Principal
Risks
As with all funds,
a shareholder is subject to the risk that his or her investment
could lose money. The principal risks affecting shareholders’
investments in the Fund are set forth below. An investment in the
Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the
FDIC or any government agency.
United States Regulatory Risks of the
Marijuana Industry: The possession and use of marijuana,
even for medical purposes, is illegal under federal and certain
states’ laws, which may negatively impact the value of the
Fund’s investments. Use of marijuana is regulated by both the
federal government and state governments, and state and federal
laws regarding marijuana often conflict. Even in those states in
which the use of marijuana has been legalized, its possession and
use remains a violation of federal law. Federal law criminalizing
the use of marijuana pre-empts state laws that legalizes its use
for medicinal and recreational purposes. Pronouncements from the
current Administration suggest the Department of Justice
(“DOJ”) may push back against states where marijuana
use and possession is legal, step up the enforcement of federal
marijuana laws and the prosecution of nonviolent federal drug
crimes and, in the event the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment is
not renewed by Congress, begin using federal funds to prevent
states from implementing laws that authorize medical marijuana use,
possession, distribution, and cultivation. Such actions by the DOJ
could produce a chilling effect on the industry’s growth and
discourage banks from expanding their services to cannabis-related
companies where such services are currently limited. This conflict
between the regulation of marijuana under federal and state law
creates volatility and risk for all cannabis-related companies. In
particular, the stepped up enforcement of marijuana laws by the
federal government would adversely affect the value of the
Fund’s U.S. investments. Certain Cannabis Companies or
Pharmaceutical Companies may never be able to legally produce and
sell products in the United States or other national or local
jurisdictions.
Marijuana is a
Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act
(“CSA”) (21 U.S.C. § 811), meaning that it has a
high potential for abuse, has no currently “accepted medical
use” in the United States, lacks accepted safety for use
under medical supervision, and may not be prescribed, marketed or
sold in the United States. Few drug products containing natural
cannabis or naturally-derived cannabis extracts have been approved
by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for use in
the United States or obtained registrations from the United States
Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) for commercial
production. Although the cultivation of industrial hemp is legal in
the United States, the FDA issued a statement saying that despite
the new status of hemp, CBD is still considered an illicit drug
ingredient and remains illegal to add to food or health products
without the agency’s approval.
Cannabis-related
companies in the U.S. that engage in medical or pharmaceutical
research or the production and distribution of controlled
substances such as marijuana must be registered with the DEA to
perform such activities and have the security, control,
recordkeeping, reporting and inventory mechanisms required by the
DEA to prevent drug loss and diversion. Failure to obtain the
necessary registrations or comply with necessary regulatory
requirements may significantly impair the ability of certain
companies in which the Fund invests to pursue medical marijuana
research or to otherwise cultivate, possess or distribute
marijuana.
Non-U.S. Regulatory Risks of the Marijuana
Industry: The companies in which the Fund invests are
subject to various laws, regulations and guidelines relating to the
manufacture, management, transportation, storage and disposal of
marijuana, as well as being subject to laws and regulations
relating to health and safety, the conduct of operations and the
protection of the environment. Even if a company’s operations
are permitted under current law, they may not be permitted in the
future, in which case such company may not be in a position to
carry on its operations in its current locations. Additionally,
controlled substance legislation differs between countries and
legislation in certain countries may restrict or limit the ability
of certain companies in which the Fund invests to sell their
products.
Operational Risks of the Marijuana
Industry: Companies involved in the marijuana industry face
intense competition, may have limited access to the services of
banks, may have substantial burdens on company resources due to
litigation, complaints or enforcement actions, and are heavily
dependent on receiving necessary permits and authorizations to
engage in medical marijuana research or to otherwise cultivate,
possess or distribute marijuana. Since the use of marijuana is
illegal under United States federal law, federally regulated
banking institutions may be unwilling to make financial services
available to growers and sellers of marijuana.
The remaining principal risks are presented in alphabetical order.
Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal
risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in
which it appears.
Concentration Risk: The Fund’s
investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of
industries to the extent that the Index is so concentrated. In such
event, the value of the Fund’s shares may rise and fall more
than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of
companies in a broader range of industries.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk: The
consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of
using various product components and production methods, marketing
campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco
companies, in particular, may be adversely affected by new laws,
regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be
adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which
may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable
factors.
Equity Market Risk: The equity
securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience
sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in
value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities
markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers,
industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests such as political,
market and economic developments, as well as events that impact
specific issuers.
ETF Risks:
Absence of an Active
Market: Although the Fund’s shares are approved
for listing on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an
active trading market will develop and be maintained for Fund
shares. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or
maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Fund may
experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise
would at higher asset levels or the Fund may ultimately
liquidate.
Authorized Participants (“APs”),
Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk: The Fund has a limited number of financial
institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a
limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the
marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur,
Shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value
(“NAV”) and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit
the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or
redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these
services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers
exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their functions. The
risks associated with limited APs may be heightened in scenarios
where APs have limited or diminished access to the capital required
to post collateral.
Costs of Buying or Selling
Shares: Investors buying or selling Fund shares in the
secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges
imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant
proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively
small amounts of shares.
Fluctuation of NAV: The NAV of
Fund shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market
value of the Fund’s securities 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 Exchange.
It cannot be predicted whether Fund shares will trade below, at or
above their NAV. During periods of unusual volatility or market
disruptions, market prices of Fund shares may deviate significantly
from the market value of the Fund’s securities holdings or
the NAV of Fund shares. As a result, investors in the Fund may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less for Fund shares
than the value of the Fund’s underlying securities or the NAV
of Fund shares.
Limitations of Indicative Optimized Portfolio
Value (“IOPV”) Risk: The Exchange (or market
data vendors or other information providers) will disseminate,
every fifteen seconds during the regular trading day, an intraday
value of the Fund’s shares, also known as the IOPV. The IOPV
calculations are estimates of the value of the Fund’s NAV per
share and are based on the Fund’s portfolio holdings and
cash, less accrued expenses, divided by the number of shares of the
Fund outstanding as of the time of the prior day’s NAV
calculation. Premiums and discounts between the IOPV and the market
price of the Fund’s shares may occur. The IOPV does not
necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current
portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in
time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio.
Therefore, it should not be viewed as a “real-time”
update of the NAV per share of the Fund, which is calculated only
once a day. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be
updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in
the United States. Additionally, the calculation of the NAV may
reflect the fair values of certain Fund holdings, which may result
in different prices than those used in the calculations of the
IOPV. This may result in market prices for Fund shares deviating
from the value of the Fund’s underlying securities. Neither
the Fund nor the Adviser, nor any of their affiliates are involved
in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the
IOPV and make no warranty as to its accuracy.
Market Trading Risk: An investment in
the Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the
potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from
trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and
disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of
these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares
trading at a premium or discount to NAV.
Trading Issues: Although Fund
shares are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the
“Exchange”), there can be no assurance that an active
trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained.
Trading in Fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or
for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in
shares inadvisable. There can be no assurance that the requirements
of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of any Fund will
continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that the shares will
trade with any volume, or at all. Further, secondary markets may be
subject to erratic trading activity,wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because
market makers and Authorized Participants may step away from making
a market in Fund shares and in executing creation and redemption
orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund’s
market price from its NAV.
Foreign Investment Risk: Returns on
investments in foreign stocks could be more volatile than, or trail
the returns on, investments in U.S. stocks.
Currency Risk: Indirect and direct
exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that
currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar.
Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly
over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including
changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls
or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad.
Depositary Receipts
Risk: The Fund may invest in
depositary receipts. Investment in ADRs and GDRs may be less liquid
than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and
GDRs, many of which are issued by companies in emerging markets,
may be more volatile and less liquid than depositary receipts
issued by companies in more developed markets.
Foreign Market and Trading
Risk: The trading markets for many foreign securities
are not as active as U.S. markets and may have less governmental
regulation and oversight. Foreign markets also may have clearance
and settlement procedures that make it difficult for the Fund to
buy and sell securities. These factors could result in a loss to
the Fund by causing the Fund to be unable to dispose of an
investment or to miss an attractive investment opportunity, or by
causing Fund assets to be uninvested for some period of
time.
Foreign Securities Risk: The Fund
invests a significant portion of its assets directly in securities
of issuers based outside of the U.S., or in depositary receipts
that represent such securities. Investments in securities of
non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with
investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due
to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic
instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable
to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information
publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer.
Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory,
accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection
standards than U.S. issuers.
Political and Economic Risk: The
Fund is subject to foreign political and economic risk not
associated with U.S. investments, meaning that political events,
social and economic events and natural disasters occurring in a
country where the Fund invests could cause the Fund’s
investments in that country to experience gains or losses. The Fund
also could be unable to enforce its ownership rights or pursue
legal remedies in countries where it invests.
Health Care Companies Risk: Health care
companies are subject to extensive government regulation and their
profitability can be significantly affected by restrictions on
government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of
medical products and services, pricing pressure (including price
discounting), limited product lines, and an increased emphasis on
the delivery of healthcare through outpatient services. Health care
companies are heavily dependent on obtaining and defending patents,
which may be time consuming and costly, and the expiration of
patents may also adversely affect the profitability of the
companies. Health care companies are also subject to extensive
litigation based on product liability and similar claims. In
addition, their products can become obsolete due to industry
innovation, changes in technologies, or other market developments.
Many new products in the health care field require significant
research and development and may be subject to regulatory
approvals, all of which may be time consuming and costly with no
guarantee that any product will come to market.
Biotechnology Company
Risk: A biotechnology company’s valuation
can often be based largely on the potential or actual performance
of a limited number of products and can accordingly be greatly
affected if one of its products proves, among other things, unsafe,
ineffective or unprofitable. Biotechnology companies are subject to
regulation by, and the restrictions of, the FDA, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, state and local governments, and
foreign regulatory authorities.
Pharmaceutical Company
Risk: Companies in the pharmaceutical industry
can be significantly affected by, among other things, government
approval of products and services, government regulation and
reimbursement rates, product liability claims, patent expirations
and protection and intense competition.
Non-Diversification Risk: Because the
Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater
percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a
small number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a
result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer
or a small number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall
value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more
diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s
volatility and have a greater impact on the Fund’s
performance.
Non-Cannabis Related Business Risk:
Many of the companies in the Index are engaged in other lines of
business unrelated to the activities identified in the principal
investment strategies, above, and these lines of business could
adversely affect their operating results. The operating results of
these companies may fluctuate as a result of events in the other
lines of business. In addition, a company’s ability to engage
in new activities may expose it to business risks with which it has
less experience than it has with the business risks associated with
its traditional businesses. There can be no assurance that the
other lines of business in which these companies are engaged will
not have an adverse effect on a company’s business or
financial condition.
Passive Investment Risk: The Fund is
not actively managed and therefore would not sell an equity
security due to current or projected underperformance of a
security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from
the Index.
Risks Related to Investing in Canada:
Because the investments of the Fund are geographically concentrated
in Canadian companies or companies that have a significant presence
in Canada, investment results could be dependent on the financial
condition of the Canadian economy. The Canadian economy is reliant
on the sale of natural resources and commodities, which can pose
risks such as the fluctuation of prices and the variability of
demand for exportation of such products. Changes in spending on
Canadian products by the economies of other countries or changes in
any of these economies may cause a significant impact on the
Canadian economy. In particular, the Canadian economy is heavily
dependent on relationships with certain key trading partners,
including the United States and China.
Risks Related to Investing in Europe:
The economies and markets of European countries are often closely
connected and interdependent, and events in one country in Europe
can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The Fund
makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in,
or have significant operations in, member countries of the European
Union (the “EU”) that are subject to economic and
monetary controls that can adversely affect the Fund’s
investments. The European financial markets have experienced
volatility and adverse trends in recent years and these events have
adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue
to significantly affect other European countries. Decreasing
imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on
trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or
threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt,
and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a
significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries
and their trading partners, including some or all of the European
countries in which the Fund invests.
In a referendum
held in June 2016 (known as “Brexit”),
the United Kingdom (“UK”) voted to leave the
EU. As a result of the political divisions within the UK and
between the UK and the EU that the referendum vote has highlighted
and the uncertain consequences of a Brexit, the UK and
European economies and the broader global economy could be
significantly impacted, which may result in increased
volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth
on markets in the UK, Europe and globally that could
potentially have an adverse effect on the value of the Fund’s
investments.
Sector Risk: To the extent the Fund
invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its
performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those sectors.
Securities Lending Risk: The Fund
may engage in securities lending. The Fund may lose money if the
borrower of the loaned securities delays returning in a timely
manner or fails to return the loaned securities. Securities lending
involves the risk that the Fund could lose money in the event of a
decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned
securities.
In addition, the Fund bears the risk of loss in
connection with its investment of the cash collateral it receives
from a borrower. To the extent that the value or return of the
Fund’s investment of the cash collateral declines below the
amount owed to the borrower, the Fund may incur losses that exceed
the amount it earned on lending the security.
Smaller Companies Risk: The
Fund’s Index may be composed primarily of, or have
significant exposure to, securities of smaller companies. If it
does so, it may be subject to certain risks associated with smaller
companies. Smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse
business or economic events than larger, more established
companies, and may underperform other segments of the market or the
equity market as a whole. The securities of smaller companies also
tend to be bought and sold less frequently and at significantly
lower trading volumes than the securities of larger companies. As a
result, it may be more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell a
significant amount of the securities of a smaller company without
an adverse impact on the price of the company’s securities,
or the Fund may have to sell such securities in smaller quantities
over a longer period of time, which may increase the Fund’s
tracking error.
Tax Risk: To qualify for the favorable
tax treatment generally available to regulated investment
companies, the Fund must satisfy certain diversification
requirements under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(the “Code”). In particular, the Fund generally may not
acquire a security if, as a result of the acquisition, more than
50% of the value of the Fund’s assets would be invested in
(a) issuers in which the Fund has, in each case, invested more than
5% of the Fund’s assets and (b) issuers more than 10% of
whose outstanding voting securities are owned by the Fund. When the
Index is concentrated in a relatively small number of securities,
it may not be possible for the Fund to fully implement a
replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy while
satisfying these diversification requirements. The Fund’s
efforts to satisfy the diversification requirements may cause the
Fund’s return to deviate from that of the Index, and the
Fund’s efforts to replicate the Index may cause it
inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements.
If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment
company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary
corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be
deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable
income.
Tracking Error Risk: The Fund’s
return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with
the return of the Index. To the extent the Fund utilizes a sampling
approach, it may experience tracking error to a greater extent than
if the Fund sought to replicate the Index. In addition, in order to
minimize the market impact of an Index rebalance, the Fund may
begin trading to effect the rebalance in advance of the effective
date of the rebalance and continue trading after the effective date
of the rebalance, which may contribute to tracking
error.
Valuation Risk: The sales price
that the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the
Fund’s valuation of the security and may differ from the
value used by the Index, particularly for securities that trade in
low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair
value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the
Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will
not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s
shares.
Additional Information about the Fund’s
Investment Objective and Strategies
The Fund, using an
“indexing” investment approach, seeks to provide
investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond
generally to the total return performance of the Index. A number of
factors may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve a high
correlation with the Index, including the degree to which the Fund
utilizes a sampling methodology. There can be no guarantee that the
Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation. The Adviser may
sell securities that are represented in the Fund’s Index or
purchase securities not yet represented in the Index, in
anticipation of their removal from or addition to the Index. There
may also be instances in which the Adviser may choose to overweight
securities in the Fund’s Index, thus causing the Fund to
purchase or sell securities not in the Index, but which the Adviser
believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in
the Index. The Fund will not take defensive positions.
As of the date of
this prospectus, the securities of Cannabis Companies and
Pharmaceutical Companies held by the Fund will be purchased on
regulated, major stock exchanges, such as the New York Stock
Exchange, NYSE American, Nasdaq Stock Market, TSX Exchange, and TSX
Venture Exchange. Cannabis Companies and Pharmaceutical Companies
do not, as of the date of this prospectus, include those companies
whose securities trade on the Canadian Stock
Exchange.
The Fund’s
investment objective and 80% Policy have been adopted as
non-fundamental investment policies and may be changed by
Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without
shareholder approval upon written notice to
shareholders.
The Fund, as part
of its securities lending program, may invest collateral in an
affiliated series of ETF Managers Trust, ETFMG Sit Ultra Short ETF.
ETF Managers Group LLC serves as the investment adviser to ETFMG
Sit Ultra Short ETF.
Additional Risk
Information
The following
section provides additional information regarding the principal
risks identified under “Principal Risks” in the
Fund’s summary.
United States Regulatory Risks of the
Marijuana Industry: The possession and use of marijuana,
even for medical purposes, is illegal under federal and certain
states’ laws, which may negatively impact the value of the
Fund’s investments. Use of marijuana is regulated by both the
federal government and state governments, and state and federal
laws regarding marijuana often conflict. Marijuana is a Schedule I
controlled substance under the CSA and is illegal under federal
law. Currently, over half of the states plus the District of
Columbia have laws and/or regulations that recognize, in one form
or another, legitimate medical uses for cannabis and consumer use
of cannabis in connection with medical treatment or for non-medical
purposes. Even in those states in which the use of marijuana for
medical or non-medical purposes has been legalized, its sale and
use remains a violation of federal law. Federal law criminalizing
the use of marijuana pre-empts state laws that legalizes its use
for medicinal and recreational purposes. Pronouncements from the
current Administration suggest the DOJ may push back against states
where marijuana use and possession is legal and step up the
enforcement of federal marijuana laws and the prosecution of
nonviolent federal drug crimes. Congress may fail to renew the
Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment, which currently prohibits the DOJ
from using federal funds to prevent states from implementing laws
that authorize medical marijuana use, possession, distribution, and
cultivation. Such actions could produce a chilling effect on the
industry’s growth and discourage banks from expanding their
services to cannabis-related companies. This conflict between the
regulation of marijuana under federal and state law creates
volatility and risk for all cannabis-related companies. In
particular, the stepped up enforcement of marijuana laws by the
federal government would adversely affect the value of the
Fund’s U.S. investments. Certain Cannabis Companies or
Pharmaceutical Companies may never be able to legally produce and
sell products in the United States or other national or local
jurisdictions.
As noted above,
marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States
under the CSA. The DEA classifies controlled substances into five
schedules: Schedule I, II, III, IV or V substances. Schedule I
substances by definition have a high potential for abuse, have no
currently “accepted medical use” in the United States,
lack accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and may not
be prescribed, marketed or sold in the United States.
Pharmaceutical products approved by the FDA for use in the United
States may be listed as Schedule II, III, IV or V, with Schedule II
substances considered to present the highest potential for abuse or
dependence and Schedule V substances the lowest relative risk among
such substances.
Few drug products
containing natural cannabis or naturally-derived cannabis extracts
have been approved by the FDA for use in the United States or
obtained DEA registrations for commercial production. Drug product
containing cannabis or cannabis extracts that receive the required
government approvals for use in commercial production may be
subject to significant government regulation regarding manufacture,
importation, exportation, domestic distribution, storage, sale, and
legitimate use. In addition, the scheduling process may take one or
more years, thereby delaying the launch of the drug product in the
United States. Although the cultivation of hemp is legal in the
United States, the FDA issued a statement saying that despite the
new status of hemp, CBD is still considered an illicit drug
ingredient and remains illegal to add to food or health products
without the agency’s approval.
Cannabis-related
companies in the U.S. that engage in medical or pharmaceutical
research or the production and distribution of controlled
substances such as marijuana must be registered with the DEA to
perform such activities and have the security, control,
recordkeeping, reporting and inventory mechanisms required by the
DEA to prevent drug loss and diversion. Failure to obtain the
necessary registrations or comply with necessary regulatory
requirements may significantly impair the ability of certain
companies in which the Fund invests to pursue medical marijuana
research or to otherwise cultivate, possess or distribute
marijuana.
Non-U.S. Regulatory Risks of the Marijuana
Industry: The companies in which the Fund invests are
subject to various laws, regulations and guidelines relating to the
manufacture, management, transportation, storage and disposal of
marijuana, as well as being subject to laws and regulations
relating to health and safety, the conduct of operations and the
protection of the environment. Even if a company’s operations
are permitted under current law, they may not be permitted in the
future, in which case such company may not be in a position to
carry on its operations in its current locations. Additionally,
controlled substance legislation differs between countries and
legislation in certain countries may restrict or limit the ability
of certain companies in which the Fund invests to sell their
products.
Operational Risks of the Marijuana
Industry: Companies involved in the marijuana industry face
intense competition, may have limited access to the services of
banks, may have substantial burdens on company resources due to
litigation, complaints or enforcement actions, and are heavily
dependent on receiving necessary permits and authorizations to
engage in medical marijuana research or to otherwise cultivate,
possess or distribute marijuana. Since the use of marijuana is
illegal under United States federal law, federally regulated
banking institutions may be unwilling to make financial services
available to growers and sellers of marijuana. Additionally, to the
extent that the United States and other countries pass laws that
permit the personal cultivation of marijuana, the markets may
shrink for certain companies in which the Fund
invests.
Companies
participating in the marijuana industry may face litigation, formal
or informal complaints, enforcement actions, and inquiries by
various federal, state, or local governmental authorities.
Litigation, complaints, and enforcement actions could consume
considerable amounts of financial and other corporate resources,
which could have a negative impact on sales, revenue,
profitability, and growth prospects. Similarly, certain companies
may not be able to obtain or maintain the necessary licenses,
permits, authorizations, or accreditations, or may only be able to
do so at great cost, to engage in medical marijuana research or to
otherwise cultivate, possess or distribute marijuana. Failure to
comply with or to obtain the necessary licenses, permits,
authorizations, or accreditations could result in restrictions on a
company’s ability to legally engage in medical marijuana
research or to otherwise cultivate, possess or distribute
marijuana, which could have a negative impact on the value of the
Fund’s investments.
The remaining principal risks are presented in
alphabetical order. Each risk summarized below is considered a
"principal risk" of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order
in which it appears.
