fund is
responsible. In addition, payment to the Sponsor or such Affiliate
for indirect expenses incurred in performing services for the Funds
in its capacity as the Sponsor of the Trust, such as salaries and
fringe benefits of employees, officers and directors, rent or
depreciation, utilities and other administrative items generally
falling within the category of the Sponsor’s
“overhead,” is prohibited.
Section
4.9
Compensation to the
Sponsor
. The Sponsor shall be entitled to compensation for
its services as Sponsor of the Trust as set forth in the
Prospectus, as the same may be amended or supplemented from time to
time.
Section
4.10
Other Business of
Shareholders
. Except as otherwise specifically provided
herein, any of the Shareholders and any shareholder, officer,
director, member, manager, employee or other person holding a legal
or beneficial interest in an entity which is a Shareholder, may
engage in or possess an interest in other business ventures of
every nature and description, independently or with others, and the
pursuit of such ventures, even if competitive with the business of
the Trust, shall not be deemed wrongful or improper.
Section
4.11
Withdrawal of the
Sponsor
.
(a) The
Sponsor may withdraw voluntarily as the Sponsor of the Trust only
upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to all Limited
Shareholders and the Trustee. If the Sponsor withdraws and a
successor Sponsor is selected in accordance with
Section 13.1(a)(ii), the withdrawing Sponsor shall pay all
expenses as a result of its withdrawal.
(b)
The Sponsor will not cease to be a Sponsor of the Trust merely upon
the occurrence of its making an assignment for the benefit of
creditors, filing a voluntary petition in bankruptcy, filing a
petition or answer seeking for itself any reorganization,
arrangement, composition, readjustment, liquidation, dissolution or
similar relief under any statute, law or regulation, filing an
answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest material
allegations of a petition filed against it in any proceeding of
this nature or seeking, consenting to or acquiescing in the
appointment of a trustee, receiver or liquidator for itself or of
all or any substantial part of its properties.
(c) In
connection with any Event of Withdrawal, the Sponsor shall not
cease to be a Sponsor of the Trust, or to have the power to
exercise any rights or powers as a Sponsor, or to have liability
for the obligations of the Trust under Section 1.7 hereof,
until a substitute Sponsor, which shall carry on the business of
the Trust, has been admitted to the Trust or until the Trust has
been terminated in accordance with Section 13.1.
(d) To
the full extent permitted by law, nothing in this Trust Agreement
shall be deemed to prevent the merger of the Sponsor with another
corporation or other entity, the reorganization of the Sponsor into
or with any other corporation or other entity, the transfer of all
the capital stock of the Sponsor or the assumption of the rights,
duties and liabilities of the Sponsor by, in the case of a merger,
reorganization or consolidation, the surviving corporation or other
entity by operation of law or the transfer of the Sponsor’s
Shares to an Affiliate of the Sponsor. Without limiting the
foregoing, none of the transactions referenced in the preceding
sentence shall be deemed to be a voluntary withdrawal for purposes
of Section 4.11(a) or an Event of Withdrawal or assignment of
Shares for purposes of Section 5.2(a).
Section
4.12
Authorization of Registration
Statements
. Each Limited Shareholder (or any permitted
assignee thereof) hereby agrees that the Sponsor, the Trust, and
the Trustee are authorized to execute, deliver and perform the
agreements, acts, transactions and matters contemplated hereby or
described in or contemplated by the Registration Statements on
behalf of the Trust without any further act, approval or vote of
the Limited Shareholders of the Funds, notwithstanding any other
provision of this Trust Agreement, the Delaware Trust Statute or
any applicable law, rule or regulation.
Section
4.13
Litigation
. The Sponsor is
hereby authorized to prosecute, defend, settle or compromise
actions or claims at law or in equity as may be necessary or proper
to enforce or protect the Trust’s interests. The Sponsor
shall satisfy any judgment, decree or decision of any court, board
or authority having jurisdiction or any settlement of any suit or
claim prior to judgment or final decision thereon, first, out of
any insurance proceeds available therefor, next, out of the
Funds’ assets on a pro rata basis and, thereafter, out of the
assets (to the extent that it is permitted to do so under the
various other provisions of this Trust Agreement) of the
Sponsor.
ARTICLE V
TRANSFERS OF
SHARES
Section
5.1
Transfer of Limited Shares
.
A Limited Shareholder may not transfer his Shares or any part of
his right, title and interest in the capital or profits in any Fund
except as permitted in this Article V and any act in violation
of this Article V shall not be binding upon or recognized by
the Trust (regardless of whether the Sponsor shall have knowledge
thereof), unless approved in writing by the Sponsor. Limited
Shareholders that are not DTC Participants may transfer Limited
Shares by instructing the DTC Participant or Indirect Participant
holding the Limited Shares for such Limited Shareholder in
accordance with standard securities industry practice. Limited
Shareholders that are DTC Participants may transfer Limited Shares
by instructing the Depository in accordance with the rules of the
Depository and standard securities industry practice.
Section
5.2
Transfer of Sponsor’s
Shares
. Upon the Sponsor ceasing to serve as Sponsor of the
Trust, the Sponsor’s Shares shall be purchased by the Trust
for a purchase price in cash equal to the Net Asset Value
thereof.
ARTICLE VI
CAPITAL ACCOUNTS,
DISTRIBUTIONS AND ALLOCATIONS
Section
6.1
Capital
Accounts
.
(a) The
Sponsor or an Administrator shall establish on the books and
records of each Fund for each Shareholder a separate account (a
“
Capital
Account
”), which shall be determined in accordance
with the following provisions:
(i) A
Shareholder’s Capital Account shall be increased by such
Shareholder’s Capital Contributions to the Fund and by any
income or gain (including income and gain exempt from tax) computed
in accordance with Section 6.1(b) and allocated to such
Shareholder pursuant to Section 6.2.
(ii) A
Shareholder’s Capital Account shall be decreased by the
amount of cash distributed to such Shareholder pursuant to any
provision of this Agreement and by any expenses, deductions or
losses computed in accordance with Section 6.1(b) and
allocated to such Shareholder pursuant to
Section 6.2.
(b) For
purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain,
deduction, expense or loss to be reflected in a Shareholder’s
Capital Account, the determination, recognition and classification
of any such item shall be the same as its determination,
recognition and classification for federal income tax purposes
pursuant to Section 703(a) of the Code;
provided
, that:
(i) Items
described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code shall be treated
as items of deduction. All fees and other expenses incurred by the
Fund to promote the sale of (or to sell) a Share that can neither
be deducted nor amortized under Section 709 of the Code shall,
for purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as items
described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code.
(ii) Except
as otherwise provided in Treasury Regulations section
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(
m
), the
computation of all items of income, gain, loss and deduction shall
be made without regard to any election under Section 754 of
the Code.
(iii) In
computing income, gain, deduction, expense or loss for Capital
Account purposes, the amount of such item shall be determined
taking into account the book value of the Fund’s property, as
adjusted pursuant to Section 6.1(d).
(c) In
the event any Shareholder’s Shares are transferred in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the transferee shall
succeed to the Capital Account of such Shareholder to the extent
such Capital Account relates to the transferred
Shares.
(d) Consistent
with the provisions of Treasury Regulations section
1.704-l(b)(2)(iv)(f), upon an issuance or redemption of Shares, in
connection with the dissolution, liquidation or termination of a
Fund, or otherwise as appropriate pursuant to generally accepted
industry accounting practices, the Capital Accounts of all
Shareholders of such Fund may, immediately prior to such issuance,
redemption, dissolution, liquidation, termination, or otherwise, be
adjusted (consistent with the provisions hereof) upwards or
downwards to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss
attributable to Fund property, as if such Unrealized Gain or
Unrealized Loss had been recognized upon an actual sale of such
property, immediately prior to such issuance, redemption,
dissolution, liquidation, termination, or otherwise, and had been
allocated to the Shareholders at such time pursuant to
Section 6.2. Pursuant to Treasury Regulations section
1.704-l(b)(2)(iv)(
g
),
appropriate adjustments shall be made to the book value of the
Fund’s property with Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss.
Proper adjustment shall be made to the amount of any Capital
Account adjustment under this Section 6.1(d) to take into
account any prior Capital Account adjustment under this
Section 6.1.
The
foregoing provisions and the other provisions of this Agreement
relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to
comply with section 1.704-1(b) of the Treasury regulations, and
shall be interpreted and applied in a manner consistent with such
regulations. In the event the Sponsor shall determine that it is
prudent to modify the manner in which the Capital Accounts, or any
debits or credits thereto are computed in order to comply with such
regulations, it may make such modification. The Sponsor also shall
(i) make any adjustments that are necessary or appropriate to
maintain equality between the aggregate Capital Accounts of the
Shareholders and the amount of capital reflected on the
Fund’s balance sheet, as computed for book purposes, in
accordance with Treasury Regulations section
1.704-l(b)(2)(iv)(
q
) and
(ii) make any appropriate modifications in the event
unanticipated events might otherwise cause this Agreement not to
comply with Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b).
Section
6.2
Allocations for Capital Account
Purposes
.
(a) For
purposes of maintaining Capital Accounts and in determining the
rights of the Shareholders among themselves, except as otherwise
provided in this Section 6.2 each item of income, gain, loss,
expense and deduction (computed in accordance with
Section 6.1(b)) shall be allocated to the Shareholders in
accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
(b)
Pursuant to Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(g),
items of depreciation, depletion, amortization and gain or loss
attributable to Adjusted Property that has a Book-Tax Disparity
shall be allocated among the Shareholders in accordance with
Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(
g
)(3).
(c) If
any Shareholder unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations
or distributions described in Treasury Regulations section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d), items of the Fund’s income and gain
shall be specially allocated to such Shareholder in an amount and
manner sufficient to eliminate a deficit balance in its Capital
Account (after decreasing such Shareholder’s Capital Account
balance by the items described in Treasury Regulations section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)) created by such adjustments, allocations or
distributions as quickly as possible. This Section 6.2(c) is
intended to constitute a “qualified income offset”
within the meaning of Treasury Regulations section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d).
Section
6.3
Allocations of Profits and Losses
for Tax Purposes.
(a) For
U.S. federal income tax purposes, except as otherwise provided in
this Section 6.3, each item of income, gain, loss, deduction
and credit of a Fund shall be allocated among the Shareholders in
accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
(b) In
an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to
Adjusted Property, items of income, gain, or loss shall be
allocated for U.S. federal income tax purposes among the
Shareholders under the principles of the remedial method of
Treasury Regulations section 1.704-3(d).
(c) If
any Shareholder unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations
or distributions described in Treasury Regulations section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(
d
), items
of income and gain shall be specially allocated to such Shareholder
in an amount and manner consistent with the allocations of income
and gain pursuant to Section 6.2(c).
Section
6.4
Tax
Conventions
.
(a) For
purposes of Sections 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3, the Sponsor or
Administrator shall adopt such conventions as may be necessary,
appropriate or advisable in the Sponsor’s reasonable
discretion in order to comply with applicable law, including
Section 706 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations or
rulings promulgated thereunder. The Sponsor may revise, alter or
otherwise modify such conventions in accordance with the standard
established in the previous sentence.
(b) Unless
the Sponsor determines that another convention is necessary or
appropriate in the Sponsor’s reasonable discretion in order
to comply with applicable law, each Fund shall use the monthly
convention described in this Section 6.4(b).
(i) All
issuances, redemptions and transfers of Shares or beneficial
interests therein shall be deemed to take place at a price (the
“
single monthly
price
”) equal to the value of such Share or beneficial
interest therein at the end of the Business Day during the month in
which the issuance, redemption or transfer takes place on which the
value of a Share is lowest. Accordingly, in determining Unrealized
Gain or Unrealized Loss and in making the adjustments provided for
by Section 6.1(d), the fair market value of all Fund property
immediately prior to the issuance, redemption or transfer of Shares
shall be deemed to be equal to the lowest value of such property
(as determined under Section 6.6) during the month in which
such Shares are issued or redeemed. In the event that the Fund
makes an election under Section 754 of the Code, adjustments
to be made under Sections 734(b) and 743(b) of the Code will
be made using the same monthly convention, including by reference
to the single monthly price.
(ii) All
property contributed to a Fund shall be deemed to have a value
equal to the value of such property (determined under principles
similar to those described in Section 6.6) on the date of such
contribution. All purchases and sales of property, however, shall
be treated as taking place at a price equal to the purchase or sale
price of the property, respectively.
(iii) In
general, each item of a Fund’s income, gain, expense, loss,
deduction and credit shall, for U.S. federal income tax purposes,
be determined for each calendar month during a taxable period based
on an interim closing of the books and shall be allocated solely
among the Shareholders recognized as shareholders of the Fund as of
the close of business on the last trading day of the preceding
calendar month. For this purpose, any transfer of a Share during a
calendar month shall be treated as being effective immediately
prior to the close of business on the last trading day of a
calendar month. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless the Sponsor
determines that another method is necessary or appropriate in the
Sponsor’s reasonable discretion, gain or loss on a sale or
other disposition of all or a substantial portion of the assets of
a Fund (or, in the Sponsor’s sole discretion, other sales or
dispositions of assets if appropriate to more accurately allocate
such gain and loss to Shareholders in a manner that corresponds to
their economic gain and loss) shall be allocated to the
Shareholders of the Fund who own Shares as of the close of the day
in which such gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax
purposes.
(c)
The allocations pursuant to Section 6.4(b) are intended to
constitute a reasonable method of allocation in accordance with
Treasury Regulations section 1.706-1(c)(2)(ii) and to take into
account a Shareholder’s or Shareholders’ varying
interests during the taxable year of any issuance, redemption or
transfer of Shares or beneficial interests therein. Any person who
is the transferee of Shares shall be deemed to consent to the
methods of determination and allocation set forth in
Sections 6.3 and 6.4 as a condition of receiving such
Shares.
Section
6.5
No Interest on Capital
Account
. No Shareholder shall be entitled to interest on its
Capital Account.
Section
6.6
Valuation
.
(a) For
purposes of determining the Net Asset Value of a Fund, the Trust
will value all property at (A) its current market value, if
quotations for such property are readily available or (B) its
fair value, as reasonably determined by the Sponsor, if the current
market value cannot be determined.
(b) The
Sponsor may (but is not required to) employ the services of, and
rely upon the reports of, a recognized pricing service. If the
Sponsor determines that the procedures in this Section are an
inappropriate basis for the valuation of the Trust’s assets,
it shall determine an alternative basis to be employed. The Sponsor
shall not be liable to any Person for any determination as to the
alternative basis for evaluation, provided that such determination
is made in good faith.
Section
6.7
Distributions
.
(a) Distributions
on Shares of a Fund may be paid with such frequency as the Sponsor
may determine, which may be daily or otherwise, to the Shareholders
in accordance with Section 3.6(g) from such of the income and
capital gains, accrued or realized, from each Trust Estate, after
providing for actual and accrued liabilities. Such distributions
shall be made in cash or, at the sole discretion of the Sponsor, in
property.
(b) Distributions
from a Fund upon the occurrence of a redemption or upon
dissolution, liquidation or termination pursuant to
Sections 7.1 and 13.2 of this Trust Agreement will be in the
form of property and/or cash as determined by such sections, as
applicable; provided that amounts received by Shareholders in the
case of distributions upon dissolution, liquidation or termination
shall be in accordance with Capital Accounts as provided in
Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(b).
(c) Notwithstanding
any provision to the contrary contained in this Trust Agreement, a
Fund shall not be required to make a distribution with respect to
Shares if such distribution would violate the Delaware Trust
Statute or any other applicable law. A determination that a
distribution is not prohibited under this Section 6.7 or the
Delaware Trust Statute shall be made by the Trust and, to the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law, may be based either on
financial statements prepared on the basis of accounting practices
and principles that are reasonable under the circumstances or on a
fair valuation or any other method that is reasonable under the
circumstances. Unless otherwise agreed to by the Shareholders, a
Shareholder shall be entitled only to the distributions expressly
provided for in this Trust Agreement.
(d) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in this Trust Agreement, the
Shareholders understand and acknowledge that a Shareholder (or its
agent) may be compelled to accept a distribution of any asset in
kind from the Fund despite the fact that the percentage of the
asset distributed to such Shareholder (or its agent) exceeds the
percentage of that asset which is equal to the percentage in which
such Shareholder shares in distributions from the
Trust.
ARTICLE VII
REDEMPTIONS
Section
7.1
Redemption of Redemption
Baskets
. The following procedures, as supplemented by the
more detailed procedures specified in the attachment to the
applicable Authorized Purchaser Agreement, which may be amended
from time to time in accordance with the provisions of such
Authorized Purchaser Agreement (and any such amendment will not
constitute an amendment of this Trust Agreement), will govern the
Trust and the Funds with respect to the redemption of Redemption
Baskets.
(a) On
any Business Day, a Participant with respect to which a Authorized
Purchaser Agreement is in full force and effect (as reflected on
the list maintained by the Sponsor pursuant to
Section 3.5(a)(i)) may redeem one or more Redemption Baskets
standing to the credit of the Participant on the records of the
Depository by delivering a request for redemption to the Sponsor or
its designee (such request, a “
Redemption Order
”) in the
manner specified in the procedures described in the attachment to
the Authorized Purchaser Agreement, as amended from time to time in
accordance with the provisions of the Authorized Purchaser
Agreement (and any such amendment will not constitute an amendment
of this Trust Agreement).
(b) To
be effective, a Redemption Order must be submitted on a Business
Day by the Order Cut-Off Time in form satisfactory to the Sponsor
(the Business Day on which the Redemption Order is so submitted,
the “
Redemption
Order Date
”). The Sponsor shall reject any Redemption
Order the fulfillment of which its counsel advises may be illegal
under applicable laws and regulations, and the Sponsor shall have
no liability to any person for rejecting a Redemption Order in such
circumstances.
(c) Subject
to deduction of any tax or other governmental charges due thereon,
the redemption distribution (“
Redemption Distribution
”)
shall consist of cash or a combination of United States Treasury
securities, cash and/or cash equivalents or other securities or
property in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying
(i) the number of Redemption Baskets set forth in the relevant
Redemption Order by (ii) the Net Asset Value Per Basket of a
Fund calculated on the Redemption Order Date. The Sponsor
determines, in its sole discretion or in consultation with the
Administrator, the requirements for securities and/or property that
may be included in Redemption Distributions and publishes, or its
agent publishes on its behalf, such requirements at the beginning
of each Business Day.
(d) On
the next Business Day following the Redemption Order Date (or on
such later Business Day, not to exceed three Business Days after
the Redemption Order Date, as agreed to between the Participant and
the Sponsor or its designee when the Redemption Order is placed)
(the “
Redemption
Settlement Date
”), if the account of the Distributor
or other appropriate Fund service provider at the Depository has
been credited with the Redemption Baskets being tendered for
redemption and the Sponsor has by such time received the
Transaction Fee, the Sponsor shall deliver the Redemption
Distribution through the Depository to the account of the
Participant as recorded on the book entry system of the Depository.
