be adversely affected. As a
result, the Fund’s shares could trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value and/or the bid-ask spread of the Fund’s shares could widen. Under such circumstances, the
Fund may be unable to rebalance its exposure properly which may result in significantly more or less exposure and losses to the Fund. In such an instance, the Fund may increase its
transaction fee, change its investment objective by, for example, seeking to track an
alternative index, reduce its exposure or close.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk — An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities or financial instruments. Under
such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to buy or sell certain portfolio securities or financial instruments, may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price
its investments, and may disrupt the Fund’s creation/redemption process which means the Fund may be unable to achieve its investment objective and it may incur substantial losses.
Equity Securities Risk — Publicly issued equity securities, including common stocks, 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, and/or has exposure to, will cause the net asset value of the Fund to fluctuate.
Cash Transaction Risk— At certain times, the Fund may
effect creations and redemptions for cash rather than for in-kind
securities. As a result, the Fund may not be tax efficient and may incur brokerage and financing costs related to buying and selling securities or obtaining derivative exposure to achieve its investment
objective thus incurring additional expenses than if it had effected creations and redemptions in kind. To the extent that such costs are not offset by transaction fees paid by an
authorized participant, the Fund may bear such costs, which will decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Tax Risk
— In order to qualify for
the special tax treatment accorded a regulated investment company (“RIC”) and its shareholders, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable
year from “qualifying income,” meet certain asset diversification tests at the end of each taxable quarter, and meet annual distribution requirements. The Fund’s pursuit of
its investment strategy will potentially be limited by the Fund’s intention to qualify for such treatment and could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to so qualify. The Fund may make
certain investments, the treatment of which for these purposes is unclear. If, in any year, the Fund were to fail to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded a RIC and its
shareholders, and were ineligible to or were not able to cure such failure, the Fund would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation subject to U.S. federal income tax on all its
income at the fund level. The resulting taxes could substantially reduce the Fund’s net assets and the amount of income available for distribution. In addition, in order to
requalify for taxation as a RIC, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make certain distributions. Please see the section
entitled “Dividends, Other Distributions and Taxes” in the Statement of Additional Information for more information.
Non-Diversification Risk — The Fund has the ability to invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of
issuers or in financial instruments with a single counterparty or a few counterparties. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and increase the risk that the Fund’s
performance will decline based on the performance of a single issuer, the credit of a single counterparty, and/or a single economic, political or regulatory event.
Securities Lending Risk— Securities lending involves the
risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned
securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities, a
decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral, or a “gap” between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and any fees the Fund has agreed to pay a borrower.
These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Special Risks of Exchange-Traded Funds
Authorized Participants
Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may
act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that those Authorized
Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, Shares may trade at larger bid-ask spreads and/or premiums or discounts to net asset value. Authorized
Participant concentration risk may be heightened for a fund that invests in non-U.S. securities or other securities or instruments that have lower trading volumes.
Absence of Active Market
Risk. Although Shares are listed for trading on a stock exchange, there is no assurance
that an active trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In
the absence of an active trading market for Shares, they will likely trade with a wider bid/ask spread and at a greater premium or discount to net asset value.
Market Price Variance Risk. Fund Shares can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices, which may be higher or lower than the net
asset value of the Fund. When Shares trade at a price greater than net asset value, they are said to trade at a “premium.” When they trade at a price less than
net asset value, they are said to trade at a “discount.” The market price of Shares fluctuates based on changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings, the supply and demand for Shares
and other market factors. The market price of Shares may vary significantly from the Fund’s net asset value especially during times of market volatility or stress. Further, to the
extent that exchange specialists, market makers, Authorized Participants, or other market participants are unavailable or unable to trade the Fund’s Shares and/or create or redeem
Creation Units premiums or discounts may increase.
Trading Cost Risk. When buying or selling Shares in the secondary market, a buyer may incur brokerage commission or other charges. In addition, a buyer may incur the cost of the “spread”
also known as the bid-ask spread, which is the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which they are willing to
sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). The