Concentration Risk: The Fund’s
investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of
industries to the extent that the Index is so concentrated. In such
event, the value of the Fund’s shares may rise and fall more
than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of
companies in a broader range of industries.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk: Companies
in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes
in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics
and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the
consumer staples sector may also be affected by changes in global
economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions,
the depletion of resources, and government regulation. For
instance, government regulations may affect the permissibility of
using various food additives and production methods of companies
that make food products, which could affect company profitability.
In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by the
adoption of proposed legislation and/or by litigation. Companies in
the consumer staples sector also may be subject to risks pertaining
to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The
prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of
factors, including, without limitation, changes in government
agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export
controls, changes in international agricultural and trading
policies, and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the
consumer staples sector may be subject to severe competition, which
may also have an adverse impact on their
profitability.
Equity Market Risk: An investment in
the Fund involves risks of investing in equity securities, such as
market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and
political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived
trends in securities prices. The values of equity securities could
decline generally or could underperform other investments.
Different types of equity securities tend to go through cycles of
out-performance and under-performance in comparison to the general
securities markets. In addition, securities may decline in value
due to factors affecting a specific issuer, market or securities
markets generally. Holders of common stocks incur more risk than
holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common
stockholders, as owners of the issuer, have generally inferior
rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the
rights of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred
stocks issued by, the issuer.
ETF Risks:
Absence of an Active
Market: Although the Fund’s shares are approved
for listing on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an
active trading market will develop and be maintained for Fund
shares. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or
maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Fund may
experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise
would at higher asset levels or the Fund may ultimately
liquidate.
Authorized Participants, Market Makers and
Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk: The Fund has a
limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized
Participants (“APs”), none of which are obligated to
engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. In addition,
there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity
providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following
events occur, there may be a significantly diminished trading
market for Fund shares and shares may trade at a material discount
to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business
or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption
orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or
(ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the
business or significantly reduce their business activities and no
other entities step forward to perform their functions. The risks
associated with limited APs may be heightened in scenarios where
APs have limited or diminished access to the capital required to
post collateral.
Costs of Buying or Selling
Shares: Investors buying or selling Fund shares in the
secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges
imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant
proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively
small amounts of shares. In addition, secondary market investors
will also incur the cost of the difference between the price that
an investor is willing to pay for shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell shares
(the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask
prices is often referred to as the “spread” or
“bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time
for shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is
generally lower if the Fund’s shares have more trading volume
and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s shares have
little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased
market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the
costs of buying or selling shares, including bid/ask spreads,
frequent trading of shares may significantly reduce investment
results and an investment in shares may not be advisable for
investors who anticipate regularly making small
investments.
Fluctuation of NAV: The NAV of
Fund shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market
value of the Fund’s securities 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 Exchange.
It cannot be predicted whether Fund shares will trade below, at or
above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to
the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary
trading market for shares will be closely relatedto, but not
identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the
securities of the Index trading individually or in the aggregate at
any point in time. The market prices of Fund shares may deviate
significantly from the NAV of the shares during periods of market
volatility. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to
make it likely that Fund shares normally will trade close to the
Fund’s NAV, disruptions to creations and redemptions may
result in trading prices that differ significantly from the
Fund’s NAV. As a result, investors in the Fund may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less for Fund shares
than the value of a Fund’s underlying securities or the NAV
of Fund shares. If an investor purchases Fund shares at a time when
the market price is at a premium to the NAV of the shares or sells
at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of the
shares, then the investor may sustain losses.
Limitations of Indicative Optimized Portfolio
Value (“IOPV”) Risk: The Exchange (or market
data vendors or other information providers) will disseminate,
every fifteen seconds during the regular trading day, an intraday
value of the Fund’s shares, also known as the IOPV. The IOPV
calculations are estimates of the value of the Fund’s NAV per
share and are based on the Fund’s portfolio holdings and
cash, less accrued expenses, divided by the number of shares of the
Fund outstanding as of the time of the prior day’s NAV
calculation. Premiums and discounts between the IOPV and the market
price of the Fund’s shares may occur. The IOPV does not
necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current
portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in
time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio.
Therefore, it should not be viewed as a “real-time”
update of the NAV per share of the Fund, which is calculated only
once a day. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be
updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in
the United States. Additionally, the calculation of the NAV may
reflect the fair values of certain Fund holdings, which may result
in different prices than those used in the calculations of the
IOPV. This may result in market prices for Fund shares deviating
from the value of the Fund’s underlying securities. Neither
the Fund nor the Adviser, nor any of their affiliates are involved
in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the
IOPV and make no warranty as to its accuracy.
Market Trading Risk: An investment in
the Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the
potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from
trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and
disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of
these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares
trading at a premium or discount to NAV.
Trading Issues: Although Fund
shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no
assurance that an active trading market for such shares will
develop or be maintained. Trading in Fund shares may be halted due
to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the
Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading
in shares is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary
market volatility pursuant to Exchange “circuit
breaker” rules, which temporarily halt trading on the
Exchange when a decline in the S&P 500 Index during a single
day reaches certain thresholds (e.g., 7%., 13%, and 20%).
Additional rules applicable to the Exchange may halt trading in
Fund shares when extraordinary volatility causes sudden,
significant swings in the market price of Fund shares. There can be
no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange 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. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of the
Fund’s shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the
Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be
significantly less liquid than the Fund’s shares, potentially
causing the market price of the Fund’s shares to deviate from
their NAV.
Further, secondary
markets may be subject to erratic trading activity, wide bid/ask
spreads and extended trade settlement periods in times of market
stress because market makers and Authorized Participants may step
away from making a market in Fund shares and in executing creation
and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in a
Fund’s market price from its NAV. Decisions by market
makers or Authorized Participants to reduce their role or step away
from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the
effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the
relationship between the underlying value of a Fund’s
portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This
reduced effectiveness could result in Fund shares trading at a
price which differs materially from NAV and also in greater than
normal intraday bid/ask spreads for Fund
shares.
Foreign Investment Risk: Returns on
investments in foreign stocks could be more volatile than, or trail
the returns on, investments in U.S. stocks.
Currency Risk. Indirect and direct
exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that
currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar.
Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly
over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including
changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls
or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad. The
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars and,
therefore, the Fund may lose value if the local currency of a
foreign market depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the
local currency value of the Fund’s holdings goes
up.
Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may invest in depositary
receipts. Depositary receipts include ADRs and GDRs. ADRs are U.S.
dollar-denominated receipts representing shares of foreign-based
corporations. ADRs are issued by U.S. banks or trust companies, and
entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid
out on the underlying foreign shares.
GDRs are depositary
receipts which are similar to ADRs, but are shares of foreign-based
corporations generally issued by international banks in one or more
markets around the world. Investment in ADRs and GDRs may be less
liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market
and GDRs, many of which are issued by companies in emerging
markets, may be more volatile and less liquid than depositary
receipts issued by companies in more developed
markets.
Depositary receipts
may be sponsored or unsponsored. Sponsored depositary receipts are
established jointly by a depositary and the underlying issuer,
whereas unsponsored depositary receipts may be established by a
depositary without participation by the underlying issuer. Holders
of an unsponsored depositary receipt generally bear all the costs
associated with establishing the unsponsored depositary receipt. In
addition, the issuers of the securities underlying unsponsored
depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose material
information in the United States and, therefore, there may be less
information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a
correlation between such information and the market value of the
depositary receipts.
Depositary receipts
may be unregistered and unlisted. The Fund’s investments also
may include ADRs and GDRs that are not purchased in the public
markets and are restricted securities that can be offered and sold
only to “qualified institutional buyers” under
Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The
Adviser will determine the liquidity of such investments pursuant
to guidelines established by the Board. If a particular investment
in such ADRs or GDRs is deemed illiquid, that investment will be
included within the Fund’s limitation on investment in
illiquid securities. Moreover, if adverse market conditions were to
develop during the period between the Fund’s decision to sell
these types of ADRs or GDRs and the point at which the Fund is
permitted or able to sell such security, the Fund might obtain a
price less favorable than the price that prevailed when it decided
to sell.
Foreign Market and Trading
Risk. The trading markets for many foreign securities
are not as active as U.S. markets and may have less governmental
regulation and oversight. Foreign markets also may have clearance
and settlement procedures that make it difficult for the Fund to
buy and sell securities. These factors could result in a loss to
the Fund by causing the Fund to be unable to dispose of an
investment or to miss an attractive investment opportunity, or by
causing Fund assets to be uninvested for some period of time. Where
all or a part of the Fund’s underlying securities trade in a
market that is closed when the Exchange is open, there may be
changes between the last quotation from its closed foreign market
and the value of such securities during the Fund’s domestic
trading day. This could lead to differences between the market
price of the Fund shares and the value of the Fund’s
underlying securities.
Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund
invests in foreign securities, including non-U.S.
dollar-denominated securities traded outside of the United States
and U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers traded in
the United States. Investment in foreign securities may involve
higher costs than investment in U.S. securities, including higher
transaction and custody costs as well as the imposition of
additional taxes by foreign governments. Foreign investments may
also involve risks associated with the level of currency exchange
rates, less complete financial information about the issuers, less
market liquidity, more market volatility and political instability,
as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investment
in non-U.S. issuers. Future political and economic developments,
the possible imposition of withholding taxes on dividend income,
the possible seizure or nationalization of foreign holdings, the
possible establishment of exchange controls or freezes on the
convertibility of currency, or the adoption of other governmental
restrictions might adversely affect an investment in foreign
securities. Additionally, foreign issuers may be subject to less
stringent regulation, and to different accounting, auditing and
recordkeeping requirements.
Political and Economic Risk. The
Fund is subject to foreign political and economic risk not
associated with U.S. investments, meaning that political events
(civil unrest, national elections, changes in political conditions
and foreign relations, imposition of exchange controls and
repatriation restrictions), social and economic events (labor
strikes, rising inflation) and natural disasters occurring in a
country where the Fund invests could cause the Fund’s
investments in that country to experience gains or losses. The Fund
also could be unable to enforce its ownership rights or pursue
legal remedies in countries where it
invests.
Health Care Companies Risk: Health care
companies are subject to extensive government regulation and their
profitability can be significantly affected by restrictions on
government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of
medical products and services, pricing pressure (including price
discounting), limited product lines, and an increased emphasis on
the delivery of healthcare through outpatient services. Health care
companies are heavily dependent on obtaining and defending patents,
which may be time consuming and costly, and the expiration of
patents may also adversely affect the profitability of the
companies. Health care companies are also subject to extensive
litigation based on product liability and similar claims. In
addition, their products can become obsolete due to industry
innovation, changes in technologies, or other market developments.
Many new products in the health care field require significant
research and development and may be subject to regulatory
approvals, all of which may be time consuming and costly with no
guarantee that any product will come to market. Additionally,
liability for products that are later alleged to be harmful or
unsafe may be substantial, and may have a significant impact on a
health care company’s market value and/or share
price.
Biotechnology Company
Risk: A biotechnology company’s valuation
can often be based largely on the potential or actual performance
of a limited number of products and can accordingly be greatly
affected if one of its products proves, among other things, unsafe,
ineffective or unprofitable. Biotechnology companies are subject to
regulation by, and the restrictions of, the FDA, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, state and local governments, and
foreign regulatory authorities.
Pharmaceutical Company
Risk: Companies in the pharmaceutical industry
can be significantly affected by, among other things, government
approval of products and services, government regulation and
reimbursement rates, product liability claims, patent expirations
and protection and intense competition. The process for obtaining
regulatory approval from the FDA or other governmental regulatory
authorities is long and costly and there is no assurance that the
necessary approvals will be obtained or maintained by these
companies.
Additionally,
companies in the pharmaceutical industry may be adversely affected
by government regulation and changes in reimbursement rates from
such third party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid and other
government sponsored programs, private health insurance plans and
health maintenance organizations. The ability of pharmaceutical
companies to commercialize current and any futures products also
depends in part on the extent reimbursement for the cost of such
products and related treatments are available from these third
party payors. A pharmaceutical company’s valuation may also
be affected if one of its products prove unsafe, ineffective or
unprofitable. The stock prices of companies in this sector have
been and will likely continue to be volatile.
Non-Diversification Risk: Because the
Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater
percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a
small number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a
result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer
or a small number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall
value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more
diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s
volatility and have a greater impact on the Fund’s
performance.
Non-Cannabis Related Business Risk:
Many of the companies in the Index are engaged in other lines of
business unrelated to the activities identified in principal
investment strategies, above, and these lines of business could
adversely affect their operating results. The operating results of
these companies may fluctuate as a result of events in the other
lines of business. In addition, a company’s ability to engage
in new activities may expose it to business risks with which it has
less experience than it has with the business risks associated with
its traditional businesses. There can be no assurance that the
other lines of business in which these companies are engaged will
not have an adverse effect on a company’s business or
financial condition.
Passive Investment Risk: The Fund is
not actively managed. Therefore, unless a specific security is
removed from the Fund’s Index, the Fund generally would not
sell a security because the security’s issuer was in
financial trouble. If a specific security is removed from the
Fund’s Index, the Fund may be forced to sell such security at
an inopportune time or for a price other than the security’s
current market value. An investment in the Fund involves risks
similar to those of investing in any equity securities traded on an
exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as
economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and
perceived trends in security prices. It is anticipated that the
value of Fund shares will decline, more or less, in correspondence
with any decline in value of the Fund’s Index. The Index may
not contain the appropriate mix of securities for any particular
economic cycle, and the timing of movements from one type of
security to another in seeking to replicate the Index could have a
negative effect on the Fund. Unlike with an actively managed fund,
the Adviser does not use techniques or defensive strategies
designed to lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce
the impact of periods of market decline. This means that, based on
market and economic conditions, the Fund’s performance could
be lower than other types of funds that may actively shift their
portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to
lessen the impact of a market decline.
Risks Related to Investing in Canada:
Because the investments of the Fund are geographically concentrated
in Canadian companies or companies that have a significant presence
in Canada, investment results could be dependent on the financial
condition of the Canadian economy. The Canadian economy is reliant
on the sale of natural resources and commodities, which can pose
risks such as the fluctuation of prices and the variability of
demand for exportation of such products. Changes in spending on
Canadian products by the economies of other countries or changes in
any of these economies may cause a significant impact on the
Canadian economy. The United States is Canada’s largest
trading and investment partner, and the Canadian economy is
significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since
the implementation of North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994
among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total two-way
merchandise trade between the United States and Canada has more
than doubled. Any downturn in U.S. or Mexican economic activity is
likely to have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy. The
Canadian economy is also dependent upon external trade with other
key trading partners, including China. In addition, Canada is a
large supplier of natural resources (e.g., oil, natural gas and
agricultural products). As a result, the Canadian economy is
sensitive to fluctuations in certain commodity prices.
Risks Related to Investing in Europe:
The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as
key trading partners and as in many cases as fellow members
maintaining the euro. Reduction in trading activity among European
countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s
individual economies. European countries that are part of the
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU are required to comply with
restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt
levels, and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may
significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or
exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade,
changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of
default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and
recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse
effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading
partners.
The European
financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse
trends due to concerns about rising government debt levels of
several European countries, including Greece, Spain, Ireland,
Italy, and Portugal. These events have adversely affected the
exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect
every country in Europe. For some countries, the ability to repay
sovereign debt is in question, and default is possible, which could
affect their ability to borrow in the future. For example, Greece
has been required to impose harsh austerity measures on its
population to receive financial aid from the International Monetary
Fund and EU member countries. These austerity measures have also
led to social uprisings within Greece, as citizens have protested
– at times violently – the actions of their government.
The persistence of these factors may seriously reduce the economic
performance of Greece and pose serious risks for the
country’s economy in the future. Furthermore, there is the
possibility of contagion that could occur if one country defaults
on its debt, and that a default in one country could trigger
declines and possible additional defaults in other countries in the
region.
Responses to the
financial problems by European governments, central banks and
others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may
result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic
recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt
could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial
markets, and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or
more countries may abandon the euro, the common currency of the EU,
and/or withdraw from the EU alongside the UK, as discussed below.
The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a
disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and
far-reaching.
In June 2016, the
United Kingdom (the “UK”) approved a referendum to leave
the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit,” which sparked
depreciation in the value of the British pound, short-term
declines in global stock markets, and heightened risk of continued
worldwide economic volatility. As a result of Brexit, there is
considerable uncertainty as to the arrangements that will apply to
the UK’s relationship with the EU and other countries leading
up to, and following, its withdrawal. This long-term uncertainty
may affect other countries in the EU and elsewhere. Further, the
UK’s departure from the EU may cause volatility within the
EU, triggering prolonged economic downturns in certain European
countries or sparking additional member states to contemplate
departing the EU. In addition, Brexit can create actual
or perceived additional economic stresses for the UK, including
potential for decreased trade, capital outflows, devaluation of the
British pound, wider corporate bond spreads due to uncertainty, and
possible declines in business and consumer spending, as well as
foreign direct investment.
Securities Lending Risk: The Fund
may engage in securities lending. The Fund may lose money if the
borrower of the loaned securities delays returning in a timely
manner or fails to return the loaned securities. Securities lending
involves the risk that the Fund could lose money in the event of a
decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities.
In addition, the Fund bears the risk of loss in connection with its
investment of the cash collateral it receives from a borrower.
When the Fund invests cash collateral in other investment
companies, such investments of cash collateral will be subject
to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct
ownership of securities held by such investment companies. To the
extent that the value or return of the Fund’s investment of
the cash collateral declines below the amount owed to the borrower,
the Fund may incur losses that exceed the amount it earned on
lending the security.
Smaller Companies Risk: The
Fund’s Index may be composed primarily of, or have
significant exposure to, securities of smaller companies. As a
result, the Fund may be subject to the risk that securities of
smaller companies represented in the Index may underperform
securities of larger companies or the equity market as a whole. In
addition, in comparison to securities of companies with larger
capitalizations, securities of smaller-capitalization companies may
experience more price volatility, greater spreads between their bid
and ask prices, less frequent trading, significantly lower trading
volumes, and cyclical or static growth prospects. As a result of
the differences between the securities of smaller companies and
those of companies with larger capitalizations, it may be more
difficult for a Fund to buy or sell a significant amount of the
securities of a smaller company without an adverse impact on the
price of the company’s securities, or a Fund may have to sell
such securities in smaller quantities over a longer period of time,
which may increase the Fund’s tracking error.
Smaller-capitalization companies often have limited product lines,
markets or financial resources, and may therefore be more
vulnerable to adverse developments than larger capitalization
companies. These securities may or may not pay
dividends.
Tax Risk: To qualify for the favorable
tax treatment generally available to regulated investment
companies, the Fund must satisfy certain diversification
requirements under the Code. In particular, the Fund generally may
not acquire a security if, as a result of the acquisition, more
than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets would be invested
in (a) issuers in which the Fund has, in each case, invested more
than 5% of the Fund’s assets and (b) issuers more than 10% of
whose outstanding voting securities are owned by the Fund. When an
Index is concentrated in a relatively small number of securities,
it may not be possible for the Fund to fully implement a
replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy while
satisfying these diversification requirements. The Fund’s
efforts to satisfy the diversification requirements may cause the
Fund’s return to deviate from that of its Index, and the
Fund’s efforts to replicate its Index may cause it
inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification
requirements.
If the Fund were to
fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be
taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and
distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the
Fund in computing its taxable income. Distributions to the
Fund’s shareholders would generally be taxed as ordinary
dividends. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be able to
cure a failure to qualify as a regulated investment company, but in
order to do so the Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and
may be forced to dispose of certain assets. Relief is provided for
certain de minimis failures of the diversification requirements
where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period. If
the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company
in any taxable year, the Fund would be required to pay out its
earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify
for treatment as a regulated investment company in a subsequent
year. If the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment
company for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund would
generally be required to pay the Fund-level tax on any net built-in
gains with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of
such assets within five years of qualifying as a regulated
investment company in a subsequent year.
Tracking Error Risk: Tracking error
refers to the risk that the Adviser may not be able to cause the
Fund’s performance to match or correlate to that of the
Fund’s Index, either on a daily or aggregate basis. There are
a number of factors that may contribute to the Fund’s
tracking error, such as Fund expenses, imperfect correlation
between the Fund’s investments and those of its Index,
rounding of share prices, changes to the composition of the Index,
regulatory policies, and high portfolio turnover rate. In addition,
mathematical compounding may prevent the Fund from correlating with
the monthly, quarterly, annual or other period performance of its
Index. In addition, in order to minimize the market impact of an
Index rebalance, a Fund may begin trading to effect the rebalance
in advance of the effective date of the rebalance and continue
trading after the effective date of the rebalance. This may
contribute to tracking error if the weights of the Fund’s
portfolio securities diverge from the weights of the securities in
the Index during the rebalancing. Tracking error in such
circumstances may be greater if the Fund is trading in securities
that are less liquid or lightly traded. Tracking error may cause
the Fund’s performance to be less than expected.
Valuation Risk: The sales price
that the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the
Fund’s valuation of the security and may differ from the
value used by the Index, particularly for securities that trade in
low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair
value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the
Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will
not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s
shares.
Information about
the Fund’s daily portfolio holdings will be available at
www.etfmj.com. A summarized description of the Fund’s
policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the
Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s
Statement of Additional Information
(“SAI”).
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
ETFMG Alternative
Harvest ETF
(MJ)
Listed on: NYSE
Arca
a series of ETF Managers
Trust
January 31, 2020
This Statement of
Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus and
should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated January 31,
2020, as may be supplemented from time to time (the
“Prospectus”), of the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF
(the “Fund”), a series of ETF Managers Trust (the
“Trust”). The Fund’s name changed effective
December 26, 2017, prior to which it was known as the Tierra XP
Latin America Real Estate ETF. The Financial Statements and Notes
contained in the Annual Report of the Fund for the fiscal year
ended September 30, 2019 (the “Annual Report”) are
incorporated by reference into and are deemed part of this SAI.
Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same
meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the
Prospectus may be obtained without charge, by writing the
Fund’s distributor, ETFMG Financial LLC (the
“Distributor”), 30 Maple Street, Summit, New Jersey
07901, by visiting the Fund’s website at www.etfmj.com or by
calling 1-844-ETFMGRS (383-6477).