If by the close of business on such Redemption Settlement Date the
Sponsor has not received from a redeeming Participant all
Redemption Baskets comprising the Redemption Order, the Sponsor
will (i) settle the Redemption Order to the extent of whole
Redemption Baskets received from the Participant with the
Transaction Fee and (ii) keep the redeeming
Participant’s Redemption Order open until the first Business
Day following the Redemption Settlement Date as to the balance of
the Redemption Order (such balance, the “
Suspended Redemption
Order
”). If the Redemption Basket(s) comprising the
Suspended Redemption Order are credited to the Distributor’s
account at the Depository on such following Business Day, the
Redemption Distribution with respect to the Suspended Redemption
Order shall be paid in the manner provided in the second preceding
sentence. If by the close of business on the next Business Day
following Redemption Settlement Date, the Sponsor has not received
from the redeeming Participant all Redemption Baskets comprising
the Suspended Redemption Order, the Sponsor will settle the
Suspended Redemption Order to the extent of whole Redemption
Baskets then received and any balance of the Suspended Redemption
will be cancelled. Notwithstanding the foregoing, when and under
such conditions as the Sponsor may from time to time determine, the
Sponsor shall be authorized to deliver the Redemption Distribution
notwithstanding that a Redemption Basket has not been credited to
the Trust’s or the applicable account at the Depository if
the Participant has collateralized its obligation to deliver the
Redemption Basket on such terms as to which the Sponsor may, in its
sole discretion, from time to time agree.
(e)
The Sponsor may, in its discretion, suspend the right of redemption
or postpone the Redemption Settlement Date for a Fund (i) for
any period during which the Exchange or the Fund’s Futures
Exchange is closed other than customary weekend or holiday
closings, or trading on the Exchange or the Fund’s Futures
Exchange is suspended or restricted; (ii) for any period
during which an emergency exists as a result of which delivery or
Redemption Distributions is not reasonably practicable; or
(iii) for such other period as the Sponsor determines to be
necessary for the protection of Shareholders. Neither the Sponsor
nor its designees will be liable to any person or in any way for
any loss or damages that may result from any such suspension or
postponement.
(f) Redemption
Baskets effectively redeemed pursuant to the provisions of this
Section 7.1 shall be cancelled by the Trust or the applicable
Fund in accordance with the Depository’s procedures, and no
longer be deemed outstanding for purposes of this Trust Agreement
and the Delaware Trust Statute.
Section
7.2
Other Redemption Procedures
. The
Sponsor from time to time may, but shall have no obligation to,
establish procedures with respect to redemption of Limited Shares
in lot sizes smaller than the Redemption Basket and permitting the
Redemption Distribution to be in a form, and delivered in a manner,
other than that specified in Section 7.1.
ARTICLE VIII
LIMITED
SHAREHOLDERS
Section
8.1
No Management or Control; Limited
Liability; Exercise of Rights through DTC
. The Limited
Shareholders of a Fund shall not participate in the management or
control of the Trust or the applicable Fund or the applicable
Fund’s business, shall not transact any business for the
Trust or any Fund and shall not have the power to sign for or bind
the Trust or any Fund, said power being vested solely and
exclusively in the Sponsor. Except as provided in Section 8.3
hereof, no Limited Shareholder of any Fund shall be bound by, or be
personally liable for, the expenses, liabilities or obligations of
the Trust, the applicable Fund or any other series Fund of the
Trust except to the extent of such Shareholder’s
proportionate share of the applicable Fund’s Trust Estate.
Except as provided in Section 8.3 hereof, each Limited Share
shall be fully paid and no assessment shall be made against any
Limited Shareholder. No salary shall be paid to any Limited
Shareholder in its capacity as such, nor shall any Limited
Shareholder have a drawing account or earn interest on its share of
a Fund’s Trust Estate. By the purchase and acceptance or
other lawful delivery and acceptance of Limited Shares, each
Limited Shareholder shall be deemed to be a beneficiary of the
applicable Fund and vested with beneficial undivided interest in
such Fund to the extent of the Limited Shares owned beneficially by
such Shareholder, subject to the terms and conditions of this Trust
Agreement. The rights under this Trust Agreement of any Shareholder
that is not a DTC Participant must be exercised by a DTC
Participant acting on behalf of such Shareholder in accordance with
the rules and procedures of the Depository, as provided in
Section 3.6.
Section
8.2
Rights and Duties
. The
Limited Shareholders shall have the following rights, powers,
privileges, duties and liabilities:
(a) The
Limited Shareholders shall have the right to obtain from the
Sponsor the reports and information as are set forth in
Article IX and the list of Participants contemplated by
Section 3.5(a)(i). The foregoing rights are in addition to,
and do not limit, other remedies available to Limited Shareholders
under U.S. federal or state law.
(b) The
Limited Shareholders shall receive the share of the distributions
provided for in this Trust Agreement in the manner and at the times
provided for in this Trust Agreement.
(c) Except
for the Limited Shareholders’ redemption rights set forth in
Article VII hereof, Limited Shareholders shall have the right
to demand the return of their capital only upon the dissolution and
winding up of the applicable Fund or the Trust and only to the
extent of funds available therefore. In no event shall a Limited
Shareholder be entitled to demand property other than cash unless
the Sponsor, as determined in its sole discretion, has specified
property for distribution to all Limited Shareholders. No Limited
Shareholder shall have priority over any other Limited Shareholder
either as to the return of capital or as to profits, losses or
distributions. No Limited Shareholder shall have the right to bring
an action for partition against the Trust or a Fund.
(d) Limited
Shareholders, voting together as a single class, or, if the
proposed change affects only certain Funds, of each affected Fund
voting separately as a class, may vote to (i) continue the
Trust as provided in Section 13.l(a), (ii) approve
amendments to this Trust Agreement as set forth in
Section 11.1 hereof, and (iii) terminate the Trust as
provided in Section 13.1(e). Unless otherwise specified in
this Trust Agreement or in Delaware of federal law or regulations
of rules on any exchange, any matter upon which the Shareholders
vote shall be approved by the affirmative vote of Limited
Shareholders holding Limited Shares representing at least a
majority (over 50%) of the outstanding Limited Shares of the Trust
or a Fund, as the case maybe.
Except
as expressly provided in this Trust Agreement, the Limited
Shareholders shall have no voting or other rights with respect to
the Trust or any Fund.
Section
8.3
Limitation on
Liability
.
(a) Except
as provided in Sections 4.7(f), and 6.2 hereof, and as
otherwise provided under Delaware law, the Limited Shareholders
shall be entitled to the same limitation of personal liability
extended to stockholders of private corporations for profit
organized under the general corporation law of the State of
Delaware and no Limited Shareholder shall be liable for claims
against, or debts of the Trust or the applicable Fund in excess of
its Deposit or share of the applicable Fund’s Trust Estate
and undistributed profits. In addition, and subject to the
exceptions set forth in the immediately preceding sentence, the
Trust or the applicable Fund shall not make a claim against a
Limited Shareholder with respect to amounts distributed to such
Limited Shareholder or amounts received by such Limited Shareholder
upon redemption unless, under Delaware law, such Limited
Shareholder is liable to repay such amount.
(b) The
Trust or the applicable Fund indemnifies to the full extent
permitted by law and the other provisions of this Trust Agreement,
and to the extent of the applicable Fund’s Trust Estate, each
Limited Shareholder and its agent or nominee against any claims of
liability asserted against such Limited Shareholder solely based on
its status as a Limited Shareholder of one or more Limited Shares
(other than for taxes for which such Limited Shareholder is liable
on income allocated under Section 6.3 hereof or Section
1.6(f)(ii)).
(c) Every
written note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or
undertaking made or issued by the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust or
a Fund shall give notice to the effect that the same was executed
or made by or on behalf of the Trust or the applicable Fund and
that the obligations of such instrument are not binding upon the
Limited Shareholders individually but are binding only upon the
assets and property of the applicable Fund, and no resort shall be
had to the Limited Shareholders’ personal property for
satisfaction of any obligation or claim thereunder, and appropriate
references may be made to this Trust Agreement and may contain any
further recital which the Sponsor deems appropriate, but the
omission thereof shall not operate to bind the Limited Shareholders
individually or otherwise invalidate any such note, bond, contract,
instrument, certificate or undertaking. Nothing contained in this
Section 8.3 shall diminish the limitation on the liability of
the Trust to the extent set forth in Section 3.7 and 3.8
hereof.
Section
8.4
Derivative
Actions
.
(a) No
person who is not a Shareholder of a particular Fund shall be
entitled to bring any derivative action, suit or other proceeding
on behalf of the Trust with respect to such Fund. No Shareholder of
a Fund may maintain a derivative action on behalf of the Trust with
respect to such Fund unless holders of at least ten percent (10%)
of the outstanding Shares of such Fund join in the bringing of such
action.
(b) In
addition to the requirements set forth in Section 3816 of the
Delaware Trust Statute, a Shareholder may bring a derivative action
on behalf of the Trust with respect to a Fund only if the following
conditions are met: (i) the Shareholder or Shareholders must
make a pre-suit demand upon the Sponsor to bring the subject action
unless an effort to cause the Sponsor to bring such an action is
not likely to succeed; and a demand on the Sponsor shall only be
deemed not likely to succeed and therefore excused if the Sponsor
has a personal financial interest in the transaction at issue, and
the Sponsor shall not be deemed interested in a transaction or
otherwise disqualified from ruling on the merits of a Shareholder
demand by virtue of the fact that the Sponsor receives remuneration
for its service as the Sponsor or as a sponsor of one or more
companies that are under common management with or otherwise
affiliated with the Trust; and (ii) unless a demand is not
required under clause (i) of this paragraph, the Sponsor must
be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such
Shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim; and
the Sponsor shall be entitled to retain counsel or other advisors
in considering the merits of the request and may require an
undertaking by the Shareholders making such request to reimburse
the Trust for the expense of any such advisors in the event that
the Sponsor determines not to bring such action.
ARTICLE IX
BOOKS OF ACCOUNT
AND REPORTS
Section
9.1
Books of Account
. Proper
books of account for each Fund shall be kept and shall be audited
annually by an independent certified public accounting firm
selected by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, and there shall be
entered therein all transactions, matters and things relating to
each Fund’s business as are required by the CE Act and
regulations promulgated thereunder, and all other applicable rules
and regulations, and as are usually entered into books of account
kept by Persons engaged in a business of like character. The books
of account shall be kept at the principal office of the Trust and,
subject to Section 8.2(a), each Shareholder (or any duly
constituted designee of a Shareholder) shall have, at all times
during normal business hours, upon reasonable advance written
notice, access to and the right to inspect and copy the same (at
such Shareholder’s own cost) to the extent such access is
required under CFTC rules and regulations. Such books of account
shall be kept in accordance with, and the Trust shall report its
profits and losses on, the accrual method of accounting for
financial accounting purposes on a Fiscal Year basis as described
in Article X.
Section
9.2
Reports to Shareholders
.
The Trust will furnish to DTC Participants for distribution to each
Fund’s Shareholders monthly and annual (as of the end of each
fiscal year) reports (in such detail) as are required to be
provided to Shareholders by the CFTC and the NFA. Monthly reports
will contain certain unaudited financial information regarding a
Fund, including the Fund’s NAV, and annual reports will
contain financial statements prepared by the Sponsor and audited by
an independent registered public accounting firm designated by the
Sponsor. The Sponsor will furnish to Fund Shareholders any other
reports or information which the Sponsor, in its discretion,
determines to be necessary or appropriate. In addition, it is
expected that the Trust will be required under SEC rules to file
quarterly and annual reports with the SEC, which need not be sent
to Fund Shareholders directly but will be publicly available
through the SEC. The Trust will post the same information that
would otherwise be provided in the Trust’s CFTC, NFA and SEC
reports on the Trust’s website.
Section
9.3
Calculation of Net Asset
Value
. Net Asset Value of a Fund shall be calculated once
each Business Day at such time as the Sponsor shall determine from
time to time.
Section
9.4
Maintenance of Records
. The Sponsor
shall maintain: (a) for a period of at least six Fiscal Years
all books of account required by Section 9.1 hereof, a list of
the names and last known address of, and number of Shares owned by,
all Shareholders of each Fund, a copy of the Certificate of Trust
and all certificates of amendment thereto, together with executed
copies of any powers of attorney pursuant to which any certificate
has been executed, and copies of the Trust’s and Funds’
federal, state and local income tax returns and reports, if any;
and (b) for a period of at least six Fiscal Years, copies of
any effective written trust agreements, subscription agreements and
any financial statements of the Trust and the Funds. The Sponsor
may keep and maintain the books and records of the Trust and the
Funds in paper, magnetic, electronic or other format at the Sponsor
may determine in its sole discretion, provided the Sponsor uses
reasonable care to prevent the loss or destruction of such
records.
Section
9.5
Certificate of Trust
.
Except as otherwise provided in the Delaware Trust Statute or this
Trust Agreement, the Sponsor shall not be required to mail a copy
of any Certificate of Trust filed with the Secretary of State of
the State of Delaware to each Shareholder; however, such
certificates shall be maintained at the principal office of the
Trust and shall be available for inspection and copying by the
Shareholders in accordance with this Trust Agreement.
ARTICLE X
FISCAL
YEAR
Section
10.1
Fiscal Year
. The Fiscal Year of the
Trust shall be the calendar year. The first Fiscal Year of the
Trust shall commence on the date of filing of the Certificate of
Trust and end on the thirty-first day of December, 2009. If the
Trust terminates, the final Fiscal Year shall end on the date of
termination.
ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENT OF TRUST
AGREEMENT; MEETINGS
Section
11.1
Amendments to the Trust
Agreement
.
(a) The
Sponsor may, without the approval of the Limited Shareholders,
amend or supplement this Trust Agreement;
provided
,
however
, that the Limited
Shareholders shall have the right to vote on any amendment
(i) if expressly required under Delaware or federal law or
regulations or rules of any exchange, (ii) submitted to them
by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, or (iii) if it would
impair the right of a Limited Shareholders to surrender baskets of
Shares and receive the amount of Trust property represented. The
Sponsor shall provide notice of any amendment to the Limited
Shareholders setting forth the substance of the amendment and its
effective date.
(b) Upon
amendment of this Trust Agreement, the Certificate of Trust shall
also be amended, if required by the Delaware Trust Statute, to
reflect such change.
(c) No
amendment shall be made to this Trust Agreement without the consent
of the Trustee if it reasonably believes that such amendment
adversely affects any of the rights, duties or liabilities of the
Trustee. At the expense of the Sponsor, the Trustee shall execute
and file any amendment to the Certificate of Trust if so directed
by the Sponsor or if such amendment is required in the opinion of
the Trustee.
(d)
The Trustee shall be under no obligation to execute any amendment
to the Trust Agreement or to any agreement to which the Trust is a
party until it has received an instruction letter from the Sponsor,
in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee
(i) directing the Trustee to execute such amendment,
(ii) representing and warranting to the Trustee that such
execution is authorized and permitted by the terms of the Trust
Agreement and (if applicable) such other agreement to which the
Trust is a party and does not conflict with or violate any other
agreement to which the Trust is a party and (iii) confirming
that such execution and acts related thereto are covered by the
indemnity provisions of the Trust Agreement in favor of the
Trustee; provided that the Trustee shall in no circumstance be
obligated to execute any agreement to which the Trust is a party if
the Sponsor may execute such Agreement on behalf of the
Trust.
(e) No
provision of this Trust Agreement may be amended, waived or
otherwise modified orally but only by a written instrument adopted
in accordance with this Section.
Section
11.2
Meetings of the
Shareholders
. Meetings of the Shareholders may be called by
the Sponsor and will be called by it upon the written request of
Limited Shareholders holding at least 25% of the outstanding Shares
of all Funds or any Fund, as applicable. The Sponsor shall deposit
in the United States mail or electronically transmit written notice
to all Shareholders of the applicable Fund of the meeting and the
purpose of the meeting, which shall be held on a date, not less
than 30 nor more than 60 days after the date of mailing of said
notice, at a reasonable time and place. Where the meeting is being
called upon the written request of Limited Shareholders as set
forth in this Section 11.2, such written notice shall be
mailed or transmitted not more than 45 days after such written
request for a meeting was received by the Sponsor. Any notice of
meeting shall be accompanied by a description of the action to be
taken at the meeting and, if applicable, an opinion of independent
counsel as to the effect of such proposed action on the liability
of Limited Shareholders for the debts of the applicable Fund.
Shareholders may vote in person or by proxy at any such meeting.
The Sponsor shall be entitled to establish voting and quorum
requirements and other reasonable procedures for Shareholder
voting.
Section
11.3
Action Without a Meeting
.
Any action required or permitted to be taken by Limited
Shareholders by vote may be taken without a meeting by written
consent setting forth the actions so taken. Such written consents
shall be treated for all purposes as votes at a meeting. If the
vote or consent of any Limited Shareholder to any action of the
Trust, any Fund or any Shareholder, as contemplated by this Trust
Agreement, is solicited by the Sponsor, the solicitation shall be
effected by notice to each Limited Shareholder given in the manner
provided in Section 16.4. Any vote or consent that has been
cast by a Limited Shareholder so solicited shall be deemed
conclusively to have been cast or granted as requested in the
notice of solicitation, whether or not the notice of solicitation
is actually received by that Limited Shareholder, unless the
Limited Shareholder expresses written objection to the vote or
consent by notice given in the manner provided in Section 16.4
below and actually received by the Trust within twenty (20) days
after the notice of solicitation is effected. The Sponsor and all
persons dealing with the Trust shall be entitled to act in reliance
on any vote or consent which is deemed cast or granted pursuant to
this Section and shall be fully indemnified by the Trust in so
doing. Any action taken or omitted in reliance on any such deemed
vote or consent of one or more Limited Shareholders shall not be
void or voidable by reason of timely communication made by or on
behalf of all or any of such Limited Shareholders in any manner
other than as expressly provided in Section 16.4.
ARTICLE XII
TERM
Section
12.1
Term
. The term for which the Trust is
to exist shall commence on the date of the filing of the
Certificate of Trust, and the Trust and any Fund shall terminate
pursuant to the provisions of Article XIII hereof or as
otherwise provided by law.
ARTICLE XIII
TERMINATION
Section
13.1
Events Requiring Dissolution of
the Trust or any Fund
. The Trust or, as the case may be, any
Fund shall dissolve at any time upon the happening of any of the
following events:
(a) The
occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal, unless (i) at the time
there is at least one remaining Sponsor and that remaining Sponsor
carries on the business of the Trust or (ii) within 90 days of
such Event of Withdrawal, the affirmative vote or written consent
of Limited Shareholders in accordance with Section 8.2(d) or
Section 11.3 of this Trust Agreement is obtained to continue
the business of the Trust and to select, effective as of the date
of such selection, one or more successor Sponsors.
(b) The
occurrence of any event which would make unlawful the continued
existence of the Trust or any Fund, as the case may
be.
(c) In
the event of the suspension, revocation or termination of the
Sponsor’s registration as a commodity pool operator under the
CE Act, or membership as a commodity pool operator with the NFA
(if, in either case, such registration is required under the CE Act
or the rules promulgated thereunder) unless at the time there is at
least one remaining Sponsor whose registration or membership has
not been suspended, revoked or terminated.
(d) The
Trust or any Fund, as the case may be, becomes insolvent or
bankrupt.
