Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are
not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance.
During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 24% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the FTSE Nareit All Mortgage Capped Index (the “Underlying
Index”), which measures the
performance of the residential and commercial mortgage real estate, mortgage finance and savings associations
sectors of the U.S. equity market, as defined by FTSE International Limited (the “Index Provider” or “FTSE”). The Underlying Index
generally measures the performance of the residential and commercial mortgage real estate sector and
generally invests all of its assets in REITs. If the number of constituents in the Underlying Index falls
below 20, FTSE will consider companies from the mortgage finance and savings associations sectors for
inclusion in the Underlying Index, and each company in the mortgage finance and savings associations
sectors will be capped at 3% of the Underlying Index, and these sectors in the aggregate will not exceed
30% of the Underlying Index. As of March 31, 2025, approximately 100% of the market capitalization of the
Underlying Index is represented by REITs. As of March 31, 2025, the Underlying Index includes 33 component
securities. The components of the Underlying Index are likely to change over time.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security
selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep
portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are
expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market
capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield)
and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all
of the securities in the Underlying Index.
The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its Underlying Index and may
invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents,
including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not
included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help
the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash
and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that
position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the
Fund.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the
value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).
The Underlying Index is sponsored by FTSE, which is independent of the
Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the
Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated.
For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and
instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not
considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could
trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted
below any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below
(with others following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to
predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
Mortgage REITs Risk. Mortgage REITs are exposed to
risks specific to the real estate market, including, among others, credit risk, interest rate risk and
leverage risk.
Real Estate
Companies Risk. Real estate companies, which include REITs, real estate holding and operating companies,
and real estate management or development companies, expose investors to the risks of owning real estate
directly as well as to the risks from the way that such companies operate. Real estate is highly sensitive
to general and local economic conditions and can be subject to intense competition and periodic overbuilding.
Other real estate risks include decreases in property values, tax increases, zoning changes, casualty or
condemnation losses, environmental liabilities, regulatory limitations on rent or eviction, and defaults by
borrowers or tenants. Real estate companies may be heavily invested in one geographic region, industry or property type. They also may be highly leveraged, which can magnify losses, and interest rate increases can make it difficult to
obtain financing and service debt.
Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities are subject to changes in value, and their values may be more volatile than those of other asset classes. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that may directly relate to the issuer as
well as due to