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A-1
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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE
TRUST
ETF Managers Trust
(the “Trust”) is an open-end management investment
company currently consisting of multiple investment series, one of
which is the Fund. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory
trust on July 1, 2009. The Trust is registered with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (the “1940
Act”) as an open-end management investment company and the
offering of the Fund’s shares (“Shares”) is
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Securities Act”). ETF Managers Group, LLC (the
“Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
The investment objective of the Fund is to provide investment
results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the
performance of a specified market index (the “Index” or
“Underlying Index”).
The Fund offers and
issues Shares at their net asset value only in aggregations of a
specified number of Shares (each, a “Creation Unit”).
The Fund generally offers and issues Shares in exchange for a
basket of securities included in its Index (“Deposit
Securities”) together with the deposit of a specified cash
payment (“Cash Component”). The Trust reserves the
right to permit or require the substitution of a “cash in
lieu” amount (“Deposit Cash”) to be added to the
Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. The Shares are
listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) and
trade on the Exchange at market prices. These prices may differ
from the Shares’ net asset values. The Shares are also
redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, and generally in
exchange for portfolio securities and a specified cash payment. A
Creation Unit of the Fund consists of at least 50,000
Shares.
Shares may be
issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to
various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit
with the Trust an amount in cash at least equal to a specified
percentage of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities as
set forth in the Participant Agreement (as defined below). The
Trust may impose a transaction fee for each creation or redemption.
In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the
requirements of the SEC applicable to management investment
companies offering redeemable securities.
CONTINUOUS OFFERING
The method by which
Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are created and traded may
raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new
Creation Unit Aggregations of shares are issued and sold by the
Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a
“distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities
Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that
some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances,
result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a
manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject
them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability
provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a
broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory
underwriter if it takes Creation Unit Aggregations after placing an
order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent
shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it
chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an
active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market
demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter
for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the
facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the
broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the
examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete
description of all the activities that could lead to a
categorization as an underwriter. Broker-dealer firms should also
note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are
effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in
the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a
prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in
Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect
of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act.
Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to
shares of the Fund are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under
the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section
5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in
connection with a sale on the Exchange is satisfied by the fact
that the prospectus is available at the Exchange upon request. The
prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only
available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Policy on Disclosure of Portfolio
Holdings
The Board of
Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has adopted a
policy on disclosure of portfolio holdings, which it believes is in
the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders. The policy
requires that the Fund’s portfolio holdings be disclosed in a
manner that: (i) is consistent with applicable legal requirements
and is in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders; (ii)
does not put the interests of the Adviser or the Distributor, or
any affiliated person of the Adviser or the Distributor, above
those of the Fund’s shareholders; (iii) does not advantage
any current or prospective Fund shareholder over any other current
or prospective Fund shareholder, except to the extent that certain
entities (as described below) may receive portfolio holdings
information not available to other current or prospective Fund
shareholders in connection with the dissemination of information
necessary for transactions in Creation Units; and (iv) does not
provide selective access to portfolio holdings information except
pursuant to the procedures outlined below and to the extent
appropriate confidentiality arrangements limiting the use of such
information are in effect.
The
“entities” referred to in sub-section (iii) above are
generally limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation
(“NSCC”) members and subscribers to various fee-based
subscription services, including Authorized Participants (defined
below), and other institutional market participants and entities
that provide information services.
Information with
respect to the Fund’s portfolio holdings is disseminated
daily on the Fund’s website. Each business day portfolio
holdings information may also be provided to the Fund’s
transfer agent or other agent for dissemination through the
facilities of the NSCC and/or other fee based subscription services
to NSCC members and/or subscribers to those other fee based
subscription services, including Authorized Participants, and to
entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection
with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or
trading shares of the Fund in the secondary market.
The transfer agent
may also make available portfolio holdings information to other
institutional market participants and entities that provide
information services. This information typically reflects the
Fund’s anticipated holdings on the following business day.
“Authorized Participants” are broker-dealer firms that
have entered into Authorized Participant Agreements with the
Distributor to purchase and redeem Creation Units pursuant to legal
requirements, including the exemptive order granted by the SEC,
through which the Fund offers and redeems shares. Other than
portfolio holdings information made available in connection with
the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, portfolio
holdings information that is not filed with the SEC or posted on
the publicly available website may be provided to third parties
only in limited circumstances, as described above.
Disclosure to
providers of auditing, custody, proxy voting, liquidity risk
management and other similar services for the Fund, broker-dealers
that are involved in executing portfolio transactions on behalf of
the Fund, as well as rating and ranking organizations, will
generally be permitted; however, information may be disclosed to
other third parties (including, without limitation, individuals,
institutional investors, and Authorized Participants that sell
shares of the Fund) only upon approval by the CCO. The recipients
who may receive non-public portfolio holdings information are as
follows: the Adviser and its affiliates, the Fund’s
independent registered public accounting firm, the Fund’s
distributor, administrator and custodian, the Fund’s legal
counsel, the Fund’s financial printer and the Fund’s
proxy voting service. These entities are obligated to keep such
information confidential. Third-party providers of custodial or
accounting services to the Fund may release non-public portfolio
holdings information of the Fund only with the permission of the
CCO.
The fund will
disclose its complete portfolio holdings in public
filings
with the SEC. on a quarterly basis within 60 days of the end of the
quarter, and will provide that information to shareholders, as
required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.
These filings are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database
on the SEC’s website http://www.sec.gov. Under the
policy, the Board is to receive information, on a quarterly basis,
regarding any other disclosures of non-public portfolio holdings
information that were permitted during the preceding
quarter.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVES, POLICIES AND RELATED RISKS
The Fund’s
investment objective and principal investment strategies are
described in the Prospectus. The following information supplements,
and should be read in conjunction with, the Prospectus. For a
description of certain permitted investments, see
“Description of Permitted Investments” in this
SAI.
Non-Diversification
The Fund is
classified as a non-diversified investment company under the 1940
Act. A “non-diversified” classification means that the
Fund is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage
of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single
issuer. This means that the Fund may invest a greater portion of
its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a small number
of issuers than a diversified fund. The securities of a particular
issuer or a small number of issuers may constitute a greater
portion of the Underlying Index and, therefore, the securities may
constitute a greater portion of the Fund’s portfolio. This
may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s performance or
subject the Fund’s Shares to greater price volatility than
more diversified investment companies. Moreover, in pursuing its
objective, the Fund may hold the securities of a single issuer in
an amount exceeding 10% of the market value of the outstanding
securities of the issuer, subject to restrictions imposed by the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
In particular, as the Fund’s size grows and its assets
increase, it will be more likely to hold more than 10% of the
securities of a single issuer if the issuer has a relatively small
public float as compared to other components in its Underlying
Index.
Concentration
The Fund will, to
the extent its Underlying Index does, concentrate its investments
in a particular industry or group of industries, as described in
the Prospectus. The securities of issuers in particular industries
may dominate the Underlying Index of the Fund and consequently the
Fund’s investment portfolio. This may adversely affect the
Fund’s performance or subject its Shares to greater price
volatility than that experienced by less concentrated investment
companies.
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED
INVESTMENTS
The following are
descriptions of the permitted investments and investment practices
and the associated risk factors. The Fund will only invest in any
of the following instruments or engage in any of the following
investment practices if such investment or activity is consistent
with the Fund’s investment objective and permitted by the
Fund’s stated investment policies. The information below
should be read in conjunction with the “Principal Investment
Strategies” and “Principal Risks” sections of the
Prospectus. The information below pertains to non-principal
investment strategies and risks of the Fund, while the information
in the Prospectus pertains to principal investment strategies and
risks of the Fund.
EQUITY SECURITIES
Equity securities
represent ownership interests in a company and include common
stocks, preferred stocks, warrants to acquire common stock, and
securities convertible into common stock. Investments in equity
securities in general are subject to market risks that may cause
their prices to fluctuate over time. Fluctuations in the value of
equity securities in which the Fund invests will cause the net
asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
Types of Equity
Securities:
Common Stocks
— Common stocks represent units of ownership in a company.
Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends.
Unlike preferred stocks, which are described below, dividends on
common stocks are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of
the company’s board of directors.
Preferred Stocks
— Preferred stocks are also units of ownership in a company.
Preferred stocks normally have preference over common stock in the
payment of dividends and the liquidation of the company. However,
in all other respects, preferred stocks are subordinated to the
liabilities of the issuer. Unlike common stocks, preferred stocks
are generally not entitled to vote on corporate matters. Types of
preferred stocks include adjustable-rate preferred stock, fixed
dividend preferred stock, perpetual preferred stock, and sinking
fund preferred stock.
Generally, the
market values of preferred stock with a fixed dividend rate and no
conversion element vary inversely with interest rates and perceived
credit risk.
Convertible
Securities — Convertible securities are securities that may
be exchanged for, converted into, or exercised to acquire a
predetermined number of shares of the issuer’s common stock
at the Fund’s option during a specified time period (such as
convertible preferred stocks, convertible debentures and warrants).
A convertible security is generally a fixed income security that is
senior to common stock in an issuer’s capital structure, but
is usually subordinated to similar non-convertible securities. In
exchange for the conversion feature, many corporations will pay a
lower rate of interest on convertible securities than debt
securities of the same corporation. In general, the market value of
a convertible security is at least the higher of its
“investment value” (i.e., its value as a fixed income
security) or its “conversion value” (i.e., its value upon conversion into
its underlying common stock).
Convertible
securities are subject to the same risks as similar securities
without the convertible feature. The price of a convertible
security is more volatile during times of steady interest rates
than other types of debt securities. The price of a convertible
security tends to increase as the market value of the underlying
stock rises, whereas it tends to decrease as the market value of
the underlying common stock declines.
Rights and Warrants
— A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of
a corporation to subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock
before it is issued. Rights normally have a short life of usually
two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder
to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the public
offering price. Warrants are securities that are usually issued
together with a debt security or preferred stock and that give the
holder the right to buy proportionate amount of common stock at a
specified price. Warrants are freely transferable and are traded on
major exchanges. Unlike rights, warrants normally have a life that
is measured in years and entitles the holder to buy common stock of
a company at a price that is usually higher than the market price
at the time the warrant is issued. Corporations often issue
warrants to make the accompanying debt security more
attractive.
An investment in
warrants and rights may entail greater risks than certain other
types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry
the right to receive dividends or exercise voting rights with
respect to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any
rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, their value does
not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities,
and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on or before
their expiration date. Investing in rights and warrants increases
the potential profit or loss to be realized from the investment as
compared with investing the same amount in the underlying
securities.
Risks of Investing in Equity
Securities:
General Risks of Investing in Stocks
— While investing in stocks allows investors to
participate in the benefits of owning a company, such investors
must accept the risks of ownership. Unlike bondholders, who have
preference to a company’s earnings and cash flow, preferred
stockholders, followed by common stockholders in order of priority,
are entitled only to the residual amount after a company meets its
other obligations. For this reason, the value of a company’s
stock will usually react more strongly to actual or perceived
changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects
than its debt obligations. Stockholders of a company that fares
poorly can lose money.
Stock markets tend
to move in cycles with short or extended periods of rising and
falling stock prices. The value of a company’s stock may fall
because of:
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Factors that directly
relate to that company, such as decisions made by its management or
lower demand for the company’s products or
services;
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Factors affecting an
entire industry, such as increases in production costs;
and
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Changes in general
financial market conditions that are relatively unrelated to the
company or its industry, such as changes in interest rates,
currency exchange rates or inflation rates.
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Because preferred
stock is generally junior to debt securities and other obligations
of the issuer, deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer
will cause greater changes in the value of a preferred stock than
in a more senior debt security with similar stated yield
characteristics.
Small- and Medium-Sized Companies
— Investors in small- and medium-sized companies
typically take on greater risk and price volatility than they would
by investing in larger, more established companies. This increased
risk may be due to the greater business risks of their small or
medium size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow
product lines and frequent lack of management depth. The securities
of small- and medium-sized companies are often traded in the
over-the-counter market and might not be traded in volumes typical
of securities traded on a national securities exchange. Thus, the
securities of small and medium capitalization companies are likely
to experience less frequent trading and be less liquid, and subject
to more abrupt or erratic market movements, than securities of
larger, more established companies. As a result of the differences
between the securities of small- and medium-sized companies and
those of companies with larger capitalizations, it may be more
difficult for the Fund to buy or sell a significant amount of the
securities of a small- or medium- company without an adverse impact
on the price of the company’s securities, or the Fund may
have to sell such securities in smaller quantities over a longer
period of time, which may increase the Fund’s tracking
error.
When-Issued Securities — A
when-issued security is one whose terms are available and for which
a market exists, but which have not been issued. When the Fund
engages in when-issued transactions, it relies on the other party
to consummate the sale. If the other party fails to complete the
sale, the Fund may miss the opportunity to obtain the security at a
favorable price or yield.
When purchasing a
security on a when-issued basis, the Fund assumes the rights and
risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and
yield changes. At the time of settlement, the market value of the
security may be more or less than the purchase price. The yield
available in the market when the delivery takes place also may be
higher than those obtained in the transaction itself. Because the
Fund does not pay for the security until the delivery date, these
risks are in addition to the risks associated with its other
investments.
Decisions to enter
into “when-issued” transactions will be considered on a
case-by-case basis when necessary to maintain continuity in a
company’s index membership. The Fund will segregate cash or
liquid securities equal in value to commitments for the when-issued
transactions. The Fund will segregate additional liquid assets
daily so that the value of such assets is equal to the amount of
the commitments.
FOREIGN SECURITIES
FOREIGN
ISSUERS
The Fund may invest
a significant portion of its assets in issuers located outside the
United States directly, or in financial instruments that are
indirectly linked to the performance of foreign issuers. Examples
of such financial instruments include depositary receipts, which
are described further below, “ordinary shares,” and
“New York shares” issued and traded in the United
States. Ordinary shares are shares of foreign issuers that are
traded abroad and on a United States exchange. New York shares are
shares that a foreign issuer has allocated for trading in the
United States. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”),
ordinary shares, and New York shares all may be purchased with and
sold for U.S. dollars, which protects the Fund from the foreign
settlement risks described below.
Investing in
foreign companies may involve risks not typically associated with
investing in United States companies. The value of securities
denominated in foreign currencies, and of dividends from such
securities, can change significantly when foreign currencies
strengthen or weaken relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign
securities markets generally have less trading volume and less
liquidity than United States markets, and prices in some foreign
markets can be more volatile than those of domestic securities.
Therefore, the Fund’s investment in foreign securities may be
less liquid and subject to more rapid and erratic price movements
than comparable securities listed for trading on U.S. exchanges.
Non-U.S. equity securities may trade at price/earnings multiples
higher than comparable U.S. securities and such levels may not be
sustainable. There may be less government supervision and
regulation of foreign stock exchanges, brokers, banks and listed
companies abroad than in the U.S. Moreover, settlement practices
for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in U.S.
markets. Such differences may include delays beyond periods
customary in the U.S. and practices, such as delivery of securities
prior to receipt of payment, that increase the likelihood of a
failed settlement, which can result in losses to the Fund. The
value of non-U.S. investments and the investment income derived
from them may also be affected unfavorably by changes in currency
exchange control regulations. Foreign brokerage commissions,
custodial expenses and other fees are also generally higher than
for securities traded in the U.S. This may cause the Fund to incur
higher portfolio transaction costs than domestic equity funds.
Fluctuations in exchange rates may also affect the earning power
and asset value of the foreign entity issuing a security, even one
denominated in U.S. dollars. Dividend and interest payments may be
repatriated based on the exchange rate at the time of disbursement,
and restrictions on capital flows may be imposed. Many foreign
countries lack uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting
standards comparable to those that apply to United States
companies, and it may be more difficult to obtain reliable
information regarding a foreign issuer’s financial condition
and operations. In addition, the costs of foreign investing,
including withholding taxes, brokerage commissions, and custodial
fees, generally are higher than for United States
investments.
Investing in
companies located abroad carries political and economic risks
distinct from those associated with investing in the United States.
Foreign investment may be affected by actions of foreign
governments adverse to the interests of United States investors,
including the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of
assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on United States
investment, or on the ability to repatriate assets or to convert
currency into U.S. dollars. There may be a greater possibility of
default by foreign governments or foreign-government sponsored
enterprises. Losses and other expenses may be incurred in
converting between various currencies in connection with purchases
and sales of foreign securities. Investments in foreign countries
also involve a risk of local political, economic, or social
instability, military action or unrest, or adverse diplomatic
developments.
Investing in
companies domiciled in emerging market countries may be subject to
greater risks than investments in developed countries. These risks
include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability;
(ii) greater illiquidity and price volatility due to smaller
or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or
non-existent trading volumes; (iii) foreign exchanges and
broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by
local authorities; (iv) local governments may decide to seize
or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local
governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer’s
ability to make dividend or interest payments; (v) local
governments may limit or entirely restrict repatriation of invested
capital, profits, and dividends; (vi) capital gains may be
subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis;
(vii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments
imposed by local governments may attempt to make dividend or
interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency;
(viii) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal
claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the
interests of the issuer over those of foreign investors;
(ix) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in
the local currency; (x) limited public information regarding the
issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market
valuations of the securities, and (xi) lax financial reporting
on a regular basis, substandard disclosure, and differences in
accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the
financial health of an issuer.
Geographic
Concentration
Funds that are less
diversified across countries or geographic regions are generally
riskier than more geographically diversified funds. A fund that
focuses on a single country or a specific region is more exposed to
that country’s or region’s economic cycles, currency
exchange rates, stock market valuations and political risks, among
others, compared with a more geographically diversified fund. The
economies and financial markets of certain regions, such as Asia
and the Middle East, can be interdependent and may be adversely
affected by the same events.
DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS
The Fund’s
investment in securities of foreign companies may be in the form of
depositary receipts or other securities convertible into securities
of foreign issuers. ADRs are dollar-denominated receipts
representing interests in the securities of a foreign issuer, which
securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency
as the securities into which they may be converted. ADRs are
receipts typically issued by United States banks and trust
companies which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued
by a foreign corporation. Generally, ADRs in registered form are
designed for use in domestic securities markets and are traded on
exchanges or over-the-counter in the United States. Global
Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), European Depositary
Receipts (“EDRs”), and International Depositary
Receipts (“IDRs”) are similar to ADRs in that they are
certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer,
however, GDRs, EDRs, and IDRs may be issued in bearer form and
denominated in other currencies, and are generally designed for use
in specific or multiple securities markets outside the U.S. EDRs,
for example, are designed for use in European securities markets
while GDRs are designed for use throughout the world. Depositary
receipts will not necessarily be denominated in the same currency
as their underlying securities.
The Fund will not
invest in any unlisted Depositary Receipts or any Depositary
Receipt that the Adviser deems to be illiquid or for which pricing
information is not readily available. In addition, all Depositary
Receipts generally must be sponsored. However, the Fund may invest
in unsponsored Depositary Receipts under certain limited
circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are
not obligated to disclose material information in the United
States, and, therefore, there may be less information available
regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between
such information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts.
The use of Depositary Receipts may increase tracking error relative
to an Underlying Index.
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS
(“REITS”)
A REIT is a
corporation or business trust (that would otherwise be taxed as a
corporation) that meets the definitional requirements of the Code.
The Code permits a qualifying REIT to deduct from taxable income
the dividends paid, thereby effectively eliminating corporate level
federal income tax and making the REIT a pass-through vehicle for
federal income tax purposes. To meet the definitional requirements
of the Code, a REIT must, among other things: invest substantially
all of its assets in interests in real estate (including mortgages
and other REITs), cash and government securities; derive most of
its income from rents from real property or interest on loans
secured by mortgages on real property; and distribute annually 90%
or more of its otherwise taxable income to
shareholders.
REITs are sometimes
informally characterized as Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. An
Equity REIT invests primarily in the fee ownership or leasehold
ownership of land and buildings; a Mortgage REIT invests primarily
in mortgages on real property, which may secure construction,
development or long-term loans.
REITs may be
affected by changes in underlying real estate values, which may
have an exaggerated effect to the extent that REITs in which a Fund
invests may concentrate investments in particular geographic
regions or property types. Additionally, rising interest rates may
cause investors in REITs to demand a higher annual yield from
future distributions, which may in turn decrease market prices for
equity securities issued by REITs. Rising interest rates also
generally increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could
cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline. During
periods of declining interest rates, certain Mortgage REITs may
hold mortgages that the mortgagors elect to prepay, which
prepayment may diminish the yield on securities issued by such
Mortgage REITs. In addition, Mortgage REITs may be affected by the
ability of borrowers to repay when due the debt extended by the
REIT and Equity REITs may be affected by the ability of tenants to
pay rent.
Certain REITs have
relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase
the volatility of the market price of securities issued by such
REITs. Furthermore, REITs are dependent upon specialized management
skills, have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to
risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of
projects. By investing in REITs indirectly through a Fund, a
shareholder will bear not only his or her proportionate share of
the expenses of the Fund, but also, indirectly, similar expenses of
the REITs. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash
flow to make distributions to shareholders.
In addition to
these risks, Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value
of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while Mortgage
REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended.
Further, Equity and Mortgage REITs are dependent upon management
skills and generally may not be diversified. Equity and Mortgage
REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency defaults by
borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, Equity and Mortgage
REITs could possibly fail to qualify for favorable tax treatment
under the Code or to maintain their exemptions from registration
under the 1940 Act. The above factors may also adversely affect a
borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its
obligations to the REIT. In the event of default by a borrower or
lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a
mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with
protecting its investments.
U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES
The Fund may invest
in U.S. government securities. Securities issued or guaranteed by
the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities include
U.S. Treasury securities, which are backed by the full faith and
credit of the U.S. Treasury and which differ only in their interest
rates, maturities, and times of issuance. There can be no guarantee that the United
States will be able to meet its payment obligations with respect to
such securities. Additionally, market prices and yields of
securities supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S.
government may decline or be negative for short or long periods of
time. U.S. Treasury bills have initial maturities of
one-year or less; U.S. Treasury notes have initial maturities of
one to ten years; and U.S. Treasury bonds generally have initial
maturities of greater than ten years. Certain U.S. government
securities are issued or guaranteed by agencies or
instrumentalities of the U.S. government including, but not limited
to, obligations of U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities
such as Fannie Mae, the Government National Mortgage Association
(“Ginnie Mae”), the Small Business Administration, the
Federal Farm Credit Administration, the Federal Home Loan Banks,
Banks for Cooperatives (including the Central Bank for
Cooperatives), the Federal Land Banks, the Federal Intermediate
Credit Banks, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Export-Import
Bank of the United States, the Commodity Credit Corporation, the
Federal Financing Bank, the National Credit Union Administration
and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer
Mac).