(e) Limited
Shareholders owning at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the
outstanding Limited Shares held in all Funds, voting together as a
single class, vote to dissolve the Trust, upon notice to the
Sponsor not less than ninety (90) days prior to the effective date
of termination.
(f) Upon
written notice to the Trustee and the Shareholders by the Sponsor
of its determination that the Trust’s or a Fund’s
aggregate net assets in relation to the operating expenses of the
Trust or such Fund make it unreasonable or imprudent to continue
the business of the Trust or such Fund, or, in the exercise of its
reasonable discretion.
(g) The
Trust is required to be registered as an investment company under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(h) DTC
is unable or unwilling to continue to perform its functions, and a
comparable replacement is unavailable.
The
death, legal disability, bankruptcy, insolvency, dissolution, or
withdrawal of any Shareholder (as long as such Shareholder is not
the sole Shareholder of the Trust) shall not result in the
termination of the Trust or any Fund, and such Shareholder, his
estate, custodian or personal representative shall have no right to
withdraw or value such Shareholder’s Shares. Each Shareholder
(and any assignee thereof) expressly agrees that in the event of
his death, he waives on-behalf of himself and his estate, and he
directs the legal representative of his estate and any person
interested therein to waive the furnishing of any inventory,
accounting or appraisal of the assets of the applicable Fund and
any right to an audit or examination of the books of the applicable
Fund, except for such rights as are set forth in Article IX
hereof relating to the books of account and reports of the
applicable Fund.
Section
13.2
Distributions on Dissolution
. Upon the
dissolution of the Trust or any Fund, the Sponsor (or in the event
there is no Sponsor, such person (the “
Liquidating Trustee
”) as
the majority in interest of the Shareholders may propose and
approve) shall take full charge of the Trust Estate. Any
Liquidating Trustee so appointed shall have and may exercise,
without further authorization or approval of any of the parties
hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the Sponsor under the
terms of this Trust Agreement, subject to all of the applicable
limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such
powers, and provided that the Liquidating Trustee shall not have
general liability for the acts, omissions, obligations and expenses
of the Trust or the Funds. Thereafter, in accordance with
Section 3808(e) or (g), as applicable, of the Delaware Trust
Statute, the business and affairs of the Trust or any Fund shall be
wound up and all assets shall be liquidated as promptly as is
consistent with obtaining the fair value thereof, and the proceeds
therefrom shall be applied and distributed in the following order
of priority: (a) to the expenses of liquidation and
termination and to creditors, including Shareholders who are
creditors, to the extent otherwise permitted by law, in
satisfaction of liabilities of the Trust or the Funds (whether by
payment or the making of reasonable provision for payment thereof)
other than liabilities for distributions to Shareholders, and
(b) to the Shareholders in accordance with their positive book
Capital Account balances, after giving effect to all contributions,
distributions and allocations for all periods.
Section
13.3
Termination; Certificate of
Cancellation
. Following the dissolution and distribution of
the assets of all Funds, the Trust shall terminate and the Sponsor
or the Liquidating Trustee, as the case may be, shall instruct the
Trustee to execute and cause such certificate of cancellation of
the Certificate of Trust pursuant to Section 3810(d) to be
filed, at the expense of the Trust pursuant to Section 13.2
hereof or of the Sponsor, in accordance with the Delaware Trust
Statute. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this
Trust Agreement, the existence of the Trust as a separate legal
entity shall continue until the filing of such certificate of
cancellation.
ARTICLE XIV
MERGER,
CONSOLIDATION, INCORPORATION
Section
14.1
Merger, Consolidation
. Notwithstanding
anything else herein, the Sponsor may, without Shareholder
approval, (i) cause the Trust to convert into or merge,
reorganize or consolidate with or into one or more trusts,
partnerships, limited liability companies, associations,
corporations or other business entities (or a series of any of the
foregoing to the extent permitted by law) (including trusts,
partnerships, limited liability companies, associations,
corporations or other business entities created by the Sponsor to
accomplish such conversion, merger or consolidation),
(ii) cause the Shares to be exchanged under or pursuant to any
state or federal statute to the extent permitted by law,
(iii) cause the Trust to incorporate under the laws of a
state, commonwealth, possession or colony of the United States,
(iv) sell or convey all or substantially all of the assets of
the Trust or any Fund to another Fund of the Trust or to another
trust, partnership, limited liability company, association,
corporation or other business entity (or a series of any of the
foregoing to the extent permitted by law) (including a trust,
partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation or
other business entity created by the Sponsor to accomplish such
sale and conveyance), organized under the laws of the United States
or of any state, commonwealth, possession or colony of the United
States, for adequate consideration as determined by the Sponsor
which may include the assumption of all outstanding obligations,
taxes and other liabilities, accrued or contingent of the Trust or
any affected Fund, and which may include Shares of such other Fund
of the Trust or shares of beneficial interest, stock or other
ownership interest of such trust, partnership, limited liability
company, association, corporation or other business entity (or
series thereof) or (v) at any time sell or convert into money
all or any part of the assets of the Trust or any Fund
thereof.
Section
14.2
Changes to Trust Agreement
. Pursuant to
and in accordance with the provisions of Section 3815(f) of
the Delaware Trust Statute and notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained in this Trust Agreement, but subject to
Sections 11.1(b) and 11.1(c), an agreement of merger or
consolidation approved by the Sponsor in accordance with
Section 14.1 may effect any amendment to the Trust Agreement
or effect the adoption of a new trust agreement of the Trust or
change the name of the Trust if the Trust is the surviving or
resulting entity in the merger or consolidation.
Section
14.3
Successor Trust
. Notwithstanding
anything else herein, the Sponsor may, without Shareholder
approval, create one or more statutory or business trusts to which
all or any part of the assets, liabilities, profits or losses of
the Trust or any fund thereof may be transferred and may provide
for the conversion of Shares in the Trust or any Fund thereof into
beneficial interests in any such newly created trust or trusts or
any series or classes thereof.
ARTICLE XV
POWER OF
ATTORNEY
Section
15.1
Power of Attorney Executed
Concurrently
. Each Limited Shareholder, by virtue of its
purchase of Shares in a Fund, irrevocably constitutes and appoints
the Sponsor and its officers, directors, and managers with full
power of substitution, as the true and lawful attorney-in-fact and
agent for such Limited Shareholder with full power and authority to
act in his name and on his behalf in the execution, acknowledgment,
filing and publishing of Trust documents, including, but not
limited to, the following:
(a) Any
certificates and other instruments, including but not limited to,
any applications for authority to do business and amendments
thereto, which the Sponsor deems appropriate to qualify or continue
the Trust as a business or statutory trust in the jurisdictions in
which the Trust may conduct business, so long as such
qualifications and continuations are in accordance with the terms
of this Trust Agreement or any amendment hereto, or which may be
required to be filed by the Trust or the Shareholders under the
laws of any jurisdiction;
(b) Any
instrument which may be required to be filed by the Trust under the
laws of any state or by any governmental agency, or which the
Sponsor deems advisable to file; and
(c) This
Trust Agreement and any documents which may be required to effect
an amendment to this Trust Agreement approved under the terms of
the Trust Agreement, and the continuation of the Trust, the
increase or decrease of the Global Security pursuant to
Section 3.6, or the termination of the Trust, provided such
continuation, increase, decrease or termination is in accordance
with the terms of this Trust Agreement.
Section
15.2
Effect of Power of
Attorney
. The Power of Attorney granted by each Limited
Shareholder to the Sponsor:
(a) Is
a special, irrevocable Power of Attorney coupled with an interest,
and shall survive and not be affected by the death, disability,
dissolution, liquidation, termination or incapacity of the Limited
Shareholder;
(b) May
be exercised by the Sponsor for each Limited Shareholder by
facsimile signature and/or by a single signature of one of its
officers acting as attorney-in-fact for all of them;
and
(c) Shall
survive the delivery of an assignment by a Limited Shareholder of
the whole or any portion of his Limited Shares, as applicable,
except that where the records of a Direct Participant or Indirect
Participant reflect a transfer by a Limited Shareholder of its
Limited Shares that has otherwise been effectuated in accordance
with the provisions of this Trust Agreement, the Depository’s
procedures and the procedures of such Direct Participant or
Indirect Participant, as applicable, the Power of Attorney of the
assignor shall survive the delivery of such assignment for the sole
purpose of enabling the Sponsor to execute, acknowledge and file
any instrument necessary to effect such transfer.
Each
Limited Shareholder agrees to be bound by any representations made
by the Sponsor and by any successor thereto, determined to be
acting in good faith pursuant to such Power of Attorney and not
constituting gross negligence or willful misconduct.
Section
15.3
Limitation on Power of Attorney
. The
Power of Attorney granted by each Limited Shareholder to the
Sponsor shall not authorize the Sponsor to act on behalf of Limited
Shareholders in any situation in which this Trust Agreement
requires the approval of Limited Shareholders unless such approval
has been obtained as required by this Trust Agreement. In the event
of any conflict between this Trust Agreement and any instruments
filed by the Sponsor or any new Sponsor pursuant to this Power of
Attorney, this Trust Agreement shall control.
ARTICLE XVI
MISCELLANEOUS
Section
16.1
Governing Law
. The validity and
construction of this Trust Agreement and all amendments hereto
shall be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, and the
rights of all parties hereto and the effect of every provision
hereof shall be subject to and construed according to the laws of
the State of Delaware without regard to the conflict of laws
provisions thereof; provided, however, that causes of action for
violations of U.S. federal or state securities laws shall not be
governed by this Section 16.1, and provided further, that the
parties hereto intend that the provisions hereof shall control over
any contrary or limiting statutory or common law of the State of
Delaware (other than the Delaware Trust Statute) and that, to the
maximum extent permitted by applicable law, there shall not be
applicable to the Trust, the Funds, the Trustee, the Sponsor, the
Shareholders or this Trust Agreement any provision of the laws
(statutory or common) of the State of Delaware (other than the
Delaware Trust Statute) pertaining to trusts which relate to or
regulate in a manner inconsistent with the terms hereof:
(a) the filing with any court or governmental body or agency
of trustee accounts or schedules of trustee fees and charges,
(b) affirmative requirements to post bonds for trustees,
officers, agents, or employees of a trust, (c) the necessity
for obtaining court or other governmental approval concerning the
acquisition, holding or disposition of real or personal property,
(d) fees or other sums payable to trustees, officers, agents
or employees of a trust, (e) the allocation of receipts and
expenditures to income or principal, (f) restrictions or
limitations on the permissible nature, amount or concentration of
trust investments or requirements relating to the titling, storage
or other manner of holding or investing of trust assets, or
(g) the establishment of fiduciary or other standards or
responsibilities or limitations on the acts or powers of trustees
or managers that are inconsistent with the limitations on liability
or authorities and powers of the Trustee or the Sponsor set forth
or referenced in this Trust Agreement. Section 3540 of Title
12 of the Delaware Code shall not apply to the Trust. The Trust
shall be of the type commonly called a “statutory
trust,” and without limiting the provisions hereof, as
determined from time to time by the Sponsor, the Trust may exercise
all powers that are ordinarily exercised by such a trust under
Delaware law. The Trust specifically reserves the right to exercise
any of the powers or privileges afforded to statutory trusts and
the absence of a specific reference herein to any such power,
privilege or action shall not imply that the Trust may not exercise
such power or privilege or take such actions.
Section
16.2
Provisions In Conflict With Law or
Regulations
.
(a) The
provisions of this Trust Agreement are severable, and if the
Sponsor shall determine, with the advice of counsel, that any one
or more of such provisions (the “
Conflicting Provisions
”)
are in conflict with the Code, the Delaware Trust Statute or other
applicable U.S. federal or state laws, the Conflicting Provisions
shall be deemed never to have constituted a part of this Trust
Agreement, even without any amendment of this Trust Agreement
pursuant to this Trust Agreement; provided, however, that such
determination by the Sponsor shall not affect or impair any of the
remaining provisions of this Trust Agreement or render invalid or
improper any action taken or omitted prior to such determination.
No Sponsor or Trustee shall be liable for making or failing to make
such a determination.
(b) If
any provision of this Trust Agreement shall be held invalid or
unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such holding shall not in any
manner affect or render invalid or unenforceable such provision in
any other jurisdiction or any other provision of this Trust
Agreement in any jurisdiction.
Section
16.3
Construction
. In this Trust
Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires, (a) words used in
the singular or in the plural include both the plural and singular
and words denoting any gender include all genders, (b) the word
“including” means including without limitation, (c)
references to a particular statute or regulation include all rules
and regulations thereunder and any successor statute, rule or
regulation, in each case as amended or otherwise modified from time
to time, and (d) unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the
word “or” shall not be exclusive (i.e.,
“or” shall mean “and/or”). The title and
headings of different parts are inserted for convenience and shall
not affect the meaning, construction or effect of this Trust
Agreement.
Section
16.4
Notices
. All notices or
communications under this Trust Agreement (other than requests for
redemption of Shares, notices of assignment, transfer, pledge or
encumbrance of Shares, and reports and notices by the Sponsor to
the Limited Shareholders) shall be in writing and shall be
effective upon personal delivery, or if sent by mail, postage
prepaid or by overnight courier, or if sent electronically, by
facsimile; and addressed, in each such case, to the address set
forth in the books and records of the Trust or the applicable Fund
or such other address as may be specified in writing, of the party
to whom such notice is to be given, and shall be effective upon the
deposit of such notice in the United States mail, upon deposit with
a representative of an overnight courier, or upon transmission and
electronic confirmation thereof, as the case may be. Notices of
assignment, transfer, pledge or encumbrance of Shares shall be
effective upon timely receipt by the Sponsor in writing. Requests
for redemption of Shares shall be effected in accordance with the
provisions of Article VII of this Trust
Agreement.
Section
16.5
Counterparts
. This Trust
Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, and all so
executed shall constitute one agreement, binding upon all of the
parties hereto, notwithstanding that all the parties are not
signatories to the original or the same counterpart.
Section
16.6
Binding Nature of Trust Agreement
. The
terms and provisions of this Trust Agreement shall be binding upon
and inure to the benefit of the heirs, custodians, executors,
estates, administrators, personal representatives, successors and
permitted assigns of the respective Shareholders. For purposes of
determining the rights of any Shareholder or assignee hereunder,
the Trust and the Sponsor may rely upon the Trust and Fund records
as to who are Shareholders and permitted assignees, and all
Shareholders and assignees agree that the Trust, each Fund and the
Sponsor, in determining such rights, shall rely on such records and
that Shareholders and assignees shall be bound by such
determination.
Section
16.7
No Legal Title to Trust
Estate
. Subject to the provisions of Section 1.8 in the case
of the Sponsor, the Shareholders shall not have legal title to any
part of the applicable Fund’s Trust Estate.
Section
16.8
Creditors
. No creditors of
any Shareholders shall have any right to obtain possession of, or
otherwise exercise legal or equitable remedies with respect to the
applicable Fund’s Trust Estate.
Section
16.9
Integration
. This Trust Agreement
constitutes the entire agreement among the parties hereto
pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior
agreements and understandings pertaining thereto.
Section
16.10
Goodwill; Use of Name
. No value shall
be placed on the name or goodwill of the Trust, which shall belong
exclusively to Teucrium Trading, LLC.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF
, the undersigned have
duly executed this Third Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust
and Trust Agreement as of the day and year first above
written.
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY
, as
Trustee
By:
______________________________
Name: Joseph B.
Feil
Title: Vice President
|
|
TEUCRIUM TRADING, LLC
, as
Sponsor
By:
_______________________________
Name: Dale Riker
Title: Treasurer and
Secretary
|
|
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF GLOBAL CERTIFICATE
1
CERTIFICATE OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
-Evidencing-
All Limited Shares
-in-
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
WITH RESPECT TO ONE
OF ITS SERIES
UNLESS
THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF
THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION
(“
DTC
”), TO THE TRUST WITH
RESPECT TO THE FUND OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER,
EXCHANGE, OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN
THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS
REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT
IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS
REQUIRED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER,
PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY
PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF,
CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.
This is
to certify that Cede & Co., is the owner and registered
holder of this Certificate evidencing the ownership of all issued
and outstanding Limited Shares (“
Shares
”), each of which
represents a fractional undivided Share of beneficial interest in
__________ Fund (the “
Fund
”), established and
designated as a series of the Teucrium Commodity Trust (the
“
Trust
”), a Delaware
statutory trust formed under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (12
Del. C. § 3801 et seq.) pursuant to a Certificate of
Trust, dated as of and filed in the offices of the Secretary of
State of the State of Delaware on September 11, 2009, and a
Third Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust
Agreement, dated as of April 15, 2018, by and between Teucrium
Trading, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as Sponsor, and
Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation, as
Trustee (hereinafter called the “
Trust Agreement
”), copies
of which are available at the principal offices of the
Trust.
At any
given time this Certificate shall represent all limited units of
beneficial interest in the Fund, which shall be the total number of
Limited Shares that are outstanding at such time. The Trust
Agreement provides for the deposit of cash or a combination of
United States Treasury securities, cash and/or cash equivalents or
other securities or property with the Fund from time to time and
the issuance by the Trust, with respect to the Fund, of additional
Creation Baskets representing the undivided units of beneficial
interest in the assets of the Trust. At the request of the
registered holder this Certificate may be exchanged for one or more
Certificates issued to the registered holder in such denominations
as the registered holder may request, provided, however, that, in
the aggregate, the Certificates issued to the registered holder
hereof shall represent all Shares outstanding at any given
time.
Each
Participant hereby grants and conveys all of its rights, title and
interest in and to the Fund to the extent of the undivided interest
represented hereby to the registered holder of this Certificate
subject to and in pursuance of the Trust Agreement, all the terms,
conditions and covenants of which are incorporated herein as if
fully set forth at length.
The
registered holder of this Certificate is entitled at any time upon
tender of this Certificate to the Fund, endorsed in blank or
accompanied by all necessary instruments of assignment and transfer
in proper form, at its principal office in the State of New York
and, upon payment of any tax or other governmental charges, to
receive at the time and in the manner provided in the Trust
Agreement, such holder’s ratable portion of the assets of the
Fund for each Redemption Basket tendered and evidenced by this
Certificate.
The
holder of this Certificate, by virtue of the purchase and
acceptance hereof, assents to and shall be bound by the terms of
the Trust Agreement, copies of which are on file and available for
inspection at reasonable times during business hours at the
principal office of the Trust, to which reference is made for all
the terms, conditions and covenants thereof.
The
Fund may deem and treat the person in whose name this Certificate
is registered upon the books of the Fund as the owner hereof for
all purposes and the Fund shall not be affected by any notice to
the contrary.
