ck0001616668-20240430
PACER
FUNDS TRUST
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PTLC
PTMC
PTEU |
Pacer
Trendpilot®
US Large Cap ETF
Pacer
Trendpilot®
US Mid Cap ETF
Pacer
Trendpilot®
European
Index ETF |
COWZ CALF
GCOW ICOW |
Pacer
US Cash Cows 100 ETF Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF Pacer
Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF Pacer Developed Markets International
Cash Cows 100 ETF |
PAEU
PIEL
PWS |
Pacer
Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF Pacer International Export Leaders
ETF Pacer WealthShield ETF |
VIRS |
Pacer
BioThreat Strategy ETF |
each
of the above is listed on Cboe BZX Exchange,
Inc. |
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SZNG SZNE ROOM RXRE INDS SRVR PAD |
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Global Seasonal Rotation ETF
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF
Pacer
Hotel & Lodging Real Estate ETF
Pacer
Healthcare Real Estate ETF
Pacer
Industrial Real Estate ETF
Pacer
Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF
Pacer
Apartments & Residential Real Estate
ETF |
AFTY PTBD PTIN TRND BUL ALTL PAMC |
Pacer
CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF
Pacer
Trendpilot®
US Bond ETF
Pacer
Trendpilot®
International ETF
Pacer
Trendpilot®
Fund of Funds ETF
Pacer
US Cash Cows Growth ETF
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF
Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
PEXL
FLRT
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Pacer
US Export Leaders ETF Pacer Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income
ETF
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PALC
TRFK SHPP |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF Pacer Data and Digital
Revolution ETF Pacer Industrials and Logistics ETF |
each
of the above is listed on the NYSE Arca,
Inc. |
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ECOW |
Pacer
Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF |
HERD |
Pacer
Cash Cows Fund of Funds ETF |
COWG |
Pacer
US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
PTNQ |
Pacer
Trendpilot®
100 ETF |
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| CAFG |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
each
of the above is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market
LLC |
STATEMENT
OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
August 31,
2024
This
Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a Prospectus. It should be
read in conjunction with the current Prospectus, as may be revised from time to
time (“Prospectus”), for the exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) listed above (each a
“Fund” and collectively the “Funds”), each a separate series of Pacer Funds
Trust (the “Trust”). The current Prospectus for the Funds is dated
August 31, 2024. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have
the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the
Prospectus for the Funds may be obtained, without charge, by calling
1-800-617-0004, visiting www.PacerETFs.com, or writing to Pacer Funds Trust, c/o
U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53201-0701.
For
Funds other than the Pacer Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF, Pacer Apartments
& Residential Real Estate ETF, Pacer Healthcare Real Estate ETF, Pacer Hotel
& Lodging Real Estate ETF, Pacer CFRA Global Seasonal Rotation ETF, and
Pacer International Export Leaders ETF, the audited financial statements for the
fiscal year ended April 30, 2024 are incorporated herein by reference to
the Funds’ Annual
Report
dated April 30, 2024 (File No. 811-23024). A copy of the Funds’ Annual
Report may be obtained without charge by contacting the Funds at the address or
phone number noted above.
An
investment in a Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or any other government
agency or any bank. An investment in a Fund involves investment risks, including
possible loss of principal.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
GENERAL
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUNDS
The
Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on August 12, 2014 and is
authorized to issue multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end,
management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The offering of the Trust’s shares is
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
Each Fund’s ticker symbol appears on the cover of this SAI, and references to
specific Funds in the sections below will refer to such Funds by their ticker
symbol.
The
Funds described in this SAI seek to track the total return performance, before
fees and expenses, of their respective indices (each, an “Index”).
Pacer
Advisors, Inc. (“Pacer” or the “Adviser”) is the investment adviser to the
Funds. Pacer Financial, Inc. is the distributor (the “Distributor”) of the
shares of the Funds and is an affiliate of the Adviser. CSOP Asset Management
Limited (“CSOP Asset Management”) serves as sub-adviser to AFTY, Aristotle
Pacific Capital LLC (“Aristotle Pacific”) serves as sub-adviser to FLRT, and
Vident
Advisory, LLC (d/b/a
Vident Asset Management) (“VA” and collectively with CSOP Asset Management, and
Aristotle Pacific, the “Sub-Advisers”) serves as sub-adviser to
PTBD.
The
Funds issue and redeem shares (“Shares”) at net asset value per share (“NAV”)
only in large blocks of Shares (“Creation Units” or “Creation Unit
Aggregations”). Currently, Creation Units generally consist of the following
number of shares:
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Name
of Fund |
Creation
Unit Size |
FLRT,
TRFK, & SHPP |
20,000 |
VIRS,
COWG & CAFG |
25,000 |
PTBD |
100,000 |
All
other Funds |
50,000 |
These
amounts may change from time to time. These transactions are usually in exchange
for a basket of securities included in its portfolio and an amount of cash. As a
practical matter, only institutions or large investors (authorized participants)
who have entered into agreements with the Trust’s distributor, can purchase or
redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares of the
Funds are not redeemable securities.
Shares
of the Funds are listed on a national securities exchange, such as Cboe BZX
Exchange, Inc., NYSE Arca, Inc., or The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (individually or
collectively, the “Exchange”), as indicated on the cover of this SAI, and trade
throughout the day on the Exchange and other secondary markets at market prices
that may differ from NAV. As in the case of other publicly traded securities,
brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission
rates at customary levels.
The
Trust reserves the right to adjust the prices of Shares in the future to
maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be
accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no
effect on the net assets of the applicable Fund.
Prior
to November 1, 2017, the Pacer Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF was known as the
Pacer Trendpilot 750 ETF and the Pacer Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF was known as
the Pacer Trendpilot 450 ETF. Prior to November 1, 2022, the Pacer Industrial
Real Estate ETF was known as the Pacer Benchmark Industrial Real Estate SCTR ETF
and the Pacer Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF was known as the Pacer
Benchmark Data & Infrastructure Real Estate SCTR ETF.
AFTY
is the successor to the investment performance and financial history of the CSOP
FTSE China A50 ETF, a series of CSOP ETF Trust (the “Predecessor CSOP Fund”), as
a result of the reorganization of the Predecessor CSOP Fund into AFTY on January
22, 2020.
FLRT
is the successor in interest to the Pacific Global Senior Loan ETF, a series of
Pacific Global ETF Trust, which was managed by Pacific Global Advisors LLC and
sub-advised by Pacific Asset Management LLC (now known as Aristotle Pacific),
and has the substantially similar investment objective, strategies, and policies
as those of the Pacific Global Senior Loan ETF since the Fund’s inception in
February 28, 2015, with the exception of the Fund’s 80% policy and related
risks. On October 20, 2021, the shareholders of the Pacific Global Senior Loan
ETF approved the reorganization of the Pacific Global Senior Loan ETF into FLRT
and, effective as of the close of business on October 22, 2021, the assets and
liabilities of the Pacific Global Senior Loan ETF were transferred to FLRT in
exchange for shares of the Pacer Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF.
Previously, the Pacific Global Senior Loan ETF, a series of Pacific Global
ETF Trust, acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the AdvisorShares
Pacific Asset Enhanced Floating Rate ETF, a series of AdvisorShares Trust, in a
tax-free reorganization on December 27, 2019 (together, the “Predecessor FLRT
Fund”). Accordingly, the Pacific Global Senior Loan ETF was the successor
to the investment performance of the AdvisorShares Pacific Asset Enhanced
Floating Rate ETF, as a result of the December 27, 2019
reorganization.
The
below table illustrates the inception date for each Fund.
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Name
of Fund |
Inception
Date |
| Name
of Fund |
Inception
Date |
PTLC |
June
11, 2015 |
| GCOW |
February
22, 2016 |
PTMC |
June
11, 2015 |
| COWZ |
December
16, 2016 |
PTNQ |
June
11, 2015 |
| CALF |
June
16, 2017 |
PTEU |
December
14, 2015 |
| ICOW |
June
16, 2017 |
PAEU |
— |
| PEXL |
July
23, 2018 |
PIEL |
— |
| AFTY |
March
10, 2015 |
PWS |
December
11, 2017 |
| PTBD |
October
22, 2019 |
SZNG |
— |
| PTIN |
May
2, 2019 |
SZNE |
July
23, 2018 |
| TRND |
May
3, 2019 |
ROOM |
— |
| BUL |
May
2, 2019 |
RXRE |
— |
| HERD |
May
3, 2019 |
INDS |
May
14, 2018 |
| VIRS |
June
24, 2020 |
SRVR |
May
15, 2018 |
| ALTL |
June
24, 2020 |
PAD |
— |
| PAMC |
June
24, 2020 |
ECOW |
May
2, 2019 |
| PALC |
June
24, 2020 |
FLRT |
February
18, 2015 |
| TRFK |
June
8, 2022 |
SHPP |
June
8, 2022 |
| COWG |
December
21, 2022 |
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| CAFG |
May,
1, 2023 |
INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES AND RISKS
Each
Fund’s investment objective, principal investment strategies and associated
risks are described in the Funds’ Prospectus. The sections below supplement
these principal investment strategies and risks and describe each Fund’s
additional investment policies and the different types of investments that may
be made by a Fund as a part of its non-principal investment strategies. With
respect to each Fund’s investments, unless otherwise noted, if a percentage
limitation on investment is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a
subsequent increase or decrease as a result of market movement or redemption
will not result in a violation of such investment limitation.
Each
Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”)
under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”), so that it will not be subject to federal income tax on income and
gains that are timely distributed to Fund shareholders. The Funds will seek to
invest their assets, and otherwise conduct their operations, in a manner that is
intended to satisfy the qualifying income, diversification and distribution
requirements necessary to establish and maintain RIC qualification under
Subchapter M of the Code.
GENERAL
RISKS
An
investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of that
Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the
financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic,
political, public health or cyber conditions that affect a particular security
or issuer and changes in general economic, political, public health or cyber
conditions. An investor in the Funds could lose money over short or long periods
of time.
An
investment in a Fund should also be made with an understanding of the risks
inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the
financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition
of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the
value of a Fund’s portfolio securities and therefore a decrease in the value of
Shares of that Fund). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market
fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market
confidence and perceptions change. These investor perceptions are based on
various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government,
economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic
expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic, public
health, cyber, or banking crises.
Holders
of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt
obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have
inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the
rights of creditors or
holders
of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which
typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value,
however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks,
which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional
or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal
amount nor a maturity. Common stock values are subject to market fluctuations as
long as the common stock remains outstanding.
Although
all of the equity securities in the Indexes are listed on major U.S. and
non-U.S. stock exchanges, there can be no guarantee that a liquid market for the
securities held by the Funds will be maintained. The existence of a liquid
trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a
market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made
or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at
which securities may be sold and the value of the Shares will be adversely
affected if trading markets for a Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or
absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
Cyber
Security Risk.
As the use of technology has become more prevalent in the course of business,
the Funds may be more susceptible to operational and financial risks associated
with cyber security, including: theft, loss, misuse, improper release,
corruption and destruction of, or unauthorized access to, confidential or highly
restricted data relating to a Fund and its shareholders; and compromises or
failures to systems, networks, devices and applications relating to the
operations of a Fund and its service providers. Cyber security risks may result
in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders; the inability of a Fund to
transact business with its shareholders; delays or mistakes in the calculation
of a Fund’s NAV or other materials provided to shareholders; the inability to
process transactions with shareholders or other parties; violations of privacy
and other laws; regulatory fines, penalties and reputational damage; and
compliance and remediation costs, legal fees and other expenses. A Fund’s
service providers (including, but not limited to, its investment adviser, any
sub-advisers, administrator, transfer agent, and custodian or their agents),
financial intermediaries, companies in which a Fund invests and parties with
which a Fund engages in portfolio or other transactions also may be adversely
impacted by cyber security risks in their own businesses, which could result in
losses to a Fund or its shareholders. While measures have been developed which
are designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security, there is no
guarantee that those measures will be effective, particularly since the Funds do
not directly control the cyber security defenses or plans of their service
providers, financial intermediaries and companies in which they invest or with
which they do business.
Geopolitical,
Social and Economic Uncertainty Risk.
Geopolitical, social, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural
disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) that
occur from time to time will create uncertainty and may have significant impacts
on issuers, industries, governments and other systems, including the financial
markets, to which the Funds and the issuers in which they invest are exposed. As
global systems, economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected,
events that once had only local impact are now more likely to have regional or
even global effects. Events that occur in one country, region or financial
market will, more frequently, impact issuers in other countries, regions or
markets, including in established markets such as the United States. These
impacts can be exacerbated by failures of governments and societies to
adequately respond to an emerging event or threat.
Uncertainty
can result in or coincide with: increased volatility in the global financial
markets, including those related to equity and debt securities, loans, credit,
derivatives and currency; a decrease in the reliability of market prices and
difficulty in valuing assets; greater fluctuations in currency exchange rates;
increased risk of default (by both government and private issuers); further
social, economic, and political instability; nationalization of private
enterprises; greater governmental involvement in the economy or in social
factors that impact the economy; greater, less or different governmental
regulation and supervision of the securities markets and market participants and
increased, decreased or different processes for and approaches to monitoring
markets and enforcing rules and regulations by governments or self-regulatory
organizations; limited, or limitations on the, activities of investors in such
markets; controls or restrictions on foreign investment, capital controls and
limitations on repatriation of invested capital; inability to purchase and sell
assets or otherwise settle transactions (i.e., a market freeze); unavailability
of currency hedging techniques; substantial, and in some periods extremely high,
rates of inflation, which can last many years and have substantial negative
effects on markets as well as the economy as a whole; recessions; and
difficulties in obtaining and/or enforcing legal judgments.