Some obligations
issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and
instrumentalities, including, for example, Ginnie Mae pass-through
certificates, are supported by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. Treasury. Other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal
agencies, such as those securities issued by Fannie Mae, are
supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to
purchase certain obligations of the federal agency, while other
obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies, such as
those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of
the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, while the U.S.
government provides financial support to such U.S.
government-sponsored federal agencies, no assurance can be given
that the U.S. government will always do so, since the U.S.
government is not so obligated by law. U.S. Treasury notes and
bonds typically pay coupon interest semi-annually and repay the
principal at maturity.
The total public debt of the United
States as a percentage of gross domestic product has grown rapidly
since the beginning of the 2008-2009 financial downturn. Although
high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic
problems, they may create certain systemic risks if sound debt
management practices are not implemented. A high national debt can
raise concerns that the U.S. government will not be able to make
principal or interest payments when they are due. This increase has
also necessitated the need for the U.S. Congress to negotiate
adjustments to the statutory debt limit to increase the cap on the
amount the U.S. government is permitted to borrow to meet its
existing obligations and finance current budget deficits. In August
2011, Standard & Poor’s lowered its long-term sovereign
credit rating on the U.S. In explaining the downgrade at that time,
S&P cited, among other reasons, controversy over raising the
statutory debt ceiling and growth in public spending. On August 2,
2019, following passage by Congress, the President of the United
States signed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, which suspends the
statutory debt limit through July 31, 2021. Any controversy or
ongoing uncertainty regarding the statutory debt ceiling
negotiations may impact the U.S. long-term sovereign credit rating
and may cause market uncertainty. As a result, market prices and
yields of securities supported by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. government may be adversely affected.
The value of direct
or indirect investments in fixed income securities will fluctuate
with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates
causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities. On the
other hand, if rates fall, the value of the fixed income securities
generally increases. In general, the market price of fixed income
securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in
response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities.
The value of direct or indirect investments in fixed income
securities may be affected by the inability of issuers to repay
principal and interest or illiquidity in debt securities
markets.
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U.S. Treasury Obligations. U.S. Treasury
obligations consist of bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S.
Treasury and separately traded interest and principal component
parts of such obligations that are transferable through the federal
book-entry system known as Separately Traded Registered Interest
and Principal Securities (“STRIPS”) and Treasury
Receipts (“TRs”).
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Receipts. Interests in separately traded
interest and principal component parts of U.S. government
obligations that are issued by banks or brokerage firms and are
created by depositing U.S. government obligations into a special
account at a custodian bank. The custodian holds the interest and
principal payments for the benefit of the registered owners of the
certificates or receipts. The custodian arranges for the issuance
of the certificates or receipts evidencing ownership and maintains
the register. TRs and STRIPS are interests in accounts sponsored by
the U.S. Treasury. Receipts are sold as zero coupon
securities.
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U.S. Government Zero Coupon Securities.
STRIPS and receipts are sold as zero coupon securities, that is,
fixed income securities that have been stripped of their unmatured
interest coupons. Zero coupon securities are sold at a (usually
substantial) discount and redeemed at face value at their maturity
date without interim cash payments of interest or principal. The
amount of this discount is accreted over the life of the security,
and the accretion constitutes the income earned on the security for
both accounting and tax purposes. Because of these features, the
market prices of zero coupon securities are generally more volatile
than the market prices of securities that have similar maturity but
that pay interest periodically. Zero coupon securities are likely
to respond to a greater degree to interest rate changes than are
non-zero coupon securities with similar maturity and credit
qualities.
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U.S. Government Agencies. Some
obligations issued or guaranteed by agencies of the U.S. government
are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury,
others are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the
U.S. Treasury, while still others are supported only by the credit
of the instrumentality. Guarantees of principal by agencies or
instrumentalities of the U.S. government may be a guarantee of
payment at the maturity of the obligation so that in the event of a
default prior to maturity there might not be a market and thus no
means of realizing on the obligation prior to maturity. Guarantees
as to the timely payment of principal and interest do not extend to
the value or yield of these securities nor to the value of a
Fund’s Shares
|
BORROWING
Although the Fund
does not intend to borrow money, the Fund may do so to the extent
permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may borrow
up to one-third (1/3) of its net assets. The Fund will borrow money
only for short-term or emergency purposes. Such borrowing is not
for investment purposes and will be repaid by the Fund promptly.
Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value
(“NAV”) of any increase or decrease in the market value
of the Fund’s portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to
interest costs that may or may not be recovered by earnings on the
securities purchased. The Fund also may be required to maintain
minimum average balances in connection with a borrowing or to pay a
commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of
these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the
stated interest rate.
OTHER SHORT-TERM
INSTRUMENTS
The Fund may invest
in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on
an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money
market instruments are generally short-term investments that may
include but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market
funds; (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including
government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable
certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’
acceptances, fixed time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and
foreign banks (including foreign branches) and similar
institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated at the date of
purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or
“A-1” by S&P, or if unrated, of comparable quality
as determined by the Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate
debt securities (e.g.,
bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of
purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the rating
requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; and
(vi) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of foreign
banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the
Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks
which may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be
purchased on a current or a forward-settled basis. Money market
instruments also include shares of money market funds. Time
deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking
institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest
rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on
commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with
international transactions. Short-term instruments that are
fixed-income instruments are generally subject to the same risks as
other fixed-income instruments, including credit risk and interest
rate risk, and short-term instruments that are money market funds
are generally subject to the same risks as other investment
companies, including the obligation to the pay the Fund’s
share of the underlying fund’s expenses.
INVESTMENT COMPANIES
The Fund may invest
in the securities of other investment companies, including money
market funds, subject to applicable limitations under
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act. Pursuant to Section
12(d)(1), the Fund may invest in the securities of another
investment company (the “acquired company”) provided
that the Fund, immediately after such purchase or acquisition, does
not own in the aggregate: (i) more than 3% of the total
outstanding voting stock of the acquired company;
(ii) securities issued by the acquired company having an
aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of
the Fund; or (iii) securities issued by the acquired company
and all other investment companies (other than Treasury stock of
the Fund) having an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value
of the total assets of the Fund. To the extent allowed by law or
regulation, the Fund may invest its assets in securities of
investment companies that are money market funds in excess of the
limits discussed above.
If the Fund invests
in and, thus, is a shareholder of, another investment company, the
Fund’s shareholders will indirectly bear the Fund’s
proportionate share of the fees and expenses paid by such other
investment company, including advisory fees, in addition to both
the management fees payable directly by the Fund to the
Fund’s own investment adviser and the other expenses that the
Fund bears directly in connection with the Fund’s own
operations.
Section 12(d)(1)
of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment
companies in securities of other registered investment companies,
including the Fund. The acquisition of a Fund’s Shares by
registered investment companies is subject to the restrictions of
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, except as may be permitted
by exemptive rules under the 1940 Act or as may at some future time
be permitted by an exemptive order that permits registered
investment companies to invest in the Fund beyond the limits of
Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions,
including that the registered investment company enter into an
agreement with the Fund regarding the terms of the
investment.
The Fund may rely
on Section 12(d)(1)(F) and Rule 12d1-3 of the 1940 Act, which
provide an exemption from Section 12(d)(1) that allows the
Fund to invest all of its assets in other registered funds,
including ETFs, if, among other conditions: (a) the Fund,
together with its affiliates, acquires no more than three percent
of the outstanding voting stock of any acquired fund, and (b) the
sales load charged on the Fund’s shares is no greater than
the limits set forth in Rule 2830 of the Conduct Rules of the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
(“FINRA”).
The Fund will incur
higher and duplicative expenses when it invests in other investment
companies such as mutual funds and ETFs. There is also the risk
that the Fund may suffer losses due to the investment practices of
the underlying funds. When the Fund invests in other investment
companies, the Fund will be subject to substantially the same risks
as those associated with the direct ownership of securities held by
such investment companies.
LENDING PORTFOLIO
SECURITIES
The Fund may lend
portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers in U.S. and non-U.S. markets in an amount
not to exceed one-third (33 1/3%) of the value of its total
assets. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained
in an amount at least equal to the current value of the securities
loaned. The Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the
return of the securities loaned. The Fund receives the value of any
interest or cash or non-cash distributions paid on the loaned
securities. Distributions received on loaned securities in lieu of
dividend payments (i.e.,
substitute payments) would not be considered qualified dividend
income.
The borrower will
be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash
collateral. The Fund receives compensation in the form of fees. The
amount of fees depends on a number of factors including the type of
security and length of the loan. Any cash collateral may be
reinvested in certain short-term instruments either directly on
behalf of the lending Fund or through one or more joint accounts or
money market funds, which may include those managed by the Adviser.
In that case, the Fund would also be compensated by the difference
between the amount earned on the reinvestment of cash collateral
and the fee paid to the borrower.
The Fund may pay a
portion of the interest or fees earned from securities lending to a
borrower as described above, and to one or more securities lending
agents approved by the Board who administer the lending program for
the Fund in accordance with guidelines approved by the Board. In
such capacity, the lending agent causes the delivery of loaned
securities from the Fund to borrowers, arranges for the return of
loaned securities to the Fund at the termination of a loan,
requests deposit of collateral, monitors the daily value of the
loaned securities and collateral, requests that borrowers add to
the collateral when required by the loan agreements, and provides
recordkeeping and accounting services necessary for the operation
of the program.
Securities lending
involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk
(i.e., the risk of losses
resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process),
“gap” risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between
the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees the Fund
has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and
market risk. Counterparty risk may be greater when the Fund loans
its securities to a single or small group of counterparties. In the
event a borrower does not return the Fund’s securities as
agreed, the Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received
from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of
the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated plus
the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement
securities.
The Fund will
generally seek to recall securities on loan to vote on matters if
the result of the vote may materially affect the investment.
However, in some circumstances the Fund may be unable to recall the
securities in time to vote or may determine that the benefits to
the Fund of voting are outweighed by the direct or indirect costs
of such a recall. In these circumstances, loaned securities may be
voted or not voted in a manner adverse to the best interests of the
Fund.
The following table
shows the dollar amounts of income and fees/compensation related to
the securities lending activities of the Fund during the fiscal
year ended September 30, 2019.
Gross income from securities lending
activities
|
$44,991,226
|
Fees and/or compensation for securities
lending activities and related services:
|
|
Fees paid to securities
lending agent from a revenue split
|
18,124,914
|
Fees paid for any cash
collateral management service that are not included in the revenue
split
|
0
|
Administrative fees not
included in revenue split
|
(0)
|
Indemnification fee not
included in revenue split
|
(0)
|
Rebates (paid to
borrower)
|
(0)
|
Other fees not included in
revenue split (specify)
|
(0)
|
Aggregate fees/compensation for securities
lending activities:
|
(18,124,914)
|
Net income from securities lending
activities:
|
$26,866,312
|
FUTURES CONTRACTS, OPTIONS AND SWAP
AGREEMENTS
The Fund may
utilize futures contracts, options contracts and swap agreements.
The Fund will segregate cash and/or appropriate liquid assets if
required to do so by SEC or Commodity Futures Trading Commission
(“CFTC”) regulation or interpretation.
Futures Contracts. Futures contracts
generally provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by
another party of a specified commodity or security at a specified
future time and at a specified price. Index futures contracts are
settled daily with a payment by one party to the other of a cash
amount based on the difference between the level of the index
specified in the contract from one day to the next. Futures
contracts are standardized as to maturity date and underlying
instrument and are traded on futures exchanges.
The Fund is
required to make a good faith margin deposit in cash or U.S.
government securities with a broker or custodian to initiate and
maintain open positions in futures contracts. A margin deposit is
intended to assure completion of the contract (delivery or
acceptance of the underlying commodity or payment of the cash
settlement amount) if it is not terminated prior to the specified
delivery date. Brokers may establish deposit requirements which are
higher than the exchange minimums. Futures contracts are
customarily purchased and sold on margin deposits which may range
upward from less than 5% of the value of the contract being
traded.
After a futures
contract position is opened, the value of the contract is marked to
market daily. If the futures contract price changes to the extent
that the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements,
payment of additional “variation” margin will be
required. Conversely, change in the contract value may reduce the
required margin, resulting in a repayment of excess margin to the
contract holder. Variation margin payments are made to and from the
futures broker for as long as the contract remains open. In such
case, the Fund would expect to earn interest income on its margin
deposits. Closing out an open futures position is done by taking an
opposite position (“buying” a contract which has
previously been “sold,” or “selling” a
contract previously “purchased”) in an identical
contract to terminate the position. Brokerage commissions are
incurred when a futures contract position is opened or
closed.
Options. The Fund may purchase and sell
put and call options. Such options may relate to particular
securities and may or may not be listed on a national securities
exchange and issued by the Options Clearing Corporation. Options
trading is a highly specialized activity that entails greater than
ordinary investment risk. Options on particular securities may be
more volatile than the underlying securities, and therefore, on a
percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to
greater fluctuation than an investment in the underlying securities
themselves.
The Fund may use
exchange-traded futures and options, together with positions in
cash and money market instruments, to simulate full investment in
its Underlying Index. Exchange-traded futures and options contracts
are not currently available for the Index. Under such
circumstances, the Adviser may seek to utilize other instruments
that it believes to be correlated to the applicable Index
components or a subset of the components.
To the extent the
Fund invests in futures, options on futures or other instruments
subject to regulation by the CFTC, it will seek to do so in
reliance upon and in accordance with CFTC Rule 4.5. Specifically,
pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5, the Trust may claim exclusion from the
definition of CPO, and thus from having to register as a CPO, with
regard to a Fund that enters into commodity futures, commodity
options or swaps solely for “bona fide hedging
purposes,” or that limits its investment in commodities to a
“de minimis” amount, as defined in CFTC rules, so long
as the shares of such Fund are not marketed as interests in a
commodity pool or other vehicle for trading in commodity futures,
commodity options or swaps. To the extent the Fund invests in
futures, options on futures or other instruments subject to
regulation by the CFTC, the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, will file
a notice of eligibility for exclusion from the definition of the
term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with CFTC
Rule 4.5. It is expected that the Fund will be able to operate
pursuant to the limitations under CFTC Rule 4.5 without materially
adversely affecting its ability to achieve its investment
objective. If, however, these limitations were to make it difficult
for the Fund to achieve its investment objective in the future, the
Trust may determine to operate the Fund as a regulated commodity
pool pursuant to the Trust’s CPO registration or to
reorganize or close the Fund or to materially change the
Fund’s investment objective and strategy. In addition, as of
the date of this SAI, the Adviser is not deemed to be a
“commodity pool operator” or “commodity trading
adviser” with respect to the advisory services it provides to
the Fund.
Restrictions on the
Use of Futures and Options. The Fund reserves the right to engage
in transactions involving futures and options thereon to the extent
allowed by the CFTC regulations in effect from time to time and in
accordance with the Fund’s policies. The Fund would take
steps to prevent its futures positions from
“leveraging” its securities holdings. When it has a
long futures position, it will maintain with its custodian bank,
cash or equivalents. When it has a short futures position, it will
maintain with its custodian bank assets substantially identical to
those underlying the contract or cash and equivalents (or a
combination of the foregoing) having a value equal to the net
obligation of the Fund under the contract (less the value of any
margin deposits in connection with the position).
Short Sales. The Fund may engage in
short sales that are either “uncovered” or
“against the box.” A short sale is “against the
box” if at all times during which the short position is open,
the Fund owns at least an equal amount of the securities or
securities convertible into, or exchangeable without further
consideration for, securities of the same issue as the securities
that are sold short. A short sale against the box is a taxable
transaction to the Fund with respect to the securities that are
sold short.
Uncovered short
sales are transactions under which the Fund sells a security it
does not own. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow
the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is
obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the
security at the market price at the time of the replacement. The
price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the
security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the
Fund is required to pay the lender amounts equal to any dividends
or interest that accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow
the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which
would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the
short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary
to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed
out.
Until the Fund
closes its short position or replaces the borrowed security, the
Fund may: (a) segregate cash or liquid securities at such a
level that (i) the amount segregated plus the amount deposited
with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the
security sold short; and (ii) the amount segregated plus the
amount deposited with the broker as collateral will not be less
than the market value of the security at the time the security was
sold short; or (b) otherwise cover the Fund’s short
position.
Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into
swap agreements; including interest rate, index, and total return
swap agreements. Swap agreements are contracts between parties in
which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party
based on the change in market value or level of a specified rate,
index or asset. In return, the other party agrees to make payments
to the first party based on the return of a different specified
rate, index or asset. Swap agreements will usually be done on a net
basis, i.e., where the two
parties make net payments with the Fund receiving or paying, as the
case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. The net
amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over
its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily
basis and an amount of cash or equivalents having an aggregate
value at least equal to the accrued excess is maintained by the
Fund.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The Fund may take
advantage of opportunities in the area of options and futures
contracts, options on futures contracts, warrants, swaps and any
other investments which are not presently contemplated for use by
the Fund or which are not currently available but which may be
developed, to the extent such opportunities are both consistent
with the Fund’s investment objective and legally permissible
for the Fund. Before entering into such transactions or making any
such investment, the Fund will provide appropriate
disclosure.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND
RISKS
A discussion of the
risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the
Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in
conjunction with, the Prospectus.
GENERAL
Investment in the
Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the
Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with
changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio
securities, the value of securities generally and other
factors.
An investment in
the Fund should also be made with an understanding of the risks
inherent in an investment in securities, including the risk that
the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the
general condition of the securities markets may deteriorate (either
of which may cause a decrease in the value of the portfolio
securities and thus in the value of Shares). Securities are
susceptible to general market fluctuations and to volatile
increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and
perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are
based on various and unpredictable factors including expectations
regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies,
inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction,
and global or regional political, economic and banking
crises.
Holders of common
stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt
obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer,
have generally inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer
in comparison with the rights of creditors of, or holders of debt
obligations or preferred stocks issued by, the issuer. Further,
unlike debt securities which typically have a stated principal
amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, will be subject
to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks which
typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated
optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have
neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity. Common stock
values are subject to market fluctuations as long as the common
stock remains outstanding.
CYBER SECURITY
RISK
Investment
companies, such as the Fund, and their service providers may be
subject to operational and information security risks resulting
from cyber attacks. Cyber attacks include, among other behaviors,
stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial
of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of
confidential information or various other forms of cyber security
breaches. Cyber attacks affecting the Fund or the Adviser,
custodian, transfer agent, intermediaries and other third-party
service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance,
cyber attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder
transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its net
asset value, cause the release of private shareholder information
or confidential company information, impede trading, subject the
Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses, and cause
reputational damage. The Fund may also incur additional costs for
cyber security risk management purposes. Similar types of cyber
security risks are also present for issuers of securities in which
the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse
consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s
investment in such portfolio companies to lose value.
FUTURES AND OPTIONS
TRANSACTIONS
Positions in
futures contracts and options may be closed out only on an exchange
which provides a secondary market therefore. However, there can be
no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any
particular futures contract or option at any specific time. Thus,
it may not be possible to close a futures or options position. In
the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be
required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required
margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it
may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin
requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In
addition, the Fund may be required to make delivery of the
instruments underlying futures contracts it has sold. The Fund will
minimize the risk that it will be unable to close out a futures or
options contract by only entering into futures and options for
which there appears to be a liquid secondary market.
The risk of loss in
trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some
strategies (e.g., selling
uncovered index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. The
Fund does not plan to use futures and options contracts, when
available, in this manner. The risk of a futures position may still
be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits
required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a
futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or
gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin
deposit. The Fund, however, intends to utilize futures and options
contracts in a manner designed to limit the Fund’s risk
exposure to that which is comparable to what the Fund would have
incurred through direct investment in securities.
Utilization of
futures transactions by the Fund involves the risk of imperfect or
even negative correlation to its Underlying Index if the index
underlying the futures contracts differs from Underlying Index.
There is also the risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits in
the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open
position in the futures contract or option.
Certain financial
futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in
futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily
limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures
contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s
settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily
limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades
may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily
limit governs only price movement during a particular trading day
and therefore does not limit potential losses, because the limit
may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. Futures
contract prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for
several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby
preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting
some futures traders to substantial losses.
RISKS OF SWAP
AGREEMENTS
Swap agreements are
subject to the risk that the swap counterparty will default on its
obligations. If such a default occurs, the Fund will have
contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the
transaction, but such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and
insolvency laws which could affect the Fund’s rights as a
creditor.
The use of
interest-rate and index swaps is a highly specialized activity that
involves investment techniques and risks different from those
associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. These
transactions generally do not involve the delivery of securities or
other underlying assets or principal.
TAX
RISKS
As with any
investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares of
the Fund will be taxed. The tax information in the Prospectus and
this SAI is provided as general information. You should consult
your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an
investment in Shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or
tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement
account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when
the Fund makes distributions or you sell Shares.
FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE REGULATION OF
CANNABIS
United States
The risk of strict
enforcement of federal marijuana laws in light of recent
Congressional activity, judicial holdings, and stated federal
policy remains uncertain. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a
case brought by San Diego County, California that sought to
establish federal preemption over state medical marijuana laws. The
preemption claim was rejected by every court that reviewed the
case, holding that Congress does not have the authority to compel
the states to direct their law enforcement personnel to enforce
federal laws. The U.S. Supreme Court had previously held that, as
long as the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) contains
prohibitions against marijuana, under the Commerce Clause of the
United States Constitution, the United States may criminalize the
production and use of homegrown cannabis even where states approve
its use for medical purposes.