The
Trust Agreement permits the Sponsor, without the approval of the
Limited Shareholders, to amend or supplement the Trust Agreement;
provided
,
however
, that the
affirmative vote or written consent of Limited Shareholders holding
Limited Shares equal to at least a majority (over 50%) of the
Trust’s outstanding Limited Shares or, if the proposed
amendment affects only certain Funds, of each affected Fund’s
outstanding Limited Shares, or such higher percentage as may be
required by applicable law, is required to approve any amendment
(i) if expressly required under Delaware or federal law or
regulations or rules of any exchange, (ii) submitted to them
by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, or (iii) if it would
impair the right of a Limited Shareholders to surrender baskets of
Shares and receive the amount of Trust property represented. The
Sponsor shall provide notice of any amendment to the Trust
Agreement to the Limited Shareholders setting forth the substance
of the amendment and its effective date. Any such vote, consent or
waiver by the holder of Limited Shares shall be conclusive and
binding upon such holder of Limited Shares and upon all future
holders of Limited Shares, and shall be binding upon any Limited
Shares, whether evidenced by a Certificate or held in
uncertificated form, issued upon the registration or transfer
hereof whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made
upon this Certificate and whether or not the Limited Shares
evidenced hereby are at such time in uncertificated
form.
In
accordance with Section 3.8 of the Trust Agreement, the holder
of this Certificate agrees and consents (the “
Consent
”) to look solely
to the assets (the “
Fund Assets
”) of the Fund
and to the Sponsor and its assets for payment in respect of any
claim against or obligation of the Fund. The Fund Assets include
only those funds and other assets that are paid, held or
distributed to the Trust on account of and for the benefit of the
Fund, including, without limitation, funds delivered to the Trust
for the purchase of Shares in the Fund.
The
Trust Agreement, and this Certificate, are executed and delivered
by Teucrium Trading, LLC, as Sponsor, in the exercise of the powers
and authority conferred and vested in it by the Trust Agreement.
The representations, undertakings and agreements made on the part
of the Trust in the Trust Agreement or the Fund in this Certificate
are made and intended not as personal representations, undertakings
and agreements by Teucrium Trading, LLC, but are made and intended
for the purpose of binding only the Trust. Nothing in the Agreement
or this Certificate shall be construed as creating any liability on
Teucrium Trading, LLC, individually or personally, to fulfill any
representation, undertaking or agreement other than as provided in
the Trust Agreement or this Certificate.
This
Certificate shall not become valid or binding for any purpose until
properly executed by the Sponsor pursuant to the Trust
Agreement.
Terms
not defined herein have the same meaning as in the Trust
Agreement.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, Teucrium Trading, LLC, as Sponsor, has caused this
Certificate to be executed in its name by the manual or facsimile
signature of one of its Authorized Officers.
|
TEUCRIUM TRADING, LLC, as
SponsorBy:
Authorized OfficerDate: ____________,
2018
|
EXHIBIT B
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
FORM OF AUTHORIZED PURCHASER AGREEMENT
This Teucrium Commodity Trust Authorized Purchaser Agreement (the
“Agreement”), dated as of
__________________, is entered into by and among
Teucrium Commodity Trust (the “Trust”) with respect to
each of its series set forth on Exhibit A hereto (each, a
“Fund”), Teucrium Trading, LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company and the sponsor of the Trust (the
“Sponsor”), on behalf of itself and as sponsor of the
Trust, and
[AUTHORIZED
PURCHASER], a [STATE/ TYPE OF ENTITY
] (the “Authorized Purchaser”), and is
subject to acceptance by
U.S. Bank,
N.A.
, (the
“Custodian”) and
U.S. Bancorp Fund
Services
,
LLC
(the “Administrator” and
“Transfer Agent”).
SUMMARY
The Sponsor serves in its capacity as Sponsor of the Trust pursuant
to an Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement
dated as of October 21, 2010 (the “Trust Agreement”).
The Administrator and Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the
“Distributor”) each serve as agents of the Sponsor
and/or the Trust for all purposes of this Agreement, and all
references to agreements, obligations or duties of the
Administrator, Transfer Agent, Custodian or Distributor herein
shall be deemed references to agreements, obligations or duties of
the Sponsor or the Trust acting through the relevant agent. As
provided in the Trust Agreement and described in each Fund’s
prospectus, as supplemented and amended from time to time (each a
“Prospectus”), common units of fractional undivided
beneficial interest in and ownership of a Fund (the
“Shares”) may be created or redeemed through the
Transfer Agent by the Authorized Purchaser in aggregations
of a specified number of Shares stated
in a Fund’s Prospectus and restated in Exhibit E hereto (each
aggregation, a “Creation Basket” or “Redemption
Basket,” respectively; collectively, “Baskets”).
Creation Baskets are offered only pursuant to the most recent
registration statement of the Trust with respect to a Fund, as
declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”) and as the same may be amended from time to time
thereafter (collectively, the “Registration
Statement”). Authorized Purchasers are the only persons that
may place orders to create and redeem Creation Baskets or
Redemption Baskets.
Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Agreement shall have
the meanings assigned to such terms in the relevant Prospectus. To
the extent there is a conflict between any provision of this
Agreement other than the indemnities provided in Section 10 and the
provisions of a Prospectus, the provisions of the Prospectus shall
control.
To give effect to the foregoing premises and in consideration of
the mutual covenants and agreements set forth below, the parties
hereto agree as follows:
Section 1. Order Placement.
To place an order for the creation or redemption of one or more
Baskets (except in the case of an Authorized Purchaser’s
initial order to purchase one or more Creation Baskets on the first
day the Baskets are to be offered and sold), an Authorized
Purchaser must follow the procedures for creation and redemption
referred to in Section 4 of this Agreement and attached to this
Agreement as Exhibit B (the “Procedures”).
Section 2. Status and Obligations of Authorized
Purchaser.
The Authorized Purchaser represents and warrants and covenants the
following:
(a)
The Authorized Purchaser is a participant of the Depository Trust
Company (“DTC”) (as such a participant, a “DTC
Participant”). If the Authorized Purchaser ceases to be a DTC
Participant, the Authorized Purchaser shall give prompt notice to
the Sponsor of such event, and this Agreement shall terminate
immediately as of the date the Authorized Purchaser ceased to be a
DTC Participant.
(b)
Unless Section 2(c) applies, the
Authorized Purchaser either (i) is registered as a broker-dealer
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”), and is a member in good standing of
the
Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority
(“FINRA
”), or (ii) is exempt from being, or
otherwise is not required to be, licensed as a broker-dealer or a
member of
FINRA
, and in
either case is qualified to act as a broker or dealer in the states
or other jurisdictions where the nature of its business so
requires. The Authorized Purchaser will maintain any such
registrations, qualifications and membership in good standing and
in full force and effect throughout the term of this Agreement. The
Authorized Purchaser will comply with all applicable federal law,
the laws of the states or other jurisdictions concerned, and the
rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, including, but not
limited to those applicable to securities and commodities
transactions, and with the Constitution, By-Laws and Conduct Rules
of
FINRA
(if it is a
FINRA
member)
to the extent the foregoing relate to the Authorized
Purchaser’s transactions in, and activities with respect to
the Baskets. The Authorized Purchaser will not directly or
indirectly offer or sell Shares in or from any state or
jurisdiction where they may not lawfully be offered or
sold.
(c)
If the Authorized Purchaser is
offering or selling Shares in jurisdictions outside the several
states, territories and possessions of the United States, the
Authorized Purchaser will (i) observe the applicable laws of the
jurisdiction in which such offer and/or sale is made, (ii) comply
with the full disclosure requirements of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) and the Commodities
Exchange Act (the “CEA”), and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder, and (iii) if the Authorized Purchaser is
not otherwise required to be registered, qualified or a member
of
FINRA
as set forth in Section 2(b) above, conduct its
business in accordance with the spirit of the
FINRA
Conduct
Rules, in each case to the extent the foregoing relate to the
Authorized Purchaser’s transactions in, and activities with
respect to the Baskets.
(d)
The Authorized Purchaser has written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to comply with the money laundering and related
provisions of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing
Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act
of 2001 (the “PATRIOT Act”), and the regulations
promulgated thereunder.
(e)
The Authorized Purchaser has the capability to send and receive
communications via an authenticated telecommunication facility to
and from the Sponsor and its agents, Foreside Fund Services, LLC,
the Custodian, Administrator and Transfer Agent. The Authorized
Purchaser shall confirm such capability to the satisfaction of the
Sponsor and the Distributor by the end of the Business Day (which
shall mean any day other than a day when any of the NYSE Arca, the
NYMEX or the New York Stock Exchange is closed for regular trading)
before placing its first order with the Distributor (whether such
order is to create or to redeem Baskets). If required by the
Distributor, the Administrator or the Custodian with respect to
authorized telecommunications by telephonic facsimile, the
Authorized Purchaser shall enter into a separate agreement with the
Distributor, the Administrator or the Custodian, as the case may
be, indemnifying such party with respect to its communications by
telephonic facsimile.
(f)
The Authorized
Purchaser represents, covenants and warrants that it will not
attempt to place a Redemption Order for the purpose of redeeming
any creation units unless it first ascertains that it or its
customer, as the case may be, owns outright or has full legal
authority and legal and beneficial right to tender for the
redemption the requisite number of fund shares, and that such fund
shares have not been loaned or pledged to another party, and are
not the subject of a repurchase agreement, securities lending
agreement or any other agreement that would preclude the delivery
of such fund shares to the Fund
.
(g)
Because new Baskets can be created and Shares therein issued on an
ongoing basis, at any point during the life of the partnership, a
“distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act,
may be occurring with respect to resales of these Shares. The
Authorized Purchaser is cautioned that some of its activities may
result in its being deemed a participant in a distribution in a
manner that would render it a statutory underwriter and subject it
to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933
Act. The Authorized Purchaser should review the “Plan of
Distribution” portion of the Prospectus and consult with its
own counsel in connection with entering into this Agreement and
placing an Order (as defined in Section 4). In addition to
satisfying the prospectus delivery and disclosure requirements of
the 1933 Act, the Authorized Purchaser and any other participant in
the distribution of the Shares purchased by the Authorized
Purchaser also has the obligation to comply with the disclosure
delivery requirements under the CEA. To the extent the Authorized
Purchaser has distributed a preliminary Prospectus to prospective
investors, if the Authorized Purchaser has been notified by the
Sponsor of material changes made to that document as compared to
the final Prospectus, the Authorized Purchaser shall give notice to
any prospective investor who received the preliminary Prospectus of
such material change prior to consummating a sale.
Section 3. NSCC.
This Agreement is intended to set
forth certain premises and the procedures by which the Authorized
Purchaser may purchase and/or redeem (i) through the Continuous Net
Settlement (“
CNS
”) clearing processes of NSCC as such
processes have been enhanced to effect purchases and redemptions of
Units, such processes being referred to herein as the
“
CNS
Clearing Process
,” or
(ii) outside the CNS Clearing Process (i.e., through the manual
process of The Depository Trust Company (“
DTC
”)) (the “
DTC Process
”). In the case of the Teucrium Agricultural
Fund (“TAGS”), all Purchase Orders and Redemption
Orders must clear through the Continuous Net Settlement
(“
CNS
”) clearing processes of
NSCC.
Solely
with respect to Purchase Orders or Redemption Orders effected
through the CNS Clearing Process, the Authorized Purchaser, as a
DTC Participant, hereby authorizes the Transfer Agent to transmit
to the NSCC on behalf of the Authorized Purchaser such instructions
consistent with the instructions issued by the Authorized Purchaser
to the Transfer Agent. The Authorized Purchaser agrees to be bound
by the terms of such instructions issued by the Transfer Agent and
reported to NSCC as though such instructions were issued by the
Authorized Purchaser directly to NSCC.
Section 4. Orders.
(a)
All orders to create or redeem Baskets (except in the case of an
Authorized Purchaser’s initial order to purchase one or more
Creation Baskets on the first day the Baskets are to be offered and
sold) shall be made in accordance with the terms of the Prospectus,
this Agreement and the Procedures. Each party will comply with such
foregoing terms to the extent applicable to it. The Sponsor may
issue additional or other procedures from time to time relating to
the manner of creating or redeeming Baskets and the Authorized
Purchaser will comply with such procedures. The Authorized
Purchaser hereby consents to the use of recorded telephone lines;
provided that the Sponsor shall promptly provide or request from
the recording party copies of recordings of any such calls to the
Authorized Purchaser upon reasonable request by the Authorized
Purchaser unless such recordings have been erased or destroyed
prior to receipt of such request in the normal course of business
in accordance with the recording party’s general record
keeping policies and procedures. The Sponsor shall take such
actions as reasonably necessary to satisfy Authorized
Purchaser’s reasonable request for copies of
recordings.
(b)
The Authorized Purchaser acknowledges and agrees it is acting
solely as principal and not on behalf of any party for which it is
acting (whether such party is a customer or otherwise), and that
each order to create a Basket or Baskets (a “Purchase
Order”) and each order to redeem a Basket or Baskets (a
“Redemption Order,” and each Purchase Order and
Redemption Order, an “Order”) may not be withdrawn by
the Authorized Purchaser.
(c)
The Sponsor acting by itself or through the Administrator or the
Distributor shall have the absolute right, but shall have no
obligation, to reject any Purchase Order or Creation Basket Deposit
(as defined in Section 6) if:
(i)
the Sponsor determines that, due to position limits or otherwise,
investment alternatives that will enable a Fund to meet its
investment objective are not available to the Fund at that
time;
(ii)
it is determined by the Sponsor or the Distributor not to be in
proper form;
(iii)
the Sponsor believes that acceptance would have adverse tax
consequences to the Fund or its shareholders;
(iv)
the acceptance or receipt of a Creation Basket Deposit would, in
the opinion of counsel to the Sponsor, be unlawful;
(v)
circumstances outside the control of the Sponsor, the Distributor
or the Custodian make it for all practical purposes not feasible to
process creations of Creation Baskets, or
(vi)
there is a possibility that any or all
of the Benchmark component futures contracts of the relevant Fund
on the futures exchange from which the net asset value of a
particular fund is calculated will be priced at a daily price limit
restriction;
provided, however,
if the Purchase Order is not rejected,
then the Sponsor may
require the Authorized Purchaser to
enter into an exchange for risk (“EFR”) transaction in
accordance with CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX Rule 538 and ICE
Futures Rule 4, with quantities agreed
by the Sponsor and the Authorized Purchaser in
advance, directly corresponding to the Purchase
Order.
None of the Sponsor, the Distributor or the Custodian shall be
liable to any person by reason of the rejection of any Purchase
Order or Creation Basket Deposit.
(d)
The Sponsor acting by itself or through the Administrator or the
Distributor may, in its sole discretion, reject any Redemption
Order if:
(i)
it is determined by the Sponsor or the Distributor not to be in
proper form;
(ii)
the fulfillment of which its counsel advises might be
unlawful;
(iii)
as a result of the redemption, the number of remaining outstanding
Shares would be reduced to fewer than the minimum number of Shares
as stated in a Fund’s Prospectus or otherwise displayed in
Exhibit E; or
(iv) there is a possibility that any or all of the
Benchmark component futures contracts of the relevant Fund on the
futures exchange from which the net asset value of a particular
fund is calculated will be priced at a daily price limit
restriction
; provided, however,
if the Redemption Order is not
rejected, then the Sponsor may require the Authorized Purchaser to
enter into an EFR transaction
in accordance with CME, CBOT,
NYMEX, and COMEX Rule 538 and ICE Futures Rule 4
, with quantities agreed by the Sponsor and the
Authorized Purchaser in advance, directly corresponding to the
Redemption Order.
(e)
The Sponsor may reject a previously placed Purchase Order or a
Redemption Order at any time prior to the Order Cut-off Time,
if in the sole discretion of the Sponsor, the execution of such an
order would not be in the best interest of the Fund or its
shareholders.
Section 5. Fees.
In connection with each Order by an Authorized Purchaser to create
or redeem one or more Baskets, the Sponsor shall charge, and the
Authorized Purchaser shall pay to the Sponsor, the transaction fee
(the “Transaction Fee”) prescribed in the Prospectus
applicable to such creation or redemption and restated in Exhibit E
hereto. The Transaction Fee may be adjusted from time to time as
set forth in the Prospectus.
Section 6. Authorized Persons.
Concurrently with the execution of this Agreement and as requested
in writing from time to time thereafter, the Authorized Purchaser
shall deliver to the Sponsor and the Administrator, notarized and
duly certified as appropriate by its secretary or other duly
authorized official, a certificate in the form of Exhibit C setting
forth the names and signatures of all persons authorized to give
instructions relating to activity contemplated hereby or by any
other notice, request or instruction given on behalf of the
Authorized Purchaser (each, an “Authorized Person”).
The Sponsor or the Administrator may accept and rely upon such
certificate as conclusive evidence of the facts set forth therein
and shall consider such certificate to be in full force and effect
until the Sponsor receives a superseding certificate bearing a
subsequent date. Upon the termination or revocation of authority of
any Authorized Person by the Authorized Purchaser, the Authorized
Purchaser shall give immediate written notice of such fact to the
Sponsor and the Transfer Agent, and such notice shall be effective
upon receipt by the Sponsor.
Section 7. Creation Procedures.
On any Business Day, an Authorized Purchaser may place an order
with the Transfer Agent to create one or more Creation Baskets of a
Fund in accordance with this Agreement and the Procedures. Purchase
Orders must be placed by the time specified in the applicable
Prospectus and restated in Exhibit E hereto (the “Order
Cutoff Time”) or the close of regular trading on the New York
Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier, except in the case of an
Authorized Purchaser’s initial order to purchase one or more
Creation Baskets of a Fund on the first day the Baskets of that
Fund are to be offered and sold, when such orders shall be placed
by 9:00 AM
New York time on the day agreed to by the Sponsor
and the Authorized Purchaser. The day on which the Distributor
receives a valid Purchase Order is the Purchase Order
Date
.
By placing a
Purchase Order, an Authorized Purchaser agrees
to
deposit cash as determined by the Sponsor with the
Custodian of the Fund
. Failure
to consummate such a deposit shall result in the cancellation of
the Order.
Prior to the delivery of Baskets for a Purchase Order, the
Authorized Purchaser must also have submitted via CNS the
non-refundable transaction fee due for the Purchase
Order.
The total deposit required to create each basket (“Creation
Basket Deposit”) will be an amount of cash that is in the
same proportion to the total assets of the Fund (net of estimated
accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and other liabilities) on the
date the Purchase Order is properly received as the number of
Shares to be created under the Purchase Order is in proportion to
the total number of Shares outstanding on the date the Purchase
Order is received.
The Sponsor,
through the Transfer Agent, shall notify the Authorized Purchaser
of the amount of cash to be included in deposits to create Baskets
by e-mail or telephone correspondence and such amount is available
via the applicable Fund’s website.
An Authorized Purchaser who places a Purchase Order is responsible
for transferring to the Fund’s account with the Custodian the
required amount of cash by the end of the next Business Day
following the Purchase Order
Date
(T+1) or
as agreed to by the Authorized Purchaser, Sponsor, Distributor and
Transfer Agent in advance of when the Purchase Order is
placed;
provided, however
the Authorized Purchaser placing a
Purchase Order for TAGS must transfer the required amount of cash
no later than the second Business Day following the Purchase Order
Date (T+2) or as agreed to by the Authorized Purchaser and the
Transfer Agent in advance of when the Purchase Order is placed.
Upon receipt of the deposit amount, the Administrator will cause
DTC to credit the number of Baskets ordered to the Authorized
Purchaser’s DTC account
.
Section 8. Redemption Procedures.
On any Business Day, an Authorized Purchaser may place an order
with the Transfer Agent to redeem one or more Redemption Baskets of
a Fund in accordance with this Section 8 and the Procedures.