For
example, in early 2020, a novel coronavirus and related respiratory disease
(COVID-19) spread rapidly across the world, including to the United States. The
coronavirus outbreak resulted in, among other consequences, the closing of
borders, the imposition of travel restrictions, enhanced health screenings, the
need for accelerated acute healthcare service preparation and delivery,
disruptions and delays in healthcare services, quarantines and “shelter at home”
orders, restrictions on gatherings of people, event and service cancellations,
business closures, disruptions to supply chains and customer activity, lower
consumer demand, as well as general heightened uncertainty. The impact of
COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics that
may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or
the entire global economy, the financial well-being and performance of
individual issuers, borrowers and sectors and the health of the markets
generally in potentially significant and unforeseen ways. In addition, the
impact of infectious illnesses, such as COVID-19, in emerging market countries
may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. This crisis
or other public health crises may exacerbate other pre-existing political,
social and economic risks in certain countries or globally. In addition, U.S.
and global markets recently have experienced increased volatility,
including
as a result of the recent failures of certain U.S. and non-U.S. banks, which
could be harmful to the Funds and issuers in which they invest. For example, if
a bank in which the Funds or issuer have an account fail, any cash or other
assets in bank accounts may be temporarily inaccessible or permanently lost by
the Fund or issuer. If a bank that provides a subscription line credit facility,
asset-based facility, other credit facility and/or other services to an issuer
fails, the issuer could be unable to draw funds under its credit facilities or
obtain replacement credit facilities or other services from other lending
institutions with similar terms. Even if banks used by issuers in which the
Funds invest remain solvent, continued volatility in the banking sector could
cause or intensify an economic recession, increase the costs of banking services
or result in the issuers being unable to obtain or refinance indebtedness at all
or on as favorable terms as could otherwise have been obtained. Conditions in
the banking sector are evolving, and the scope of any potential impacts to the
Funds and issuers, both from market conditions and also potential legislative or
regulatory responses, are uncertain. Continued market volatility and uncertainty
and/or a downturn in market and economic and financial conditions, as a result
of developments in the banking industry or otherwise (including as a result of
delayed access to cash or credit facilities), could have an adverse impact on
the Funds and issuers in which they invest.
Although
it is impossible to predict the precise nature and consequences of these events,
or of any political or policy decisions and regulatory changes occasioned by
emerging events or uncertainty on applicable laws or regulations that impact a
Fund’s investments, it is clear that these types of events will impact the Fund
and the issuers in which each invests. The government response to these events,
including emergency health measures, welfare benefit programs, fiscal stimulus,
industry support programs, and measures that impact interest rates, among other
responses, is also a factor that may impact the financial markets and the value
of a Fund’s holdings. The issuers in which the Fund invests could be
significantly impacted by emerging events and uncertainty of this type. The
Funds will also be negatively affected if the operations and effectiveness of
the Fund or its key service providers are compromised or if necessary or
beneficial systems and processes are disrupted.
Foreign
countries, companies, or individuals may become subject to economic sanctions or
other government restrictions, which may negatively impact the value or
liquidity of a fund’s investments, and could impair a Fund’s ability to meet its
investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategy. In
addition, sanctions and similar measures could result in downgrades in credit
ratings of the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically
exposed to the sanctioned country or company, devaluation of the sanctioned
country’s currency, and increased market volatility and disruption in the
sanctioned country and throughout the world. The Funds may be prohibited from
investing in securities issued by companies subject to such restrictions, and
sanctions or other similar measures could significantly delay or prevent the
settlement of securities transactions. For example, in 2020, the U.S. government
imposed sanctions generally prohibiting U.S. investors from directly or
indirectly purchasing or otherwise gaining exposure to certain securities
identified as having ties to China’s military and related industries. In 2022,
because of ongoing regional armed conflict in Europe, many countries around the
world, including the United States, imposed sanctions on Russia. Such sanctions
have included, among others, freezing the assets of particular entities and
persons, and banning Russia from global payment systems that facilitate
cross-border payments. These sanctions and similar measures could result in
Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair
the value and liquidity of Russian securities. Moreover, disruptions caused by
Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage)
or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including
cyberattacks on the Russian government, Russian companies, or Russian
individuals, including politicians, may impact Russia’s economy and Russian
issuers of instruments in which the Funds invest. These and potential similar
future sanctions may limit the potential universe of securities in which the
Funds may invest, may require the Fund to freeze or divest its existing
investments in a company that becomes subject to such restrictions, and may
negatively impact investment performance of the Fund.
A
discussion of some of the other risks associated with investments in the Funds
is contained in the Funds’ Prospectus.
Index
Calculation
To
minimize any potential for conflicts caused by the fact that Index Design Group,
an affiliate of the Adviser, acts as Index provider (”IDG”) to certain Funds, as
described in the Prospectus (collectively, the “IDG Funds”), the Adviser has
retained an unaffiliated third party to calculate each such Index (the
“Calculation Agent”). The Calculation Agent, using the applicable rules-based
methodology, will calculate, maintain, and disseminate each such Index on a
daily basis. IDG will monitor the results produced by the Calculation Agent to
help ensure that each such Index is being calculated in accordance with the
rules-based methodologies. In addition, IDG and the Adviser have established
policies and procedures designed to prevent non-public information about pending
changes to such Indexes from being used or disseminated in an improper manner.
Furthermore, IDG and the Adviser have established policies and procedures
designed to prevent improper use and dissemination of non-public information
about each Fund’s portfolio strategies.
DIVERSIFICATION
Each
of PTLC, PTMC, PTEU, PTIN, TRND, GCOW, COWZ, CALF, ICOW, ECOW, HERD, PWS, PEXL,
SZNE, PTBD, and AFTY (collectively, the “Diversified Funds”) is “diversified”
within the meaning of the 1940 Act. Under applicable federal laws, to qualify as
a diversified fund, a Fund, with respect to 75% of its total assets, may not
invest greater than 5% of its total assets in any one issuer and may not hold
greater than 10% of the securities of one issuer, other than investments in cash
and cash items (including
receivables),
U.S. government securities, and securities of other investment companies. The
remaining 25% of such Fund’s
total assets does not need to be “diversified” and may be invested in securities
of a single issuer, subject to other applicable laws. The diversification of a
Fund’s holdings is measured at the time the Fund purchases a security. However,
if the Fund purchases a security and holds it for a period of time, the security
may become a larger percentage of the Fund’s total assets due to movements in
the financial markets. If the market affects several securities held by a Fund,
the Fund may have a greater percentage of its assets invested in securities of a
single issuer or a small number of issuers.
AFTY
is “diversified,” but may invest more of its assets in the securities of a
single issuer or small number of issuers than would otherwise be permitted for a
diversified fund solely where the additional issuer weightings result from the
index weighting of one or more FTSE China A50 Net Total Return Index
constituents.
NON-DIVERSIFICATION
Each
Fund other than the Diversified Funds (collectively, the “Non-Diversified
Funds”) is classified as a non-diversified investment company under the 1940
Act. A “non-diversified” classification means that a Fund is not limited by the
1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its total assets that may be invested
in the securities of a single issuer. This means that a Fund may invest a
greater portion of its total assets in the securities of a single issuer or a
small number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. The securities of a
particular issuer may constitute a greater portion of the Index and, therefore,
those securities may constitute a greater portion of a Fund’s portfolio. This
may have an adverse effect on a Fund’s performance or subject a Fund’s Shares to
greater price volatility than more diversified investment companies. Moreover,
in pursuing its objective, a Fund may hold the securities of a single issuer in
an amount exceeding 10% of the value of the outstanding securities of the
issuer, subject to restrictions imposed by the Code. In particular, as a Fund’s
size grows and its assets increase, it will be more likely to hold more than 10%
of the securities of a single issuer if the issuer has a relatively small public
float as compared to other components in the Index.
Although
each Non-Diversified Fund is non-diversified for purposes of the 1940 Act, each
Non-Diversified Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification
and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a RIC for purposes of
the Code, and to relieve the Fund of any liability for federal income tax to the
extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders. Compliance with the
diversification requirements of the Code may limit the investment flexibility of
a Fund and may make it less likely that a Fund will meet its investment
objectives. See “Federal Income Taxes” in this SAI for further
discussion.
SPECIFIC
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The
following are descriptions of the Funds’ permitted investments and investment
practices and the associated risk factors. A Fund will only invest in any of the
following instruments or engage in any of the following investment practices if
such investment or activity is consistent with a Fund’s investment objective and
permitted by a Fund’s stated investment policies.
BORROWING.
While the Funds do not intend to borrow for investment purposes, the Funds
reserve the right to do so. Borrowing for investment purposes is a form of
leverage. Leveraging investments, by purchasing securities with borrowed money,
is a speculative technique that increases investment risk, but also increases
investment opportunity. The Funds also may enter into certain transactions,
including reverse repurchase agreements, which can be viewed as constituting a
form of leveraging by the Funds. Leveraging will exaggerate the effect on the
net asset value per share (“NAV”) of the Funds of any increase or decrease in
the market value of the Funds’ portfolio. Because substantially all of the
Funds’ assets will fluctuate in value, whereas the interest obligations on
borrowings may be fixed, the NAV of the Funds will increase more when the Funds’
portfolio assets increase in value and decrease more when the Funds’ portfolio
assets decrease in value than would otherwise be the case. Moreover, interest
costs on borrowings may fluctuate with changing market rates of interest and may
partially offset or exceed the returns on the borrowed funds. Under adverse
conditions, the Funds might have to sell portfolio securities to meet interest
or principal payments at a time when investment considerations would not favor
such sales. Generally, the Funds would use this form of leverage during periods
when the Adviser believes that the Funds’ investment objective would be
furthered.
The
Funds also may borrow money to facilitate management of the Funds’ portfolio by
enabling the Funds to meet redemption requests when the liquidation of portfolio
instruments would be inconvenient or disadvantageous. Such borrowing is not for
investment purposes and will be repaid by the Funds promptly. As required by the
1940 Act, the Funds must maintain continuous asset coverage (total assets,
including assets acquired with borrowed funds, less liabilities exclusive of
borrowings) of 300% of all amounts borrowed. If, at any time, the value of the
Funds’ assets should fail to meet this 300% coverage test, the Funds, within
three days (not including Sundays and holidays), will reduce the amount of the
Funds’ borrowings to the extent necessary to meet this 300% coverage
requirement. Maintenance of this percentage limitation may result in the sale of
portfolio securities at a time when investment considerations otherwise indicate
that it would be disadvantageous to do so.
In
addition to the foregoing, the Funds are authorized to borrow money as a
temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes in amounts not in
excess of 5% of the value of the Funds’ total assets. Borrowings for
extraordinary or emergency purposes are not subject to the foregoing 300% asset
coverage requirement. While the Funds do not anticipate doing so, the Funds are
authorized
to pledge (i.e.,
transfer a security interest in) portfolio securities in an amount up to
one-third of the value of the Funds’ total assets in connection with any
borrowing.
COMMERCIAL
PAPER.
The Funds may invest in high-quality, short-term commercial paper. Commercial
paper is the term used to designate unsecured, short-term promissory notes
issued by corporations and other entities. Maturities on these issues vary from
a few days up to 270 days. The Funds may invest up to 20% of its net assets in
commercial paper.
CONCENTRATION.
A Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of
industries, as described in the Prospectus. The securities of issuers in
particular industries may dominate a Fund’s Index and consequently the Fund’s
portfolio. This may adversely affect the Fund’s performance or subject its
shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by less concentrated
investment companies.
CURRENCY
TRANSACTIONS.
The Funds may enter into foreign currency forward and foreign currency futures
contracts for the purpose of hedging against declines in the value of a Fund’s
total assets that are denominated in one or more foreign currencies, to
facilitate local securities settlements, or to protect against currency exposure
in connection with distributions to shareholders.
Forward
Foreign Currency Contracts.
A forward foreign currency exchange contract (“forward contract”) involves an
obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may
be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the
parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are
principally traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency
traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. Forward contracts
are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make a payment to the
other party (the counterparty) based on the market value or level of a specified
currency. In return, the counterparty agrees to make payment to the first party
based on the return of a different specified currency. A forward contract
generally has no margin deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at
any stage for trades. These contracts typically are settled by physical delivery
of the underlying currency or currencies in the amount of the full contract
value.
A
non-deliverable forward contract is a forward contract where there is no
physical settlement of two currencies at maturity. Non-deliverable forward
contracts will usually be done on a net basis, with the Funds receiving or
paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if
any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each
non-deliverable forward contract is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of
cash or highly liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the
accrued excess is maintained in an account at the Fund’s custodian bank. The
risk of loss with respect to non-deliverable forward contracts generally is
limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to
make or receive.
Foreign
Currency Futures Contracts. A
foreign currency futures contract is a contract involving an obligation to
deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified
price and at a specified future time. Futures contracts may be settled on a net
cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying
currency.
Currency
exchange transactions involve a significant degree of risk and the markets in
which currency exchange transactions are effected are highly volatile, highly
specialized and highly technical. Significant changes, including changes in
liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very short periods of
time, often within minutes. Currency exchange trading risks include, but are not
limited to, exchange rate risk, maturity gap, interest rate risk, and potential
interference by foreign governments through regulation of local exchange
markets, foreign investment or particular transactions in foreign currency. If a
Fund utilizes foreign currency transactions at an inappropriate time, such
transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the correlation
of the Fund’s return with the performance of its underlying Index and may lower
the Fund’s return. A Fund could experience losses if the value of any currency
forwards and futures positions is poorly correlated with its other investments
or if it could not close out its positions because of an illiquid market. Such
contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty will default on its
obligations. In addition, the Funds will incur transaction costs, including
trading commissions, in connection with certain foreign currency
transactions.
DEPOSITARY
RECEIPTS. To
the extent the Funds invest in stocks of foreign corporations, a Fund’s
investment in securities of foreign companies may be in the form of depositary
receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers.
American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are dollar-denominated receipts
representing interests in the securities of a foreign issuer, which securities
may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities into
which they may be converted. ADRs are receipts typically issued by United States
banks and trust companies which evidence ownership of underlying securities
issued by a foreign corporation. Generally, ADRs in registered form are designed
for use in domestic securities markets and are traded on exchanges or
over-the-counter in the United States. Depositary receipts will not necessarily
be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities.
The
Funds will not invest in any unlisted Depositary Receipts or any Depositary
Receipt that the Adviser deems to be illiquid or for which pricing information
is not readily available. In addition, all Depositary Receipts generally must be
sponsored; however, the
Funds
may invest in unsponsored Depositary Receipts under certain limited
circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated
to disclose material information in the United States, and, therefore, there may
be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a
correlation between such information and the market value of the Depositary
Receipts. The use of Depositary Receipts may increase tracking error relative to
an underlying Index.
