As of December 1, 2024, the Index consisted of 899 securities with a market capitalization range of
between approximately $1.73 billion and $478.87 billion, and an average market capitalization of approximately $24.79 billion from issuers in the following developed market countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The components of
the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any asset class, country or geographic region will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index
change, and the Fund may not be invested in each asset class, country or geographic region at all times. Solactive AG (“Solactive” or the “Index Provider”) will generally deem an issuer
to be located in a developed market country if it is organized under the laws of the developed market country and it is primarily listed in the developed market country; in the event that these factors point to more than one country, the Index
methodology provides for consideration of certain additional factors. The Index is normally
reconstituted on a semi-annual basis in May and November. New securities from initial public
offerings are also added on a semi-annual basis in February and August, subject to fulfillment of certain eligibility criteria.
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the
Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active
investment management, which may involve buying and selling
securities based upon analysis of economic and market
factors.
The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in
approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable
time. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the securities in the Index in the approximate Index weight. In these circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the
Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight
or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the
Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
The Index is owned and calculated by Solactive.
The Fund is classified as “diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the “Investment Company Act”). However, the Fund may become “non-diversified” solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. A
non-diversified fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than
diversified funds.
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular
industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to
which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over
time.
Principal Risks of the Fund |
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program.
There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund
involve substantial risks which
prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or
potential exposure.
Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the
Index, including fundamental information that may be based on assumptions and estimates.
Neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct
valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Depositary Receipts Risk. Foreign securities may trade in the form of depositary receipts, which include American Depositary
Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) (collectively “Depositary Receipts”). To the extent the Fund acquires Depositary Receipts through banks
which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there may be an increased possibility
that the Fund would not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information
may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of
Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted. The
issuers of Depositary Receipts may discontinue issuing new Depositary Receipts and withdraw existing Depositary Receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the
underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s
performance.
Diversification
Risk. The Fund is classified as “diversified” under the
Investment Company Act. However, the Fund may become “non-diversified” solely as
a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. A non-diversified fund is permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers
than diversified funds. This increased investment in fewer issuers may make the Fund more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to
greater losses because of these developments.
European Investment Risk. The Fund is more exposed to the regulatory, economic and political risks of Europe and of the European countries in which it invests than
funds whose investments are more geographically diversified. Adverse regulatory, economic and political events in Europe may cause the Fund’s investments to decline in value. The economies and markets of
European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The Fund makes investments in securities of issuers
that are domiciled in, or have significant operations in, member countries of the European Union (“EU”) that are subject to economic and monetary controls that can adversely affect the
Fund’s investments. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years and these events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect
European countries. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (“UK”) withdrew from the EU (commonly known as “Brexit”), which has resulted in ongoing market volatility and caused additional
market disruption on a global basis. The UK and the EU signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”),