Redemption Orders must be placed by the applicable Order Cutoff
Time or the close of regular trading on the New York Stock
Exchange, whichever is earlier. A Redemption Order so received is
effective on the date it is received in satisfactory form by the
Transfer Agent. The day on which the Transfer Agent receives a
valid Redemption Order is the “Redemption Order Date”.
By placing a Redemption Order, an Authorized Purchaser agrees
to
deliver the Redemption
Basket to be redeemed through DTC’s book-entry system to the
Fund’s account with the Custodian not later than the end of
next Business Day following the effective date of the Redemption
Order
(“Redemption
Distribution Date”) or the end of such later Business Day as
agreed to by the Authorized Purchaser and the Transfer Agent in
advance of when the Redemption Order is placed. Failure to
consummate such delivery shall result in the cancellation of the
order. Prior to the delivery of the redemption distribution for a
Redemption Order, the Authorized Purchaser must also have submitted
via CNS or such other means deemed acceptable by the Sponsor, the
non-refundable Transaction Fee due for the Redemption
Order.
The redemption distribution from a Fund consists of a transfer to
the redeeming Authorized Purchaser of an amount of cash with a
value that is in the same proportion to the total assets of the
Fund (net of estimated accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and other
liabilities) on the date the Redemption Order is properly received
as the number of Shares to be redeemed under the Redemption Order
is in proportion to the total number of Shares outstanding on the
date the Order is received.
The redemption distribution due from the Fund is delivered to the
Authorized Purchaser on the Redemption Distribution Date if the
Fund’s DTC account has been credited with the Baskets to be
redeemed. If the Fund’s DTC account has not been credited
with all of the Baskets to be redeemed by the end of such date, the
redemption distribution is delivered to the extent of whole Baskets
received. Any remainder of the redemption distribution is delivered
on the next Business Day to the extent of remaining whole Baskets
received if the Fund receives the fee applicable to the extension
of the Redemption Distribution Date which the Sponsor may, from
time to time, determine and the remaining Baskets to be redeemed
are credited to the Fund’s DTC account on such next Business
Day. Any further outstanding amount of the Redemption Order shall
be cancelled. The Authorized Purchaser will indemnify the Sponsor
for any losses due to such cancellation, including, but not limited
to, the difference in price of investments sold as a result of the
Redemption Order and investments made to reflect that such order
has been cancelled. Pursuant to instruction from the Sponsor, the
Custodian may also deliver the redemption distribution
notwithstanding that the Baskets to be redeemed are not credited to
the Fund’s DTC account on the Redemption Distribution Date if
the Authorized Purchaser has collateralized its obligation to
deliver the Baskets through DTC’s book entry system on such
terms as the Sponsor may from time to time determine.
The Sponsor may, in its discretion, suspend the right of
redemption, or postpone the Redemption Distribution Date, (1) for
any period during which the NYSE Arca, Inc. or the Chicago Board of
Trade is closed other than customary weekend or holiday closings,
or trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. or the Chicago Board or Trade is
suspended or restricted, (2) for any period during which an
emergency exists as a result of which delivery, disposal or
evaluation of Treasuries is not reasonably practicable, or (3) for
such other period as the Sponsor determines to be necessary for the
protection of shareholders. None of the Sponsor, the Distributor,
or the Custodian will be liable to any person or in any way for any
loss or damages that may result from any such suspension or
postponement.
Section 9. Role of Authorized Purchaser.
(a)
The Authorized Purchaser acknowledges that, for all purposes of
this Agreement, the Authorized Purchaser is and shall be deemed to
be an independent contractor and has and shall have no authority to
act as agent for the Trust, the Distributor, the Administrator, the
Custodian or the Sponsor in any matter or in any
respect.
(b)
The Authorized Purchaser will, to the extent reasonably
practicable, make itself and its employees available, upon request,
during normal business hours to consult with the Sponsor and the
Administrator concerning the performance of the Authorized
Purchaser’s responsibilities under this Agreement; provided
that the Authorized Purchaser shall be under no obligation to
divulge or otherwise discuss any information that the Authorized
Purchaser believes (i) is confidential or proprietary in nature or
(ii) the disclosure of which to third parties would be
prohibited.
(c)
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 9(b), the Authorized
Purchaser will maintain records of all sales of Creation Baskets
made by or through it and, upon reasonable request of the Sponsor,
except if prohibited by applicable law and subject to any privacy
obligations or other obligations arising under federal or state
securities laws it may have to its customers, will furnish the
Sponsor with the names and addresses of the purchasers of such
Creation Baskets and the number of Creation Baskets purchased if
and to the extent that the Sponsor has been requested to provide
such information to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission,
Securities Exchange Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, or Internal Revenue Service (“Fund
Regulators”). For the avoidance of doubt, all such
information provided by the Authorized Purchaser shall be
Confidential Information (as defined in Section 19) and shall not
be used for any purpose other than to satisfy requests of Fund
Regulators.
(d)
The Trust may from time to time be obligated to deliver
prospectuses, proxy materials, annual or other reports of a Fund or
other similar information (“Fund Documents”) to the
Fund’s shareholders. The Authorized Purchaser agrees (i)
subject to any privacy obligations or other obligations arising
under federal or state securities laws it may have to its
customers, to reasonably assist the Sponsor in ascertaining certain
information regarding sales of Creation Baskets made by or through
the Authorized Purchaser that is necessary for the Trust to comply
with such obligations upon written request of the Sponsor or (ii)
in lieu thereof, and at the option of the Authorized Purchaser, the
Authorized Purchaser may undertake to deliver Fund Documents to the
Authorized Purchaser’s customers that custody Shares with the
Authorized Purchaser, after receipt from the Trust of sufficient
quantities of such Fund Documents to allow mailing thereof to such
customers. The expenses associated with such transmissions shall be
borne by the Sponsor in accordance with usual custom and practice
in respect of such communications. The Sponsor agrees that the
names, addresses and other information concerning the Authorized
Purchaser’s customers are and shall remain the sole property
of the Authorized Purchaser, and none of the Sponsor, the Trust or
any of their respective affiliates shall use such names, addresses
or other information for any purposes except in connection with the
performance of their duties and responsibilities hereunder and
except to the extent necessary for the Fund to meet its regulatory
requirements as set forth in Section 8(c) and in this Section 8(d)
of the Agreement.
Section 10. Indemnification.
(a)
Indemnification of Authorized Purchaser. The Sponsor agrees to
indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Authorized Purchaser, its
partners, stockholders, members, directors, officers, employees,
affiliates, agents and any person who controls such persons within
the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the
Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the
foregoing persons (each a “Sponsor Indemnified
Person”), from and against any loss, damage, expense,
liability or claim (including reasonable attorney fees and the
reasonable cost of investigation) which the Authorized Purchaser or
any such person may incur under the 1933 Act, the Exchange Act, the
CEA, the common law or otherwise, insofar as such loss, damage,
expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based
upon:
(1)
any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in the Registration Statement (or in the Registration
Statement as amended or supplemented) or in a Prospectus (the term
Prospectus for the purpose of this Section 10 being deemed to
include the Prospectus and the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented) or any omission or alleged omission to state a
material fact required to be stated in either such Registration
Statement or such Prospectus or necessary to make the statements
made therein not misleading, except insofar as any such loss,
damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon
any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in and in conformity with information concerning the
Authorized Purchaser furnished in writing by or on behalf of the
Authorized Purchaser to the Sponsor expressly for use in such
Registration Statement;
(2)
any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
or breach by the Sponsor of any representation or warranty
contained in this Agreement;
(3)
the failure by the Sponsor, the Trust or their respective agents to
perform when and as required, any agreement, obligation, duty or
covenant contained herein; or
(4)
the failure by the Sponsor, the Trust or their respective agents to
comply with applicable laws and the rules and regulations of any
governmental entity or any self-regulatory organization to the
extent the foregoing relates to transactions in and activities with
respect to Baskets.
In no case is the indemnity of the Sponsor in favor of the
Authorized Purchaser and such other persons as are specified in
this Section 10(a) to be deemed to protect the Authorized Purchaser
and such persons against any liability to the Sponsor or the Fund
to which the Authorized Purchaser would otherwise be subject by
reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the
performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of
its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
If any action, suit or proceeding (each, a
“Proceeding”) is brought against a Sponsor Indemnified
Person or any such person in respect of which indemnity may be
sought against the Sponsor pursuant to the foregoing paragraph,
such Sponsor Indemnified Person shall promptly notify the Sponsor
in writing of the institution of such Proceeding, provided,
however, that the omission to so notify the Sponsor shall not
relieve the Sponsor or the Trust from any liability which it may
have to the Sponsor Indemnified Person except to the extent that it
has been materially prejudiced by such failure and has not
otherwise learned of such Proceeding. The Sponsor Indemnified
Person shall have the right to employ its own counsel in any such
case and the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be borne by
the Sponsor and the Trust and paid as incurred (it being
understood, however, that the Sponsor shall not be liable for the
expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any
local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related
Proceedings in the same jurisdiction representing the Sponsor
Indemnified Persons who are parties to such Proceeding), except for
the expenses and fees incurred with respect to matters that are not
indemnifiable in accordance with the preceding paragraph. A Sponsor
Indemnified Person shall give the Sponsor reasonable prior notice
of settlement of any Proceeding in respect of which indemnity may
be sought against the Sponsor pursuant to this Section 10(a),
provided, however that the omission to so notify the Sponsor shall
not relieve the Sponsor or the Trust from any liability which it
may have to the Sponsor Indemnified Person.
(b)
The Authorized Purchaser agrees to indemnify, defend and hold
harmless each of the Trust, each Fund, the Sponsor and its
partners, stockholders, members, directors, officers, employees and
any person who controls the Sponsor within the meaning of Section
15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the
successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons (each, an
“AP Indemnified Person”), from and against any loss,
damage, expense, liability or claim (including reasonable attorney
fees and the reasonable cost of investigation) which the AP
Indemnified Person may incur as a result of or in connection with
any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in and in conformity with information furnished in
writing by or on behalf of the Authorized Purchaser to the Sponsor
expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or in the
Registration Statementas amended or supplemented by any
post-effective amendment thereof) or in a Prospectus, or arises out
of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a
material fact in connection with such information required to be
stated in such Registration Statement or such Prospectus or
necessary to make such information not
misleading.
The
Authorized Purchaser will also indemnify each AP Indemnified Person
from and against any loss, damage, expense, liability or claim
(including the reasonable cost of investigation) which such AP
Indemnified Person may incur as a result of or in connection with
any actions of an AP Indemnified Person in accordance with any
instructions by the Authorized Purchaser except in the case of any
loss, damage, expense, liability or claim resulting from the gross
negligence or willful misconduct of an AP Indemnified Person. In no
case is the indemnity of the Authorized Purchaser in favor of each
AP Indemnified Person to be deemed to protect the AP Indemnified
Person and such persons against any liability to the Authorized
Purchaser to which the AP Indemnified Person would otherwise be
subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross
negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its
reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this
Agreement.
If any Proceeding is brought against an AP Indemnified Person, such
AP Indemnified Person shall promptly notify the Authorized
Purchaser in writing of the institution of such Proceeding;
provided, however, that the omission to so notify the Authorized
Purchaser shall not relieve the Authorized Purchaser from any
liability which it may have to such AP Indemnified Person except to
the extent that it has been materially prejudiced by such failure
and has not otherwise learned of such Proceeding. The AP
Indemnified Person shall have the right to employ its own counsel
and the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be borne by the
Authorized Purchaser and paid as incurred (it being understood,
however, that the Authorized Purchaser shall not be liable for the
expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any
local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related
Proceedings in the same jurisdiction representing the AP
Indemnified Persons who are parties to such Proceeding), except for
the expenses and fees incurred with respect to matters that are not
indemnifiable in accordance with the preceding paragraph. An AP
Indemnified Person shall give the Authorized Purchaser reasonable
prior notice of settlement of any Proceeding in respect of which
indemnity may be sought against the Authorized Purchaser pursuant
to this Section 10(b), provided, however that the omission to so
notify the Authorized Purchaser shall not relieve the Authorized
Purchaser from any liability which it may have to the AP
Indemnified Person.
(c)
The indemnity agreements contained in this Section 10 shall remain
in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or
on behalf of the Authorized Purchaser, its partners, stockholders,
members, directors, officers, employees and or any person
(including each partner, stockholder, member, director, officer or
employee of such person) who controls the Authorized Purchaser
within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of
the Exchange Act, or by or on behalf of each of the Sponsor, the
Trust, their partners, stockholders, members, directors, officers,
employees or any person who controls the Sponsor or the Trust
within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of
the Exchange Act, and shall survive any termination of this
Agreement or the initial issuance and delivery of the Shares. The
Sponsor and the Authorized Purchaser agree promptly to notify each
other of the commencement of any Proceeding against it and, in the
case of the Sponsor, against any of the Sponsor’s officers or
directors in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares,
or in connection with the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus.
Section 11.
(a)
Limitation
of Liability.
None of the Sponsor, the Authorized Purchaser, the Distributor, the
Administrator, or the Custodian, shall be liable to each other or
to any other person, including any party claiming by, through or on
behalf of the Authorized Purchaser, for any losses, liabilities,
damages, costs or expenses arising out of any mistake or error in
data or other information provided to any of them by each other or
any other person or out of any interruption or delay in the
electronic means of communications used by them.
The Authorized Purchaser shall be responsible for the payment of
any transfer tax, sales or use tax, stamp tax, recording tax, value
added tax and any other similar tax or government charge applicable
to the creation or redemption of any Basket made pursuant to this
Agreement, regardless of whether or not such tax or charge is
imposed directly on the Authorized Purchaser. To the extent the
Sponsor or the Trust is required by law to pay any such tax or
charge, the Authorized Purchaser agrees to promptly indemnify such
party for any such payment, together with any applicable penalties,
additions to tax or interest thereon.
(c)
Fund
and Shareholder Liability
In accordance with Section 3.8 of the Trust Agreement, the parties
hereto hereby agree and acknowledge that the Trust is a series
trust pursuant to Sections 3804(a) and 3806(b)(2) of the Delaware
Statutory Trust Act, 12 Del. C. § 3801 et seq. and the Trust
has separately entered into this Agreement with respect to each
Fund. Accordingly, the obligations of the Trust with respect to
each Fund set forth in this Agreement are limited obligations with
respect to each Fund and the parties hereto hereby agree to look
solely to the assets of the particular Fund in satisfaction for
payment in respect of any claim against or obligation of such Fund
and not against the assets of the Trust generally or the assets of
any other Fund or series of the Trust. Further, in accordance with
Section 8.3(c) of the Trust Agreement, the parties hereto agree and
acknowledge that this Agreement is not binding upon the
Shareholders (as defined in the Trust Agreement) of the Trust
individually but is binding only upon the assets and property of
the applicable Funds as provided in the previous sentence and no
recourse shall be had to the Shareholders’ personal property
for satisfaction of any obligation or claim arising under or
relating to this Agreement.
Section 12. Acknowledgment.
The Authorized Purchaser acknowledges receipt of a copy of the
Prospectus and represents that it has reviewed and understands such
document.
Section 13. Effectiveness and Termination.
Upon the execution of this Agreement by the parties hereto, this
Agreement shall become effective in this form as of the date first
set forth above, and may be terminated at any time by any party
upon thirty (30) days prior written notice to the other parties
unless earlier terminated: (i) in accordance with Section 2(a);
(ii) upon notice to the Authorized Purchaser by the Sponsor in the
event of a breach by the Authorized Purchaser of this Agreement or
the procedures described or incorporated herein; or (iii) at such
time as the Trust is terminated. Termination of this Agreement as
to any Fund shall not constitute termination as to any other Fund
unless notice is given specifically as to such other
Fund.
Section 14. Marketing Materials; Representations Regarding Baskets;
Identification in Registration Statement.
(a)
The Authorized Purchaser represents, warrants and covenants that,
(i) without the written consent of the Sponsor, the Authorized
Purchaser will not make, or permit any of its representatives to
make, in connection with any sale or solicitation of a sale of
Baskets any representations concerning the Shares or the Sponsor,
the Trust, a Fund or any AP Indemnified Person other than
representations consistent with (A) the then-current Prospectus of
the Fund, (B) printed information approved by the Sponsor as
information supplemental to such Prospectus or (C) any promotional
materials or sales literature furnished to the Authorized Purchaser
by the Sponsor, and (ii) the Authorized Purchaser will not furnish
or cause to be furnished to any person or display or publish any
information or material relating to the Baskets, any AP Indemnified
Person, the Trust or a Fund that is not consistent with the
Fund’s then current Prospectus. Copies of the then-current
Prospectus of the Funds and any such printed supplemental
information will be supplied by the Sponsor to the Authorized
Purchaser in reasonable quantities upon request.
(b)
The Authorized Purchaser agrees to comply with the prospectus and
disclosure delivery requirements of the federal securities and
commodities laws. In connection therewith, the Authorized Purchaser
will provide each prospective purchaser of a Fund with a copy of
the Fund’s Prospectus.
(c)
The Authorized Purchaser hereby agrees that for the term of this
Agreement the Sponsor or its agent, the Distributor, may deliver
the then-current Prospectus, and any supplements or amendments
thereto or recirculation thereof, to the Authorized Purchaser in
Portable Document Format (“PDF”) via electronic mail to
__________________ in lieu of delivering the Prospectus in paper
form. The Authorized Purchaser may revoke the foregoing agreement
at any time by delivering written notice to the Sponsor and,
whether or not such agreement is in effect, the Authorized
Purchaser may, at any time, request reasonable quantities of the
Prospectus, and any supplements or amendments thereto or
recirculation thereof, in paper form from the Sponsor or its agent,
the Distributor. The Authorized Purchaser acknowledges that it has
the capability to access, view, save and print material provided to
it in PDF and that it will incur no appreciable extra costs by
receiving the Prospectus in PDF instead of in paper form. The
Sponsor will, when requested by the Authorized Purchaser, make
available at no cost the software and technical assistance
necessary to allow the Authorized Purchaser to access, view and
print the PDF version of the Prospectus.
(d)
For as long as this Agreement is effective, the Authorized
Purchaser agrees to be identified as an authorized purchaser of a
Fund at the Sponsor’s discretion (i) in any section of the
Fund’s Prospectus included within the Registration Statement
as may be required by the SEC and (ii) on the Fund’s website.
Upon the termination of this Agreement as to any Fund, (i) during
the period prior to when the Sponsor qualifies and elects to file
on Form S-3, the Sponsor will remove such identification from the
Prospectus in the amendment of the Registration Statement next
occurring after the date of the termination of this Agreement and,
during the period after when the Sponsor qualifies and elects to
file on Form S-3/S-1, the Sponsor will promptly file a current
report on Form 8-K indicating the withdrawal of the Authorized
Purchaser as an authorized purchaser of the Fund and (ii) the
Sponsor will promptly update a Fund’s website to remove any
identification of the Authorized Purchaser as an authorized
purchaser of the Fund.
Section 15. Certain Covenants of the Sponsor
.