DERIVATIVES.
A
Fund may use derivative instruments as part of its investment strategies.
Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is
derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate, or index, and
may relate to bonds, interest rates, currencies, commodities, and related
indexes. To the extent the Fund’s use of derivative instruments creates
liabilities for the Fund, such derivative instruments will be underpinned by
investments in short-term, high-quality instruments, such as U.S. money market
securities.
The
use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the
risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of
derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or
value of the underlying asset, index or rate, which may be magnified by certain
features of the derivatives. In addition, when the Fund invests in certain
derivative securities, the Fund is effectively leveraging its investments which
could result in exaggerated changes in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares
and can result in losses that exceed the amount originally invested. The success
of the derivatives strategies will depend on the ability to assess and predict
the impact of market or economic developments on the underlying asset, index or
rate and the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance
of the derivative under all possible market conditions. Liquidity risk exists
when a security cannot be purchased or sold at the time desired, or cannot be
purchased or sold without adversely affecting the price. Certain specific risks
associated with an investment in derivatives may include: market risk, credit
risk, correlation risk, liquidity risk, legal risk and systemic or
“interconnection” risk, as specified below.
Rule
18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits a Fund to enter into Derivatives Transactions
(as defined below) and certain other transactions notwithstanding the
restrictions on the issuance of “senior securities” under Section 18 of the 1940
Act. Section 18 of the 1940 Act, among other things, prohibits open-end funds,
including the Funds, from issuing or selling any “senior security,” other than
borrowing from a bank (subject to a requirement to maintain 300% “asset
coverage”).
Under
Rule 18f-4, “Derivatives Transactions” include the following: (1) any swap,
security-based swap (including a contract for differences), futures contract,
forward contract, option (excluding purchased options), any combination of the
foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which the Fund is or may be required
to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the
instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement
payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; (3) reverse repurchase
agreements and similar financing transactions (e.g., recourse and non-recourse
tender option bonds, and borrowed bonds), if the Fund elects to treat these
transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4; and (4) when-issued
or forward-settling securities (e.g., firm and standby commitments, including
to-be-announced (“TBA”) commitments, and dollar rolls) and non-standard
settlement cycle securities, unless the Fund intends to physically settle the
transaction and the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date
(the “Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision”).
Unless
the Fund is relying on the Limited Derivatives User Exception (as defined
below), the Fund must comply with Rule 18f-4 with respect to its Derivatives
Transactions. Rule 18f-4, among other things, requires the Fund to adopt and
implement a comprehensive written derivatives risk management program (“DRMP”)
and comply with a relative or absolute limit on Fund leverage risk calculated
based on value-at-risk (“VaR”). The DRMP is administered by a “derivatives risk
manager,” who is appointed by the Board, including a majority of Independent
Trustees, and periodically reviews the DRMP and reports to the
Board.
Rule
18f-4 provides an exception from the DRMP, VaR limit and certain other
requirements if the Fund’s “derivatives exposure” (as defined in Rule 18f-4) is
limited to 10% of its net assets (as calculated in accordance with Rule 18f-4)
and the Fund adopts and implements written policies and procedures reasonably
designed to manage its derivatives risks (the “Limited Derivatives User
Exception”).
Rule
18f-4 under the 1940 Act permits a Fund to enter into reverse repurchase
agreements and similar financing transactions (e.g., recourse and non-recourse
tender option bonds, borrowed bonds) notwithstanding the limitation on the
issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the 1940 Act, provided that the
Fund either (i) complies with the 300% asset coverage ratio with respect to such
transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or (ii) treats such
transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4. See “—Regulation
Regarding Derivatives” above.
Certain
trading practices and investments, such as reverse repurchase agreements, may be
considered to be borrowings or involve leverage and thus are subject to the 1940
Act restrictions. In accordance with Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, when the
Fund engages in reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing
transactions, the Fund may either (i) maintain asset coverage of at least 300%
with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or
(ii) treat such transactions as “derivatives transactions” and comply with Rule
18f-4 with respect to such transactions. Short-term credits necessary for the
settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to
securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy.
Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be
borrowings are not subject to the policy.
•Market
Risk.
Market risk is the risk that the value of the underlying assets may go up or
down. Adverse movements in the value of an underlying asset can expose the Fund
to losses. Derivative instruments may include elements of leverage and,
accordingly, fluctuations in the value of the derivative instrument in relation
to the underlying asset may be magnified. The successful use of derivative
instruments depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the ability to
predict movements of the securities markets, which may be different than the
ability to predict changes in the prices of individual securities. There can be
no assurance that any particular strategy adopted will succeed. A decision to
engage in a derivative transaction will reflect a judgment that the derivative
transaction will provide value to the Fund and its shareholders and is
consistent with such Fund’s objective, investment limitations, and operating
policies.
•Credit
Risk/Counterparty Risk.
Credit risk is the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure
of a counterparty to comply with the terms of a derivative instrument. With
respect to exchange-traded derivatives, there is less counterparty risk, because
generally a clearing agency, which is the issuer or counterparty to each
exchange-traded instrument, provides a guarantee of performance. For privately
negotiated instruments, there is no similar clearing agency guarantee. In all
transactions, the Fund will bear the risk that the counterparty will default,
and this could result in a loss of the expected benefit of the derivative
transactions and possibly other losses to the Fund. The Fund will enter into
transactions in derivative instruments only with counterparties that the
reasonably believes are capable of performing under the contract.
•Correlation
Risk. Correlation
risk is the risk that there might be an imperfect correlation, or even no
correlation, between price movements of a derivative instrument and price
movements of investments being hedged. When a derivative transaction is used to
completely hedge another position, changes in the market value of the combined
position (the derivative instrument plus the position being hedged) result from
an imperfect correlation between the price movements of the two instruments.
With a perfect hedge, the value of the combined position remains unchanged with
any change in the price of the underlying asset. With an imperfect hedge, the
value of the derivative instrument and its hedge are not perfectly correlated.
The effectiveness of hedges using instruments on indices will depend, in part,
on the degree of correlation between price movements in the index and the price
movements in the investments being hedged.
•Liquidity
Risk.
Liquidity risk is the risk that a derivative instrument cannot be sold, closed
out or replaced quickly at or very close to its fundamental value. Generally,
exchange contracts are very liquid because the exchange clearinghouse is the
counterparty of every contract. The Fund might be required by applicable
regulatory requirements to make margin payments when taking positions in
derivative instruments involving obligations to third parties. If the Fund is
unable to close out its positions in such instruments, it might be required to
continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the
position expires, matures or is closed out. These requirements might impair the
Fund’s ability to sell a security or make an investment at a time when it would
otherwise be favorable to do so, or require that the Fund sell a portfolio
security at a disadvantageous time. The Fund’s ability to sell or close out a
position in an instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends upon the
existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the
ability and willingness of the counterparty to enter into a transaction closing
out the position. Due to liquidity risk, there is no assurance that any
derivatives position can be sold or closed out at a time and price that is
favorable to the Fund.
With
regard to the Funds, the Adviser will claim relief from the definition of
commodity pool operator (“CPO”) under revised U.S. Commodity Futures Trading
Commission (“CFTC”) Rule 4.5. Specifically, pursuant to CFTC Rule 4.5, the
Adviser may claim exclusion from the definition of CPO, and thus from having to
register as a CPO, with regard to a Fund that enters into commodity futures,
commodity options, or swaps solely for “bona fide hedging purposes,” or that
limits its investment in commodities to a “de minimis” amount, as defined in
CFTC rules, so long as the Shares of a Fund are not marketed as interests in a
commodity pool or other vehicle for trading in commodity futures, commodity
options, or swaps. It is expected that the Funds will be able to operate
pursuant to the limitations under the revised CFTC Rule 4.5 without materially
adversely affecting its ability to achieve its investment objective. If,
however, these limitations were to make it difficult for a Fund to achieve its
investment objective in the future, the Trust may determine to operate a Fund as
a regulated commodity pool pursuant to the Adviser’s CPO registration or to
reorganize or close the Fund or to materially change the Fund’s investment
objective and strategy.
Futures
and Options.
Futures contracts and options may from time to time be used by the Funds to
facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund may enter into
futures contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or non-U.S. exchange.
The Funds will not use futures or options for speculative purposes.
Risk
of Futures and Options.
There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and
options on futures contracts. A position in futures contracts and options on
futures contracts may be closed only on the exchange on which the contract was
made (or a linked exchange). While the Fund plans to utilize futures contracts
only if an active market exists for such contracts, there is no guarantee that a
liquid market will exist for the contract at a specified time. In the event of
adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily
cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if the Fund
has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily
margin requirements at a time
when
it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, the Fund may be required to
deliver the instruments underlying the futures contracts it has
sold.
The
risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some
strategies (e.g., selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) is
potentially unlimited. The Fund does not plan to use futures and options
contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as
traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a
relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate
and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required
margin deposit. The Fund, however, intends to utilize futures and options
contracts in a manner designed to limit their risk exposure to levels comparable
to a direct investment in the types of stocks in which they invest.
There
is a risk of loss by the Fund of the initial and variation margin deposits in
the event of bankruptcy of the FCM with which the Fund has an open position in a
futures contract. The assets of the Fund may not be fully protected in the event
of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty because the Fund might be
limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds and margin
segregated on behalf of an FCM’s customers. If the FCM does not provide accurate
reporting, the Fund is also subject to the risk that the FCM could use the
Fund’s assets, which are held in an omnibus account with assets belonging to the
FCM's other customers, to satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment
obligations of another customer to the central counterparty.
Utilization
of futures and options on futures by the Fund involves the risk of imperfect or
even negative correlation to its underlying index if the index underlying the
futures contract differs from the underlying index. There is also the risk of
loss of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the
Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put
or call options will be based upon predictions by the Adviser as to anticipated
trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.
Because
the futures market generally imposes less burdensome margin requirements than
the securities market, an increased amount of participation by speculators in
the futures market could result in price fluctuations. Certain financial futures
exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices
during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount by
which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the
previous day's settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily
limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made
on that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures contract
prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with
little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions
and subjecting the Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price
movements, the Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation
margin.
Futures.
Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by
another party of a specified amount of a specific asset, currency, rate or index
at a specified future time and at a specified price. Stock index futures are
based on investments that reflect the market value of common stock of the firms
included in an underlying index. The Fund may enter into futures contracts to
purchase securities indexes when the Adviser anticipates purchasing the
underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be
made. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures
contracts will be maintained.
Futures
contracts may be bought and sold on U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges. Futures
contracts in the U.S. have been designed by exchanges that have been designated
“contract markets” by the CFTC and must be executed through a futures commission
merchant (“FCM”), which is a brokerage firm that is a member of the relevant
contract market. Each exchange guarantees performance of the contracts as
between the clearing members of the exchange, thereby reducing the risk of
counterparty default. Futures contracts may also be entered into on certain
exempt markets, including exempt boards of trade and electronic trading
facilities, available to certain market participants. Because all transactions
in the futures market are made, offset or fulfilled by an FCM through a
clearinghouse associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded,
the Fund will incur brokerage fees when it buys or sells futures
contracts.
Upon
entering into a futures contract, the Fund will be required to deliver to an
account controlled by the FCM an amount of cash or cash equivalents known as
“initial margin,” which is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith
deposit on the contract and is returned to the Fund upon termination of the
futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied.
Subsequent payments, known as “variation margin,” to and from the FCM will be
made daily as the price of the instrument or index underlying the futures
contract fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract
more or less valuable, a process known as “marking-to-market.”
At
any time prior to the expiration of a futures contract, the Fund may elect to
close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to
terminate the Fund’s existing position in the contract. This transaction, which
is effected through a member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to make or
take delivery of the underlying instrument or asset. Although some futures
contracts
by their terms require the actual delivery or acquisition of the underlying
instrument or asset, some require cash settlement.
A
call option gives a holder the right to purchase a specific security at a
specified price (“exercise price”) within a specified period of time. A put
option gives a holder the right to sell a specific security at a specified
exercise price within a specified period of time. The initial purchaser of a
call option pays the “writer” a premium, which is paid at the time of purchase
and is retained by the writer whether or not such option is exercised. The Fund
may purchase put options to hedge its portfolio against the risk of a decline in
the market value of securities held and may purchase call options to hedge
against an increase in the price of securities it is committed to purchase. The
Fund may write put and call options along with a long position in options to
increase its ability to hedge against a change in the market value of the
securities it holds or is committed to purchase.
Options.
An
option on a futures contract, as contrasted with the direct investment in such a
contract, gives the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, in return for
the premium paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a
specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option.
The writer of the option becomes contractually obligated to take the opposite
futures position specified in the option.
Upon
exercise of an option on a futures contract, the delivery of the futures
position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be
accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer's futures
margin account that represents the amount by which the market price of the
futures contract exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of
a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. The potential
for loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited
to the premium paid for the option plus transaction costs. Because the value of
the option is fixed at the point of sale, there are no daily cash payments by
the purchaser to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract;
however, the value of the option changes daily and that change would be
reflected in the NAV per Share of the Fund.
The
Fund may purchase and write put and call options on futures contracts that are
traded on an exchange as a hedge against changes in value of its portfolio
securities, or in anticipation of the purchase of securities, and may enter into
closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate existing
positions. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be
effected.
The
Fund’s use of options on futures contracts is subject to the risks related to
derivative instruments generally. In addition, the amount of risk the Fund
assumes when it purchases an option on a futures contract is the premium paid
for the option plus related transaction costs. The purchase of an option also
entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract
will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased. The writer of
an option on a futures contract is subject to the risk of having to take a
possibly adverse futures position if the purchaser of the option exercises its
rights. If the writer were required to take such a position, it could bear
substantial losses. The potential for loss related to writing call options is
unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to
the agreed upon price per share, also known as the "strike price," less the
premium received from writing the put.