In an effort to
provide guidance to federal law enforcement, the Department of
Justice (“DOJ”) has issued Guidance Regarding Marijuana
Enforcement to all United States Attorneys in a memorandum from
Deputy Attorney General David Ogden on October 19, 2009, in a
memorandum from Deputy Attorney General James Cole on June 29, 2011
and in a memorandum from Deputy Attorney General James Cole on
August 29, 2013 (the “Cole Memorandum”). Each
memorandum states that the DOJ is committed to the enforcement of
the CSA, but, the DOJ is also committed to using its limited
investigative and prosecutorial resources to address the most
significant threats in the most effective, consistent, and rational
way.
The Cole Memorandum
provides updated guidance to federal prosecutors concerning
marijuana enforcement in light of state laws legalizing medical and
recreational marijuana possession in small amounts.
The memorandum sets
forth certain enforcement priorities that are important to the
federal government:
●
Distribution of
marijuana to children;
●
Revenue from the sale
of marijuana going to criminals;
●
Diversion of medical
marijuana from states where it is legal to states where it is
not;
●
Using state
authorized marijuana activity as a pretext for other illegal drug
activity;
●
Preventing violence
in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana;
●
Preventing impaired
driving;
●
Growing marijuana on
federal property; and
●
Preventing possession
or use of marijuana on federal property.
In January 2018,
former Attorney General, Jeff Sessions rescinded
the Cole Memorandum. However, the federal government, to date,
has not determined to devote federal government resources to
companies operating in states which have passed laws legalizing
medical and recreational marijuana use whose businesses are
operating in conformity with the provisions of the Cole Memorandum.
Pronouncements from the current Administration suggest the DOJ may
exert pressureagainst states where marijuana use and possession is
legal and step up the enforcement of federal marijuana laws and the
prosecution of nonviolent federal drug crimes. Currently, the
Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment to appropriations legislation
prohibitsthe DOJ from using federal funds to prevent states from
implementing laws that authorize medical marijuana use, possession,
distribution, and cultivation. In the event the
Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment (also referred to as the
Rohrabacher-Farr amendment) is not renewed by Congress, the DOJ may
begin using federal funds to prevent states from implementing such
laws.
On December 20,
2018, President Trump signed the Agriculture Improvement Act of
2018 (or the “Farm Bill”) that effectively removes hemp
from the list of controlled substances and allows states to
regulate its production, commerce and research with approval from
the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”).
Hemp is a cousin to marijuana, as both are classified under the
same botanical category of Cannabis sativa. The major difference
between the two is that recreational marijuana has significant
amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol
(“THC”)
, whereas industrial hemp has virtually no THC (less than 0.3%).
This 0.3% THC in industrial hemp is not enough to provide
psychotropic effects, which renders industrial hemp useless for
recreational use or abuse. Products made from the seeds (incapable
of germination) and the mature stalks of the Cannabis sativa plant
are legal products that could potentially be used in pharmaceutical
products, nutritional products, cosmetics, plastics, fuel,
textiles, and medical delivery devices. Under the Farm Bill, state
departments of agriculture must consult with the state’s
governor and chief law enforcement officer to devise a plan that
must be submitted to the Secretary of USDA. A state’s plan to
license and regulate hemp can only commence once the Secretary of
USDA approves that state’s plan.
The 2018 Farm Bill
delegates to the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”)
responsibility for regulating products containing hemp or
derivatives thereof (including cannabidiol (“CBD”))
under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the
“FD&C”). Under the FD&C, if a substance
(such as CBD) is an active ingredient in a drug product that has
been approved by the FDA, then the substance cannot be sold in
dietary supplements or foods without FDA approval, unless the
substance was marketed as a dietary supplement or as a conventional
food before the drug was approved or before the new drug
investigations were authorized. The FDA has publicly taken
the position that CBD cannot be sold in dietary supplements or
foods because CBD is an active ingredient in an FDA-approved
drug. However, companies that sell CBD in dietary supplements
and foods have taken the position that CBD was marketed as a
dietary supplement and/or as a conventional food before the drug
was approved or before the new drug investigations were authorized,
and because the FDA has not brought enforcement action against such
companies, this question of fact has not yet been
adjudicated.
Canada
Several recent
court cases have influenced the law governing the medical marijuana
industry in Canada. On February 24, 2016, the Federal Court of
Canada ruled in the case of Allard et al v. Canada that Canada's
Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (“MMPR”),
which governed production, distribution and use of medical
marijuana by creating a regime that provided access to "licensed
producers" of medical marijuana, violated the rights of patients by
limiting patient access medical marijuana. On that basis, the
entire MMPR was declared invalid. Additionally, the Federal Court
of Canada ruled that a previous injunction should be upheld,
allowing patients with an existing personal production license
under the prior legislation to continue to produce their own
medical marijuana, subject to certain conditions.
On June 11, 2015
the Supreme Court of Canada held that the restriction on the use of
non-dried forms of marijuana for medical marijuana users violates
the right to liberty and security of individuals in a manner that
is arbitrary and not in keeping with the principles of fundamental
justice. As a result, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that the
sections of Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that
prohibit possession and trafficking of non-dried forms of marijuana
no longer have force and effect to the extent that they prohibit a
person with medical authorization from possessing cannabis
derivatives for medical purposes. This ruling means that medical
marijuana patients authorized to possess and use medical marijuana
are no longer limited to using dried forms of marijuana and may now
consume marijuana and its derivative forms for medical
purposes.
As a result of
these court cases, on August 11, 2016, Health Canada, the Canadian
department with responsibility for national public health,
announced the new Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes
Regulations (“ACMPR”), which took effect on August 24,
2016, to replace the MMPR. The ACMPR will allow Canadians who have
been authorized by their health care practitioner, and who are
registered with Health Canada, to produce a limited amount of
medical marijuana for their own medical purposes, or to designate
someone who is registered with Health Canada to produce it for
them, in addition to obtaining marijuana products from licensed
producers, as was permitted under the MMPR. Starting materials such
as plants or seeds are to be obtained from licensed producers
only.
On October 19,
2015, the Liberal Party of Canada obtained a majority government in
Canada. The Liberal Party has committed to the legalization of
recreational cannabis in Canada. On June 30, 2016, the Canadian
Federal Government established the Task Force on Cannabis
Legalization and Regulation (the “Task Force”) to seek
input on the design of a new system to legalize, strictly regulate
and restrict access to marijuana. The Task Force has completed its
review and published a report dated November 30, 2016, which
outlines its recommendations. The extent and impact of any
regulatory changes that may result from the Task Force's report are
unknown and may have a negative impact on the value of the Fund's
investments.
Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau introduced legislation in April 2017 to legalize the
recreational use of marijuana in Canada. The House of Commons of
Canada initially passed the legalization legislation in November
2017. After amendments passed by the Senate of Canada, the House
passed a final version on June 18, 2018, to which the Senate voted
in favor on June 19, 2018. On June 20, 2018, Prime Minister Trudeau
announced that recreational use of cannabis would no longer violate
Canadian criminal law effective October 17, 2018. As of the date of
this Statement of Additional Information, the legal cannabis market
in Canada is novel and still developing.
United Kingdom
Cannabis is a Class
B drug under the law of the United Kingdom (“UK”) and
its possession and sale are generally illegal. There has been
little progress in the United Kingdom towards the general
legalization of the use and possession of marijuana. However,
effective November 1, 2018, the law was changed to give specialist
doctors the option to legally issue prescriptions for
cannabis-based medicines when they believe that their patients
could benefit. A product license is necessary before cannabis-based
products can be legally sold, supplied or advertised in the UK. In
the UK, licenses to cultivate, possess and supply cannabis for
medical research may be granted by the Home Office. If a company in
which the Fund invests fails to receive the necessary licenses, it
may not be in a position to conduct its business in the United
Kingdom.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
The Trust has
adopted the following investment restrictions as fundamental
policies with respect to the Fund. These restrictions cannot be
changed with respect to the Fund without the approval of the
holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting
securities. For the purposes of the 1940 Act, a “majority of
outstanding shares” means the vote of the lesser of:
(1) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Fund present
at the meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s
outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy;
or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of
the Fund. Except with the approval of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities, the Fund may not:
1.
Concentrate its
investments in an industry or group of industries (i.e. , hold 25% or more of its net
assets in the stocks of a particular industry or group of
industries), except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately
the same extent that its Underlying Index concentrates in the
stocks of such particular industry or group of industries. For
purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government
(including its agencies and instrumentalities), and securities of
state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are
not considered to be issued by members of any
industry.
2.
Borrow money or issue
senior securities (as defined under the 1940 Act), except to the
extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations
thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute, rules or
regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to
time.
3.
Lend any security or
make any other loan, except to
the extent permitted under the 1940 Act the rules and
regulations thereunder or any exemption therefrom, as such statute,
rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted from time to
time.
4.
Purchase or sell
commodities or real estate, except to the extent permitted under
the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption
therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or
interpreted from time to time.
5.
Underwrite securities
issued by other persons, except to the extent permitted under the
1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any exemption
therefrom, as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or
interpreted from time to time.
In addition to the
investment restrictions adopted as fundamental policies as set
forth above, the Fund observes the following restrictions, which
may be changed without a shareholder vote.
1.
The Fund will not
invest in illiquid assets in excess of 15% of its net assets. An
illiquid asset is any asset that the Fund reasonably expects cannot
be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven
calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly
changing the market value of the asset.
2.
Under normal
circumstances, the Fund will not invest less than 80% of its net
assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes,
in the component securities of its Underlying Index. For purposes
of this policy, ADRs and GDRs based on the component securities of
the Underlying Index are treated as component securities of the
Underlying Index.
If a percentage
limitation is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a
later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change
in value or total or net assets will not result in a violation of
such restriction, except that the percentage limitations with
respect to the borrowing of money will be observed continuously.
In
addition, if a Fund’s holdings of illiquid securities exceeds
15% of net assets because of changes in the value of the
Fund’s investments, the Fund will act in accordance with Rule
22e-4 under the 1940 Act and will take action to reduce its
holdings of illiquid securities pursuant to its written liquidity
risk management program.
The following
descriptions of certain provisions of the 1940 Act may assist
investors in understanding the above policies and
restrictions:
Concentration. The SEC has
defined concentration as investing 25% or more of an investment
company’s net assets in an industry or group of industries,
with certain exceptions.
Borrowing. The 1940 Act
presently allows a fund to borrow from any bank (including
pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33
1/3% of its total assets (not including temporary borrowings not in
excess of 5% of its total assets).
Senior Securities. Senior
securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by a
fund evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits
funds from issuing senior securities, although it does not treat
certain transactions as senior securities, such as certain
borrowings, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, firm
commitment agreements and standby commitments, with appropriate
earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such
obligation.
Lending. Under the 1940 Act, a
fund may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment
policies. The Fund’s current investment policy on lending is
as follows: the Fund may not make loans if, as a result, more than
33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, except
that the Fund may: (i) purchase or hold debt instruments in
accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) enter
into repurchase agreements; and (iii) engage in securities lending
subject to the limitations described in this SAI.
Underwriting. Under the 1940
Act, underwriting securities involves a fund purchasing securities
directly from an issuer for the purpose of selling
(distributing) them or participating in any such activity
either directly or indirectly.
Real Estate. The 1940 Act does
not directly restrict an investment company’s ability to
invest in real estate, but does require that every investment
company have a fundamental investment policy governing such
investments. The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate, except
that the Fund may purchase marketable securities issued by
companies which own or invest in real estate (including
REITs).
Commodities. The Fund will not
purchase or sell physical commodities or commodities contracts,
except that the Fund may purchase: (i) marketable securities
issued by companies which own or invest in commodities or
commodities contracts; and (ii) commodities contracts relating
to financial instruments, such as financial futures contracts and
options on such contracts.
EXCHANGE LISTING AND
TRADING
A discussion of
exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment
in the Fund is contained in the summary section of the Fund’s
Prospectus under the “PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES”
and in the statutory Prospectus under “BUYING AND SELLING THE
FUND.” The discussion below supplements, and should be read
in conjunction with, such sections of the Prospectus.
The Shares of the
Fund are approved for listing and trading on the Exchange, subject
to notice of issuance. The Shares trade on the Exchange at prices
that may differ to some degree from their net asset value. There
can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary
to maintain the listing of Shares of the Fund will continue to be
met.
The Exchange may,
but is not required to, remove the Shares of the Fund from listing
if: (1) following the initial twelve-month period beginning upon
the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50
beneficial holders of the Shares for 30 or more consecutive trading
days; (2) the value of its Underlying Index or portfolio of
securities on which the Fund is based is no longer calculated or
available; (3) the “indicative optimized portfolio
value” (“IOPV”) of the Fund is no longer
calculated or available; or (4) such other event shall occur
or condition exists that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes
further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. In addition, the
Exchange will remove the Shares from listing and trading upon
termination of the Trust or the Fund.
The Exchange (or
market data vendors or other information providers) will
disseminate, every fifteen seconds during the regular trading day,
an IOPV relating to the Fund. The IOPV calculations are estimates
of the value of the Fund’s NAV per Share and are based on the
Fund’s portfolio holdings and cash, less accrued expenses,
divided by the number of shares of the Fund outstanding as of the
time of the prior day’s NAV calculation. Premiums and discounts between the
IOPV and the market price may occur. The IOPV does not necessarily
reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of
securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the
best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, it
should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV
per Share of the Fund, which is calculated only once a day. The
quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S.
trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States.
Additionally, the calculation of the NAV may reflect the fair
values of certain Fund holdings, which may result in different
prices than those used in the calculations of the IOPV. Neither the
Fund nor the Adviser, nor any of their affiliates are involved in,
or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of such IOPVs
and make no warranty as to their accuracy.
The Trust reserves
the right to adjust the Share price of the Fund in the future to
maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments
would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits,
which would have no effect on the net assets of the
Fund.
As in the case of
other publicly traded securities, brokers’ commissions on
transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at
customary levels.
The base and
trading currencies of the Fund is the U.S. dollar. The base
currency is the currency in which the Fund’s net asset value
per Share is calculated and the trading currency is the currency in
which Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the
Exchange.
MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST
The following
information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the
section in the Prospectus entitled “Fund
Management.”
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE
TRUST
Board Responsibilities. The management
and affairs of the Trust and the Fund described in this SAI, are
overseen by the Trustees. The Board elects the officers of the
Trust who are responsible for administering the day-to-day
operations of the Trust and the Fund. The Board has approved
contracts, as described below, under which certain companies
provide essential services to the Trust.
Like most
registered investment companies, the day-to-day business of the
Trust, including the management of risk, is performed by third
party service providers, such as the Adviser, the Distributor and
the Fund’s administrator. The Trustees are responsible for
overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, have
oversight responsibility with respect to risk management performed
by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and
address risks, i.e., events
or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the
business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance
or reputation of the Fund. The Fund and its service providers
employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify
various of those possible events or circumstances, to lessen the
probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of
such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service
provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the
Trust’s business (e.g., the Adviser is responsible for
the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio
investments) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated
with that business. The Board has emphasized to the Fund’s
service providers the importance of maintaining vigorous risk
management.
The Trustees’
role in risk oversight begins before the inception of the Fund, at
which time certain of the Fund’s service providers present
the Board with information concerning the investment objectives,
strategies and risks of the Fund as well as proposed investment
limitations for the Fund. Additionally, the Fund’s Adviser
provides the Board with an overview of, among other things, its
investment philosophy, brokerage practices and compliance
infrastructure. Thereafter, the Board continues its oversight
function as various personnel, including the Trust’s Chief
Compliance Officer, as well as personnel of the Adviser and other
service providers such as the Fund’s independent accountants,
make periodic reports to the Audit Committee or to the Board with
respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board and the
Audit Committee oversee efforts by management and service providers
to manage risks to which the Fund may be exposed.
The Board is
responsible for overseeing the nature, extent and quality of the
services provided to the Fund by the Adviser and receives
information about those services at its regular meetings. In
addition, on an annual basis, in connection with its consideration
of whether to renew the Advisory Agreements with the Adviser, the
Board meets with the Adviser to review such services. Among other
things, the Board regularly considers the Adviser’s adherence
to the Fund’s investment restrictions and compliance with
various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities
regulations. The Board also reviews information about the
Fund’s performance and the Fund’s investments,
including, for example, portfolio holdings schedules.
The Trust’s
Chief Compliance Officer reports regularly to the Board to review
and discuss compliance issues and Fund and Adviser risk
assessments. At least annually, the Trust’s Chief Compliance
Officer provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and
effectiveness of the Trust’s policies and procedures and
those of its service providers, including the Adviser. The report
addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust
and each service provider since the date of the last report; any
material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of
the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the
policies and procedures; and any material compliance matters since
the date of the last report.
The Board receives
reports from the Fund’s service providers regarding
operational risks and risks related to the valuation and liquidity
of portfolio securities. The Board has also established a Fair
Value Committee that is responsible for implementing the
Trust’s Fair Value Procedures and providing reports to the
Board concerning investments for which market quotations are not
readily available. Annually, the independent registered public
accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of the
Fund’s financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk
encountered by the Fund and noting any significant deficiencies or
material weaknesses in the Fund’s internal controls.
Additionally, in connection with its oversight function, the Board
oversees Fund management’s implementation of disclosure
controls and procedures, which are designed to ensure that
information required to be disclosed by the Trust in its periodic
reports with the SEC are recorded, processed, summarized, and
reported within the required time periods. The Board also oversees
the Trust’s internal controls over financial reporting, which
comprise policies and procedures designed to provide reasonable
assurance regarding the reliability of the Trust’s financial
reporting and the preparation of the Trust’s financial
statements.
From their review
of these reports and discussions with the Adviser, the Chief
Compliance Officer, the independent registered public accounting
firm and other service providers, the Board and the Audit Committee
learn in detail about the material risks of the Fund, thereby
facilitating a dialogue about how management and service providers
identify and mitigate those risks.
The Board
recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be
identified and/or quantified, that it may not be practical or
cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may
be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related
risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals, and that the processes,
procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be
limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the
Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of
the relevant information. Most of the Fund’s investment
management and business affairs are carried out by or through the
Fund’s Adviser and other service providers each of which has
an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and
the methods by which one or more risk management functions are
carried out may differ from the Fund’s and each other’s
in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the
effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing
and other factors, the Board’s ability to monitor and manage
risk, as a practical matter, is subject to
limitations.
Members of the Board. There are three
members of the Board, two of whom are not interested persons
of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act
(“Independent Trustees”). Samuel Masucci, III, an
interested person of the Trust, serves as Chairman of the Board.
The Trust does not have a lead Independent Trustee. The Board is
comprised of 67% Independent Trustees. There is an Audit Committee
of the Board that is chaired by an Independent Trustee and
comprised solely of Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee chair
presides at the Committee meetings, participates in formulating
agendas for Committee meetings, and coordinates with management to
serve as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management
on matters within the scope of responsibilities of the Committee as
set forth in its Board-approved charter. Because of the ease of
communication arising from the relatively small size of the Board
and the small number of Independent Trustees, the Board has
determined not to designate a lead Independent Trustee at this
time.
The Trust has
determined its leadership structure is appropriate given the
specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust. The Trust
made this determination in consideration of, among other things,
the fact that the Independent Trustees constitute 67% of the
Board, the number of Independent Trustees that constitute the
Board, the amount of assets under management in the Trust, and the
number of funds overseen by the Board. The Board also believes that
its leadership structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow
of information to the Independent Trustees from Fund
management.
The Board of
Trustees has two standing committees: the Audit Committee and
Nominating Committee. The Audit Committee and Nominating Committee
are chaired by an Independent Trustee and composed of Independent
Trustees.
Set forth below are
the names, birth years, positions with the Trust, length of term of
office, and the principal occupations and other directorships held
during at least the last five years of each of the persons
currently serving as a Trustee of the Trust, as well as information
about each officer. The business address of each Trustee and
officer is 30 Maple Street, 2nd Floor,
Summit, New Jersey 07901.
Name
and
Year of Birth
|
Position(s)
Held with
the Trust,
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
|
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past
5 Years
|
Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
|
Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
5 Years
|
Interested Trustee and
Officers
|
Samuel Masucci,
III
(1962)
|
Trustee,
Chairman of the Board and President (since 2012); Secretary (since
2014)
|
Chief Executive Officer,
Exchange Traded Managers Group LLC (since 2013); Chief Executive
Officer, ETF Managers Group LLC (since 2016); Chief Executive
Officer, ETF Managers Capital LLC (commodity pool operator) (since
2014); Chief Executive Officer (2012-2016) and Chief Compliance
Officer (2012-2014), Factor Advisors, LLC (investment adviser);
President and Chief Executive Officer, Factor Capital Management
LLC (2012-2014) (commodity pool operator);
|
10
|
None
|
John A. Flanagan,
(1946)
|
Treasurer (since
2015)
|
President, John A.
Flanagan CPA, LLC (accounting services) (since 2010); Treasurer,
ETF Managers Trust (since 2015); Principal Financial Officer, ETF
Managers Capital LLC (commodity pool operator) (since
2015)
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Reshma A.
Tanczos
(1978)
|
Chief Compliance Officer
(since 2016)
|
Chief Compliance
Officer, ETF Managers Group LLC (since 2016); Chief Compliance
Officer, ETF Managers Capital LLC (since 2016); Partner, Crow &
Cushing (law firm) (2007-2016).
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
* Mr. Masucci
is an interested Trustee by virtue of his role as the Chief
Executive Officer of the Adviser.
Name
and
Year of Birth
|
Position(s)
Held with
the Trust,
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
|
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past
5 Years
|
Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
|
Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
5 Years
|
Independent Trustees
|
Terry
Loebs
(1963)
|
Trustee (since
2014)
|
Founder and Managing
Member, Pulsenomics LLC (index product development and consulting
firm) (since 2011); Managing Director, MacroMarkets, LLC
(exchange-traded products firm)
(2006–2011).
|
10
|
None
|
Jared A.