The Sponsor, on its own behalf and on behalf of the Trust,
covenants and agrees:
(a)
to notify the Authorized Purchaser promptly of the happening of any
event during the term of this Agreement which could require the
making of any change in the Prospectus then being used so that the
Prospectus would not include an untrue statement of material fact
or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they are
made, not misleading, and, during such time, to prepare and deliver
or otherwise make available, at the expense of each Fund, to the
Authorized Purchaser copies of such amendments or supplements to
such Prospectus as may be necessary to reflect any such change at
such time and in such numbers as necessary to enable the Authorized
Purchaser to comply with any obligation it may have to deliver such
revised, supplemented or amended Prospectus to
customers.
(b)
to notify the Authorized Purchaser when a revised, supplemented, or
amended Prospectus is available and to deliver or otherwise make
available to the Authorized Purchaser copies of such revised,
supplemented or amended Prospectus at such time and in such numbers
as to enable the Authorized Purchaser to comply with any obligation
it may have to deliver such revised, supplemented or amended
Prospectus to customers, provided that as a general matter the
Sponsor will make such revised, supplemented or amended Prospectus
available to the Authorized Purchaser on or before its effective
date;
(c)
to deliver or caused to be delivered to the Authorized Purchaser
upon the request of the Authorized Purchaser (i) at the time of
filing of any pre-effective or post-effective amendment to the
Registration Statement or a new Registration Statement filed to
register additional Baskets in reliance on Rule 429 of the 1933
Act, if in any such case the Registration Statement or amendment
includes or incorporates by reference financial information not
previously included or incorporated by reference in a Registration
Statement or amendment, and (iii) at the time of effectiveness of
any such Registration Statement or amendment, letters dated such
dates and addressed to the Authorized Purchaser, containing
statements and information of the type ordinarily included in
accountants’ letters to underwriters with respect to the
financial statements and other financial information contained in
or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus;
(d)
to deliver to the Authorized Purchaser (i) at the time of purchase
of the initial Basket of a Fund by the Fund’s initial
Authorize Purchaser, and (ii) if requested by the Authorized
Purchaser, at the time of purchase of the first Basket of a Fund
subsequent to the registration of additional Shares of the Fund, a
certification by a duly authorized officer of the Sponsor in
substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit D. In addition,
any certificate signed by any officer of the Sponsor and delivered
to the Authorized Purchaser or counsel for the Authorized Purchaser
pursuant hereto shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty
by the Sponsor as to matters covered thereby to the Authorized
Purchaser;
(e)
to furnish directly or through the Administrator or the Distributor
to the Authorized Purchaser, (i) at the time of purchase of the
initial Basket of a Fund by the Fund’s initial Authorize
Purchaser, and (ii) at the time of purchase of the first Basket of
a Fund subsequent to the registration of additional Shares of the
Fund, such documents and certificates in the form as reasonably
requested; and
Section 16. Third Party Beneficiaries.
Each AP Indemnified Person, to the extent it is not a party to this
Agreement, is a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement and may
proceed directly against the Authorized Purchaser (including by
bringing proceedings against the Authorized Purchaser in its own
name) to enforce any obligation of the Authorized Purchaser under
this Agreement which directly or indirectly benefits such AP
Indemnified Person. Each Sponsor Indemnified Person, to the extent
it is not a party to this Agreement, is a third-party beneficiary
of this Agreement and may proceed directly against the Sponsor, the
Trust or their respective agents (including by bringing proceedings
against the Sponsor, the Trust or their respective agents in its
own name) to enforce any obligation of the Sponsor, the Trust or
their agents under this Agreement which directly or indirectly
benefits such Sponsor Indemnified Person.
Section 17. Force Majeure.
No party to this Agreement shall incur any liability for any delay
in performance, or for the non-performance, of any of its
obligations under this Agreement by reason of any cause beyond its
reasonable control. This includes any act of God or war or
terrorism, any breakdown, malfunction or failure of transmission in
connection with or other unavailability of any wire, communication
or computer facilities, any transport, port, or airport disruption,
industrial action, acts and regulations and rules of any
governmental or supra-national bodies or authorities or regulatory
or self-regulatory organization or failure of any such body,
authority or organization for any reason, to perform its
obligations.
Section 18. Power of Attorney
(a)
The
Authorized Purchaser, by virtue of its purchase of Units in a Fund,
irrevocably constitutes and appoints the Sponsor with full power of
substitution, as the true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent for
the Authorized Purchaser in its capacity as a Unitholder of the
Fund with full power and authority to act in the Authorized
Purchaser’s name and on its behalf in the execution,
acknowledgment, filing and publishing of Trust documents,
including, but not limited to, the following:
(1)
Any
certificates and other instruments, including but not limited to,
any applications for authority to do business and amendments
thereto, which the Sponsor deems appropriate to qualify or continue
the Trust as a business or statutory trust in the jurisdictions in
which the Trust may conduct business, so long as such
qualifications and continuations are in accordance with the terms
of this Trust Agreement or any amendment hereto, or which may be
required to be filed by the Trust or the Unitholders under the laws
of any jurisdiction;
(2)
Any
instrument which may be required to be filed by the Trust under the
laws of any state or by any governmental agency, or which the
Sponsor deems advisable to file; and
(3)
The
Trust Agreement and any documents which may be required to effect
an amendment to the Trust Agreement approved under the terms of the
Trust Agreement, and the continuation of the Trust, the increase or
decrease of the Global Security pursuant to Section 3.6 of the
Trust Agreement, or the termination of the Trust, provided such
continuation, increase, decrease or termination is in accordance
with the terms of the Trust Agreement.
(b)
The
Power of Attorney granted to the Sponsor by the Authorized
Purchaser in its capacity as a Unitholder:
(1)
Is
a special, irrevocable Power of Attorney coupled with an interest,
and shall survive and not be affected by the death, disability,
dissolution, liquidation, termination or incapacity of the
Authorized Purchaser as Unitholder;
(2)
May
be exercised by the Sponsor for the Authorized Purchaser by
facsimile signature and/or by a single signature of one of its
officers acting as attorney-in-fact for all of them;
and
(3)
Shall
survive the delivery of an assignment by the Authorized Purchaser
of the whole or any portion of its Units, as applicable, except
that where the records of a Direct Participant or Indirect
Participant reflect a transfer by the Authorized Purchaser of its
Units that has otherwise been effectuated in accordance with the
provisions of the Trust Agreement, the Prospectus, the
Depository’s procedures and the procedures of such Direct
Participant or Indirect Participant, as applicable, the Power of
Attorney of the assignor shall survive the delivery of such
assignment for the sole purpose of enabling the Sponsor to execute,
acknowledge and file any instrument necessary to effect such
transfer.
(c)
The
Authorized Purchaser in its capacity as a Unitholder agrees to be
bound by any representations made by the Sponsor and by any
successor thereto, determined to be acting in good faith pursuant
to such Power of Attorney and not constituting gross negligence or
willful misconduct
.
(d)
The
Power of Attorney granted to the Sponsor by the Authorized
Purchaser in its capacity as a Unitholder shall not authorize the
Sponsor to act on behalf of the Authorized Purchaser in its
capacity as a Unitholder in any situation in which the Trust
Agreement requires the approval of Unitholders unless such approval
has been obtained as required by the Trust Agreement. In the event
of any conflict between the Trust Agreement and any instruments
filed by the Sponsor or any new Sponsor pursuant to this Power of
Attorney, the Trust Agreement shall control.
Section 19. Miscellaneous
.
(a)
Entire Agreement. This Agreement
(including any schedules and exhibits attached hereto and thereto)
contains all of the agreements among the parties hereto (and
thereto) with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby (and
thereby) and supersedes all prior agreements or understandings,
whether written or oral, among the parties with respect
thereto.
(b)
Amendment and Modification. This Agreement may be
amended, modified or supplemented only by a written instrument
executed by all the parties.
(c)
Successors and Assigns; Assignment. All the terms and provisions of
this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of
the parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns.
This Agreement shall not be assigned by any party without the prior
written consent of the other parties and any assignment without
such consent shall be null and void.
(d)
Waiver of Compliance. Except as otherwise provided in this
Agreement, any failure of any of the parties to comply with any
obligation, covenant, agreement or condition herein may be waived
by the party entitled to the benefits thereof only by a written
instrument signed by the party granting such waiver, but any such
waiver, or the failure to insist upon strict compliance with any
obligation, covenant, agreement or condition herein, shall not
operate as a waiver of, or estoppel with respect to, any subsequent
or other failure or breach.
(e)
Severability. The parties hereto desire that the provisions of this
Agreement be enforced to the fullest extent permissible under the
law and public policies applied in each jurisdiction in which
enforcement is sought. Accordingly, in the event that any provision
of this Agreement would be held in any jurisdiction to be invalid,
prohibited or unenforceable for any reason, such provision, as to
such jurisdiction, shall be ineffective, without invalidating the
remaining provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity or
enforceability of such provision in any other jurisdiction.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if such provision could be more
narrowly drawn so as not to be invalid, prohibited or unenforceable
in such jurisdiction, it shall, as to such jurisdiction, be so
narrowly drawn, without invalidating the remaining provisions of
this Agreement or affecting the validity or enforceability of such
provision in any other jurisdiction.
(f)
Notices. All notices, waivers, or other communications pursuant to
this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to be
sufficient if delivered personally, by facsimile (and, if sent by
facsimile, followed by delivery by nationally-recognized express
courier), sent by nationally-recognized express courier or mailed
by registered or certified mail (return receipt requested), postage
prepaid, to the parties at the following addresses (or at such
other address for a party as shall be specified by like
notice):
(1)
if
to Sponsor or the Trust, to:
115
Christina Landing Drive
Unit 2004
Wilmington,
DE 19801
(2)
if
to the Authorized Purchaser, to:
All such notices and other communications shall be deemed to have
been delivered and received (i) in the case of personal delivery or
delivery by facsimile or e-mail, on the date of such delivery if
delivered during business hours on a Business Day or, if not
delivered during business hours on a Business Day, the first
Business Day thereafter, (ii) in the case of delivery by
nationally-recognized express courier, on the first Business Day
following dispatch, and (iii) in the case of mailing, on the third
Business Day following such mailing.
(g)
Governing
Law; Jurisdiction.
(1)
All
questions concerning the construction, interpretation and validity
of this Agreement and all transactions hereunder shall be governed
by and construed and enforced in accordance with the domestic laws
of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice or
conflict of law provision or rule (whether in the State of New York
or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the
laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York. In
furtherance of the foregoing, the internal law of the State of New
York will control the interpretation and construction of this
Agreement, even if under such jurisdiction’s choice of law or
conflict of law analysis, the substantive law of some other
jurisdiction would ordinarily or necessarily apply.
(2)
Each
party irrevocably consents and agrees, for the benefit of the other
parties, that any legal action, suit or proceeding against it with
respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter arising
out of or in connection with this Agreement or any related
agreement may be brought in the courts of the State of New York and
hereby irrevocably consents and submits to the non-exclusive
jurisdiction of each such court in personam, generally and
unconditionally with respect to any action, suit or proceeding for
itself and in respect of its properties, assets and revenues. Each
party irrevocably waives any immunity to jurisdiction to which it
may otherwise be entitled or become entitled (including sovereign
immunity, immunity to pre-judgment attachment and execution) in any
legal suit, action or proceeding against it arising out of or based
on this Agreement or any related agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby or thereby which is instituted in any court of
the State of New York.
The provisions of this Section 17(g) shall survive any termination
of this Agreement, in whole or in part.
(h)
No Partnership. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to, or will
be construed to constitute the Sponsor, the Trust or any Fund, on
the one hand, and the Authorized Purchaser or any of its
Affiliates, on the other hand, as partners or joint venturers; it
being intended that the relationship between them will at all times
be that of independent contractors.
(i)
Interpretation. The article and section headings contained in this
Agreement are solely for the purpose of reference, are not part of
the agreement of the parties and shall not in any way affect the
meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
(j)
No Strict Construction. The language used in this Agreement will be
deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their
mutual intent, and no rule of strict construction will be applied
against any party.
(k)
Counterparts; Facsimile Signatures. This Agreement may be executed
in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an
original but all of which together shall constitute one and the
same instrument. Facsimile counterpart signatures to this Agreement
shall be acceptable and binding.
(l)
Other Usages. The following usages shall apply in interpreting this
Agreement: (i) references to a governmental or quasi-governmental
agency, authority or instrumentality shall also refer to a
regulatory body that succeeds to the functions of such agency,
authority or instrumentality; and (ii) “including”
means “including, but not limited to.”
Section 20. Confidentiality.
(a)
The
Sponsor and the Trust (the “Sponsor Parties”) and the
Authorized Purchaser shall maintain in confidence, use only for the
purposes provided for in this Agreement, and not disclose to any
third party, without first obtaining the consent in writing of the
Authorized Purchaser (in the case of disclosure by the Sponsor
Parties) or the Sponsor (in the case of disclosure by the
Authorized Purchaser), any and all Confidential Information (as
defined below) receives from the other party; provided, however,
that either such party may disclose Confidential Information
received from the other such party to those of its internal and
external representatives as may be necessary for such party to
carry out its obligations under this Agreement.
“Confidential
Information” shall mean all information or data of a party or
its customers that is disclosed to or received by the other party,
whether orally, visually or in writing, in any form, including,
without limitation, information or data which relates to such
party’s business or operations, research and development,
marketing plans or activities, or actual or potential
products.
(b)
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Agreement to the contrary,
the Sponsor Parties shall have no liability to the Authorized
Purchaser and the Authorized Purchaser shall have no liability to
the Sponsor Parties for the disclosure or use of any Confidential
Information of the other party if the Confidential
Information:
(1)
is known to the party disclosing the Confidential Information (the
“Disclosing Party”) at the time of disclosure other
than as the result of a breach of this Section 19 by the Disclosing
Party;
(2)
has been or becomes publicly known, other than as the result of a
breach of this Section 19 by the Disclosing Party, or has been or
is publicly disclosed by the other party;
(3)
is received by Disclosing Party after the date of this Agreement
from a third party (unless such third party breaches an obligation
of confidentiality to the other party); or
(4)
is required to be disclosed by law or similar compulsion or in
connection with any legal proceeding or request for information on
behalf of a governmental authority or self-regulatory organization,
provided that the Disclosing Party shall promptly inform the other
party in writing of such requirement and that such disclosure shall
be limited to the extent so required.
(c)
The parties recognize and acknowledge that a breach or threatened
breach by a party of the provisions of this Section 19 may cause
irreparable and material loss and damage to a Sponsor Party or the
Authorized Purchaser, as the case may be, which cannot be
adequately remedied at law and that, accordingly, in addition to,
and not in lieu of, any damages or other remedy to which a
non-breaching party may be entitled, the issuance of an injunction
or other equitable remedy (without the requirement that a bond or
other security be posted) is an appropriate remedy for the
non-breaching party for any breach or threatened breach of the
obligations set forth in this Section 19.
(d)
The Sponsor Parties and the Authorized Purchaser agree that they
will use the same degree of care, but no less than a reasonable
degree of care, in safeguarding the Confidential Information of the
Authorized Purchaser and the Sponsor Parties, respectively, as they
use for their own Confidential Information of a similar nature. The
Sponsor Parties shall promptly notify the Authorized Purchaser in
writing of any misuse, misappropriation or unauthorized disclosure
of the Confidential Information of the Authorized Purchaser that
may come to the attention of a Sponsor Party. The Authorized
Purchaser shall promptly notify the Sponsor Parties in writing of
any misuse, misappropriation or unauthorized disclosure of the
Confidential Information of a Sponsor Party that may come to the
attention of the Authorized Purchaser.
(e)
Upon the termination of this Agreement, if requested in
writing by a Sponsor Party or the Authorized Purchaser, the Sponsor
Parties and the Authorized Purchaser shall, at the option of each
and to the extent permitted by law, promptly destroy or return to
the Authorized Purchaser and the Sponsor, respectively, all
Confidential Information received from the Authorized Purchaser and
the Sponsor Parties, all copies and extracts of such Confidential
Information and all documents or other media containing any such
Confidential Information.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Authorized Purchaser and the Sponsor have
caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized
representatives as of the date first set forth above.
TEUCRIUM TRADING, LLC,
on
behalf of itself and as Sponsor of each Fund of Teucrium Commodity
Trust
By:
_____________________________
Name:
Dale Riker
Title:
CEO
Address:
115 Christina Landing Drive Unit
2004, Wilmington, DE 19801
Telephone:
302-543-5977
[AUTHORIZED PURCHASER]
By:
_____________________________
Name:
Title:
CRD No.: __________________
NFA ID: __________________
Address:
Telephone:
Accepted by:
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
By:
Name:
Title: Senior Vice President
Accepted by:
U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC
By:
Name:
Title: Executive Vice President
EXHIBIT A
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
LIST OF SERIES
Teucrium Corn Fund
Teucrium Sugar Fund
Teucrium Wheat Fund
Teucrium Soybean Fund
Teucrium Agricultural Fund
EXHIBIT B
TO AUTHORIZED PURCAHSER AGRREMENT FOR
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
PROCEDURES FOR PROCESSING
PURCHASE ORDERS AND REDEMPTION ORDERS
This
Exhibit B
to the Authorized Purchaser Agreement
supplements the Prospectus with respect to the procedures to be
used in processing (1) a Purchase Order for the purchase of Shares
of Teucrium Commodity Trust in Creation Units of each Fund and a
(2) Redemption Order for the redemption of Shares of Teucrium
Commodity Trust in Creation Units of each Fund. Capitalized terms,
unless otherwise defined in this
Exhibit
B
, have the meanings attributed
to them in the Authorized Purchaser Agreement or the
Prospectus.
An
Authorized Purchaser is required to have signed the Authorized
Purchaser Agreement. Upon acceptance of the Agreement and execution
thereof by the Trust and in connection with the initial Purchase
Order submitted by the Authorized Purchaser, the Transfer Agent
will assign a PIN Number to each Authorized Person authorized to
act for an Authorized Purchaser. This will allow an Authorized
Purchaser through its Authorized Person(s) to place a Purchase
Order or Redemption Order with respect to the purchase or
redemption of Creation Units of Shares of a Fund of Teucrium
Commodity Trust.
EXHIBIT B – PART A
TO AUTHORIZED PURCAHSER AGRREMENT FOR
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
TO PLACE A PURCHASE ORDER FOR
CREATION UNIT(S) OF SHARES OF ONE OR
MORE FUNDS OF
TEUCRIUM
COMMODITY TRUST:
1.
PLACING A PURCHASE ORDER.
The
Authorized Purchaser (“AP”) submitting an order to
create shall submit such orders containing the information required
by the Transfer Agent in the following manner: (a) in writing
transmitted by facsimile (b) through Transfer Agent’s
electronic order entry system, as such may be made available and
constituted from time to time, the use of which shall be subject to
the terms and conditions of the Electronic Services Agreement,
incorporated herein by reference; or (c) by telephone to the
Administrator at the Transfer Agent according to the procedures set
forth below. The order so transmitted (either in writing or
electronic form) is hereinafter referred to as the
“Submission” or the “Purchase Order” as
applicable, and the Business Day on which a Submission is made is
hereinafter referred to as the “Transmittal Date”. NOTE
THAT IF THE TELEPHONIC METHOD OF SUBMITTING ORDERS IS USED, THE
TELEPHONE CALL IN WHICH THE SUBMISSION NUMBER IS ISSUED INITIATES
THE ORDER PROCESS BUT DOES NOT ALONE CONSTITUTE THE ORDER. AN ORDER
OR REQUEST IS ONLY COMPLETED AND PROCESSED UPON RECEIPT OF THE
SUBMISSION.