Swaps.
The Funds may enter into swap agreements, including interest rate swaps and
currency swaps. A typical interest rate swap involves the exchange of a floating
interest rate payment for a fixed interest payment. A typical foreign currency
swap involves the exchange of cash flows based on the notional differences among
two or more currencies (e.g., the U.S. dollar and the euro). Swap agreements may
be used to hedge or achieve exposure to, for example, currencies, interest
rates, and money market securities without actually purchasing such currencies
or securities. A Fund may use swap agreements to invest in a market without
owning or taking physical custody of the underlying securities in circumstances
in which direct investment is restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise
impracticable. Swap agreements will tend to shift a Fund’s investment exposure
from one type of investment to another or from one payment stream to another.
Depending on their structure, swap agreements may increase or decrease a Fund’s
exposure to long- or short-term interest rates (in the United States or abroad),
foreign currencies, corporate borrowing rates, or other factors, and may
increase or decrease the overall volatility of a Fund’s investments and its
share price.
OTC
swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make
payments to the other party based on the change in market value or level of a
specified index or asset. In return, the other party agrees to make payments to
the first party based on the return of a different specified index or asset.
Although OTC swap agreements entail the risk that a party will default on its
payment obligations thereunder, the Fund seeks to reduce this risk by entering
into agreements that involve payments no less frequently than quarterly. The net
amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements
with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or
highly liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued
excess is maintained in an account at the Trust's custodian bank.
The
use of such swap agreements involves certain risks. For example, if the
counterparty, under a swap agreement, defaults on its obligation to make
payments due from it as a result of its bankruptcy or otherwise, the Fund may
lose such payments altogether or collect only a portion thereof, which
collection could involve costs or delays.
The
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”)
and related regulatory developments require the eventual clearing and
exchange-trading of many standardized OTC derivative instruments that the CFTC
and Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently defined as “swaps” and
“security-based swaps,” respectively. Mandatory exchange-trading and clearing is
occurring on a phased-in basis based on the type of market participant and CFTC
approval of contracts for central clearing and exchange trading. In a cleared
swap, the Fund’s ultimate counterparty is a central clearinghouse rather than a
brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution. The Fund initially will
enter into cleared swaps through an executing broker. Such transactions will
then be submitted for clearing and, if cleared, will be held at regulated
futures commission merchants (“FCMs”) that are members of the clearinghouse that
serves as the central counterparty. When the Fund enters into a cleared swap, it
must deliver to the central counterparty (via an FCM) an amount referred to as
“initial margin.” Initial margin requirements are determined by the central
counterparty, but an FCM may require additional initial margin above the amount
required by the central counterparty. During the term of the swap agreement, a
“variation margin” amount may also be required to be paid by the Fund or may be
received by the Fund in accordance with margin controls set for such accounts,
depending upon changes in the price of the underlying reference asset subject to
the swap agreement. At the conclusion of the term of the swap agreement, if the
Fund has a loss equal to or greater than the margin amount, the margin amount is
paid to the FCM along with any loss in excess of the margin amount. If the Fund
has a loss of less than the margin amount, the excess margin is returned to the
Fund. If the Fund has a gain, the full margin amount and the amount of the gain
is paid to the Fund.
Central
clearing is designed to reduce counterparty credit risk compared to uncleared
swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the
counterparty to each participant's swap, but it does not eliminate those risks
completely. There is also a risk of loss by the Fund of the initial and
variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of the FCM with which the
Fund has an open position in a swap contract. The assets of the Fund may not be
fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central
counterparty because the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro rata
share of all available Funds and margin segregated on behalf of an FCM's
customers. If the FCM does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is also
subject to the risk that the FCM could use the Fund's assets, which are held in
an omnibus account with assets belonging to the FCM's other customers, to
satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment obligations of another
customer to the central counterparty. Exchange trading is expected to increase
liquidity of swaps trading.
In
addition, with respect to cleared swaps, the Fund may not be able to obtain as
favorable terms as it would be able to negotiate for an uncleared swap. In
addition, an FCM may unilaterally impose position limits or additional margin
requirements for certain types of swaps in which the Fund may invest. Central
counterparties and FCMs generally can require termination of existing cleared
swap transactions at any time, and can also require increases in margin above
the margin that is required at the initiation of the swap agreement. Margin
requirements for cleared swaps vary on a number of factors, and the margin
required under the rules of the clearinghouse and FCM may be in excess of the
collateral required to be posted by the Fund to support its obligations under a
similar uncleared swap. However, regulators are expected to adopt rules imposing
certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near
future, which could change this comparison.
The
Fund is also subject to the risk that, after entering into a cleared swap with
an executing broker, no FCM or central counterparty is willing or able to clear
the transaction. In such an event, the central counterparty would void the
trade. Before the Fund can enter into a new trade, market conditions may become
less favorable to the Fund.
The
Adviser will continue to monitor developments regarding trading and execution of
cleared swaps on exchanges, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect
the Fund’s ability to enter into swap agreements and the costs and risks
associated with such investments.
U.S.
Federal Tax Treatment of Futures Contracts.
The Fund may be required for federal income tax purposes to mark-to-market and
recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on
certain futures contracts or options contracts as of the end of the year as well
as those actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures contracts
or options contracts on broad-based indexes required to be marked-to-market will
be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this
rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The
Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts or
options contracts to the extent of any unrecognized gains on related positions
held by the Fund.
In
order for the Fund to continue to qualify for U.S. federal income tax treatment
as a “regulated investment company” under Section 851 of the Code, at least 90%
of the Fund’s gross income for a taxable year must be derived from qualifying
sources, including, dividends, interest, income derived from loans of
securities, gains from the sale of securities or of foreign currencies or other
income derived with respect to the Fund’s business of investing in securities.
It is anticipated that any net gain realized from the closing out of futures
contracts or options contracts will be considered gain from the sale of
securities and, therefore, will be qualifying income for purposes of the 90%
requirement.
The
Fund intends to distribute to shareholders annually any net capital gains that
have been recognized for U.S. federal income tax purposes (including unrealized
gains at the end of the Fund's fiscal year) on futures transactions and certain
options contracts. Such distributions are combined with distributions of capital
gains realized on the Fund’s other investments, and shareholders are advised on
the nature of the distributions.
Leverage
Risk.
Leverage is investment exposure that exceeds the initial amount invested. The
loss on a leveraged investment may far exceed the Fund’s principal amount
invested. Leverage can magnify the Fund’s gains and losses and, therefore,
increase its volatility. There is no guarantee that the Fund leveraging strategy
will be successful. The Fund cannot guarantee that the use of leverage will
produce a high return on an investment. The use of leverage may result in the
Fund having to liquidate holdings when it may not be advantageous to do so in
order to satisfy its obligation or to meet segregation
requirements.
EQUITY
SECURITIES.
Equity securities, such as the common stocks of an issuer, are subject to stock
market fluctuations and therefore may experience volatile changes in value as
market conditions, consumer sentiment or the financial condition of the issuers
change. A decrease in value of the equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may
also cause the value of Shares to decline.
An
investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks inherent
in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial
condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the
stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value
of a Fund’s portfolio securities and therefore a decrease in the value of
Shares). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and
to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and
perceptions change. These investor perceptions are based on various and
unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic,
monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion
or contraction; and global or regional political, economic, public health, cyber
or banking crises.
All
countries are vulnerable economically to the impact of a public health crisis,
which could depress consumer demand, reduce economic output, and potentially
lead to market closures, travel restrictions, and quarantines, all of which
would negatively impact the country’s economy and could affect the economies of
its trading partners.
Holders
of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt
obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have
inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the
rights of creditors or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further,
unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable
at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior
thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and
which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks
have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity. Common stock values are
subject to market fluctuations as long as the common stock remains outstanding.
When-Issued
Securities
- A when-issued security is one whose terms are available and for which a market
exists, but which has not been issued. When a Fund engages in when-issued
transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the sale. If the other
party fails to complete the sale, a Fund may miss the opportunity to obtain the
security at a favorable price or yield.
When
purchasing a security on a when-issued basis, a Fund assumes the rights and
risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield
changes. At the time of settlement, the value of the security may be more or
less than the purchase price. The yield available in the market when the
delivery takes place also may be higher than those obtained in the transaction
itself. Because a Fund does not pay for the security until the delivery date,
these risks are in addition to the risks associated with its other investments.
Decisions
to enter into “when-issued” transactions will be considered on a case-by-case
basis when necessary to maintain continuity in a company’s index membership. A
Fund will segregate cash or liquid securities equal in value to commitments for
the when-issued transactions. A Fund will segregate additional liquid assets
daily so that the value of such assets is equal to the amount of the
commitments.
Types
of Equity Securities:
Common
Stocks
— Common stocks represent units of ownership in a company. Common stocks usually
carry voting rights and earn dividends. Unlike preferred stocks, which are
described below, dividends on common stocks are not fixed but are declared at
the discretion of the company’s board of directors.
Preferred
Stocks —
Preferred stocks are also units of ownership in a company. Preferred stocks
normally have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the
liquidation of the company. However, in all other respects, preferred stocks are
subordinated to the liabilities of the issuer. Unlike common stocks, preferred
stocks are generally not entitled to vote on corporate matters. Types of
preferred stocks include adjustable-rate preferred stock, fixed dividend
preferred stock, perpetual preferred stock, and sinking fund preferred stock.
Generally,
the market values of preferred stock with a fixed dividend rate and no
conversion element vary inversely with interest rates and perceived credit risk.
Rights
and Warrants —
A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to
subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock before it is issued. Rights
normally have a short life of usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable
and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the
public offering price. Warrants are securities that are usually issued together
with a debt security or preferred stock and that give the holder the right to
buy proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price. Warrants are
freely transferable and are traded on major exchanges. Unlike rights, warrants
normally have a life that is measured in years and entitles the holder to buy
common stock of a company at a price that is usually higher than the market
price at the time the warrant is issued. Corporations often issue warrants to
make the accompanying debt security more attractive.
An
investment in warrants and rights may entail greater risks than certain other
types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry the right to
receive dividends or exercise voting rights with respect to the underlying
securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In
addition, their value does not necessarily change with the value of the
underlying securities, and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on
or before their expiration date. Investing in rights and warrants increases the
potential profit or loss to be realized from the investment as compared with
investing the same amount in the underlying securities.
Smaller
Companies
— The securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies may be more
vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, public health, cyber, or
economic developments than securities of larger-capitalization companies. The
securities of small- and mid- capitalization companies generally trade in lower
volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than
larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some small- or
mid-capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, and financial
and managerial resources and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets
relative to larger capitalization companies. There is typically less publicly
available information concerning small- and mid-capitalization companies than
for larger, more established companies. Small- and mid-capitalization companies
also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government
regulation, borrowing costs, and earnings.
Tracking
Stocks
— The Funds may invest in tracking stocks. A tracking stock is a separate class
of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating
division within a larger company and which is designed to “track” the
performance of such business unit or division. The tracking stock may pay
dividends to shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company,
rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking
stock. However, holders of the tracking stock may not have the same rights as
holders of the company’s common stock.
ETFs.
ETFs are pooled investment vehicles whose ownership interests are purchased and
sold on a securities exchange. ETFs may be structured investment companies,
depositary receipts or other pooled investment vehicles. As shareholders of an
ETF, the Funds will bear their pro rata portion of any fees and expenses of the
ETFs. Although shares of ETFs are traded on an exchange, shares of certain ETFs
may not be redeemable to the ETF. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price below
their net asset value (also known as a discount).
The
Funds may use ETFs to help replicate their respective indexes. By way of
example, ETFs may be structured as broad based ETFs that invest in a broad group
of stocks from different industries and market sectors; select sectors; or
market ETFs that invest in debt securities from a select sector of the economy
(e.g., Treasury securities) a single industry or related industries; other types
of ETFs continue to be developed and the Funds may invest in them to the extent
consistent with their investment objectives, policies and restrictions. The ETFs
in which the Funds invest are subject to the risks applicable to the types of
securities and investments used by the ETFs.
ETFs
may be actively managed or index-based. Actively managed ETFs are subject to
management risk and may not achieve their objective if the ETF’s manager’s
expectations regarding particular securities or markets are not met. An
index-based ETF’s objective is to track the performance of a specified index.
Index based ETFs invest in a securities portfolio that includes substantially
all of the securities in substantially the same amount as the securities
included in the designated index. Because passively managed ETFs are designed to
track an index, securities may be purchased, retained and sold at times when an
actively managed ETF would not do so. As a result, shareholders of a Fund that
invest in such an ETF can expect greater risk of loss (and a correspondingly
greater prospect of gain) from changes in the value of securities that are
heavily weighted in the index than would be the case if ETF were not fully
invested in such securities. This risk is increased if a few component
securities represent a highly concentrated weighting in the designated index.
Unless
permitted by the 1940 Act or a rule issued by the SEC (see “Investment
Companies” below for more information), the Funds’ investments in unaffiliated
ETFs that are structured as investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act are
subject to certain percentage limitations of the 1940 Act regarding investments
in other investment companies.
EXCHANGE-TRADED
NOTES. The
Funds may invest in exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”). ETNs generally are senior,
unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities issued by a sponsor, such as an
investment bank. ETNs are traded on exchanges and the returns are linked to the
performance of market indexes. In addition to trading ETNs on exchanges,
investors may redeem ETNs directly with the issuer on a periodic basis,
typically in a minimum amount of 50,000 units, or hold the ETNs until maturity.
The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and
demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in the underlying market,
changes in the applicable interest rates, and economic, legal, political or
geographic events that affect the referenced market. Because ETNs are debt
securities, they are subject to credit risk. If the issuer has financial
difficulties or goes bankrupt, a Fund may not receive the return it was
promised. If a rating agency lowers an issuer’s credit rating, the value of the
ETN may decline and a lower credit rating reflects a greater risk that the
issuer will default on its obligation. There may be restrictions on a Fund’s
right to redeem its investment in an ETN. There are no periodic interest
payments for ETNs, and principal is not protected. A Fund’s decision to sell its
ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary
market.
