transactions by large shareholders may account for a
large percentage of the trading volume on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) and may,
therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the
Shares.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects
of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions
throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial
markets. Events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or
other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its
investments.
Market Trading
Risk. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and the value of your investment
may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly, in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous
market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. Any of these factors, among
others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. In addition, because
liquidity in certain underlying securities may fluctuate, Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV than shares of other kinds of ETFs. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is
at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively.
Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the stock exchange on which the Fund's Shares are listed. Liquidity in those
securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Fund's listing exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares' NAV may widen.
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Risk. Investments in mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established
companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in
the past and may do so again in the future.
Technology Sector Risk. The stock prices of technology and technology-related companies and therefore the value of the Fund may
experience significant price movements as a result of intense market volatility, worldwide
competition, consumer preferences, product compatibility, product obsolescence, government regulation, excessive investor optimism or pessimism, or other factors.
Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of themes and sub-themes and its performance may suffer if such themes or sub-themes are
not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the
development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme-relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the
Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a
number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index or the need to meet new or existing
regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of
investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other
unusual market conditions. The Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the
securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies, or as a result of local market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on
securities that may be purchased by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates. As the Index may consist of relatively few securities or issuers, tracking error may be heightened at times that the Fund is limited
by restrictions on potential investments.
Valuation Risk. The sale price 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. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the
value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV.
The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise. NAV calculation
may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems
and technology.