To
begin a telephonic Purchase Order, the Authorized Purchaser
(“AP”) must telephone Administrator or such other
number as the Distributor designates in writing to the AP. This
telephone call must be made by an Authorized Person of the AP and
answered by the Administrator before the applicable Order Cutoff
Time. Upon verifying the authenticity of the AP (as determined by
the use of the appropriate PIN Number), the Administrator will
request that the AP place the Purchase Order. To do so, the AP must
provide the appropriate ticker symbols when referring to each Fund.
After the AP has placed the Purchase Order, the Administrator will
read the Purchase Order back to the AP. The AP then must affirm
that the Purchase Order has been taken correctly by the
Administrator. If the AP affirms that Purchase Order has been taken
correctly, the Administrator will issue a confirmation number to
the AP. All orders may also be placed by the AP via the web by the
times described above.
A
Fund’s Order Cutoff Time will not be later than 5:30 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time. Purchase Orders for the Funds, if accepted,
will receive the next Business Day’s NAV per Creation Unit if
submitted before the applicable Order Cutoff Time.
PLEASE NOTE: A PURCHASE
ORDER REQUEST IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL THE CONFIRMATION NUMBER IS
ISSUED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR. WITH RESPECT TO EACH FUND, AN ORDER
FOR FUND SHARES CANNOT BE CANCELED BY THE AP AFTER
THE CONFIRMATION NUMBER HAS BEEN
ISSUED
. INCOMING TELEPHONE
CALLS ARE QUEUED AND WILL BE HANDLED IN THE SEQUENCE RECEIVED.
ACCORDINGLY, THE AP SHOULD NOT HANG UP AND REDIAL.
CALLS THAT ARE IN PROGRESS AT THE
ORDER CUTOFF TIME ARE VALID AND THE ORDER WILL BE TAKEN. PLEASE
NOTE THAT "IN PROGRESS" IS DEFINED AS AN AP ACTUALLY SPEAKING WITH
THE ADMINISTRATOR. FOR CALLS THAT ARE PLACED BEFORE THE ORDER
CUTOFF TIME THAT ARE IN THE HOLDING QUEUE UNANSWERED AT OR AFTER
THE ORDER CUTOFF TIME, WILL BE VERBALLY DENIED.
INCOMING CALLS THAT ARE
RECEIVED AFTER THE ORDER
CUTOFF
TIME WILL NOT BE
ANSWERED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR. ALL TELEPHONE CALLS WILL BE
RECORDED.
2.
RECEIPT OF TRADE CONFIRMATION.
Subject
to the conditions that a properly completed telephone Purchase
Order has been placed by the AP (either on its own or its
customer’s behalf) not later than the Order Cutoff Time, the
Distributor will accept the Purchase Order on behalf of the Trust
and will confirm in writing to the AP that its Purchase Order has
been accepted within 45 minutes after the designated Order Cutoff
time on the Business Day that the Purchase Order is received. Once
the Purchase Order has been approved by the Distributor, the
Distributor will sign or time-stamp the order and send that
Purchase Order to the Administrator.
After
a confirmation number is issued by the Administrator to the AP, the
AP will fax a written version of the Purchase Order to the
Administrator. Upon receipt, the Administrator should immediately
telephone the AP if the Administrator believes that the Purchase
Order has not been completed correctly by the AP. In addition, the
Administrator will telephone the AP if the Administrator is in
non-receipt of the Purchase Order Form within 15 minutes after the
Purchase Order has been called into the Administrator.
4.
REJECTING OR SUSPENDING PURCHASE ORDERS.
The Sponsor or the Distributor reserve the
absolute right to reject acceptance of a Purchase Order if: (i) the
Sponsor determines that, due to position limits or otherwise,
investment alternatives that will enable a Fund to meet its
investment objective are not available to the Fund at that time;
(ii) it is determined by the Sponsor or the Distributor not to be
in proper form; (iii) the Sponsor believes that acceptance would
have adverse tax consequences to the Fund or its shareholders; (iv)
the acceptance or receipt of a Creation Basket Deposit would, in
the opinion of counsel to the Sponsor, be unlawful; (v) if
circumstances outside the control of the Sponsor, the Distributor
or the Custodian make it for all practical purposes not feasible to
process creations of Creation Baskets, or (vi) if there is a
possibility that any or all of the Benchmark component futures
contracts of the relevant Fund on the futures exchange from which
the net asset value of a particular fund is calculated will be
priced at a daily price limit restriction;
provided, however,
if the Purchase Order is not rejected,
then the Sponsor may require the Authorized Purchaser to enter into
an exchange for risk (“EFR”) transaction
in
accordance with CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX Rule 538 or ICE Futures
Rule 4
, with quantities agreed by the
Sponsor and the Authorized Purchaser in advance, directly
corresponding to the Purchase Order.
The Distributor shall notify the AP of
a rejection or revocation of any Purchase Order. The Distributor is
under no duty, however, to give notification of any specific
defects or irregularities in the delivery of the Creation Basket
Deposit nor shall the Distributor or the Trust incur any liability
for the failure to give any such notification
.
The Trust and Distributor may not revoke a
previously accepted Purchase Order, as defined in Section
2 of this Part.
The
Trust acknowledges its agreement to return to the AP or any party
for which it is acting any dividend, distribution or other
corporate action paid to the Trust in respect of any Deposit
Security that is transferred to Trust that, based on the valuation
of such Deposit Security at the time of transfer, should have been
paid to the AP or any party for which it is acting.
5.
CONTRACTUAL SETTLEMENT.
(a)
Through the CNS
Clearing Process
:
(1) Except as provided below, the securities in
the Creation Basket Deposit (“Deposit Securities”) of
any domestic Fund must be delivered through the NSCC to a DTC
account maintained at the Custodian on or before the Domestic
Contractual Settlement Date (defined below). The AP must also make
available on or before the Domestic Contractual Settlement Date, by
means satisfactory to the Trust, immediately available or same day
funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the cash
component of the Creation Basket Deposit (the “Cash
Component”), together with the applicable purchase
Transaction Fee. Any excess funds will be returned following
settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit of Shares of the
Trust. The “Domestic Contractual Settlement Date” is
the next Business Day following the Purchase Order Date (T + 1) or
such later Business Day, not to exceed two Business Days after the
Purchase Order Date, as agreed to between the AP and the Transfer
Agent when the Purchase Order is placed. Except as provided in the
next two paragraphs, a Creation Unit of Shares of any Fund will be
issued
in accordance with the terms, conditions and
guarantees as set forth in CNS agreements to which the Custodian
and AP have entered into.
(2)
The
Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of
an amount of cash (
i.e.
, a “cash in lieu” amount ) to be
added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security with
respect to any domestic Fund which may not be available in
sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for
transfer through the CNS Clearing Process, or which may not be
eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC and hence not
eligible for transfer through the CNS Clearing Process, additional
cost, if any, to acquire the omitted securities will be at the
expense of the AP.
(3)
Any
settlement outside the CNS Clearing Process is subject to
additional requirements and fees as discussed in the
Prospectus.
(4)
In
all cases for a Purchase Order placed with respect to TAGS,
contractual settlement must take place through the CNS Clearing
Process.
(b)
Outside the CNS
Clearing Process
:
(1)
Except
as provided in the next two paragraphs, a Creation Unit of Shares
will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of
the Deposit Securities and the paym
ent of the Cash Component
and the purchase Transaction Fee have been completed
.
When the Subcustodian confirms to the
Custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or, when permitted
in the sole discretion of the Trust, the cash value thereof) have
been delivered to the account of the relevant
Subcustodian
,
the
Custodian shall will cause the
delivery of the Creation Unit of Shares.
(2)
The
Trust may in its sole discretion permit or require the substitution
of an amount of cash (
i.e.
, a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added
to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not
be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or for other
similar reasons. If the Trust notifies the Distributor that a
“cash in lieu” amount will be accepted, the Distributor
or Transfer Agent will notify the AP and the AP shall deliver, on
behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the
“cash in lieu” amount, with any appropriate adjustments
as advised by the Trust which may include any difference between
the actual cost to the Trust to acquire an omitted security and the
value of the security had the security been delivered in kind.
Additional amounts, if any, shall be included in the calculation of
the Cash Component to be received, any excess amounts will be
returned to the AP following settlement of the issue of the
Creation Unit of Shares.
(3)
In
the event that a Creation Basket Deposit is incomplete on the
settlement date for a Creation Unit of Shares because certain or
all of the Deposit Securities are missing, the Trust may issue a
Creation Unit of Shares notwithstanding such deficiency in reliance
on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit
Securities as soon as possible. The parties hereto agree that the
delivery of such collateral shall be made in accordance with the
Cash Collateral Settlement Procedures, which such procedures shall
be pr
ovided to the AP by the Transfer Agent upon request.
The parties hereto further agree that Trust
, acting in good faith,
may purchase the
missing Deposit Securities at any time and the AP agrees to accept
liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of
purchasing such securities
and the
value of the collateral, which may be sold by the Trust at such
time, and in such manner, as the Trust may determine in its sole
discretion.
When, in the sole discretion of the Trust, cash purchases of
Creation Units of Shares are available or specified for a Fund,
such purchases shall be effected in essentially the same manner as
in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a cash purchase or where
the cash equivalent value of one or more Deposit Securities is
being deposited in lieu of such Deposit Security, the AP must pay
the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be
required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash
Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. In addition,
to offset the Trust’s brokerage, transaction, and other costs
associated with using the cash to purchase the requisite Deposit
Securities, the AP may be required to pay an additional Transaction
Fee or adjustment as advised by the Trust which may include any
difference between the actual cost to the Trust to acquire the
Deposit Securities and the value of the Deposit Securities had the
Deposit Securities been delivered. Such Transaction Fees and
additional amounts, if any, shall be included in the calculation of
the Cash Component to be received. Any excess amounts will be
returned to the AP following settlement of the issue of the
Creation Unit of Shares
The
Trust has developed procedures for the creation and redemption of
Creation Baskets and Redemption Baskets using Deposit Securities
that differ from that published by NSCC as the then-existing
portfolio basket for the Fund (a “Custom Basket”). In
order for an AP to deliver or receive a Custom Basket to the
Transfer Agent and the Trust in connection with a Purchase Order or
Redemption Order rather than the basket of Deposit Securities
published by NSCC together with the Cash Component, any cash in
lieu amounts and any other cash fees, the Distributor, the Sponsor,
or Trust must notify the AP that the Fund would like to effect the
purchase or redemption through a Custom Basket and identify the
contents of the Custom Basket at or prior to the time the AP calls
with its Purchase Order or Redemption Order and the AP must agree
to deliver or receive the Custom Basket in connection with the
creation or redemption. Prior to trade date, the Transfer Agent
must notify NSCC of the Deposit Securities in the custom creation
basket.
EXHIBIT B -- PART B
TO AUTHORIZED PURCHASER AGREEMENT FOR
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
PROCEDURES TO PLACE A REDEMPTION ORDER FOR CREATION UNIT(S) OF
SHARES OF ONE OR MORE FUNDS OF TEUCRIUM COMMODITY
TRUST:
1.
PLACING A REDEMPTION ORDER.
The AP
submitting a request to redeem shall submit such requests
containing the information required by the Transfer Agent in the
following manner: (a) in writing transmitted by facsimile; (b)
through Transfer Agent’s electronic order entry system, as
such may be made available and constituted from time to time, the
use of which shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the
Electronic Services Agreement, incorporated herein by reference; or
(c) by telephone to the Transfer Agent Representative and the
Distributor, as applicable, according to the procedures set forth
below. The request so transmitted (either in writing or electronic
form) is hereinafter referred to as the “Submission” or
the “Redemption Order” as applicable, and the Business
Day on which a Submission is made is hereinafter referred to as the
“Transmittal Date”. NOTE THAT IF THE TELEPHONIC METHOD
OF REQUESTING A REDEMPTION IS USED, THE TELEPHONE CALL IN WHICH THE
REQUEST NUMBER IS ISSUED INITIATES THE REQUEST PROCESS BUT DOES NOT
ALONE CONSTITUTE THE REQUEST. A REQUEST IS ONLY COMPLETED AND
PROCESSED UPON RECEIPT OF THE SUBMISSION.
Redemption
Orders for Creation Units of Shares may be initiated only on days
that the Listing Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade and the New
York Stock Exchange are open for trading. Redemption Orders may
only be made in whole Creation Units of Shares of each Fund. To
begin a telephonic Redemption Order, the AP must telephone the
Administrator. This telephone call must be made by an Authorized
Person of the AP and answered by the Administrator before the
applicable Order Cutoff Time. Upon verifying the authenticity of
the AP (as determined by the use of the appropriate PIN Number),
the Administrator will request that the AP place the Redemption
Order. To do so, the AP must provide the appropriate ticker symbols
when referring to a Fund. After the AP has placed the Redemption
Order, the Administrator will read the Redemption Order back to the
AP. The AP then must affirm that the Redemption Order has been
taken correctly by the Administrator. If the AP affirms that
Redemption Order has been taken correctly, the Administrator will
issue a confirmation number to the AP.
A
Fund’s Order Cutoff Time will not be later than 5:30 PM
Eastern Standard Time. Redemption Orders for the Funds, if
accepted, will receive the next Business Day’s NAV per
Creation Unit if submitted before the applicable Order Cutoff
Time.
PLEASE NOTE: A
REDEMPTION ORDER REQUEST IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL THE CONFIRMATION
NUMBER IS ISSUED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR. WITH RESPECT TO EACH FUND,
AN ORDER FOR FUND SHARES CANNOT BE CANCELED BY THE AP AFTER
THE CONFIRMATION NUMBER HAS BEEN
ISSUED.
INCOMING TELEPHONE CALLS
ARE QUEUED AND WILL BE HANDLED IN THE SEQUENCE RECEIVED.
ACCORDINGLY, THE AP SHOULD NOT HANG UP AND REDIAL.
CALLS THAT ARE IN PROGRESS AT THE
CUTOFF TIME ARE VALID AND THE ORDER WILL BE TAKEN. PLEASE NOTE THAT
"IN PROGRESS" IS DEFINED AS AN AP ACTUALLY SPEAKING WITH AN
ADMINISTRATOR. FOR CALLS THAT ARE PLACED BEFORE THE CUTOFF TIME
THAT ARE IN THE HOLDING QUEUE UNANSWERED BY STAFF AT OR AFTER THE
CUTOFF TIME, WILL BE VERBALLY DENIED. INCOMING CALLS THAT ARE
RECEIVED AFTER THE CUTOFF TIME WILL NOT BE ANSWERED BY THE
ADMINISTRATOR. ALL TELEPHONE CALLS WILL BE
RECORDED.
2.
RECEIPT OF CONFIRMATION.
Subject
to the conditions that a duly completed telephone Redemption Order
is received by the Transfer Agent from the AP on behalf of itself
or another redeeming investor by the Order Cutoff Time, the
Transfer Agent will accept the Redemption Order on behalf of the
Trust. Once the Redemption Order has been accepted by the Transfer
Agent, the Transfer Agent will sign or time-stamp the order and
send the Redemption Order to the Distributor, and the Distributor
and will confirm in writing to the AP that its Redemption Order has
been accepted within 45 minutes after the designated Order Cutoff
Time on the Business Day the Redemption Order is
received.
(a)
After
a confirmation number is issued by the Administrator to the AP, the
AP will fax a copy of the Redemption Order to the Administrator.
Upon receipt, the Administrator should immediately telephone the
AP, if the Administrator believes that the Redemption Order has not
been completed correctly by the AP. In addition, the Administrator
will telephone the AP if the Administrator is in non-receipt of the
Redemption Order Form within 15 minutes after the Redemption Order
has been called into the Administrator.
4.
REJECTING OR SUSPENDING REDEMPTION ORDERS.
The Sponsor or the Distributor reserve the absolute right to reject
acceptance of a Redemption Order if:
(i)
it is determined by the Sponsor or the Distributor not to be in
proper form;
(ii)
the fulfillment of which its counsel advises might be
unlawful;
(iii)
as a result of the redemption, the number of remaining outstanding
Shares would be reduced to fewer than the number of Shares as
otherwise stated in a Fund’s Prospectus and displayed on
Exhibit E to this agreement; or
(iv) there is a possibility that any or all of the
Benchmark component futures contracts of the relevant Fund on the
futures exchange from which the net asset value of a particular
fund is calculated will be priced at a daily price limit
restriction
; provided, however,
if the Redemption Order is not
rejected, then the Sponsor may require the Authorized Purchaser to
enter into an EFR transaction
in accordance with CME, CBOT,
NYMEX, and COMEX Rule 538 or ICE Futures Rule 4
, with quantities agreed by the Sponsor and the
Authorized Purchaser in advance, directly corresponding to the
Redemption Order.
5.
TAKING DELIVERY OF REDEMPTION SECURITIES.
The
securities constituting the in-kind portion of a redemption
distribution (the “Redemption Securities”) will be
delivered to the appropriate account which must be indicated in the
AP’s Standing Redemption Instructions (see Part C of this
Exhibit B). An Authorized Person of the AP may amend the AP’s
Standing Redemption Instructions from time to time in writing to
the Administrator and the Trust in a form approved by the Trust. A
redeeming Beneficial Owner or the AP acting on behalf of such
Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate securities
broker-dealer, bank or other custody arrangements to which account
such Redemption Securities will be delivered. Redemptions of Shares
for Redemption Securities will be subject to compliance with
applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws.
6.
CONTRACTUAL SETTLEMENT.
(a)
Through
the CNS Clearing Process:
(1)
Except as provided below, the Shares of any Fund must be delivered
through the NSCC to a DTC account maintained at the applicable
custodian of any Fund on or before the Contractual Settlement Date
(defined below). The Trust will make available on the Domestic
Contractual Settlement Date, the Cash Component less the applicable
Transaction Fee. The “Contractual Settlement Date” with
respect to redemptions is the date upon which all of the required
Shares must be delivered to the Trust and the Redemption
Securities, any cash in lieu amounts and Cash Component less any
fees are delivered by the Trust to the AP ordinarily on the first
Business Day following the Redemption Order Date
(T+1) or as agreed to by the Authorized Purchaser,
Sponsor, Distributor and Transfer Agent in advance of when the
Redemption Order is placed
provided, however,
the Contractual Settlement Date with
respect to TAGS is the second Business Day following the Redemption
Order Date (T+2) or as agreed to by the Authorized Purchaser,
Sponsor, Distributor and Transfer Agent in advance of when the
Redemption Order is placed.
Except as provided in the next
two paragraphs, the Redemption Securities and any cash component
will be delivered concurrently with the transfer of good title to
the Trust of the required number of Shares through the NSCC’s
CNS system.
(2)
The
Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of
an amount of cash (
i.e.