FIXED
INCOME SECURITIES.
The Funds may invest in fixed income securities. Even though interest-bearing
securities are investments that promise a stable stream of income, the prices of
such securities are affected by changes in interest rates. In general, fixed
income security prices rise when interest rates fall and fall when interest
rates rise. Securities with shorter maturities, while offering lower yields,
generally provide greater price stability than longer term securities and are
less affected by changes in interest rates. The values of fixed income
securities also may be affected by changes in the credit rating or financial
condition of the issuing entities. Once the rating of a portfolio security has
been changed, the Funds will consider all circumstances deemed relevant in
determining whether to continue to hold the security.
Fixed
income investments bear certain risks, including credit risk, or the ability of
an issuer to pay interest and principal as they become due. Generally, higher
yielding bonds are subject to more credit risk than lower yielding bonds.
Interest rate risk refers to the fluctuations in value of fixed income
securities resulting from the inverse relationship between the market value of
outstanding fixed income securities and changes in interest rates. An increase
in interest rates will generally reduce the market value of fixed income
investments and a decline in interest rates will tend to increase their
value.
Call
risk is the risk that an issuer will pay principal on an obligation earlier than
scheduled or expected, which would accelerate cash flows from, and shorten the
average life of, the security. Bonds are typically called when interest rates
have declined because the issuer can refinance at a lower rate, similar to a
homeowner refinancing a mortgage. In the event of a bond being called, the
Adviser or applicable Sub-Adviser may have to reinvest the proceeds in lower
yielding securities to the detriment of the Funds.
Extension
risk is the risk that an issuer may pay principal on an obligation slower than
expected, having the effect of extending the average life and duration of the
obligation. This typically happens when interest rates have
increased.
Duration
is a calculation that seeks to measure the price sensitivity of a debt security,
or a Fund that invests in debt securities, to changes in interest rates. It
measures sensitivity more accurately than maturity because it takes into account
the time value of cash flows generated over the life of a debt security. Future
interest payments and principal payments are discounted to reflect their present
value and then are multiplied by the number of years they will be received to
produce a value expressed in years – the duration. Effective duration takes into
account call features and sinking Fund prepayments that may shorten the life of
a debt security. A number of factors, including changes in a central bank’s
monetary policies or general improvements in the economy, may cause interest
rates to rise. Fixed income securities with longer durations are more sensitive
to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations, making them
more volatile. This means their prices are more likely to experience a
considerable reduction in response to a rise in interest rates.
When
investing in fixed income securities, the Funds may purchase securities
regardless of their rating, including fixed income securities rated below
investment grade – securities rated below investment grade are often referred to
as high yield securities or “junk bonds.” High yield securities or “junk bonds,”
are usually issued by smaller, less credit-worthy and/or highly leveraged
(indebted companies) and involve special risks in addition to the risks
associated with investments in higher rated fixed income securities. While
offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher
yields, high yield securities may be subject to greater levels of interest rate,
credit and liquidity risk, may entail greater potential price volatility, and
may be less liquid than higher rated fixed income securities. High yield
securities may be regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the
issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may
also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive
industry conditions than higher rated securities. Fixed income securities rated
in the lowest investment grade categories by the rating agencies may also
possess speculative characteristics. If securities are in default with respect
to the payment of interest or the repayment of principal, or present an imminent
risk of default with respect to such payments, the issuer of such securities may
fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case a Fund may lose its
entire investment in the high yield security. In addition, to the extent that
there is no established retail secondary market, there may be thin trading of
high yield securities, and this may have an impact on a Fund’s ability to
accurately value high yield securities and the Fund’s assets and on the Fund’s
ability to dispose of the securities. Adverse publicity and investor perception,
whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and
liquidity
of high yield securities especially in a thinly traded market. The following
risks apply to FLRT’s investments in fixed income securities:
Creditor
Liability and Participation on Creditors’ Committees. Generally,
when the Fund holds bonds or other similar fixed income securities of an issuer,
the Fund becomes a creditor of the issuer. If the Fund is a creditor of an
issuer it, may be subject to challenges related to the securities that it holds,
either in connection with the bankruptcy of the issuer or in connection with
another action brought by other creditors of the issuer, shareholders of the
issuer or the issuer itself. The Fund may from time to time participate on
committees formed by creditors to negotiate with the management of financially
troubled issuers of securities held by the Fund. Such participation may subject
the Fund to expenses such as legal fees and may make the Fund an “insider” of
the issuer for purposes of the federal securities laws, and therefore may
restrict the Fund’s ability to trade in or acquire additional positions in a
particular security when it might otherwise desire to do so. Participation by
the Fund on such committees also may expose the Fund to potential liabilities
under the federal bankruptcy laws or other laws governing the rights of
creditors and debtors. The Fund will participate on such committees only when
its Adviser believes that such participation is necessary or desirable to
enforce the Fund’s rights as a creditor or to protect the value of securities
held by the Fund. Further, the Adviser or Sub-Adviser has the authority to
represent the Trust, or the Fund, on creditors’ committees or similar committees
and generally with respect to challenges related to the securities held by the
Fund relating to the bankruptcy of an issuer or in connection with another
action brought by other creditors of the issuer, shareholders of the issuer or
the issuer itself.
Variable
and Floating Rate Securities. Variable
and floating rate instruments involve certain obligations that may carry
variable or floating rates of interest, and may involve a conditional or
unconditional demand feature. Such instruments bear interest at rates which are
not fixed, but which vary with changes in specified market rates or indices. The
interest rates on these securities may be reset daily, weekly, quarterly, or
some other reset period, and may have a set floor or ceiling on interest rate
changes. There is a risk that the current interest rate on such obligations may
not accurately reflect existing market interest rates. A demand instrument with
a demand notice exceeding seven days may be considered illiquid if there is no
secondary market for such security.
Asset-Backed
Securities. The
Fund may invest in asset-backed securities (“ABSs”), which are bonds backed by
pools of loans or other receivables. ABSs are created from many types of assets,
including auto loans, credit card receivables, home equity loans, and student
loans. ABSs are issued through special purpose vehicles that are bankruptcy
remote from the issuer of the collateral. The credit quality of an ABS
transaction depends on the performance of the underlying assets. To protect ABS
investors from the possibility that some borrowers could miss payments or even
default on their loans, ABSs include various forms of credit enhancement. Some
ABSs, particularly home equity loan transactions, are subject to interest-rate
risk and prepayment risk. A change in interest rates can affect the pace of
payments on the underlying loans, which in turn, affects total return on the
securities. ABSs also carry credit or default risk. If many borrowers on the
underlying loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and
result in losses to investors in an ABS transaction. Finally, ABSs have
structure risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or
early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most ABSs are triggers for early
payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to
each transaction and can include a big rise in defaults on the underlying loans,
a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level, or even the bankruptcy of the
originator. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments (after
expenses are paid) are used to pay investors as quickly as possible based upon a
predetermined priority of payment. Consistent with the Fund’s investment
objectives and policies, the Adviser also may invest in other types of
ABSs.
Bank
Loans. Bank
loans (also known as floating rate loans) are usually rated below investment
grade. The market for floating rate loans may be subject to irregular trading
activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods. In
addition, a significant portion of floating rate loans may be “covenant lite”
loans that may contain fewer or less restrictive covenants on the borrower or
may contain other borrower-friendly characteristics. The Fund’s investment in
loans may take the form of a participation or an assignment. Loan participations
typically represent direct participation in a loan to a borrower, and generally
are offered by financial institutions or lending syndicates. The Fund may
participate in such syndications, or can buy part of a loan, becoming a part
lender. When purchasing loan participations, the Fund assumes the credit risk
associated with the borrower and may assume the credit risk associated with an
interposed financial intermediary. If the lead lender in a typical lending
syndicate becomes insolvent, enters Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
(“FDIC”) receivership or, if not FDIC insured, enters into bankruptcy, the Fund
may incur certain costs and delays in receiving payment or may suffer a loss of
principal and/or interest. When the Fund is a purchaser of an assignment, it
succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement of the
assigning bank or other financial intermediary and becomes a lender under the
loan agreement with the same rights and obligations as the assigning bank or
other financial intermediary. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, the Fund
could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and
liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral.
Bank
Obligations. Bank
obligations may include certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances, and fixed
time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued
against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and
earning a specified return. Bankers' acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills
of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific
merchandise, which are "accepted" by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank
unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity.
Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and
bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand
by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which vary
depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation.
There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial
interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there is no market
for such deposits. The Fund will not invest in fixed time deposits which (1) are
not subject to prepayment or (2) provide for withdrawal penalties upon
prepayment (other than overnight deposits) if, in the aggregate, more than 15%
of its net assets would be invested in such deposits, repurchase agreements with
remaining maturities of more than seven days and other illiquid assets. Subject
to the Trust's limitation on concentration, as described in the "Investment
Restrictions" section below, there is no limitation on the amount of the Fund’s
assets which may be invested in obligations of foreign banks which meet the
conditions set forth herein.
Obligations
of foreign banks involve somewhat different investment risks than those
affecting obligations of U.S. banks, including the possibilities that their
liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic
developments, that their obligations may be less marketable than comparable
obligations of U.S. banks, that a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding
taxes on interest income payable on those obligations, that foreign deposits may
be seized or nationalized, that foreign governmental restrictions such as
exchange controls may be adopted which might adversely affect the payment of
principal and interest on those obligations and that the selection of those
obligations may be more difficult because there may be less publicly available
information concerning foreign banks or the accounting, auditing and financial
reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may
differ from those applicable to United States banks. Foreign banks are not
generally subject to examination by any United States Government agency or
instrumentality.
Below
Investment-Grade Debt Securities. The
Fund may invest in below investment-grade securities. Below investment-grade
securities, also referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds,” are
debt securities that are rated lower than the four highest rating categories by
a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (for example, lower than
Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or (“Moody’s”) lower than BBB- by
Standard & Poor's (“S&P”) or are determined to be of comparable quality
by the Fund’s Sub-Adviser. These securities are generally considered to be, on
balance, predominantly speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and
repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation, and will
generally involve more credit risk than securities in the investment-grade
categories. Investment in these securities generally provides greater income and
increased opportunity for capital appreciation than investments in higher
quality securities, but they also typically entail greater price volatility and
principal and income risk.
Analysis
of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex
than for issuers of investment-grade securities. Thus, reliance on credit
ratings in making investment decisions entails greater risks for high yield
securities than for investment-grade debt securities. The success of the Fund
Sub-Adviser in managing the Fund’s high yield securities is more dependent upon
its own credit analysis than is the case with investment-grade
securities.
Some
high yield securities are issued by smaller, less-seasoned companies, while
others are issued as part of a corporate restructuring, such as an acquisition,
merger, or leveraged buyout. Companies that issue high yield securities are
often highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional
methods of financing. Therefore, the risk associated with acquiring the
securities of such issuers generally is greater than is the case with
investment-grade securities. Some high yield securities were once rated as
investment-grade but have been downgraded to junk bond status because of
financial difficulties experienced by their issuers.
The
market values of high yield securities tend to reflect individual issuer
developments to a greater extent than do investment-grade securities, which in
general react to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. High yield
securities also tend to be more sensitive to economic conditions than are
investment-grade securities. A projection of an economic downturn or of a period
of rising interest rates, for example, could cause a decline in junk bond prices
because the advent of a recession could lessen the ability of a highly leveraged
company to make principal and interest payments on its debt securities. If an
issuer of high yield securities defaults, in addition to risking payment of all
or a portion of interest and principal, the Fund investing in such securities
may incur additional expenses to seek recovery.
The
secondary market on which high yield securities are traded may be less liquid
than the market for investment-grade securities. Less liquidity in the secondary
trading market could adversely affect the ability of the Fund to sell a high
yield security or the price at which the Fund could sell a high yield security,
and could adversely affect the daily NAV of Fund shares. When secondary markets
for high yield securities are less liquid than the market for investment-grade
securities, it
may
be more difficult to value the securities because such valuation may require
more research, and elements of judgment may play a greater role in the valuation
because there is less reliable, objective data available.
The
Fund will not necessarily dispose of a security if a credit-rating agency
downgrades the rating of the security below its rating at the time of purchase.
However, its Sub-Adviser will monitor the investment to determine whether
continued investment in the security is in the best interest of
shareholders.
Collateralized
Bond Obligations, Collateralized Loan Obligations, and Other Collateralized Debt
Obligations. The
Fund may invest in each of collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”),
collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), other collateralized debt obligations
(“CDOs”) and other similarly structured securities. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs
are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is often backed by
a diversified pool of high risk, below investment-grade fixed income securities.
The collateral can be from many different types of fixed income securities such
as high yield debt, residential privately issued mortgage-related securities,
commercial privately issued mortgage-related securities, trust preferred
securities and emerging market debt. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized
by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior
secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans,
including loans that may be rated below investment-grade or equivalent unrated
loans. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing
obligations of various parties. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may charge management
fees and administrative expenses.
For
CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or
more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion
is the "equity" tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans
in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default
in all but the most severe circumstances. Since they are partially protected
from defaults, senior tranches from a CBO trust, CLO trust or trust of another
CDO typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying
securities, and can be rated investment-grade. Despite the protection from the
equity tranche, CBO, CLO or other CDO tranches can experience substantial losses
due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral
default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of
defaults, as well as aversion to CBO, CLO or other CDO securities as a
class.
The
risks of an investment in a CBO, CLO or other CDO depend largely on the type of
the collateral securities and the class of the instrument in which the Fund
invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and
thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in
CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid
securities, however, an active dealer market may exist for CBOs, CLOs and other
CDOs allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the
normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this
SAI and the Fund Prospectus (e.g., fixed income risk and credit risk), CBOs,
CLOs and other CDOs carry additional risks including, but are not limited to,
(i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be
adequate to make interest or other payments, (ii) the quality of the collateral
may decline in value or default, (iii) the risk that the Fund may invest in
CBOs, CLOs or other CDOs that are subordinate to other classes, and (iv) the
possibility that the complex structure of the security may not be fully
understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or
unexpected investment results.
