of terrorism, economic crises or other
events could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”).
Index Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in
excess of the Underlying Index. Therefore, the Fund would not necessarily buy or sell a security
unless that security is added or removed, respectively, from the Underlying Index, even if that
security generally is underperforming. Additionally, the Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Underlying Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes
to the Fund’s rebalance schedule.
U.S. Treasury Obligations
Risk. U.S. Treasury Obligations may differ from other securities in their interest rates,
maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Securities issued or guaranteed by the
U.S. Treasury are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States;
however, the U.S. government guarantees a security only as to the timely payment of interest and
principal when held to maturity. Consequently, the market prices of such securities may fluctuate. Because U.S. Treasury Obligations trade actively outside the United States, their prices may rise and fall as changes in global
economic conditions affect the demand for these securities. In addition, changes in the credit rating or financial condition of the U.S. government may cause the value of U.S. Treasury Obligations to decline. Although the
Fund may hold securities that carry U.S. government guarantees, these guarantees do not extend to Shares of the Fund.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a
fixed-income security resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of most fixed-income securities go down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the prices
of most fixed-income securities go up. Fixed-income securities with longer maturities typically are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, making them more volatile than securities with shorter maturities. Credit risk
refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which
may be reflected in credit ratings. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may occur quickly and without advance warning following sudden market
downturns or unexpected developments involving an issuer, and which may adversely affect the liquidity and value of the security.
Changing Fixed-Income Market Conditions Risk. Fluctuations in the federal funds and equivalent foreign interest rates or other changes to monetary policy or regulatory
actions may expose fixed-income markets to heightened volatility, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree, and to reduced liquidity for certain fixed-income investments, particularly those with longer maturities, when rates
increase. Such changes and resulting increased volatility may adversely impact the Fund, including its operations and return potential. It is difficult to predict the impact of interest rate changes on various markets. In
addition, decreases in fixed-income dealer market-making capacity may also potentially lead to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity in the fixed-income markets. As a result, the value of the Fund's investments and share
price may decline. Changes in central bank policies and other governmental actions and political events within the U.S. and abroad may also, among other things, affect investor and consumer expectations and confidence in the
financial markets. This could result in higher than normal redemptions by APs (as defined herein), which could potentially increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs.
Not a Money Market Fund. The Fund is not a money market fund and is not subject to the strict rules that govern the quality, maturity,
liquidity and other features of securities that money market funds may purchase. Under normal
circumstances, the Fund’s investments may be more susceptible than a money market fund’s investments to credit risk, interest
rate risk, valuation risk and other risks
relevant to the Fund’s investments. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any other
government agency, and it is possible for the Fund to lose money. The Fund does
not seek to maintain a stable NAV of $1.00 per share.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Underlying Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant
degree in securities of issuers operating in a single industry or industry group. To the extent
that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or industry group, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry
or industry group, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or industry groups. Such industry-based risks, any of which may adversely affect the companies in which the
Fund invests, may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand in a particular industry; competition for resources;
adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in an industry. In
addition, at times, such industry or industry group may be out of favor and underperform other industries or the market as a whole.
Call Risk. If interest rates fall, it is possible that
issuers of callable securities with high interest coupons will “call” (or prepay) their bonds before their maturity date. If an issuer exercises such a call during a period of declining interest rates,
the Fund may have to replace such called security with a lower yielding security. If that were to happen, the Fund’s net investment income could fall.
Reinvestment Risk. Reinvestment risk is the risk that the
Fund will not be able to reinvest income or principal at the same return it is currently earning.
Reinvestment risk is greater during periods of declining interest rates, as prepayments often occur faster. It is related to call risk, since issuers of callable securities with high interest coupons may call their bonds before their maturity date.
This may require the Fund to reinvest the proceeds at an earlier date, and it may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing its return.
Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a
whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.
Sampling Risk. The Fund's use of a representative sampling
methodology may result in it holding a smaller number of securities than are in the Underlying
Index. As a result, an adverse development with respect to an issuer of securities held by the Fund could result in a greater decline in NAV than would be the case if the Fund held all of the securities in the Underlying Index. To the extent the
assets in the Fund are smaller, these risks will be greater.
Cash Transaction Risk. Most ETFs generally make in-kind
redemptions to avoid being taxed at the fund level on gains on the distributed portfolio
securities. However, unlike most ETFs, the Fund currently intends to effect redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind, because of the nature of the Fund's investments. As such, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio
securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. Therefore, the Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if the Fund had made a redemption in-kind. This may decrease the
tax efficiency of the Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process, and there may be a substantial difference in the after-tax rate of return between the Fund and conventional
ETFs.
Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not
applicable to the Underlying Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the