Concentration Policy.
The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., invest more than 25% of the value of its net
assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries only to the extent that the Underlying Index reflects a concentration in that industry or group of industries. The Fund will not otherwise
concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries. As of August 31, 2024, the Fund had significant exposure to the information technology sector. The Fund's portfolio
holdings, and the extent to which it concentrates its investments, are likely to change over time.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund.
The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Market Risk. Securities in the Underlying Index are subject to market fluctuations. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation
with any decline in value of the securities in the Underlying Index. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health issues, war, military conflicts, acts 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.
Equity Risk. Equity risk is the risk that the value of equity securities, including common stocks, may fall due to both
changes in general economic conditions that impact the market as a whole, as well as factors that
directly relate to a specific company or its industry. Such general economic conditions include changes in interest rates, periods of market turbulence or instability, or general and prolonged periods of economic decline and cyclical change. It is
possible that a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the common stocks that the Fund holds. In addition, equity risk includes the risk that investor sentiment toward one or more industries will
become negative, resulting in those investors exiting their investments in those industries, which could cause a reduction in the value of companies in those industries more broadly. The value of a company's common stock
may fall solely because of factors, such as an increase in production costs, that negatively impact other companies in the same region, industry or sector of the market. A company's common stock also may decline
significantly in price over a short period of time due to factors specific to that company, including decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company's products or services. For example, an
adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report or the failure to make anticipated dividend
payments, may depress the value of common stock.
Mid-Capitalization Company Risk. Investing in securities of mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated
with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies' securities may be more
volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies and may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Mid-capitalization companies tend to have less experienced
management as well as limited product and market diversification and financial resources compared to larger capitalization companies. Often mid-capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are
still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.
Foreign Investment Risk. Investments in the securities of
non-U.S. issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities.
Foreign securities may have relatively low market liquidity, greater
market volatility, decreased publicly available information and less reliable financial information about
issuers, and inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements and standards of practice, including recordkeeping standards, comparable to those applicable to domestic issuers.
Foreign securities also are subject to the risks of expropriation, nationalization, political instability or other adverse political or economic developments and the difficulty of enforcing obligations in other countries. Investments
in foreign securities also may be subject to dividend withholding or confiscatory taxes, currency blockage and/or transfer restrictions and higher transactional costs. To the extent the Fund invests in securities denominated
in foreign currencies, fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the values of other currencies may adversely affect investments in foreign securities and may negatively impact the Fund’s
returns.
From time to time, certain companies in which the Fund invests may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government
and the United Nations and/or in countries the U.S. government identified as state sponsors of terrorism. One or more of these companies may be subject to constraints under U.S. law or regulations that could
negatively affect the company’s performance. Additionally, one or more of these companies could suffer damage to its reputation if the market identifies it as a company that invests or deals with countries that the U.S.
government identifies as state sponsors of terrorism or subjects to sanctions.
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.
Information Technology Sector
Risk. Factors such as the failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, financing or regulatory approval, intense competition, product
compatibility, consumer preferences, corporate capital expenditure, rapid obsolescence, competition from alternative technologies, and research and development of new products may significantly affect the market
value of securities of issuers in the information technology sector.
Non-Diversification Risk. To the extent the Fund becomes
non-diversified, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in securities of individual
issuers than can a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in Share price than would occur in a diversified fund. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause
the performance of a relatively small number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
ADR Risk. ADRs are certificates that evidence ownership of shares of a foreign issuer and are alternatives to
purchasing the underlying foreign securities directly in their national markets and currencies. ADRs may be subject to certain of the risks associated with direct investments in the securities of foreign companies,
such as currency, political, economic and market risks, because their values depend on the performance of the non-dollar denominated underlying foreign securities. Moreover, ADRs may not track the price of the underlying foreign
securities on which they are based,