, a “cash in lieu” amount ) to be
added to the Cash Component to replace any Redemption Security with
respect to a Fund which may not be available in sufficient quantity
for delivery or which may not be eligible for transfer through the
CNS Clearing Process, or which may not be eligible for transfer
through the systems of DTC and hence not eligible for transfer
through the CNS Clearing Process (discussed below). Any settlement
outside the CNS Clearing Process may be subject to additional
requirements and fees as discussed in the
Prospectus.
(3)
If
the Fund’s DTC account has not been credited with all of the
Baskets to be redeemed by the end of the settlement date, the
redemption distribution is delivered to the extent of whole Baskets
received. Any remainder of the redemption distribution is delivered
on the next Business Day to the extent of remaining whole Baskets
received if the Fund receives the fee applicable to the extension
of the Redemption Distribution Date which the Sponsor may, from
time to time, determine and the remaining Redemption Baskets are
credited to the Fund’s DTC account on such next Business Day.
Any further outstanding amount of the Redemption Order shall be
cancelled. Pursuant to instruction from the Sponsor, the Trust may
deliver the redemption distribution notwithstanding a deficiency in
a Redemption Basket in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to
deliver the missing Shares as soon as possible. The parties hereto
agree that the delivery of such collateral shall be made in
accordance with the Cash Collateral Settlement Procedures, which
such procedures shall be provided to the AP by the Transfer Agent
upon request.
(4)
In
all cases for a Redemption Order placed with respect to TAGS,
contractual settlement must take place through the CNS Clearing
Process.
(b)
Outside
the CNS Clearing Process:
(1)
Deliveries
of redemption distributions by the Funds generally will be made by
the end of the next Business Day or as agreed to by the Authorized
Purchaser, Sponsor, Distributor and Transfer Agent in advance;
provided, however, the delivery of the redemption distributions by
TAGS generally will be made by the end of the second Business Day
or as agreed to by the Authorized Purchaser, Sponsor, Distributor
and Transfer Agent in advance
.
(2)
Except
as provided in the next two paragraphs, the Deposit Securities will
not be delivered until the transfer of good title to the Trust of
the required Redemption Baskets of Shares has been
completed
.
When
the Custodian confirms that the required Shares (or, when permitted
in the sole discretion of the Trust, the cash collateral) have been
received by the account
,
the
Custodian will cause the delivery of the Redemption
Securities.
(4)
The
Trust may in its sole discretion permit or require the substitution
of an amount of cash (
i.e.
, a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added
to the Cash Component to replace any Redemption Security which may
not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or for other
similar reasons. If the Trust notifies the Distributor that a
“cash in lieu” amount will be delivered, the
Distributor will notify the AP and the AP shall receive, on behalf
of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the
“cash in lieu” amount, with any appropriate adjustments
as advised by the Trust.
The AP may also elect to replace
any Redemption Securities with a “cash in lieu” amount
to the extent that the AP is not authorized to purchase the
particular Redemption Securities from the Fund or is not able to
sell the particular Redemption Securities in the secondary market,
consistent with restrictions in applicable law or the AP’s
internal policies and procedures.
(5)
In
the event that the number of Shares is insufficient on the
Contractual Settlement Date, the Trust may deliver the Deposit
Securities notwithstanding such deficiency in reliance on the
undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Shares as soon as
possible. The parties hereto agree that the delivery of such
collateral shall be made in accordance with the Cash Collateral
Settlement Procedures, which such procedures shall be provided to
the AP by the Transfer Agent upon request. When making a Redemption
Order, the Authorized Person understands and agrees that in the
event Shares are not transferred to the Fund in accordance with the
terms of the Prospectus, such Redemption Order may be rejected by
the Fund and the Authorized Person will be solely responsible for
all costs and losses and fees incurred by the Fund, Transfer Agent
or the Distributor related to such rejected Redemption
Order.
In
the event that, in the sole discretion of the Trust, cash
redemptions are permitted or required by the Trust, proceeds will
be paid to the AP redeeming Shares on behalf of the redeeming
investor as soon as practicable after the date of
redemption.
8.
STANDING REDEMPTION INSTRUCTIONS.
Part C
to this Exhibit B contains the
AP’s Standing Redemption Instructions, which include
information identifying the account(s) into which Deposit
Securities of each Fund and any other redemption proceeds should be
delivered by the Trust pursuant to a Redemption
Order.
EXHIBIT B -- PART C
TO AUTHORIZED PURCHASER AGREEMENT FOR
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
THE AP ACCOUNTS
FOR DELIVERY OF DEPOSIT SECURITIES
The accounts into which Teucrium Commodity Trust should deposit the
securities constituting the Deposit Securities of each Fund upon
redemption by the AP are set forth below:
Name of AP: __________________
Account Name: __________________
Account Number: __________________
Other Reference Number: __________________
EXHIBIT C
TO AUTHORIZED PURCAHSER AGRREMENT FOR
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
FORM OF CERTIFIED AUTHORIZED PERSONS
OF THE AUTHORIZED PURCHASER
The following are the names, titles and signatures of all persons
(each an “Authorized Person”) authorized to give
instructions relating to any activity contemplated by this
Agreement or any other notice, request or instruction on behalf of
the AP pursuant to this Agreement.
Name: __________________
Title: __________________
Signature: __________________
Name: __________________
Title: __________________
Signature: __________________
The undersigned, [name], [title], [company], does hereby certify
that the persons listed above have been duly elected to the offices
set forth beneath their names, that they presently hold such
offices, that they have been duly authorized to act as Authorized
Persons of this institution in its capacity as an AP pursuant to
the Agreement by and between Teucrium Commodity Trust, Teucrium
Trading, LLC and _______________________ as AP dated [date] and
that their signatures set forth above
are their own true and genuine signatures.
In witness whereof, the undersigned has hereby set his/her hand and
the seal of [company].
Date: _________________ ___________________
[name,
title]
EXHIBIT D
TO AUTHORIZED PURCAHSER AGRREMENT FOR
TEUCRIUM COMMODITY TRUST
OFFICER’S CERTIFICATE
The undersigned, a duly authorized officer of Teucrium Trading,
LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the
“Sponsor”), and pursuant to Section 15(d) of the
Teucrium Commodity Trust Authorized Purchaser Agreement (the
“Agreement”), dated as of _____________________, by and
among the Sponsor, Teucrium Commodity Trust and [Authorized
Purchaser], (“the Authorized Purchaser”), hereby
certifies that:
1.
Each
of the following representations and warranties of the Sponsor is
true and correct in all material respects as of the date
hereof:
(a)
the
Prospectus does not contain an untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; the
Registration Statement complies in all material respects with the
requirements of the 1933 Act and the Prospectus complies in all
material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and any
statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are
required to be described in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement
have been so described or filed; the conditions to the use of Form
S-1 or S-3, if applicable, have been satisfied; and the
Registration Statement does not contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading; provided, however, that the Sponsor makes no warranty
or representation with respect to any statement contained in the
Registration Statement or any Prospectus in reliance upon and in
conformity with information concerning the Authorized Purchaser and
furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Authorized Purchaser to
the Sponsor expressly for use in the Registration Statement or such
Prospectus;
(b)
the
Trust has been duly formed and is validly existing as a statutory
trust under the laws of the State of Delaware and each Fund has
been duly established as a series of the Trust, as described in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and as described in the
Prospectus, and is authorized to issue and deliver, or to instruct
the Distributor to issue and deliver, the Baskets to the Authorized
Purchaser as described in the Prospectus;
(c)
the
Sponsor has been duly organized and is validly existing as a
limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the
State of Delaware, with full power and authority to conduct its
business as described in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, and has all requisite power and authority to execute
and deliver this Agreement;
(d)
the
Sponsor is duly qualified and is in good standing in each
jurisdiction where the conduct of its business requires such
qualification; and the Trust is not required to so qualify in any
jurisdiction;
(e)
the
outstanding Shares have been duly and validly issued and are fully
paid and non-assessable and free of statutory and contractual
preemptive rights, rights of first refusal and similar
rights;
(f)
the
Shares conform in all material respects to the description thereof
contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and the
holders of the Shares will not be subject to personal liability by
reason of being such holders;
(g)
the
Sponsor is not in breach or violation of or in default under (nor
has any event occurred which with notice, lapse of time or both
would result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default
under or give the holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on
such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase,
redemption or repayment of all or a part of such indebtedness
under) its constitutive documents, or any indenture, mortgage, deed
of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of
indebtedness to which the Sponsor is a party or by which the
Sponsor or any of its properties may be bound or affected, and the
execution, delivery and performance of the Agreement, the issuance
and sale of Shares to the Authorized Purchaser hereunder and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby does not
conflict with, result in any breach or violation of or constitute a
default under (nor constitute any event which with notice, lapse of
time or both would result in any breach or violation of or
constitute a default under), respectively, the amended and restated
limited liability company agreement of the Sponsor, or any
indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement
or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract
or other agreement or instrument to which the Sponsor is a party or
by which, respectively, the Sponsor or any of its properties may be
bound or affected, or any federal, state, local or foreign law,
regulation or rule or any decree, judgment or order applicable to
the Sponsor;
(h)
no
approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any
federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory
commission, board, body, authority or agency is required to be
obtained by the Sponsor, the Trust or a Fund in connection with the
issuance and sale of Creation Baskets to the Authorized Purchaser
hereunder or the consummation by the Sponsor or the Trust of the
transactions contemplated hereunder other than registration of the
Shares under the 1933 Act and the filing of the Prospectus with the
National Futures Association, and any necessary qualification under
the securities or blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in
which the Shares are being offered;
(i)
except
as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (i)
no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the
Trust to issue or sell to it any Shares or other equity interests
of any Fund, and (ii) no person has the right to act as an
underwriter to the Trust in connection with the offer and sale of
the Shares, in the case of each of the foregoing clauses (i), and
(ii), whether as a result of the filing or effectiveness of the
Registration Statement or the sale of the Shares as contemplated
thereby or otherwise; no person has the right, contractual or
otherwise, to cause the Trust to register under the 1933 Act any
other equity interests of a Fund, or to include any such shares or
interests in the Registration Statement or the offering
contemplated thereby, whether as a result of the filing or
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the sale of the
Shares as contemplated thereby or otherwise;
(j)
each
of the Sponsor and the Trust has all necessary licenses,
authorizations, consents and approvals and has made all necessary
filings required under any federal, state, local or foreign law,
regulation or rule, and has obtained all necessary authorizations,
consents and approvals from other persons, in order to conduct its
respective business; the Sponsor is not in violation of, or in
default under, or has not received notice of any proceedings
relating to revocation or modification of, any such license,
authorization, consent or approval or any federal, state, local or
foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, order or judgment
applicable to the Sponsor;
(k)
all
legal or governmental proceedings, affiliate transactions,
off-balance sheet transactions, contracts, licenses, agreements,
leases or documents of a character required to be described in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits
to the Registration Statement have been so described or filed as
required;
(l)
except
as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus,
there are no actions, suits, claims, investigations or proceedings
pending or threatened or contemplated to which the Sponsor or the
Trust, or (to the extent that is or could be material in the
context of the offering and sale of the Baskets to the Authorized
Purchaser) any of the Sponsor’s directors or officers, is or
would be a party or of which any of their respective properties are
or would be subject at law or in equity, before or by any federal,
state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission,
board, body, authority or agency;
(m)
independent
external auditor, whose report on the audited financial statements
of each Fund is filed with the SEC as part of the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, are independent public accountants as
required by the 1933 Act;
(n)
the
audited financial statement(s) of any Fund included in the
Prospectus, together with the related notes and schedules, presents
fairly the financial position of such Fund as of the date indicated
and has been prepared in compliance with the requirements of the
1933 Act and in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles; there are no financial statements (historical or pro
forma) that are required to be included in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus that are not included as required; and
each of the Funds do not have any material liabilities or
obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet
obligations), not disclosed in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus;
(o)
to
the reasonable belief of the Sponsor, each Fund is not and, after
giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares, will not be
an “investment company” or an entity
“controlled” by an “investment company,” as
such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act;
(p)
(i)
except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, the Sponsor and the Fund own, or have obtained valid
and enforceable licenses for, or other rights to use, the
inventions, patent applications, patents, trademarks (both
registered and unregistered), tradenames, copyrights, trade secrets
and other proprietary information described in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus as being owned or licensed by them or
which are necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses
(collectively, “Intellectual Property”);
(ii)
except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, to the knowledge of the Sponsor or the Trust, there are
no third parties who have or will be able to establish rights to
any Intellectual Property, except for the ownership rights of the
owners of the Intellectual Property which is licensed to the
Sponsor or a Fund;
(iii)
to the knowledge of the Sponsor or the Trust, there is no
infringement by third parties of any Intellectual Property owned or
licensed to the Sponsor or a Fund;
(iv)
to the knowledge of the Sponsor or the Trust, there is no pending
or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others
challenging the Sponsor’s or a Fund’s rights in or to
any Intellectual Property, and the Sponsor and the Trust are
unaware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any
such claim;
(v)
to the knowledge of the Sponsor or the Trust, there is no pending
or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others
challenging the validity or scope of any Intellectual
Property;
(vi)
to the knowledge of the Sponsor or the Trust, there is no pending
or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the
Sponsor or a Fund infringes or otherwise violates any patent,
trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of
others, and the Sponsor and the Trust are unaware of any facts
which could form a reasonable basis for any such
claim;
(vii)
to the knowledge of the Sponsor or the Trust, there is no patent or
patent application that contains claims that interfere with the
issued or pending claims of any of the Intellectual Property owned
or licensed to the Sponsor or a Fund; and
(r)
all
tax returns required to be filed by the Sponsor have been filed,
and all taxes and other assessments of a similar nature (whether
imposed directly or through withholding) including any interest,
additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto due or claimed to
be due from such entities have been paid; and no tax returns or tax
payments are due with respect to a Fund as of the date of this
Certificate;
(s)
the
Sponsor has not sent or received any communication regarding
termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the contracts or
agreements referred to or described in, or filed as an exhibit to,
the Registration Statement, and no such termination or non-renewal
has been threatened by the Sponsor or any other party to any such
contract or agreement;
(t)
on
behalf of each Fund, the Sponsor has established and maintains
disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule
13a-14 and 15d-14 under the Exchange Act, giving effect to the
rules and regulations, and SEC staff interpretations (whether or
not public), thereunder); such disclosure controls and procedures
are designed to ensure that material information relating to each
Fund is made known to the Sponsor, and such disclosure controls and
procedures are effective to perform the functions for which they
were established; on behalf of each Fund, the Sponsor has disclosed
to the Funds’ auditors when and to the extent required: (i)
any significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal
controls which could adversely affect a Fund’s ability to
record, process, summarize, and report financial data; and (ii) any
fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
employees who have a role in a Fund’s internal
controls;
(u)
any
statistical and market-related data included in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources
that the Sponsor believes to be reliable and accurate, and the
Sponsor has obtained the written consent to the use of such data
from such sources to the extent required; and
(v)
neither
the Sponsor, nor any of the Sponsor’s directors, members,
officers, affiliates or controlling persons has taken, directly or
indirectly, any action designed, or which has constituted or might
reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange
Act or otherwise, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of
any security or asset of a Fund to facilitate the sale or resale of
the Shares.
For purposes hereof, the term “ Registration Statement”
shall mean the Registration Statement as amended or supplemented
from time to time up to the date hereof, and the term
“Prospectus” shall mean the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented from time to time up to the date hereof.
2.
Each
of the obligations of the Sponsor to be performed by it on or
before the date hereof pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, and
each of the provisions thereof to be complied with by the Sponsor
on or before the date hereof, has been duly performed and complied
with in all material respects. Capitalized terms used, but not
defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in
the Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto, on behalf of the Sponsor,
subscribed my name this ___ day of ________, ____.
By:
________________________
EXHIBIT E
CREATION AND REDEMPTION BASKETS
SHARE REQUIREMENTS, FEES
AND ORDER CUTOFF TIMES
Effective 5.1.16
The size of the Basket for each Fund is set forth in the Prospectus
for each Fund. For the Teucrium Corn Fund, Teucrium Soybean Fund,
Teucrium Sugar Fund, Teucrium Wheat Fund, and the Teucrium
Agricultural Fund (“CORN”, “SOYB”,
“CANE”, “WEAT”, and “TAGS”)
Baskets are 25,000 shares.
The amount of the “Transaction Fee” provided for in
Section 5 of this Agreement for each Fund is set forth in the
Prospectus for each Fund. As of the date referenced above, the
Transaction Fees are as set forth below:
CORN, WEAT, SOYB, CANE, and TAGS, (25,000 units per
basket)
|
|
Creation
Fee
|
$250
per order
|
Redemption
Fee
|
$250
per order
|
As of the date of this agreement, the Order Cutoff Time for the
Teucrium Corn Fund, Teucrium Wheat Fund and Teucrium Soybean Fund
is 1:15 PM New York time, the Order Cutoff Time for the Teucrium
Sugar Fund, and the Teucrium Agricultural Fund is 12:00 PM New York
time.
These Basket sizes and Transaction Fees may be adjusted from time
to time as set forth in the Prospectus without amending this
Exhibit E.
There
are a minimum number of baskets and associated shares specified for
each Fund. Once the minimum number of baskets is reached, there can
be no more redemptions until there has been a creation basket. As
of the date above, the minimum levels are as follows:
CORN:
50,000 shares representing 2 baskets
SOYB:
50,000 shares representing 2 baskets
CANE:
50,000 shares representing 2 baskets
WEAT:
50,000 shares representing 2 baskets
TAGS:
50,000 shares representing 2 baskets
EXHIBIT C
FORM OF INSTRUMENT ESTABLISHING SERIES OR CLASS
TEUCRIUM TRADING, LLC
(A
DELAWARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY)
Instrument Establishing New Series of Teucrium Commodity
Trust
[DATE]
WHEREAS
, Section 3.2(b) of the
Third Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement
(the “Trust Agreement”) of Teucrium Commodity Trust
(the “Trust”) provides that new series of the Trust may
be established and designated upon the execution by Teucrium
Trading, LLC (the “Company”), the Trust’s
sponsor, of an instrument setting forth such establishment and
designation and the relative rights and preferences of such
series;
WHEREAS
, Section 4.6 of the Amended
and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Company
(the “LLC Agreement”) provides that the President of
the Company may do all such lawful acts and things as are not
required to be exercised or done by the members of the Company by
statute, by the LLC Agreement or by the Company’s certificate
of trust, and the establishment of new series is not so required to
be done by the Company’s members;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
that, in
consideration of the foregoing, the Company hereby establishes and
designates the following [●] new series of the Trust (each a
“Fund” and, collectively, the
“Funds”):
[●];
and
FURTHER RESOLVED
, that each Fund shall
have the rights and preferences of a Fund under the Trust
Agreement, including, without limitation, that each Fund shall own
those assets specified in Section 3.7 of the Trust Agreement
and be subject to the liabilities specified in Section 3.8 of
the Trust Agreement.
Executed by the
undersigned, the [TITLE] of TEUCRIUM TRADING, LLC, as of the date
first written above.
|
TEUCRIUM
TRADING, LLC:
By:
[NAME]
[TITLE]
|