Chase
(1955)
|
Trustee (since
2018)
|
Chief Operating and
Financial Officer, Root Capital (a 501(c)(3) non-profit lender)
(since 2016); Chairman, State Street Global Alliance LLC, State
Street Corporation (2007-2012); Head of Global Treasury, Liability
Management, Money Markets & Derivatives, State Street
Corporation (2004-2007)
|
10
|
None
|
Individual Trustee Qualifications. The
Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the
Board because of their ability to review and understand information
about the Fund provided to them by management, to identify and
request other information they may deem relevant to the performance
of their duties, to question management and other service providers
regarding material factors bearing on the management and
administration of the Fund, and to exercise their business judgment
in a manner that serves the best interests of the Fund’s
shareholders. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees
should serve as a Trustee based on their own experience,
qualifications, attributes and skills as described
below.
The Trust has
concluded that Mr. Masucci should serve as Trustee because of
the experience he has gained as chief executive officer of multiple
investment advisory firms as well as his knowledge of and
experience in the financial services industry.
The Trust has
concluded that Mr. Loebs should serve as Trustee because of his
diverse experience in capital markets, including asset pricing and
trading, market research, index development, and exchange-traded
products, as well as his knowledge of and experience in the
financial services industry.
The Trust has
concluded that Mr. Chase should serve as Trustee because of his
executive experience at major investment advisory firms focusing on
global markets and derivatives, and his general knowledge of and
experience in the financial services industry.
The Board has
established the following standing committees:
Audit Committee. The Board has
a standing Audit Committee that is composed of 100% of the
Independent Trustees of the Trust. The Audit Committee operates
under a written charter approved by the Board. The principal
responsibilities of the Audit Committee include: recommending which
firm to engage as the Fund’s independent registered public
accounting firm and whether to terminate this relationship;
reviewing the independent registered public accounting firm’s
compensation, the proposed scope and terms of its engagement, and
the firm’s independence; pre-approving audit and non-audit
services provided by the Fund’s independent registered public
accounting firm to the Trust and certain other affiliated entities;
serving as a channel of communication between the independent
registered public accounting firm and the Trustees; reviewing the
results of each external audit, including any qualifications in the
independent registered public accounting firm’s opinion, any
related management letter, management’s responses to
recommendations made by the independent registered public
accounting firm in connection with the audit, reports submitted to
the Committee by the internal auditing department of the
Fund’s administrator, if any, and management’s
responses to any such reports; reviewing the Fund’s audited
financial statements and considering any significant disputes
between the Trust’s management and the independent registered
public accounting firm that arose in connection with the
preparation of those financial statements; considering, in
consultation with the independent registered public accounting firm
and the Trust’s senior internal accounting executive, if any,
the independent registered public accounting firms’ report on
the adequacy of the Trust’s internal financial controls;
reviewing, in consultation with the Fund’s independent
registered public accounting firm, major changes regarding auditing
and accounting principles and practices to be followed when
preparing the Fund’s financial statements; and other audit
related matters. All of the Independent Trustees currently serve as
members of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee also acts as
the Trust’s qualified legal compliance committee. During the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, the Audit Committee met four
times.
Nominating Committee. The Board
has a standing Nominating Committee that is composed of 100% of the
Independent Trustees of the Trust. The Nominating Committee
operates under a written charter approved by the Board. The
principal responsibility of the Nominating Committee is to
consider, recommend and nominate candidates to fill vacancies on
the Trust’s Board, if any. The Nominating Committee generally
will not consider nominees recommended by shareholders. All of the
Independent Trustees currently serve as members of the Nominating
Committee. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, the
Nominating Committee met one time.
Fair Value Committee. In
addition to the Board’s standing committees described above,
the Board has established a Fair Value Committee that is composed
of certain officers of the Trust and representatives from the
Adviser. The Fair Value Committee operates under procedures
approved by the Board. The Fair Value Committee is responsible for
the valuation and revaluation of any portfolio investments for
which market quotations or prices are not readily available. The
Fair Value Committee meets periodically, as necessary.
The following table
shows the dollar amount ranges of each Trustee’s
“beneficial ownership” of shares of the Fund as of the
end of the most recently completely calendar year. Dollar amount
ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. “Beneficial
ownership” is determined in accordance with
Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act. As of December 31, 2019,
the Trustees and officers of the Trust owned less than 1% of the
outstanding shares of the Fund.
Name
|
Dollar Range of Shares of the
Fund
|
Aggregate Dollar Range of
Shares
(All Funds in the
Complex)
|
Interested Trustee
|
Samuel R. Masucci,
III
|
None
|
None
|
Independent Trustees
|
Jared Chase
|
None
|
None
|
Terry Loebs
|
None
|
None
|
COMPENSATION OF THE TRUSTEES AND
OFFICER
The Trustees
received the following compensation during the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2019. The Adviser, and not the Fund, is responsible
for compensating the Trustees.
Name
|
Aggregate
Compensation
|
Pension or
Retirement
Benefits Accrued
as
Part of Fund Expenses
|
Estimated
Annual
Benefits Upon
Retirement
|
Total
Compensation
from the Trust
and
Fund Complex
|
Interested Trustee
|
Samuel R.Masucci,
III
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
Independent Trustees
|
Jared Chase
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$58,780
|
Terry Loebs
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$58,780
|
CODES OF ETHICS
The Trust, the
Adviser, and ETFMG Financial LLC (the “Distributor”)
have each adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of
the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics are designed to prevent
affiliated persons of the Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor
from engaging in deceptive, manipulative or fraudulent activities
in connection with securities held or to be acquired by the Fund
(which may also be held by persons subject to the codes of ethics).
Each Code of Ethics permits personnel subject to that Code of
Ethics to invest in securities for their personal investment
accounts, subject to certain limitations, including limitations
related to securities that may be purchased or held by the
Fund.
There can be no
assurance that the codes of ethics will be effective in preventing
such activities. Each code of ethics has been filed with the SEC
and may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C. or
on the Internet at the SEC’s website at
http://www.sec.gov.
PROXY VOTING POLICIES
The Fund has
delegated proxy voting responsibilities to the Adviser, subject to
the Board’s oversight. In delegating proxy responsibilities,
the Board has directed that proxies be voted consistent with the
Fund’s and its shareholders’ best interests and in
compliance with all applicable proxy voting rules and regulations.
The Adviser has adopted proxy voting policies and guidelines for
this purpose (“Proxy Voting Policies”) and may engage a
third party proxy solicitation firm to assist with voting proxies
in a timely manner, while the CCO is responsible for monitoring the
effectiveness of the Proxy Voting Policies. The Adviser has engaged
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. to assist the CCO in carrying
out the Trust’s Proxy Voting Policies. The Proxy Voting
Policies have been adopted by the Trust as the policies and
procedures that the Adviser will use when voting proxies on behalf
of the Fund.
The Proxy Voting
Policies address, among other things, material conflicts of
interest that may arise between the interests of the Fund and the
interests of the Adviser. The Proxy Voting Policies will ensure
that all issues brought to shareholders are analyzed in light of
the Adviser’s fiduciary responsibilities.
In voting to elect
board nominees for uncontested seats, the following factors will be
taken into account: (i) whether a majority of the
company’s directors are independent; (ii) whether key
board committees are entirely composed of independent directors;
(iii) excessive board memberships and professional time
commitments to effectively serve the company’s board; and
(iv) the attendance record of incumbent directors at board and
committee meetings.
Equity compensation
plans will also be reviewed on a case-by-case basis based upon
their specific features. For example, stock option plans will be
evaluated using criteria such as: (i) whether the plan is
performance-based; (ii) dilution to existing shareholders;
(iii) the cost of the plan; (iv) whether discounted
options are allowed under the plan; (v) whether the plan
authorizes the repricing of options or reload options without
shareholder approval; and (vi) the equity overhang of all
plans. Similarly, employee stock purchase plans generally will be
supported under the guidelines upon consideration of factors such
as (i) whether the plan sets forth adequate limits on share
issuance; (ii) whether participation limits are defined; and
(iii) whether discounts to employees exceed a threshold
amount.
The Proxy Voting
Policies provide for review and vote on shareholder proposals on a
case-by-case basis. In accordance with this approach, these
guidelines support a shareholder proposal upon the compelling
showing that it has a substantial economic impact on shareholder
value. As such, proposals that request that the company report on
environmental, labor or human rights issues are only supported when
such concerns pose a substantial risk to shareholder
value.
With regard to
voting proxies of foreign companies, the Adviser may weigh the cost
of voting, and potential inability to sell the securities (which
may occur during the voting process), against the benefit of voting
the proxies to determine whether or not to vote.
Information on how
the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the
most recent 12 month period ended June 30 is available
(1) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-844-ETFMGRS (383-6477) and
(2) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER
SERVICES
ETF Managers Group, LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company located at 30 Maple Street, 2nd Floor,
Summit, New Jersey 07901, serves as the investment adviser
to the Fund. The Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Exchange
Traded Managers Group, LLC, an entity controlled by Samuel Masucci,
III, the Adviser’s Chief Executive Officer and a Trustee and
Chairman of the Board of the Trust.
The Trust and the
Adviser have entered into an investment advisory agreement (the
“Advisory Agreement”) with respect to the Fund. Under
the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser serves as the investment
adviser, makes investment decisions for the Fund, and manages the
investment portfolios of the Fund, subject to the supervision of,
and policies established by, the Board. The Adviser is responsible
for trading portfolio securities on behalf of the Fund, including
selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions
as instructed by the Adviser or in connection with any rebalancing
or reconstitution of the Fund’s Index, subject to the
supervision of the Board. The Advisory Agreement provides that the
Adviser shall not be protected against any liability to the Trust
or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or
gross negligence generally in the performance of its duties
hereunder or its reckless disregard of its obligation and duties
under the Advisory Agreement.
After the initial
two-year term, the continuance of the Advisory Agreement must be
specifically approved at least annually: (i) by the vote of
the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the Fund; and
(ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not
parties to the Advisory Agreement or “interested
persons” or of any party thereto, cast in person at a meeting
called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory
Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its
assignment, and is terminable at any time without penalty by the
Trustees of the Trust or, with respect to the Fund, by a majority
of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, or by the Adviser
on not more than 60 days’ nor less than
30 days’ written notice to the Trust. As used in the
Advisory Agreement, the terms “majority of the outstanding
voting securities,” “interested persons” and
“assignment” have the same meaning as such terms in the
1940 Act.
For its services,
the Adviser receives a fee that is equal to 0.75% per annum of the
average daily net assets of the Fund, calculated daily and paid
monthly. Additionally, under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the
Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund, except for: the
fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory
Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage
commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the
purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments,
acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability,
extraordinary expenses (such as, among other things and subject to
Board approval, certain proxy solicitation costs and non-standard
Board-related expenses and litigation against the Board, Trustees,
Fund, Adviser, and officers of the Adviser), and distribution
(12b-1) fees and expenses.
For the fiscal
periods indicated below, the Fund paid the following management
fees to the Adviser:
|
|
Aggregate Advisory Fees Paid to
Adviser
|
|
|
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2017
|
|
$27,597
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2018
|
|
$2,207,335
|
Fiscal year ended September 30,
2019
|
|
$7,180,611
|
Prior to April 1,
2017, Penserra Capital Management, LLC (“Penserra”), a
New York limited liability company, located at 140 Broadway, 26th
Floor, New York, New York 10005, served as sub-adviser to the Fund
and was compensated by the Adviser. Penserra received an annual fee
equal to the greater of (1) $25,000 per annum or (2) 0.05% per
annum of the average daily net assets of the Fund, calculated daily
and paid monthly.
For the fiscal
periods indicated below, the Adviser paid the following fees to
Penserra with respect to the Fund:
|
|
Sub-Advisory Fees Paid to
Penserra
|
|
|
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2017
|
|
$12,465
|
This section
includes information about the Fund’s portfolio managers,
including information about other accounts they manage, the dollar
range of Shares they own and how they are compensated.
Portfolio
Manager Compensation. Samuel R. Masucci, III, Devin
Ryder, Frank Vallario and Donal Bishnoi are the portfolio managers
of the Fund. Their portfolio management compensation includes a
salary and discretionary bonus based on the profitability of the
Adviser. No compensation is directly related to the performance of
the underlying assets.
Portfolio
Manager Fund Ownership. As of September 30, 2019,
Samuel R. Masucci, III, Devin Ryder, Frank Vallario and
Donal Bishnoi did not own Shares of the Fund.
Other
Accounts
In addition to the
Fund, Samuel R. Masucci, III, Donal
Bishnoi, and Devin Ryder managed the following other
accounts for the Adviser as of
September 30, 2019.
Type of Accounts
|
Total Number of Accounts
|
Total Assets of Accounts
|
Total Number of Accounts with Performance Based
Fees
|
Total Assets of Accounts with
Performance Based Fees
|
Registered Investment
Companies
|
8
|
$2,633,088,129
|
0
|
NA
|
Other Pooled Investment
Vehicles
|
2
|
$8,184,360
|
0
|
NA
|
Other
Accounts
|
0
|
NA
|
0
|
NA
|
Description of
Material Conflicts of Interest. The portfolio
managers’ management of “other accounts” is not
expected to give rise to potential conflicts of interest in
connection with their management of the Fund’s investments,
on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the
other. The other accounts may have the same investment objectives
as the Fund. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise
as a result of the identical investment objectives, whereby a
portfolio manager could favor one account over another. Another
potential conflict could include a portfolio manager’s
knowledge about the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund
trades, whereby the portfolio manager could use this information to
the advantage of other accounts and to the disadvantage of the
Fund. However, the Adviser has established policies and procedures
to ensure that the purchase and sale of securities among all
accounts the Adviser manages are fairly and equitably
allocated.
The Trust and ETFMG
Financial LLC, an affiliate of the Adviser, are parties to a
distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”),
whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the
Trust’s shares and distributes the shares of the Fund. Shares
are continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only in
Creation Units. Each Creation Unit is made up of 50,000 Shares. The
Distributor will not distribute Shares in amounts less than a
Creation Unit and does not maintain a secondary market in Fund
Shares. The principal business address of the Distributor is 30
Maple Street, Summit, New Jersey 07901.
Under the
Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent for the Trust,
will receive orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation
Units, provided that any subscriptions and orders will not be
binding on the Trust until accepted by the Trust. The Distributor
will deliver a prospectus to authorized participants purchasing
Shares in Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders
placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The
Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and a member
of FINRA.
Upon direction from
the Trust, the Distributor may also enter into agreements with
securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will
solicit purchases of Creation Units of Shares. Such Soliciting
Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as discussed in
“Procedures for Creation of Creation Units” below) or
DTC Participants (as defined below).
The Distribution
Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and
is renewable thereafter. The continuance of the Distribution
Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually
(i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the
shareholders of the Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of
the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the
Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the
operations of the Distribution Agreement or any related agreement,
cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on
such approval. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without
penalty by the Trust on 60 days’ written notice when
authorized either by majority vote of its outstanding voting shares
or by a vote of a majority of its Board (including a majority of
the Independent Trustees), or by the Distributor on 60 days
written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of
its assignment. The Distribution Agreement provides that in the
absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence on the part
of the Distributor, or reckless disregard by it of its obligations
thereunder, the Distributor shall not be liable for any action or
failure to act in accordance with its duties
thereunder.
Distribution Plan. The Trust has
adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) in accordance
with the provisions of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, which
regulates circumstances under which an investment company may
directly or indirectly bear expenses relating to the distribution
of its shares. No distribution fees are currently charged to the
Fund; there are no plans to impose these fees.
Continuance of the
Plan must be approved annually by a majority of the Trustees of the
Trust and by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested
persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no
direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan or in any
agreements related to the Plan (“Qualified Trustees”).
The Plan requires that quarterly written reports of amounts spent
under the Plan and the purposes of such expenditures be furnished
to and reviewed by the Trustees. The Plan may not be amended to
increase materially the amount that may be spent thereunder without
approval by a majority of the outstanding shares of any class of
the Fund that is affected by such increase. All material amendments
of the Plan will require approval by a majority of the Trustees of
the Trust and of the Qualified Trustees.
The Plan provides
that Shares (“Shares”) of the Fund pay the Distributor
an annual fee of up to a maximum of 0.25% of the average daily net
assets of the Shares. Under the Plan, the Distributor may make
payments pursuant to written agreements to financial institutions
and intermediaries such as banks, savings and loan associations and
insurance companies including, without limit, investment
counselors, broker-dealers and the Distributor’s affiliates
and subsidiaries (collectively, “Agents”) as
compensation for services and reimbursement of expenses incurred in
connection with distribution assistance. The Plan is characterized
as a compensation plan since the distribution fee will be paid to
the Distributor without regard to the distribution expenses
incurred by the Distributor or the amount of payments made to other
financial institutions and intermediaries. The Trust intends to
operate the Plan in accordance with its terms and with FINRA rules
concerning sales charges.
Under the Plan,
subject to the limitations of applicable law and regulations, the
Fund is authorized to compensate the Distributor up to the maximum
amount to finance any activity primarily intended to result in the
sale of Creation Units of the Fund or for providing or arranging
for others to provide shareholder services and for the maintenance
of shareholder accounts. Such activities may include, but are not
limited to: (i) delivering copies of the Fund’s then current
reports, prospectuses, notices, and similar materials, to
prospective purchasers of Creation Units; (ii) marketing and
promotional services, including advertising; (iii) paying the costs
of and compensating others, including Authorized Participants with
whom the Distributor has entered into written Authorized
Participant Agreements, for performing shareholder servicing on
behalf of the Fund; (iv) compensating certain Authorized
Participants for providing assistance in distributing the Creation
Units of the Fund, including the travel and communication expenses
and salaries and/or commissions of sales personnel in connection
with the distribution of the Creation Units of the Fund; (v)
payments to financial institutions and intermediaries such as
banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies and
investment counselors, broker-dealers, mutual fund supermarkets and
the affiliates and subsidiaries of the Trust’s service
providers as compensation for services or reimbursement of expenses
incurred in connection with distribution assistance; (vi)
facilitating communications with beneficial owners of Shares,
including the cost of providing (or paying others to provide)
services to beneficial owners of Shares, including, but not limited
to, assistance in answering inquiries related to shareholder
accounts, and (vi) such other services and obligations as are set
forth in the Distribution Agreement.
The Trust, on
behalf of the Fund, and the Adviser have entered into an
administration agreement (the “Administration
Agreement”), under which the Adviser provides the Fund with
administrative services, including regulatory reporting and all
necessary office space, equipment, personnel and facilities.
Pursuant to a schedule to the Administration Agreement, the Adviser
also serves as the shareholder servicing agent for the Fund whereby
the Adviser provides certain shareholder services to the Fund. The
principal business address of the Adviser is 30 Maple Street, 2nd
Floor, Summit, NJ 07901.
The Administration
Agreement provides that the Adviser shall not be liable for any
error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the
Trust in connection with the matters to which the Administration
Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from willful
misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the
Adviser in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard
by it of its duties and obligations thereunder.
For its services
under the Administration Agreement, the Adviser is entitled to a
fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund and subject
to a minimum annual fee. The fee under the Administration Agreement
is paid out of the investment advisory fee paid to the Adviser by
the Fund.
For the fiscal
periods indicated below, the following fees were paid to the
Fund’s administrator.
|
|
Fees Paid to the
Administrator
|
|
|
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2017
|
|
$27,887
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2018*
|
|
$116,095
|
Fiscal year ended September
30, 2019
|
|
$478,707
|
* Prior to
September 17, 2018, the Fund’s administrator was U.S. Bancorp
Fund Services, LLC (“Fund Services”). The amounts reflected in the
table above include amounts paid to Fund Services for the period in
which it served as administrator to the Fund. For the period from
September 17, 2018 to September 30, 2018, $11,009 were paid to the
Adviser under the Administration Agreement.
SUB-ADMINISTRATIVE AND ACCOUNTING AGENT
The Trust has
entered into an agreement with Ultimus Fund Solutions
(“Ultimus”), 80 Arkay Drive, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY
11788, pursuant to which Ultimus acts as sub-administrative and
sub-accounting agent of the Fund. For its services in this
capacity, Ultimus is entitled to a fee based on the average daily
net assets of the Fund and subject to a minimum annual fee. In
addition to the asset-based fee, Ultimus is entitled to certain
non-material fees, as well as out of pocket expenses. The fee paid to
Ultimus is paid out of the investment advisory fee paid to the
Adviser by the Fund.
For the fiscal periods indicated below, the following fees were
paid to the Fund’s sub-administrator.
|
|
Fees Paid to the Sub-Administrator
|
|
|
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2019*
|
|
$475,480
|
* Ultimus became
sub-administrative and sub-accounting agent for the Fund
effective February 1, 2019.
THE CUSTODIAN
WedbushSecurities Inc.
(“Wedbush”), a broker-dealer that is a member of
a national securities exchange, as defined in the Exchange Act,
serves as the custodian of the Fund. Wedbush holds cash, securities
and other assets of the Fund as required by the 1940 Act. The
principal business address of Wedbush is 1000 Wilshire Blvd., Suite
900, Los Angeles, CA 90017.
THE TRANSFER AGENT
Computershare Trust
Company N.A. (the “Transfer Agent”), 250 Royall Street,
Canton, MA 02021, serves as the Fund’s transfer agent and
dividend disbursing agent under a transfer agency agreement with
the Trust.
Sullivan & Worcester LLP, 1666 K
Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, serves as legal counsel
to the Trust.
INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
WithumSmith + Brown, PC, with offices
located at 1411 Broadway, 9th Floor, New York, New York,
10018, serves as the independent registered public
accounting firm for the Fund.
The Declaration of
Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of funds and
shares of each fund. Each share of a fund represents an equal
proportionate interest in that fund with each other share. Shares
are entitled upon liquidation to a pro rata share in the net assets
of the fund. Shareholders have no preemptive rights. The
Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees of the Trust may
create additional series or classes of shares. All consideration
received by the Trust for shares of any additional funds and all
assets in which such consideration is invested would belong to that
fund and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Share
certificates representing shares will not be issued. The
Fund’s shares, when issued, are fully paid and
non-assessable.
Each share has one
vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is
required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the
rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all funds vote together as
a single class, except that if the matter being voted on affects
only a particular fund it will be voted on only by that fund and if
a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds,
that fund will vote separately on such matter. As a Delaware
statutory trust, the Trust is not required, and does not intend, to
hold annual meetings of shareholders. Approval of shareholders will
be sought, however, for certain changes in the operation of the
Trust and for the election of Trustees under certain circumstances.