Commercial
Paper. The
Fund may invest in commercial paper. Commercial paper is a short-term obligation
with a maturity ranging from one to 270 days issued by banks, corporations and
other borrowers. Such investments are unsecured and usually discounted. The Fund
may invest in commercial paper rated A-1 or A-2 by S&P or Prime-1 or Prime-2
by Moody’s.
Corporate
Debt Securities. The
Fund may invest in corporate debt securities representative of one or more high
yield bond or credit derivative indices, which may change from time to time.
Selection will generally be dependent on independent credit analysis or
fundamental analysis performed by the Fund’s Adviser or Sub-Adviser. The Fund
may invest in all grades of corporate debt securities, including below
investment-grade securities, as discussed below. See Appendix
A
for a description of corporate bond ratings. The Fund also may invest in unrated
securities.
Corporate
debt securities are typically fixed-income securities issued by businesses to
finance their operations. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the
most common types of corporate debt securities. The primary differences between
the different types of corporate debt securities are their maturities and
secured or unsecured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is
usually unsecured. The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt
issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with
small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated
investment-grade or below investment-grade and may carry variable or floating
rates of interest.
Because
of the wide range of types, and maturities, of corporate debt securities, as
well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt securities
have widely varying potentials for return and risk profiles. For example,
commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is
rated investment-grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries
relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued by
a small foreign corporation from an
emerging
market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively
large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of
risk.
Corporate
debt securities carry both credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk is
the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt
security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due. Some
corporate debt securities that are rated below investment-grade are generally
considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including
default, than higher quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular
issuer's debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For
example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than
lower-ranking (subordinated) securities. This means that the issuer might not
make payments on subordinated securities while continuing to make payments on
senior securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of
higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the
holders of more junior securities. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value
of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise.
In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in
value when interest rates rise than corporate debt securities with shorter
terms.
Inflation-Indexed
Bonds. The
Fund may invest in inflation-indexed bonds, which are fixed income securities
whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of
inflation. Two structures are common. The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers
use a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond.
Most other issuers pay out the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) accruals as part of
a semiannual coupon.
Inflation-indexed
securities issued by the U.S. Treasury have maturities of five, ten or thirty
years, although it is possible that securities with other maturities will be
issued in the future. U.S. Treasury securities pay interest on a semi-annual
basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount.
For example, if the Fund purchased an inflation-indexed bond with a par value of
$1,000 and a 3% real rate of return coupon (payable 1.5% semi-annually), and
inflation over the first six months was 1%, the mid-year par value of the bond
would be $1,010 and the first semi-annual interest payment would be $15.15
($1,010 times 1.5%). If inflation during the second half of the year resulted in
the whole years' inflation equaling 3%, the end-of-year par value of the bond
would be $1,030 and the second semi-annual interest payment would be $15.45
($1,030 times 1.5%).
If
the periodic adjustment rate measuring inflation falls, the principal value of
inflation-indexed bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest
payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal
amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity
(as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury
inflation-indexed bonds, even during a period of deflation. However, the current
market value of the bonds is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate. The Fund also
may invest in other inflation related bonds which may or may not provide a
similar guarantee. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted
principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original
principal.
The
value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in
real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between
nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if inflation were
to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might
decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation-indexed bonds. In
contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation,
real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of
inflation-indexed bonds.
While
these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary
trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If
interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to
changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be
protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond's
inflation measure.
The
periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation-indexed bonds is tied to the Consumer
Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), which is calculated monthly by
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in
the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation
and energy. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally
adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government.
There can be no assurance that the CPI-U or any foreign inflation index will
accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and
services. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the rate of inflation in a
foreign country will be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United
States.
Any
increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered
taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal
until maturity.
Structured
Notes. A
structured note is a derivative security for which the amount of principal
repayment and/or interest payments is based on the movement of one or more
“factors.” These factors include, but are not limited to, currency exchange
rates, interest rates (such as the prime lending rate or the Secured Overnight
Funding Rate (“SOFR”)), referenced
bonds,
and stock indices. Some of these factors may or may not correlate to the total
rate of return on one or more underlying instruments referenced in such notes.
Investments in structured notes involve risks including interest rate risk,
credit risk and market risk. Depending on the factor(s) used and the use of
multipliers or deflators, changes in interest rates and movement of such
factor(s) may cause significant price fluctuations. Structured notes may be less
liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference
factor underlying the note.
Unrated
Debt Securities. The
Fund may invest in unrated debt securities. Unrated debt, while not necessarily
lower in quality than rated securities, may not have as broad a market. Because
of the size and perceived demand for the issue, among other factors, certain
issuers may decide not to pay the cost of getting a rating for their bonds. The
creditworthiness of the issuer, as well as any financial institution or other
party responsible for payments on the security, will be analyzed to determine
whether to purchase unrated bonds.
Zero
Coupon Bonds. The
Fund may invest in U.S. Treasury zero coupon bonds. These securities are U.S.
Treasury bonds which have been stripped of their un-matured interest coupons,
the coupons themselves, and receipts or certificates representing interests in
such stripped debt obligations and coupons. Interest is not paid in cash during
the term of these securities, but is accrued and paid at maturity. Such
obligations have greater price volatility than coupon obligations and other
normal interest-paying securities, and the value of zero coupon securities
reacts more quickly to changes in interest rates than do coupon bonds. Because
dividend income is accrued throughout the term of the zero coupon obligation,
but is not actually received until maturity, the Fund may have to sell other
securities to pay said accrued dividends prior to maturity of the zero coupon
obligation. Unlike regular U.S. Treasury bonds, which pay semi-annual interest,
U.S. Treasury zero coupon bonds do not generate semi-annual coupon payments.
Instead, zero coupon bonds are purchased at a substantial discount from the
maturity value of such securities, the discount reflecting the current value of
the deferred interest; this discount is amortized as interest income over the
life of the security, and is taxable even though there is no cash return until
maturity. Zero coupon U.S. Treasury issues originally were created by government
bond dealers who bought U.S. Treasury bonds and issued receipts representing an
ownership interest in the interest coupons or in the principal portion of the
bonds. Subsequently, the U.S. Treasury began directly issuing zero coupon bonds
with the introduction of STRIPS. While zero coupon bonds eliminate the
reinvestment risk of regular coupon issues, that is, the risk of subsequently
investing the periodic interest payments at a lower rate than that of the
security held, zero coupon bonds fluctuate much more sharply than regular
coupon-bearing bonds. Thus, when interest rates rise, the value of zero coupon
bonds will decrease to a greater extent than will the value of regular bonds
having the same interest rate.
Collateral
Risk. A
loan may not be fully collateralized and can decline significantly in value. In
addition, the Fund’s access to collateral may be limited by bankruptcy or other
insolvency laws. Further, loans held by the Fund may not be considered
securities and, therefore, purchasers, such as the Fund, may not be entitled to
rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws.
Counterparty
Risk. The
Fund may invest in financial instruments involving counterparties for the
purpose of attempting to gain exposure to a particular group of securities,
index or asset class without actually purchasing those securities or
investments, or to hedge a position. Such financial instruments may include,
among others, total return, index, interest rate, and credit default swap
agreements. The use of swap agreements and similar instruments exposes the Funds
to risks that are different than those associated with ordinary portfolio
securities transactions. For example, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the
amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the
default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. If a counterparty
defaults on its payment obligations to the Fund, this default will cause the
value of your investment in the Fund to decrease. In addition, the Fund may
enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may
increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Similarly, if the
credit quality of an issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument improves, this
change may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment.
Credit
Risk.
Credit
risk is the risk that the Fund could lose money if an issuer or guarantor of a
debt instrument becomes unwilling or unable to make timely principal and/or
interest payments, or to otherwise meet its obligations. The Fund is also
subject to the risk that its investment in a debt instrument could decline
because of concerns about the issuer's credit quality or perceived financial
condition. Fixed income securities are subject to varying degrees of credit
risk, which are sometimes reflected in credit ratings.
High
Yield Securities Risk. Securities
rated “BB” or below by S&P or “Ba” or below by Moody's are known as high
yield securities and are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” Such securities
entail greater price volatility and credit and interest rate risk than
investment-grade securities. Analysis of the creditworthiness of high yield
issuers is more complex than for higher-rated securities, making it more
difficult for the Sub-Adviser to accurately predict risk. There is a greater
risk with high yield fixed income securities that an issuer will not be able to
make principal and interest payments when due. If the Fund pursues missed
payments, there is a risk the Fund expenses could increase. In addition,
lower-rated securities may not
trade
as often and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities, especially during
periods of economic uncertainty or change. As a result of all of these factors,
these securities are generally considered to be speculative.
Income
Risk. The
market value of fixed income investments changes in response to interest rate
changes and other factors. The Fund’s income could decline due to falling market
interest rates. This is because, in a falling interest rate environment, the
Fund generally will have to invest the proceeds from sales of Fund shares, as
well as the proceeds from maturing portfolio securities in lower-yielding
securities. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding
fixed income securities generally rise. Moreover, while securities with longer
maturities tend to produce higher yields, the prices of longer maturity
securities are also subject to greater market fluctuations as a result of
changes in interest rates. During periods of falling interest rates, certain
debt obligations with high interest rates may be prepaid (or “called”) by the
issuer prior to maturity.
Interest
Rate Risk. The
values of fixed rate debt securities usually rise and fall in response to
changes in interest rates. Declining interest rates generally increase the value
of existing debt instruments, and rising interest rates generally decrease the
value of existing debt instruments. Changes in a debt instrument’s value usually
will not affect the amount of interest income paid to the Fund, but will affect
the value of the Fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for
investments with longer maturities. Certain securities pay interest at variable
or floating rates. Variable rate securities reset at specified intervals, while
floating rate securities reset whenever there is a change in a specified index
rate. In most cases, these reset provisions reduce the effect of changes in
market interest rates on the value of the security. However, some securities do
not track the underlying index directly, but reset based on formulas that can
produce an effect similar to leveraging; others may also provide for interest
payments that vary inversely with market rates. The market prices of these
securities may fluctuate significantly when interest rates change.
Some
investments give the issuer the option to call or redeem an investment before
its maturity date. If an issuer calls or redeems an investment during a time of
declining interest rates, the Fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an
investment offering a lower yield, and therefore it might not benefit from any
increase in value as a result of declining interest rates.
Other
Floating Rate Loan Risks. Floating
rate loans generally are subject to restrictions on transfer, and the Fund may
be unable to sell its bank loans at a time when it may otherwise be desirable to
do so or may be able to sell them only at prices that are less than their fair
market value. The Fund may find it difficult to establish a fair value for loans
it holds. Further, the trading market for floating rate loans could be impacted
by regulatory action or reforms around the manner in which floating interest
rates are determined. If a published rate is unavailable, the rate of interest
on a floating rate loan could effectively become fixed, which would in turn
adversely affect the value of the floating rate loan. In addition, floating rate
loans generally are subject to extended settlement periods in excess of seven
days, which may impair the Fund’s ability to sell or realize the full value of
its loans in the event of a need to liquidate such loans.
If
the Fund acquires a participation in a loan, the Fund may not be able to control
the exercise of remedies that the lender would have under the loan and likely
would not have any rights against the borrower directly. A loan participation
agreement involves the purchase of a share of a loan made by a bank to a company
in return for a corresponding share of borrower's principal and interest
payments. The principal credit risk associated with acquiring loan participation
interests is the credit risk associated with the underlying corporate borrower.
There is also a risk that there may not be a readily available market for loan
participation interests and, in some cases, this could result in the Fund
disposing of such securities at a substantial discount from face value or
holding such securities until maturity.
Loans
made to finance highly leveraged corporate acquisitions may be especially
vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions. A loan may also
be in the form of a bridge loan, which are designed to provide temporary or
“bridge” financing to a borrower, pending the sale of identified assets or the
arrangement of longer-term loans or the issuance and sale of debt obligations. A
borrower's use of a bridge loan involves a risk that the borrower may be unable
to locate permanent financing to replace the bridge loan, which may impair the
borrower's perceived creditworthiness.
Floating
rate loans, like other debt securities, may be paid off early if the issuer of a
security can repay principal prior to the maturity date. If interest rates are
falling, the Fund may have to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower
interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund's income.
A
loan may be a senior loan or a junior loan. Senior loans typically provide
lenders with a first right to cash flows or proceeds from the sale of a
borrower's collateral if the borrower becomes insolvent (subject to certain
limitations of bankruptcy law). However, there can be no assurance that
liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower's obligation in the
event of a default or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In
addition, senior loans are subject to the risk that a court could subordinate
such senior loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the borrower,
or take other action detrimental to the holders of senior loans including, in
certain circumstances, invalidating such senior loans or causing interest
previously
paid
to be refunded to the borrower. Any such actions could negatively affect the
Fund’s performance. To the extent the Fund invests in junior loans, these loans
involve a higher degree of overall risk than senior loans of the same borrower
because of their lower place in the borrower's capital structure and possible
unsecured status.
The
loans in which the Fund will invest will generally be secured and senior to
other indebtedness of the borrower. Each loan generally will be secured by
collateral such as accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, real estate,
intangible assets such as trademarks, copyrights and patents, and securities of
subsidiaries or affiliates. Collateral also may include guarantees or other
credit support by affiliates of the borrower. The value of the collateral
generally will be determined by reference to financial statements of the
borrower, by an independent appraisal, by obtaining the market value of such
collateral, in the case of cash or securities if readily ascertainable, or by
other customary valuation techniques considered appropriate by the Adviser or
Sub-Adviser. The value of collateral may decline after the Fund’s investment,
and collateral may be difficult to sell in the event of default. Consequently,
the Fund may not receive all the payments to which it is entitled. The loan
agreement may or may not require the borrower to pledge additional collateral to
secure the senior loan if the value of the initial collateral declines. In
certain circumstances, the loan agreement may authorize the agent to liquidate
the collateral and to distribute the liquidation proceeds pro rata among the
lenders. By virtue of their senior position and collateral, senior loans
typically provide lenders with the first right to cash flows or proceeds from
the sale of a borrower's collateral if the borrower becomes insolvent (subject
to the limitations of bankruptcy law, which may provide higher priority to
certain claims such as employee salaries, employee pensions, and taxes). This
means senior loans generally are repaid before unsecured bank loans, corporate
bonds, subordinated debt, trade creditors, and preferred or common stockholders.