Upon the written request of shareholders owning at least 10% of the
Trust’s shares, the Trust will call for a meeting of
shareholders to consider the removal of one or more trustees and
other certain matters. In the event that such a meeting is
requested, the Trust will provide appropriate assistance and
information to the shareholders requesting the
meeting.
Under the
Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the power to liquidate each
fund without shareholder approval. While the Trustees have no
present intention of exercising this power, they may do so if any
fund fails to reach a viable size within a reasonable amount of
time or for such other reasons as may be determined by the
Board.
The policy of the
Trust regarding purchases and sales of securities for the Fund is
that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most
favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions.
Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are
effected on a stock exchange, the Trust’s policy is to pay
commissions which are considered fair and reasonable without
necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are
paid in all circumstances. The Trust believes that a requirement
always to seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede
effective portfolio management and preclude the Fund and the
Adviser from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research
services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage
commissions paid in any transaction, the Adviser will rely upon its
experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by
various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage and
research services received from the broker effecting the
transaction. Such determinations are necessarily subjective and
imprecise, as in most cases, an exact dollar value for those
services is not ascertainable. The Trust has adopted policies and
procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of the
Fund’s shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or
dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.
The Adviser owes a
fiduciary duty to its clients to seek to provide best execution on
trades effected. In selecting a broker/dealer for each specific
transaction, the Adviser chooses the broker/dealer deemed most
capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most
favorable execution. Best execution is generally understood to mean
the most favorable cost or net proceeds reasonably obtainable under
the circumstances. The full range of brokerage services applicable
to a particular transaction may be considered when making this
judgment, which may include, but is not limited to: liquidity,
price, commission, timing, aggregated trades, capable floor brokers
or traders, competent block trading coverage, ability to position,
capital strength and stability, reliable and accurate
communications and settlement processing, use of automation,
knowledge of other buyers or sellers, arbitrage skills,
administrative ability, underwriting and provision of information
on a particular security or market in which the transaction is to
occur. The specific criteria will vary depending upon the nature of
the transaction, the market in which it is executed, and the extent
to which it is possible to select from among multiple
broker/dealers. The Adviser will also use electronic crossing
networks (“ECNs”) when appropriate.
The Adviser may use
a Fund’s assets for, or participate in, third-party soft
dollar arrangements, in addition to receiving proprietary research
from various full service brokers, the cost of which is bundled
with the cost of the broker’s execution services. The Adviser
does not “pay up” for the value of any such proprietary
research. Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act permits the Adviser, under
certain circumstances, to cause a Fund to pay a broker or dealer a
commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of
commission another broker or dealer would have charged for
effecting the transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage
and research services provided by the broker or dealer. The Adviser
may receive a variety of research services and information on many
topics, which it can use in connection with its management
responsibilities with respect to the various accounts over which it
exercises investment discretion or otherwise provides investment
advice. The research services may include qualifying order
management systems, portfolio attribution and monitoring services
and computer software and access charges which are directly related
to investment research. Accordingly, a Fund may pay a broker
commission higher than the lowest available in recognition of the
broker’s provision of such services to the Adviser, but only
if the Adviser determines the total commission (including the soft
dollar benefit) is comparable to the best commission rate that
could be expected to be received from other brokers. The amount of
soft dollar benefits received depends on the amount of brokerage
transactions effected with the brokers. A conflict of interest
exists because there is an incentive to: 1) cause clients to pay a
higher commission than the firm might otherwise be able to
negotiate; 2) cause clients to engage in more securities
transactions than would otherwise be optimal; and 3) only recommend
brokers that provide soft dollar benefits.
The Adviser faces a
potential conflict of interest when it uses client trades to obtain
brokerage or research services. This conflict exists because the
Adviser is able to use the brokerage or research services to manage
client accounts without paying cash for such services, which
reduces the Adviser’s expenses to the extent that the Adviser
would have purchased such products had they not been provided by
brokers. Section 28(e) permits the Adviser to use brokerage or
research services for the benefit of any account it manages.
Certain accounts managed by the Adviser may generate soft dollars
used to purchase brokerage or research services that ultimately
benefit other accounts managed by the Adviser, effectively cross
subsidizing the other accounts managed by the Adviser that benefit
directly from the product. The Adviser may not necessarily use all
of the brokerage or research services in connection with managing a
Fund whose trades generated the soft dollars used to purchase such
products.
The Adviser is
responsible, subject to oversight by the Board, for placing orders
on behalf of the Fund for the purchase or sale of portfolio
securities. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the
Fund and one or more other investment companies or clients
supervised by the Adviser are considered at or about the same time,
transactions in such securities are allocated among the several
investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable and
consistent with its fiduciary obligations to all by the Adviser. In
some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the
price or volume of the security so far as the Fund is concerned.
However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to
participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower brokerage
commissions will be beneficial to the Fund. The primary
consideration is prompt execution of orders at the most favorable
net price.
The Fund may deal
with affiliates in principal transactions to the extent permitted
by exemptive order or applicable rule or regulation.
For the fiscal
periods indicated below, the Fund paid the following amounts in
brokerage commissions:
|
|
Brokerage Commissions
|
|
|
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2017
|
|
$4,990
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2018
|
|
$1,074,475
|
Fiscal year ended September
30, 20189
|
|
$1,263,360
|
Of the above
amounts, the following amounts were paid to the affiliated
broker-dealers listed below for the fiscal periods indicated
below:
|
|
Affiliated Broker
|
|
|
Penserra Securities, LLC*
|
Commissions Paid fiscal
year ended September 30, 2017
|
|
$0
|
* Penserra
Securities, LLC is an affiliated person of Penserra, which served
as the Fund’s sub-adviser until April 1, 2017.
Brokerage with Fund Affiliates. The Fund
may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through
registered broker-dealer affiliates of either the Fund, the
Adviser, or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the
1940 Act, the 1934 Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. These
rules require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Fund
for exchange transactions not exceed “usual and customary”
brokerage commissions. The rules define “usual and
customary” commissions to include amounts which are
“reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other
remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in
connection with comparable transactions involving similar
securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during
a comparable period of time.” The Trustees, including those
who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, have
adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions
paid to affiliates and review these procedures
periodically.
Securities of “Regular
Broker-Dealer.” The Fund is required to identify any
securities of its “regular brokers and dealers” (as
such term is defined in the 1940 Act) which it may hold at the
close of its most recent fiscal year. “Regular brokers or
dealers” of the Trust are the ten brokers or dealers that,
during the most recent fiscal year: (i) received the greatest
dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Trust’s
portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the
largest dollar amounts of portfolio transactions of the Trust; or
(iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Trust’s
shares. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, the Fund did
not hold any securities of “regular broker dealers” to
report.
Portfolio turnover
may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover
rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage
expenses. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is
evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available
information as to the general level of commissions paid by other
institutional investors for comparable services.
For the fiscal
periods indicated below, the Fund had the following portfolio
turnover rates:
|
|
|
|
|
Portfolio Turnover
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2018
|
|
97%
|
Fiscal year ended
September 30, 2019
|
|
71%
|
Depositary Trust
Company (“DTC”) acts as securities depositary for the
Shares. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered
in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited
with, or on behalf of, DTC. Except in limited circumstances set
forth below, certificates will not be issued for
Shares.
DTC is a
limited-purpose trust company that was created to hold securities
of its participants (the “DTC’s Participants”)
and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities
transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through
electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants,
thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities
certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and
dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain
other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives)
own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC
Participants and by the NYSE and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is
also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers, and trust
companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship
with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the
“Indirect Participants”).
Beneficial
ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect
Participants, and persons holding interests through DTC
Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial
interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are
referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on,
and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records
maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the
records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants
and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial
Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written
confirmation relating to their purchase of Shares. The Trust
recognizes DTC or its nominee as the record owner of all Shares for
all purposes. Beneficial Owners of Shares are not entitled to have
Shares registered in their names, and will not receive or be
entitled to physical delivery of share certificates. Each
Beneficial Owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and any DTC
Participant and/or Indirect Participant through which such
Beneficial Owner holds its interests, to exercise any rights of a
holder of Shares.
Conveyance of all
notices, statements, and other communications to Beneficial Owners
is effected as follows. DTC will make available to the Trust upon
request and for a fee a listing of Shares held by each DTC
Participant. The Trust shall obtain from each such DTC Participant
the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or
indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide
each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement, or
other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such
DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice,
statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC
Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In
addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair
and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant
to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and
regulatory requirements.
Share distributions
shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the
registered holder of all shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt
of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC
Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate
to their respective beneficial interests in the Fund as shown on
the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to
Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through
such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and
customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for
the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a
“street name,” and will be the responsibility of such
DTC Participants.
The Trust has no
responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating
to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of
beneficial ownership interests in the Fund’s shares, or for
maintaining, supervising, or reviewing any records relating to such
beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the
relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the
relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect
Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC
Participants.
DTC may determine
to discontinue providing its service with respect to the Fund at
any time by giving reasonable notice to the Fund and discharging
its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law.
Under such circumstances, the Fund shall take action either to find
a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost
or, if such replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver
printed certificates representing ownership of Shares, unless the
Trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to
the Exchange.
CONTROL
PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
A principal
shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or
more of the outstanding shares of a fund. A control person is a
shareholder that owns beneficially or through controlled companies
more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges
the existence of control. Shareholders owning voting securities in
excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and
voted on by shareholders of the Fund.
As of September 30,
2019, there are no persons who are known by the Trust to own, of
record or beneficially, 5% or more of the Fund’s outstanding
equity securities.
PURCHASE AND ISSUANCE OF SHARES IN CREATION
UNITS
The Trust issues
and sells Shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a
continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but
subject to transaction fees), at their NAV per share next
determined after receipt of an order, on any Business Day, in
proper form pursuant to the terms of the Authorized Participant
Agreement (“Participant Agreement”). The NAV of the
Fund’s shares is calculated each business day as of the close
of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, generally 4:00
p.m., Eastern Time. The Fund will not issue fractional Creation
Units. A Business Day is any day on which the New York Stock
Exchange is generally open for business.
FUND DEPOSIT. The
consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of the Fund generally
consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of
securities (the “Deposit Securities”) per each Creation
Unit, constituting a substantial replication, or a portfolio
sampling representation, of the securities included in the
Fund’s Underlying Index and the Cash Component (defined
below), computed as described below. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution
of a “cash in lieu” amount (“Deposit Cash”)
to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security.
When accepting purchases of Creation Units for all or a portion of
Deposit Cash, the Fund may incur additional costs associated with
the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be
provided by an in-kind purchaser.
Together, the
Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash
Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which
represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for
a Creation Unit of the Fund. The “Cash Component” is an
amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the
Shares (per Creation Unit) and the market value of the Deposit
Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable. If the Cash Component is
a positive number (i.e.,
the net asset value per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of
the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash
Component shall be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a
negative number (i.e., the
net asset value per Creation Unit is less than the market value of
the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash
Component shall be such negative amount and the creator will be
entitled to receive cash in an amount equal to the Cash Component.
The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any
differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit and the
market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as
applicable. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp
duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of
beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, if applicable,
which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized
Participant (as defined below).
The Fund makes
available on each Business Day, on its website or through other
means of public dissemination, immediately prior to the opening of
business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the
list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit
Security or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, to
be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at
the end of the previous Business Day) for the Fund. Such Fund
Deposit is subject to any applicable adjustments as described
below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of the Fund
until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit
Securities or the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable,
is made available.
The identity and
number of shares of the Deposit Securities or the amount of Deposit
Cash, as applicable, required for the Fund Deposit for the Fund
changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are
reflected from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the
investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit
Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the
weighting or composition of the component securities of the
Fund’s Underlying Index.
The Trust reserves
the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of
cash (i.e., a “cash
in lieu” amount) to replace any Deposit Security, including,
without limitation, in situations where the Deposit Security:
(i) may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery;
(ii) may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of
DTC for corporate securities and municipal securities;
(iii) may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized
Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is
acting; (iv) would be restricted under the securities laws or
where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized
Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security
by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the
securities laws; or (v) in certain other situations
(collectively, “custom orders”). The Trust also
reserves the right to include or remove Deposit Securities from the
basket in anticipation of index rebalancing changes. The
adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to the
Adviser on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of
delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the subject
Index being tracked by the Fund or resulting from certain corporate
actions.
PROCEDURES FOR
PURCHASE OF CREATION UNITS. To be eligible to place orders with the
Distributor to purchase a Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity must
be a DTC Participant (see “BOOK ENTRY ONLY
SYSTEM”). In addition, each DTC Participant (each, an
“Authorized Participant”) must execute a Participant
Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has
been accepted by the Transfer Agent, with respect to purchases and
redemptions of Creation Units. Each Authorized Participant will
agree, pursuant to the terms of a Participant Agreement, on behalf
of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain
conditions, including that it will pay to the Trust, an amount of
cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component together with the
Creation Transaction Fee (defined below) and any other applicable
fees and taxes. The Adviser may retain all or a portion of the
Transaction Fee to the extent the Adviser bears the expenses that
otherwise would be borne by the Trust in connection with the
purchase of a Creation Unit, which the Transaction Fee is designed
to cover.
All orders to
purchase Shares directly from the Fund must be placed for one or
more Creation Units and in the manner and by the time set forth in
the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. The date on
which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem
Creation Units, as set forth below) is received and accepted is
referred to as the “Order Placement Date.”
An Authorized
Participant may require an investor to make certain representations
or enter into agreements with respect to the order, (e.g., to provide for payments of cash,
when required). Investors should be aware that their particular
broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that,
therefore, orders to purchase Shares directly from the Fund in
Creation Units have to be placed by the investor’s broker
through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant
Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such
investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of
broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and only
a small number of such Authorized Participants may have
international capabilities.
On days when the
Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to
create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition,
if a market or markets on which the Fund’s investments are
primarily traded is closed, the Fund will also generally not accept
orders on such day(s). Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized
Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to
the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant
Agreement and in accordance with the applicable order form. With
respect to the Fund, the Distributor will notify the Custodian of
such order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the
appropriate local sub-custodian(s). Those placing orders through an
Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit
proper submission of the purchase order to the Transfer Agent, and
accepted by the Distributor, by the cut-off time on such Business
Day. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or
other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the
Distributor or an Authorized Participant.
Fund Deposits must
be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal
Reserve System (for cash) or through DTC (for corporate
securities), through a sub-custody agent (for foreign securities)
and/or through such other arrangements allowed by the Trust or its
agents. With respect to foreign Deposit Securities, the Custodian
shall cause the sub-custodian of the Fund to maintain an account
into which the Authorized Participant shall deliver, on behalf of
itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, such Deposit
Securities (or Deposit Cash for all or a part of such securities,
as permitted or required), with any appropriate adjustments as
advised by the Trust. Foreign Deposit Securities must be delivered
to an account maintained at the applicable local sub-custodian. The
Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant
in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite
number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the
account of the Fund or its agents by no later than the Settlement
Date. The “Settlement Date” for the Fund is generally
the second Business Day after the Order Placement Date. All
questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash to
be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and eligibility
(including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered
securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Trust,
whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash
represented by the Cash Component must be transferred directly to
the Custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system
or through DTC in a timely manner so as to be received by the
Custodian no later than the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component
and the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not
received by in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation
order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor,
such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day
using the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then
current NAV of the Fund.
The order shall be
deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is
placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to
the applicable cut-off time and the federal funds in the
appropriate amount are deposited by 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. Eastern
time (as set forth on the applicable order form), with the
Custodian on the Settlement Date. If the order is not placed in
proper form as required, or federal funds in the appropriate amount
are not received by 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time (as set
forth on the applicable order form) on the Settlement Date, then
the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized
Participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any,
resulting therefrom. A creation request is considered to be in
“proper form” if all procedures set forth in the
Participant Agreement, order form and this SAI are properly
followed.
ISSUANCE OF A
CREATION UNIT. Except as provided herein, Creation Units will not
be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the
Deposit Securities or payment of Deposit Cash, as applicable, and
the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the
sub-custodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the required
Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered
to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the
Distributor and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and
the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units.
The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no
later than the second Business Day following the day on which the
purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor. However, as
discussed in Appendix A, the Fund reserves the right to settle
Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than the second
Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is
deemed received by the Distributor in order to accommodate foreign
market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among
foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend
dates (that is the last day the holder of a security can sell the
security and still receive dividends payable on the security), and
in certain other circumstances. The Authorized Participant shall be
liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting from unsettled
orders.
Creation Units may
be purchased in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion
of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these
circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than
the net asset value of the Shares on the date the order is placed
in proper form since in addition to available Deposit Securities,
cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of
(i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) an additional amount of
cash equal to a percentage of the market value as set forth in the
Participant Agreement, of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the
“Additional Cash Deposit”), which shall be maintained
in a separate non-interest bearing collateral account. An
additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with
the Trust, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to
the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with
the Trust in an amount at least equal to the applicable percentage,
as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily marked to
market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participant
Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit
Securities at any time. Authorized Participants will be liable to
the Trust for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with
any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the
amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities
exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the
purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the
brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such
purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the
Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities
have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the
Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a Transaction Fee
as set forth below under “Creation Transaction Fee”
will be charged in all cases. The delivery of Creation Units so
created generally will occur no later than the Settlement
Date.
ACCEPTANCE OF
ORDERS OF CREATION UNITS. The Trust reserves the absolute right to
reject an order for Creation Units transmitted to it by the
Distributor in respect of the Fund including, without limitation,
if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit
Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, delivered by the
Participant are not as publicly disseminated for that date;
(c) the investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would
own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of the Fund;
(d) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain
adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (e) the acceptance of
the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful;
(f) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the
discretion of the Trust or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on
the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; (g) the
acceptance or receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in
the opinion of counsel to the Trust, be unlawful; or (h) in
the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the
Custodian, the Transfer Agent and/or the Adviser make it for all
practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation
Units.
Examples of such
circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility
problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and
power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer
failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts;
systems failures involving computer or other information systems
affecting the Trust, the Distributor, the Custodian, a
sub-custodian, the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve
System, or any other participant in the creation process, and other
extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective
creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting
on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection of the
order of such person. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian,
any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however,
to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the
delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall either of them incur any
liability for the failure to give any such notification. The Trust,
the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Distributor shall not be
liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation
Units.
All questions as to
the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and
the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any
securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and
the Trust’s determination shall be final and
binding.
CREATION
TRANSACTION FEE. A purchase (i.e., creation) transaction fee,
payable to the Fund’s custodian, may be imposed for the
transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase
of Creation Units, and investors will be required to pay a creation
transaction fee regardless of the number of Creation Units created
in the transaction. The Fund may adjust the creation transaction
fee from time to time. The standard fixed creation transaction fee
for the Fund will be $750. In addition, a variable fee will be
charged on all cash transactions or substitutes for Creation Units
of up to a maximum of 2% as a percentage of the value of the
Creation Units subject to the transaction. The variable charge may
be imposed for cash purchases, non-standard orders, or partial cash
purchases incurred by the Fund, primarily designed to cover
expenses related to broker commissions. Investors who use the
services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a
fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed
costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit
Securities to the account of the Trust.
RISKS OF PURCHASING
CREATION UNITS. There are certain legal risks unique to investors
purchasing Creation Units directly from the Fund. Because the
Fund’s shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a
“distribution” of Shares could be occurring at any
time. Certain activities that a shareholder performs as a dealer
could, depending on the circumstances, result in the shareholder
being deemed a participant in the distribution in a manner that
could render the shareholder a statutory underwriter and subject to
the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities
Act. For example, a shareholder could be deemed a statutory
underwriter if it purchases Creation Units from the Fund, breaks
them down into the constituent Shares, and sells those Shares
directly to customers, or if a shareholder chooses to couple the
creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort
involving solicitation of secondary-market demand for Shares.
Whether a person is an underwriter depends upon all of the facts
and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and
the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete
description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed
an underwriter.
Dealers who are not
“underwriters” but are participating in a distribution
(as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary-market transactions),
and thus dealing with the Fund’s Shares as part of an
“unsold allotment” within the meaning of
Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to
take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by
Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act.
REDEMPTION. Shares
may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their net asset value
next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper
form by the Fund through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business
Day. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF THE FUND, THE TRUST WILL NOT REDEEM
SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS. Investors must
accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a
Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust.
There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient
liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit
assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur
brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a
sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation
Unit.
The Fund makes
available immediately prior to the opening of business on the
Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time) on each Business Day,
the list of the names and share quantities of the Fund’s
portfolio securities that will be applicable (subject to possible
amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper
form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund
Securities”). Fund Securities received on redemption may not
be identical to Deposit Securities.
Redemption proceeds
for a Creation Unit are paid either in-kind or in cash, or
combination thereof, as determined by the Trust. With respect to
in-kind redemptions of the Fund, redemption proceeds for a Creation
Unit will consist of Fund Securities — as announced by the
Custodian on the Business Day of the request for redemption
received in proper form plus cash in an amount equal to the
difference between the net asset value of the Shares being
redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper
form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the “Cash
Redemption Amount”), less a fixed redemption transaction fee
as set forth below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a
value greater than the net asset value of the Shares, a
compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to
be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming
shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the Trust’s
discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the corresponding
cash value of the securities in lieu of the in-kind securities
value representing one or more Fund Securities.
REDEMPTION
TRANSACTION FEE. A redemption transaction fee, payable to the
Fund’s custodian, may be imposed for the transfer and other
transaction costs associated with the redemption of Creation Units,
and investors will be required to pay a fixed redemption
transaction fee regardless of the number of Creation Units created
in the transaction, as set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus, as
may be revised from time to time. The redemption transaction fee is
the same no matter how many Creation Units are being redeemed
pursuant to any one redemption request. The Fund may adjust the
redemption transaction fee from time to time. The standard fixed
redemption transaction fee for the Fund will be $750. In addition,
a variable fee will be charged on all cash transactions or
substitutes for Creation Units of up to a maximum of 2% as a
percentage of the value of the Creation Units subject to the
transaction. The variable charge may be imposed for cash
redemptions, non-standard orders, or partial cash redemptions (when
cash redemptions are available) incurred by the Fund, primarily
designed to cover expenses related to broker commissions. Investors
who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be
charged a fee for such services. Investors are responsible for the
fixed costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to
their account or on their order.
PROCEDURES FOR
REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS. Orders to redeem Creation Units must
be submitted in proper form to the Transfer Agent prior to the time
as set forth in the Participant Agreement. A redemption request is
considered to be in “proper form” if (i) an
Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred
to the Trust’s Transfer Agent the Creation Unit(s) being
redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective
by the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement and
(ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received
by the Transfer Agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of
itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods
specified in the Participant Agreement. If the Transfer Agent does
not receive the investor’s Shares through DTC’s
facilities by the times and pursuant to the other terms and
conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement, the redemption
request shall be rejected.
The Authorized
Participant must transmit the request for redemption, in the form
required by the Trust, to the Transfer Agent in accordance with
procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement.
Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have
executed an Authorized Participant Agreement, and that, therefore,
requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the
investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant who has
executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a
redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the
form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a
request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to
permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized
Participant and transfer of the Shares to the Trust’s
Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time
that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks,
brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries
are not Authorized Participants.
ADDITIONAL
REDEMPTION PROCEDURES. In connection with taking delivery of shares
of Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, the
Authorized Participant must maintain appropriate custody
arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody
providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities
are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will
be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be
made within two business days of the trade date. However, due to
the schedule of holidays in certain countries, the different
treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates
and dividend ex-dates (that is the last date the holder of a
security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable
on the security sold), and in certain other circumstances, the
delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds may take longer than two
Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is
received in proper form. Appendix A identifies the instances
where more than seven days would be needed to deliver redemption
proceeds. Pursuant to an order of the SEC, in respect of the Funds,
the Trust will make delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds within
the number of days stated in Appendix A to be the maximum
number of days necessary to deliver redemption proceeds. If neither
the redeeming shareholder nor the Authorized Participant acting on
behalf of such redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements
to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign
jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such
arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the
Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Trust may, in its
discretion, exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and
the redeeming investor will be required to receive its redemption
proceeds in cash.
In addition, an
investor may request a redemption in cash that the Fund may, in its
sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive
a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of
Shares of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is
received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and
additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above,
to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs
associated with the disposition of Fund Securities).
The Fund may also,
in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such
redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact
composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in net asset
value.
Redemptions of
shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with
applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether
or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to
redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could
not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or
could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under
such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which it is
acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular
security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the
redemption of Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of
cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming investor
of the Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements
with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment. Further,
an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified
institutional buyer” (“QIB”), as such term is
defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, will not be
able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities
eligible for resale under Rule 144A. An Authorized Participant
may be required by the Trust to provide a written confirmation with
respect to QIB status in order to receive Fund
Securities.
Because the
portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on the relevant
exchange(s) on days that the Exchange is closed or are otherwise
not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to
redeem their shares of the Fund, or to purchase or sell shares of
the Fund on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be
significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign
markets.
The right of
redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with
respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the
Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday
closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the
Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during
which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the
Shares of the Fund or determination of the NAV of the Shares is not
reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as
is permitted by the SEC.
REQUIRED EARLY
ACCEPTANCE OF ORDERS. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as described
in the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form, the Fund
may require orders to be placed up to one or more business days
prior to the trade date, as described in the Participant Agreement
or the applicable order form, in order to receive the trade
date’s net asset value. Orders to purchase Shares of the Fund
that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a
holiday or a day (other than a weekend) that the equity markets in
the relevant foreign market are closed will not be accepted.
Authorized Participants may be notified that the cut-off time for
an order may be earlier on a particular business day, as described
in the Participant Agreement and the order form.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET
VALUE
Net asset value per
Share for the Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net
assets of the Fund (i.e.,
the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total
number of Shares outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses
and fees, including the management fees, are accrued daily and
taken into account for purposes of determining net asset value. The
net asset value of the Fund is calculated by the Custodian and
determined at the close of the regular trading session on the NYSE
(ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day that such exchange
is open, provided that fixed-income assets may be valued as of the
announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on
any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets
Association (“SIFMA”) announces an early closing
time.
In calculating the
Fund’s net asset value per Share, the Fund’s
investments are generally valued using market valuations. A market
valuation generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an
exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer),
(ii) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication
of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service, or a major
market maker (or dealer) or (iii) based on amortized cost. In
the case of shares of other funds that are not traded on an
exchange, a market valuation means such fund’s published net
asset value per share. The Adviser may use various pricing
services, or discontinue the use of any pricing service, as
approved by the Board from time to time. A price obtained from a
pricing service based on such pricing service’s valuation
matrix may be considered a market valuation. Any assets or
liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar
are converted into U.S. dollars at the current market rates on the
date of valuation as quoted by one or more sources.
In the event that
current market valuations are not readily available or such
valuations do not reflect current market value, the Trust’s
procedures require the Fair Value Committee to determine a
security’s fair value if a market price is not readily
available. In determining such value the Fair Value Committee may
consider, among other things, (i) price comparisons among
multiple sources, (ii) a review of corporate actions and news
events, and (iii) a review of relevant financial indicators
(e.g., movement in interest
rates, market indices, and prices from the Fund’s index
provider). In these cases, the Fund’s net asset value may
reflect certain portfolio securities’ fair values rather than
their market prices. Fair value pricing involves subjective
judgments and it is possible that the fair value determination for
a security is materially different than the value that could be
realized upon the sale of the security. In addition, fair value
pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to
calculate the Fund’s net asset value and the prices used by
the Fund’s Underlying Index. This may result in a difference
between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the
Fund’s Underlying Index. With respect to securities that are
primarily listed on foreign exchanges, the value of the
Fund’s portfolio securities may change on days when you will
not be able to purchase or sell your Shares.
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
The following
information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the
section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions
and Taxes.”
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid quarterly
by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if
any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Fund may
make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Fund to improve
index tracking or to comply with the distribution requirements of
the Code, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions
of the 1940 Act.
Dividends and other
distributions on shares are distributed, as described below, on a
pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such shares. Dividend
payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect
Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds
received from the Fund.
The Fund may make
additional distributions to the extent necessary (i) to
distribute the entire annual taxable income of the Fund, plus any
net capital gains and (ii) to avoid imposition of the excise
tax imposed by Section 4982 of the Code. Management of the
Trust reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in its
reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to
preserve the status of the Fund as a regulated investment company
(“RIC”) or to avoid imposition of income or excise
taxes on undistributed income.
Dividend Reinvestment Service.
The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment
service available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of
their cash proceeds, but certain individual broker-dealers may make
available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use
by Beneficial Owners of the Fund through DTC Participants for
reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Investors should
contact their brokers to ascertain the availability and description
of these services. Beneficial Owners should be aware that each
broker may require investors to adhere to specific procedures and
timetables in order to participate in the dividend reinvestment
service and investors should ascertain from their brokers such
necessary details. If this service is available and used, dividend
distributions of both income and realized gains will be
automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares issued by the
Trust of the Fund at NAV per share. Distributions reinvested in
additional shares of the Fund will nevertheless be taxable to
Beneficial Owners acquiring such additional shares to the same
extent as if such distributions had been received in
cash.
The following is
only a summary of certain additional federal income tax
considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders.
No attempt is made to present a comprehensive explanation of the
federal, state, local or foreign tax treatment of the Fund or its
shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Prospectus is not
intended to be a substitute for careful tax planning.
The following
general discussion of certain federal income tax consequences is
based on provisions of the Code and the regulations issued
thereunder as in effect on the date of this SAI. New legislation,
as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may
significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have
a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated
herein.
The recently
enacted tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and
Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) makes significant changes to
the U.S. federal income tax rules for taxation of individuals and
corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after
December 31, 2017. Many of the changes applicable to
individuals are temporary and would apply only to taxable years
beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026.
There are only minor changes with respect to the specific rules
only applicable to a RIC, such as the Fund. The Tax Act,
however, makes numerous other changes to the tax rules that may
affect shareholders and the Fund. You are urged to consult
with your own tax advisor regarding how the Tax Act affects your
investment in the Fund.
Shareholders are
urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the application
of the provisions of tax law described in this SAI in light of the
particular tax situations of the shareholders and regarding
specific questions as to federal, state, or local
taxes.
Regulated Investment Company
(RIC) Status. The Fund will seek to qualify for
treatment as a RIC under the Code. Provided that for each tax year
the Fund: (i) meets the requirements to be treated as a RIC
(as discussed below); and (ii) distributes at least an amount
equal to the sum of 90% of the Fund’s net investment income
for such year (including, for this purpose, the excess of net
realized short-term capital gains over net long-term capital
losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income, the Fund
itself will not be subject to federal income taxes to the extent
the Fund’s net investment income and the Fund’s net
realized capital gains, if any, are distributed to the Fund’s
shareholders. One of several requirements for RIC qualification is
that the Fund must receive at least 90% of the Fund’s gross
income each year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to
certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition
of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income derived
with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in stock,
securities, foreign currencies and net income from an interest in a
qualified publicly traded partnership (the “90% Test”).
A second requirement for qualification as a RIC is that the Fund
must diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of
the Fund’s taxable year: (a) at least 50% of the market
value of the Fund’s total assets is represented by cash and
cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs,
and other securities, with these other securities limited, in
respect to any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the
value of the Fund’s total assets or 10% of the outstanding
voting securities of such issuer; and (b) not more than 25% of
the value of its total assets are invested in the securities (other
than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of any
one issuer, the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of
two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged
in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the
securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships
(the “Asset Test”).
Under the Asset
Test, the Fund generally may not acquire a security if, as a result
of the acquisition, more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s
assets would be invested in (a) issuers in which the Fund has,
in each case, invested more than 5% of the Fund’s assets and
(b) issuers more than 10% of whose outstanding voting
securities are owned by the Fund. Because the Underlying Index has
a relatively small number of constituents, the 5% limitation could
affect the Fund’s ability to effectively implement a
replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy. As the
Fund grows, the 10% limitation might also affect its ability to
effectively implement a replication strategy or a representative
sampling strategy.
If the Fund fails
to satisfy the 90% Test or the Asset Test, the Fund may be eligible
for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause
and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect
to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements.
Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the Asset Test.
In order to qualify for relief provisions for a failure to meet the
Asset Test, the Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets.
If the Fund fails to qualify for treatment as a RIC for any year,
and the relief provisions are not available, all of its taxable
income will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate
rates (which the Tax Act reduced to 21%) without any deduction for
distributions to shareholders. In such case, its shareholders would
be taxed as if they received ordinary dividends, although the
dividends could be eligible for the dividends received deduction
for corporate shareholders and the dividends may be eligible for
the lower tax rates available to non-corporate shareholders on
qualified dividend income. To requalify for treatment as a RIC in a
subsequent taxable year, the Fund would be required to satisfy the
RIC qualification requirements for that year and to distribute any
earnings and profits from any taxable year for which the Fund
failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. If the Fund failed to
qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the
Fund would generally be required to pay a Fund-level tax on any net
built-in gains recognized with respect to certain of its assets
upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying
as a RIC in a subsequent year. The Board reserves the right not to
maintain the qualification of the Fund for treatment as a RIC if it
determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.
If the Fund determines that it will not qualify for treatment as a
RIC, the Fund will establish procedures to reflect the anticipated
tax liability in the Fund’s NAV.
The Fund may elect
to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss”
as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in
determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net
short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. A
“qualified late year loss” generally includes net
capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital
loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year and
certain other late-year losses.
If the Fund has a
“net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess
of capital gains) for a taxable year, the excess of the
Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term
capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on
the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess
(if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its
net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss
arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable
year.
The Fund will
generally be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax to
the extent it fails to distribute by the end of any calendar year
at least the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for the year, 98.2%
of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on
October 31 of that year, and certain other amounts. The Fund
intends to make sufficient distributions, or deemed distributions,
to avoid imposition of the excise tax, but can make no assurances
that all such tax liability will be eliminated.
The Fund intends to
distribute substantially all its net investment income and net
realized capital gains to shareholders annually. The distribution
of net investment income and net realized capital gains generally
will be taxable to Fund shareholders regardless of whether the
shareholder elects to receive these distributions in cash or in
additional shares. However, the Fund may determine not to
distribute, or determine to defer the distribution of, some portion
of its income in non-routine circumstances. If the Fund retains for
investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term
capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses
(including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a
corporate tax on the amount retained. In that event, the Fund will
designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a
notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include
in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term
capital gains, their proportionate shares of the undistributed
amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate
shares of the income tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed
amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any,
and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed their
liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase
their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their
shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amount of
undistributed net capital gain included in their respective income
over their respective income tax credits. Organizations or persons
not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will
be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid
by the Fund upon timely filing appropriate returns or claims for
refund with the Internal Revenue Service (the
“IRS”).
A portion of the
net investment income distributions of the Fund may be treated as
qualified dividend income (which, for non-corporate shareholders,
is generally eligible for taxation at reduced rates). The portion
of distributions that the Fund may report as qualified dividend
income is generally limited to the amount of qualified dividend
income received by the Fund, but if for any Fund taxable year 95%
or more of the Fund’s gross income (exclusive of net capital
gain from sales of stocks and securities) consists of qualified
dividend income, all distributions of such income for that taxable
year may be reported as qualified dividend income. Qualified
dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable
domestic corporations and certain foreign corporations
(i.e., foreign corporations
incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain
countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States,
and other foreign corporations if the stock with respect to which
the dividend income is paid is readily tradable on an established
securities market in the United States).
In order for some
portion of the dividends received by a shareholder to be qualified
dividend income, the Fund must meet holding period and other
requirements with respect to the dividend paying stocks in its
portfolio, and the shareholder must meet holding period and other
requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares. Distributions
reported to Fund shareholders as capital gain dividends will be
taxable at the rates applicable to long-term capital gains
(generally, at a maximum rate of 20% for non-corporate
shareholders), regardless of how long the shareholder has owned the
shares. The Fund’s shareholders will be notified annually by
the Fund as to the federal tax status of all distributions made by
the Fund. Distributions may be subject to state and local
taxes.
U.S. individuals
with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing
jointly) are subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare contribution
tax on their “net investment income,” including
interest, dividends, and capital gains (including capital gains
realized on the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund). This 3.8%
tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net
investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and
trusts.
Shareholders who
have held Fund shares for less than a full year should be aware
that the Fund may report and distribute, as ordinary dividends or
capital gain dividends, a percentage of income that is not equal to
the percentage of the Fund’s total ordinary income or net
capital gain, respectively, actually earned during the period of
investment in the Fund.
If the Fund’s
distributions for a taxable year exceed its taxable income and
capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of
the distributions made for the taxable year may be recharacterized
as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital
distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each
shareholder’s cost basis in the Fund and generally result in
a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when
those shares on which the distribution was received are
sold.
A sale or exchange
of shares in the Fund may give rise to a capital gain or loss. In
general, any capital gain or loss realized upon a taxable
disposition of shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or
loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months.
Otherwise, the capital gain or loss on the taxable disposition of
shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Any loss
realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held for six months
or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to
the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or
deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All
or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of
shares will be disallowed if substantially identical shares are
purchased (through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within
30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the
basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the
disallowed loss.
An Authorized
Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally
will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to
the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at
the time and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in
the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such
Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally
recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the
exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the
aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount
of any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS, however, may
assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for
Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules
governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has
been no significant change in economic position.
Any capital gain or
loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be
treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities
exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one
year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of
Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain
or loss if the shares comprising the Creation Units have been held
for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses
will be treated as short-term capital gains or losses.
The Trust on behalf
of the Fund has the right to reject an order for a purchase of
shares of the Trust if the purchaser (or group of purchasers)
would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the
outstanding shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351
of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the securities
different from the market value of such securities on the date of
deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information
necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of
the 80% determination. The Trust reserves the absolute right to
reject an order for Creation Units if acceptance of the securities
to be exchanged for the Creation Units would have certain adverse
tax consequences to the Fund.
Persons purchasing
or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors
with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption
transaction.
Foreign Investments. Income received by the Fund from
sources within foreign countries (including, for example, dividends
or interest on stock or securities of non-U.S. issuers) may be
subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries.
Tax treaties between such countries and the U.S. may reduce or
eliminate such taxes in some cases. If as of the end of the
Fund’s taxable year more than 50% of the value of the
Fund’s assets consist of the securities of foreign
corporations, the Fund may elect to permit shareholders who are
U.S. citizens, resident aliens, or U.S. corporations to claim a
foreign tax credit or deduction (but not both) on their income tax
returns for their pro rata portions of qualified taxes paid by the
Fund during that taxable year to foreign countries in respect of
foreign securities the Fund has held for at least the minimum
period specified in the Code. In such a case, shareholders will
include in gross income from foreign sources their pro rata shares
of such taxes. A shareholder’s ability to claim a foreign tax
credit or deduction in respect of foreign taxes paid by the Fund
may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code, which
may result in the shareholder not getting a full credit or
deduction for the amount of such taxes. Shareholders who do not
itemize deductions on their federal income tax returns may claim a
credit, but not a deduction, for such foreign taxes.
Foreign Currency
Transactions. Under
the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange
rates which occur between the time the Fund accrues income or other
receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in
a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such
income or receivables or pays such expenses or liabilities
generally are treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, on the
disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency
and on the disposition of certain other instruments, gains or
losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign
currency between the date of acquisition of the security or
contract and the date of disposition are also treated as ordinary
gain or loss. The gains and losses may increase or decrease the
amount of the Fund’s income to be distributed to its
shareholders as ordinary income.
Options, Swaps and Other Complex
Securities. The Fund may invest in complex securities such
as equity options, index options, repurchase agreements, foreign
currency contracts, hedges and swaps, transactions treated as
straddles for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and futures
contracts. These investments may be subject to numerous special and
complex tax rules. These rules could affect whether gains and
losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary income or
capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund,
cause income or gain to be recognized even though corresponding
cash is not received by the Fund, and/or defer the Fund’s
ability to recognize losses. In turn, those rules may affect the
amount, timing or character of the income distributed by the
Fund.
With respect to any
investments in zero coupon securities which are sold at original
issue discount and thus do not make periodic cash interest
payments, the Fund may be required to include as part of its
current income the imputed interest on such obligations even though
the Fund may not have received any interest payments on such
obligations during that period. Because the Fund is required to
distribute all of its net investment income to its shareholders,
the Fund may have to sell Fund securities to distribute such
imputed income. Those sales may occur at a time when the Advisor
would not otherwise have chosen to sell such securities and will
generally result in taxable gain or loss.
Back-Up Withholding. The Fund
or your broker will be required to withhold (as “backup
withholding”) on taxable dividends paid to any shareholder,
as well as the proceeds of any redemptions of Creation Units, paid
to a shareholder or Authorized Participant who (1) fails to
provide a correct taxpayer identification number certified under
penalty of perjury; (2) is subject to withholding by the IRS
for failure to properly report all payments of interest or
dividends; (3) fails to provide a certified statement that he
or she is not subject to “backup withholding;” or
(4) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is a
U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup
withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding is not an
additional tax and any amounts withheld may be credited against the
shareholder’s ultimate U.S. tax liability.
Foreign Shareholders. Foreign
shareholders (i.e.,
nonresident alien individuals and foreign corporations,
partnerships, trusts and estates) are generally subject to U.S.
withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or a lower tax treaty rate) on
distributions derived from net investment income and short-term
capital gains. Gains from the sale or other disposition of shares
of the Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless the
recipient is an individual who either (1) meets the
Code’s definition of “resident alien” or
(2) is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or
more per year. Different tax consequences may result if the foreign
shareholder is engaged in a trade or business within the United
States. In addition, the tax consequences to a foreign shareholder
entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty may be different
than those described above.
Ordinary dividends,
paid after June 30, 2014 (or in certain cases, after later dates)
to a shareholder that is a “foreign financial
institution” as defined in Section 1471 of the Code and that
does not meet the requirements imposed on foreign financial
institutions by Section 1471 will generally be subject to
withholding tax at a 30% rate. Under current IRS guidance,
withholding on such payments will begin at different times
depending on the type of payment, the type of payee, and whether
the shareholder’s account is opened before or after July 1,
2014. Withholding with respect to ordinary dividends began on July
1, 2014 for accounts opened on or after that date and on certain
later dates for accounts opened before July 1, 2014. The extent, if
any, to which such withholding tax may be reduced or eliminated by
an applicable tax treaty is unclear. A non-U.S. shareholder may be
exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an
applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a
foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the
applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such
agreement.
In order for a
foreign investor to qualify for an exemption from backup
withholding, the foreign investor must comply with special
certification and filing requirements. Foreign investors in the
Fund should consult their tax advisors in this regard.
Tax Shelter Reporting
Regulations. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a
shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an
individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate
shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure
statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio
securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting
requirement, but under current guidance shareholders of a RIC are
not excepted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these
regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the
taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders
should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of
these regulations in light of their individual
circumstances.
Other Issues. The Fund may be
subject to tax or taxes in certain states where the Fund does
business. Furthermore, in those states which have income tax laws,
the tax treatment of the Fund and of Fund shareholders with respect
to distributions by the Fund may differ from federal tax
treatment.
Shareholders are
advised to consult their tax advisors concerning their specific
situations and the application of state, local and foreign
taxes.
At September 30,
2019, the Fund had capital loss carry forwards for federal income
tax purposes available to offset future capital gains as
follows:
|
|
|
|
$ -
|
$ 128,455,840
|
$ 32,738,089
|
$ 161,193,929
|
The annual report
for the Fund for the fiscal period ended September 30, 2019 is a
separate document and the financial statements and accompanying
notes appearing therein are incorporated by reference into this
SAI. You may request a copy of the Fund’s Annual Report at no
charge by calling 1-844-ETFMGRS (383-6477) or through the
Fund’s website at www.etfmj.com.