To the extent that the Fund invests in unsecured loans, if the borrower defaults
on such loan, there is no specific collateral on which the lender can foreclose.
If the borrower defaults on a subordinated loan, the collateral may not be
sufficient to cover both the senior and subordinated loans. In addition, if the
loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of any collateral and could
bear the costs and liabilities of owning and disposing of the
collateral.
Senior
loans generally are arranged through private negotiations between a borrower and
several financial institutions represented by an agent who is usually one of the
originating lenders. In larger transactions, it is common to have several
agents; however, generally only one such agent has primary responsibility for
ongoing administration of a senior loan. Agents typically are paid fees by the
borrower for their services.
The
agent is responsible primarily for negotiating the loan agreement which
establishes the terms and conditions of the senior loan and the rights of the
borrower and the lenders. The agent is paid a fee by the borrower for its
services. The agent generally is required to administer and manage the senior
loan on behalf of other lenders. The agent also is responsible for monitoring
collateral and for exercising remedies available to the lenders such as
foreclosure upon collateral. The agent may rely on independent appraisals of
specific collateral. The agent need not, however, obtain an independent
appraisal of assets pledged as collateral in all cases. The agent generally also
is responsible for determining that the lenders have obtained a perfected
security interest in the collateral securing a senior loan. The Fund normally
relies on the agent to collect principal of and interest on a senior loan. The
Fund also relies in part on the agent to monitor compliance by the borrower with
the restrictive covenants in the loan agreement and to notify the Fund (or the
lender from whom the Fund has purchased a participation) of any adverse change
in the borrower's financial condition. Insolvency of the agent or other persons
positioned between the Fund and the borrower could result in losses for the
Fund.
Loan
agreements may provide for the termination of the agent's agency status in the
event that it fails to act as required under the relevant loan agreement,
becomes insolvent, enters FDIC receivership or, if not FDIC insured, enters into
bankruptcy. Should such an agent, lender or assignor, with respect to an
assignment interpositioned between the Fund and the borrower, become insolvent
or enter FDIC receivership or bankruptcy, any interest in the senior loan of
such person and any loan payment held by such person for the benefit of the Fund
should not be included in such person's or entity's bankruptcy estate. If,
however, any such amount were included in such person's or entity's bankruptcy
estate, the fund would incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment or
could suffer a loss of principal or interest. In this event, the fund could
experience a decrease in its NAV.
Most
borrowers pay their debts from cash flow generated by their businesses. If a
borrower’s cash flow is insufficient to pay its debts, it may attempt to
restructure its debts rather than sell collateral. Borrowers may try to
restructure their debts by filing for protection under the federal bankruptcy
laws or negotiating a work-out. If a borrower becomes involved in a bankruptcy
proceeding, access to collateral may be limited by bankruptcy and other laws. If
a court decides that access to collateral is limited or void, the fund may not
recover the full amount of principal and interest that is due.
A
borrower must comply with certain restrictive covenants contained in the loan
agreement. In addition to requiring the scheduled payment of principal and
interest, these covenants may include restrictions on the payment of dividends
and other distributions to the borrower’s shareholders, provisions requiring
compliance with specific financial ratios, and limits on total indebtedness. The
agreement also may require the prepayment of the loans from excess cash flow. A
breach of a covenant
that
is not waived by the agent (or lenders directly) is normally an event of
default, which provides the agent and lenders the right to call for repayment of
the outstanding loan.
In
the process of buying, selling and holding senior loans, the fund may receive
and/or pay certain fees. These fees are in addition to interest payments
received and may include facility fees, commitment fees, commissions and
prepayment penalty fees. Facility fees are paid to lenders when a senior loan is
originated. Commitment fees are paid to lenders on an ongoing basis based on the
unused portion of a senior loan commitment. Lenders may receive prepayment
penalties when a borrower prepays a senior loan. Whether the fund receives a
facility fee in the case of an assignment, or any fees in the case of a
participation, depends on negotiations between the Fund and the lender selling
such interests. When the fund buys an assignment, it may be required to pay a
fee to the lender selling the assignment, or to forgo a portion of interest and
fees payable to the Fund. Occasionally, the assignor pays a fee to the assignee.
A person selling a participation to the fund may deduct a portion of the
interest and any fees payable to the Fund as an administrative fee.
Notwithstanding
its intention in certain situations not to receive material, non-public
information with respect to its management of investments in loans, the Adviser
or the Sub-Adviser may from time to time come into possession of material,
non-public information about the issuers of loans that may be held in the Fund’s
portfolio. Possession of such information may in some instances occur despite
the Adviser’s or the Sub-Adviser’s efforts to avoid such possession, but in
other instances the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser may choose to receive such
information (for example, in connection with participation in a creditors'
committee with respect to a financially distressed issuer). The Adviser’s or the
Sub-Adviser's ability to trade in these loans for the account of the fund could
potentially be limited by its possession of such information. Such limitations
on the Adviser's or the Sub-Adviser's ability to trade could have an adverse
effect on the fund by, for example, preventing the Fund from selling a loan that
is experiencing a material decline in value. In some instances, these trading
restrictions could continue in effect for a substantial period of
time.
Although
the overall size and number of participants in the market for floating rate
loans (or bank loans) has grown over the past decade, floating rate loans
continue to trade in an unregulated inter-dealer or inter-bank secondary market.
Purchases and sales of floating rate loans are generally subject to contractual
restrictions that must be satisfied before a floating rate loan can be bought or
sold. These restrictions may impede the Fund's ability to buy or sell floating
rate loans, negatively impact the transaction price, and impede the Fund’s
ability to timely vote or otherwise act with respect to floating rate loans. As
a result, it may take longer than seven days for transactions in floating rate
loans to settle, which make it more difficult for the Fund to raise cash to pay
investors when they redeem their shares in the Fund. The Fund may be adversely
affected by having to sell other investments at an unfavorable time and/or under
unfavorable conditions, hold cash, temporarily borrow from banks or other
lenders or take other actions to meet short-term liquidity needs in order to
satisfy redemption requests from Fund shareholders. These actions may impact the
Fund’s performance (in the case of holding cash or selling securities) or
increase the Fund’s expenses (in the case of borrowing).
It
is also unclear whether the U.S. federal securities laws, which afford certain
protections against fraud and misrepresentation in connection with the offering
or sale of a security, as well as against manipulation of trading markets for
securities, would be available to the Fund’s investments in a loan. This is
because a loan may not be deemed to be a security in certain circumstances. In
these instances, the Fund may need to rely on contractual provisions in the loan
documents for some protections and also avail itself of common law fraud
protections under applicable state law, which could increase the risk and
expense to the Fund of investing in loans. In addition, holders of such loans
may from time to time receive confidential information about the borrower. In
certain circumstances, this confidential information may be considered material
non-public information. Because U.S. laws and regulations generally prohibit
trading in securities of issuers while in possession of material, non-public
information, the Fund that receives confidential information about a borrower
for loan investments might be unable to trade securities or other instruments
issued by the borrower when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so and, as
such, could incur a loss. For this reason, the Fund or its Manager may determine
not to receive confidential information about a borrower for loan investments,
which may disadvantage the Fund relative to other investors who do receive such
information.
Some
covenant lite loans may be in the market from time to time which tend to have
fewer or no financial maintenance covenants and restrictions. A covenant lite
loan typically contains fewer clauses which allow an investor to proactively
enforce financial covenants or prevent undesired actions by the
borrower/issuer.
Covenant
lite loans also generally provide fewer investor protections if certain criteria
are breached. The Fund may experience losses or delays in enforcing its rights
on its holdings of covenant lite loans.
Prepayment/Extension
Risk. Floating
rate loans are also subject to prepayment risk (also called extension risk).
Borrowers may pay off their loans sooner than expected particularly when
interest rates are falling. The Fund investing in such securities will be forced
to reinvest this money at lower yields, which can reduce the Fund’s returns.
Similarly, debt obligations with
call
features have the risk that an issuer will exercise the right to pay an
obligation (such as a mortgage-backed security) earlier than expected.
Pre-payment and call risk typically occur when interest rates are declining.
Conversely, when interest rates are rising, the duration of such securities
tends to extend, making them more sensitive to changes in interest
rates.
FIXED-INCOME
SECURITIES RATINGS. Nationally
recognized statistical rating organizations (together, rating agency) publish
ratings based upon their assessment of the relative creditworthiness of rated
fixed-income securities. Generally, a lower rating indicates higher credit risk,
and higher yields are ordinarily available from fixed-income securities in the
lower rating categories to compensate investors for the increased credit risk.
Any use of credit ratings in evaluating fixed-income securities can involve
certain risks. For example, ratings assigned by the rating agencies are based
upon an analysis completed at the time of the rating of the obligor’s ability to
pay interest and repay principal, typically relying to a large extent on
historical data. Rating agencies typically rely to a large extent on historical
data which may not accurately represent present or future circumstances. Ratings
do not purport to reflect to risk of fluctuations in market value of the
fixed-income security and are not absolute standards of quality and only express
the rating agency’s current opinion of an obligor’s overall financial capacity
to pay its financial obligations. A credit rating is not a statement of fact or
a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a fixed-income obligation. Also,
credit quality can change suddenly and unexpectedly, and credit ratings may not
reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or events since the security
was last rated. Rating agencies may have a financial interest in generating
business, including the arranger or issuer of the security that normally pays
for that rating, and a low rating might affect future business. While rating
agencies have policies and procedures to address this potential conflict of
interest, there is a risk that these policies will fail to prevent a conflict of
interest from impacting the rating. Additionally, legislation has been enacted
in an effort to reform rating agencies. The SEC has also adopted rules to
require rating agencies to provide additional disclosure and reduce conflicts of
interest, and further reform has been proposed. It is uncertain how such
legislation or additional regulation might impact the ratings agencies business
and the Adviser’s or Sub-Adviser’s investment process.
Prepayment
risk occurs when a fixed-income investment held by a Fund may be repaid in whole
or in part prior to its maturity. The amount of prepayable obligations a Fund
invests in from time to time may be affected by general business conditions,
market interest rates, borrowers’ financial conditions and competitive
conditions among lenders. In a period of declining interest rates, borrowers may
repay investments more quickly than anticipated, reducing the yield to maturity
and the average life of the relevant investment. Moreover, when a Fund reinvests
the proceeds of a prepayment in these circumstances, it will likely receive a
rate of interest that is lower than the rate on the security that was prepaid.
To the extent that a Fund purchases a relevant investment at a premium,
prepayments may result in a loss to the extent of the premium paid. If a Fund
buys such investments at a discount, both scheduled payments and unscheduled
prepayments will increase current and total returns and unscheduled prepayments
will also accelerate the recognition of income. In a period of rising interest
rates, prepayments of investments may occur at a slower than expected rate,
creating maturity extension risk. This particular risk may effectively change an
investment that was considered short- or intermediate-term at the time of
purchase into a longer-term investment. Since the value of longer-term
investments generally fluctuates more widely in response to changes in interest
rates than short-term investments, maturity extension risk could increase the
volatility of a Fund. When interest rates decline, the value of an investment
with prepayment features may not increase as much as that of other fixed-income
securities and, as noted above, changes in market rates of interest may
accelerate or delay prepayments and thus affect maturities.
FOREIGN
CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS.
The Funds may invest directly and indirectly in foreign currencies. The Fund may
conduct foreign currency transactions on a spot (i.e.,
cash) or forward basis i.e.,
by entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies).
Currency transactions made on a spot basis are for cash at the spot rate
prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currency.
Although foreign exchange dealers generally do not charge a fee for such
conversions, they do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices
at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may
offer to sell a foreign currency at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of
exchange should the counterparty desire to resell that currency to the dealer.
When used for hedging purposes, forward currency contracts tend to limit any
potential gain that may be realized if the value of the Fund’s foreign holdings
increases because of currency fluctuations.
Investments
in foreign currencies are subject to numerous risks, not the least of which is
the fluctuation of foreign currency exchange rates with respect to the U.S.
dollar. Exchange rates fluctuate for a number of reasons.
•Inflation.
Exchange rates change to reflect changes in a currency’s buying power. Different
countries experience different inflation rates due to different monetary and
fiscal policies, different product and labor market conditions, and a host of
other factors.
•Trade
Deficits.
Countries with trade deficits tend to experience a depreciating currency.
Inflation may be the cause of a trade deficit, making a country’s goods more
expensive and less competitive and so reducing demand for its
currency.
•Interest
Rates.
High interest rates may raise currency values in the short term by making such
currencies more attractive to investors. However, since high interest rates are
often the result of high inflation, long-term results may be the
opposite.
•Budget
Deficits and Low Savings Rates.
Countries that run large budget deficits and save little of their national
income tend to suffer a depreciating currency because they are forced to borrow
abroad to finance their deficits. Payments of interest on this debt can inundate
the currency markets with the currency of the debtor nation. Budget deficits
also can indirectly contribute to currency depreciation if a government chooses
inflationary measures to cope with its deficits and debts.
•Political
Factors.
Political instability in a country can cause a currency to depreciate. Demand
for a certain currency may fall if a country appears a less desirable place in
which to invest and do business.
•Government
Control.
Through their own buying and selling of currencies, the world’s central banks
sometimes manipulate exchange rate movements. In addition, governments
occasionally issue statements to influence people’s expectations about the
direction of exchange rates, or they may instigate policies with an exchange
rate target as the goal. The value of the Fund’s investments is calculated in
U.S. dollars each day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for
business. As a result, to the extent that the Fund’s assets are invested in
instruments denominated in foreign currencies and the currencies appreciate
relative to the U.S. dollar, the Fund’s NAV as expressed in U.S. dollars (and,
therefore, the value of your investment) should increase. If the U.S. dollar
appreciates relative to the other currencies, the opposite should occur. The
currency-related gains and losses experienced by the Fund will be based on
changes in the value of portfolio securities attributable to currency
fluctuations only in relation to the original purchase price of such securities
as stated in U.S. dollars. Gains or losses on shares of the Fund will be based
on changes attributable to fluctuations in the NAV of such shares, expressed in
U.S. dollars, in relation to the original U.S. dollar purchase price of the
shares. The amount of appreciation or depreciation in the Fund’s assets also
will be affected by the net investment income generated by the money market
instruments in which the Fund invests and by changes in the value of the
securities that are unrelated to changes in currency exchange
rates.
The
Funds may incur currency exchange costs when it sells instruments denominated in
one currency and buys instruments denominated in another.
Currency-Related
Derivatives and Other Financial Instruments
The
Funds may use currency transactions in order to hedge the value of portfolio
holdings denominated in particular currencies against fluctuations in relative
value. Currency transactions include forward currency contracts, exchange-listed
currency futures and options thereon, exchange-listed and over-the-counter
(“OTC”) options on currencies, and currency swaps. A forward currency contract
involves a privately negotiated obligation to purchase or sell (with delivery
generally required) a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed
number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a
price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are traded in the
interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large,
commercial banks) and their customers. A forward foreign currency contract
generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any
stage for trades. A currency swap is an agreement to exchange cash flows based
on the notional difference among two or more currencies and operates similarly
to an interest rate swap, which is described below. The Fund may enter into
currency transactions with counterparties which have received (or the guarantors
of the obligations of which have received) a short-term credit rating of A-1 or
P-1 by S&P or Moody’s, respectively, or that have an equivalent rating from
a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”) or (except for
OTC currency options) are determined to be of equivalent credit quality by the
Adviser.
A
Fund’s dealings in forward currency contracts and other currency transactions
such as futures, options on futures, options on currencies and swaps will be
limited to hedging involving either specific transactions (“Transaction
Hedging”) or portfolio positions (“Position Hedging”). Transaction Hedging is
entering into a currency transaction with respect to specific assets or
liabilities of the Fund or an underlying Fund, which will generally arise in
connection with the purchase or sale of its portfolio securities or the receipt
of income therefrom. The Fund may be able to protect itself against possible
losses resulting from changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and
foreign currencies during the period between the date the security is purchased
or sold and the date on which payment is made or received by entering into a
forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of dollars, of the
amount of the foreign currency involved in the underlying security
transactions.
Position
Hedging is entering into a currency transaction with respect to portfolio
security positions denominated or generally quoted in that currency. The Fund
may enter into a forward foreign currency contract to sell, for a fixed amount
of dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or
all of its portfolio securities denominated in such foreign currency. The
precise matching of the forward foreign currency contract amount and the value
of the portfolio securities involved may not have a perfect correlation since
the future value of the securities hedged will change as a consequence of the
market between the date the forward contract is entered into and the date it
matures. The projection of short-term currency market movement is difficult, and
the successful execution of this short-term hedging strategy is
uncertain.
A
Fund will not enter into a transaction to hedge currency exposure to an extent
greater, after netting all transactions intended wholly or partially to offset
other transactions, than the aggregate market value (at the time of entering
into the transaction) of the securities held in its portfolio that are
denominated or generally quoted in or currently convertible into such
currency.
A
Fund in which it invests may also cross-hedge currencies by entering into
transactions to purchase or sell one or more currencies that are expected to
decline in value relative to other currencies to which the Fund has or in which
the Fund expects to have portfolio exposure.
Currency
hedging involves some of the same risks and considerations as other transactions
with similar instruments. Currency transactions can result in losses to the Fund
if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree or in a direction
that is not anticipated. If the Fund enters into a currency hedging transaction,
the Fund will “cover” its position so as not to create a “senior security” as
defined in Section 18 of the 1940 Act.
Currency
transactions are subject to risks different from those of other portfolio
transactions. Because currency control is of great importance to the issuing
governments and influences economic planning and policy, purchase and sales of
currency and related instruments can be negatively affected by government
exchange controls, blockages, and manipulations or exchange restrictions imposed
by governments. These actions can result in losses to the Fund if it is unable
to deliver or receive currency or funds in settlement of obligations and could
also cause hedges it has entered into to be rendered useless, resulting in full
currency exposure as well as incurring transaction costs. Buyers and sellers of
currency futures are subject to the same risks that apply to the use of futures
generally. Furthermore, settlement of a currency futures contract for the
purchase of most currencies must occur at a bank based in the issuing nation.
Trading options on currency futures is relatively new, and the ability to
establish and close out positions on such options is subject to the maintenance
of a liquid market, which may not always be available. Currency exchange rates
may fluctuate based on factors extrinsic to that country’s economy. Although
forward foreign currency contracts and currency futures tend to minimize the
risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, at the same
time they tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value
of such currency increase.
The
Funds are not required to enter into forward currency contracts for hedging
purposes and it is possible that the Fund may not be able to hedge against a
currency devaluation that is so generally anticipated that the Fund is unable to
contract to sell the currency at a price above the devaluation level it
anticipates. It also is possible that, under certain circumstances, the Fund may
have to limit its currency transactions to qualify as a regulated investment
company under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”).
GEOGRAPHIC
CONCENTRATION IN CHINA (AFTY
only). Funds
that are less diversified across countries or geographic regions are generally
riskier than more geographically diversified funds. Because the Fund focuses on
a single country, China, the Fund is more exposed to China’s economic cycles,
currency exchange rates, stock market valuations and political risks, among
other issues, than a more geographically diversified fund.
Government
Intervention and Restriction Risk.
Governments and regulators may intervene in the financial markets, such as by
the imposition of trading restrictions, a ban on “naked” short selling or the
suspension of short selling for certain stocks. This may affect the operation
and market making activities of the Fund, and may have an unpredictable impact
on the Fund. Furthermore, such market interventions may have a negative impact
on the market sentiment which may in turn affect the performance of the Index
and as a result the performance of the Fund.
Recently,
the A-Shares market has experienced considerable volatility and been subject to
frequent and extensive trading halts and suspensions. These trading halts and
suspensions have, among other things, contributed to uncertainty in the markets
and reduced the liquidity of the securities subject to such trading halts and
suspensions, including a number of securities held by the Fund. If the
trading in a significant number of the Fund’s A-Share holdings is halted or
suspended, the Fund’s portfolio could become illiquid. In such event, the Fund
may have difficulty selling its portfolio positions until the trading halt or
suspension is lifted, or may not be able to sell such securities at all. As a
result, the Fund may need to sell other more liquid portfolio holdings at a loss
or at times when it otherwise would not do so in order to generate sufficient
cash to satisfy redemption requests. This could have a negative impact on the
Fund’s performance and increase the tracking error of the Fund against its
Index. If a significant number of securities held by the Fund are suspended or
unavailable for sale, the Fund is permitted to delay settlement of redemption
requests up to seven days, as further discussed below. Trading halts or
suspensions may make it difficult for the Fund to obtain prices for such
securities and may cause the Fund to “fair-value” a portion of its portfolio
holdings. Furthermore, trading halts or suspensions of the Fund’s underlying
portfolio securities may also have a negative impact on secondary market trading
of Fund shares in U.S. market.
ILLIQUID
INVESTMENTS. Each
Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid
investments, as such term is defined by Rule 22e-4 of the 1940 Act. The Funds
may not invest in illiquid investments if, as a result of such investment, more
than 15% of the Fund’s net assets would be invested in illiquid investments.
Illiquid investments include securities subject to contractual or other
restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available
markets. The inability of a Fund to dispose of illiquid investments readily or
at a reasonable price could impair the Fund’s ability to raise cash for
redemptions or other purposes. The liquidity of securities purchased by a Fund
that are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A, except for certain 144A
bonds, will be monitored by the Funds on an ongoing basis. In the event that
more than 15% of its net assets are invested in illiquid investments,
the
Funds, in accordance with Rule 22e-4(b)(1)(iv), will report the occurrence to
both the Board and the SEC and seek to reduce its holdings of illiquid
investments within a reasonable period of time.
INVESTMENT
COMPANIES.
The Funds may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including
ETFs and money market funds, subject to applicable limitations under
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act and Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act.
Investing in another pooled vehicle exposes a Fund to all the risks of that
pooled vehicle. Pursuant to Section 12(d)(1), a Fund may invest in the
securities of another investment company (the “acquired company”) provided that
such Fund, immediately after such purchase or acquisition, does not own in the
aggregate: (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the
acquired company; (ii) securities issued by the acquired company having an
aggregate value in excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of such Fund;
or (iii) securities issued by the acquired company and all other investment
companies (other than treasury stock of such Fund) having an aggregate value in
excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the applicable Fund. To the
extent allowed by law or regulation, the Funds may invest their assets in
securities of investment companies that are money market funds in excess of the
limits discussed above.
The
Funds may rely on Section 12(d)(1)(F) and Rule 12d1-3 under the 1940 Act, which
provide an exemption from Section 12(d)(1) that allow the Funds to invest all of
its assets in other registered funds, including ETFs, if, among other
conditions: (a) a Fund, together with its affiliates, acquires no more than
three percent of the outstanding voting stock of any acquired fund, and (b) the
sales load charged on a Fund’s Shares is no greater than the limits set forth in
Rule 2341 of the Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.
(“FINRA”). In addition, the Funds may invest beyond the limits of Section
12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in Rule 12d1-4 under
the 1940 Act, including that the Funds enter into an agreement with the acquired
company.
If
the Fund invests in and, thus, is a shareholder of, another investment company,
the Fund’s shareholders will indirectly bear the Fund’s proportionate share of
the fees and expenses paid by such other investment company, including advisory
fees, in addition to both the management fees payable directly by the Fund to
the Fund’s own investment adviser and the other expenses that the Fund bears
directly in connection with the Fund’s own operations.
Section
12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment
companies (“Investing Funds”) in the securities of other registered investment
companies, including TRND and HERD. The acquisition of Shares by Investing Funds
is subject to the restrictions of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, except as
may be permitted by exemptive rules under the 1940 Act such as Rule 12d1-4 under
the 1940 Act, subject to certain terms and conditions, including that the
Investing Fund enter into an agreement with the Funds regarding the terms of the
investment.
Investing
Funds are not permitted to invest in TRND and HERD beyond the limits set forth
in Section 12(d)(1) in reliance on Rule 12d1-4 because TRND and HERD operate as
a fund of funds and/or invests a significant portion of its assets in other
investment companies. Thus, these Funds are unable to satisfy the terms and
conditions of Rule 12d1-4. Accordingly, Investing Funds must adhere to the
limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) when investing in TRND and
HERD.
INVESTMENTS
IN CHINA A-SHARES AND H-SHARES (AFTY
only). A-Shares
and H-Shares are each a specific classification of equity securities issued by
companies incorporated in the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”).
H-Shares are denominated and traded in Hong Kong dollars and are traded on the
Hong Kong Stock Exchange. A company incorporated in China may issue both
A-Shares and H-Shares, however the prices that such shares trade at may differ.
A-Shares are denominated and traded in RMB, the official currency of the PRC, on
the Shenzhen and Shanghai Stock Exchanges.
Since
November of 2014, foreign investors have been permitted to invest in eligible
China A-Shares listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange through the Shanghai-Hong Kong
Stock Connect program. The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program; which was
launched in 2014, established a securities trading and clearing program which
enables mutual stock market access between mainland China and Hong Kong.
Investors should note that the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges on which
China A-Shares are traded are undergoing development and the market
capitalization of, and trading volumes on, those exchanges may be lower than
those in more developed financial markets. Market volatility and settlement
difficulties in the China A-Shares markets may result in significant fluctuation
in the prices of the securities traded on such markets and thereby changes in
the Net Asset Value of the Fund. The China A-Shares markets are considered
volatile and unstable (with the risk of suspension of a particular stock or
government intervention).
The
Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges divide listed shares into two classes:
A-Shares and B-Shares. Companies whose shares are traded on the Shanghai and
Shenzhen Stock Exchanges that are incorporated in mainland China may issue both
A-Shares and B-Shares. In China, the A-Shares and B-Shares of an issuer may only
trade on one exchange. A-Shares and B-Shares may both be listed on either the
Shanghai Stock Exchange or the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Both classes represent
an ownership interest comparable to a share of common stock, and all shares are
entitled to substantially the same rights and benefits associated with
ownership.
Through
the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program, foreign investors, such as the
Fund, can trade eligible China A-Shares, subject to trading limits and rules and
regulations as may be issued from time to time. More recently, in December of
2016, foreign investors also are permitted to invest in eligible China A-Shares
listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange through the Shenzhen-Hong
Kong
Stock Connect program. While the Fund may access China A-Shares through the
Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program in the future, it has no immediate
plans to do so.
Investing
Through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect Program —
The Fund invests in eligible securities listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock
Exchange through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program, a securities
trading and clearing program developed by The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong
Limited, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company
Limited and the CSDCC for the establishment of mutual market access between The
Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Unlike
other programs for foreign investment in Chinese securities, no individual
investment quotas or licensing requirements apply to investors investing via the
Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program. In addition, there are no
lock-up periods or restrictions on the repatriation of principal and
profits.
Among
other restrictions, investors in securities obtained via the Shanghai-Hong Kong
Stock Connect program are generally subject to Chinese securities regulations
and Shanghai Stock Exchange rules. Thus, investors in Stock Connect securities
are generally subject to Chinese securities regulations and SSE listing rules,
among other restrictions. Securities obtained via the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock
Connect program generally may only be sold, purchased or otherwise transferred
through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program in accordance with
applicable rules. Although the Fund is not subject to individual investment
quotas, daily investment quotas designed to limit the maximum daily net
purchases on any particular day apply to all participants in the Shanghai-Hong
Kong Stock Connect program. These daily investment quotas which may restrict or
preclude the ability of any Fund to invest in securities obtained via the
program. The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program is newly-established and
further developments are likely. It is unclear whether or how such developments
may restrict or affect the Fund. Additionally, how the laws and regulations of
Hong Kong and China, as well as the rules, policies or guidelines of relevant
regulators and exchanges, will be interpreted or applied with respect to the
Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program is uncertain.
MASTER
LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS (“MLPs”).
MLPs are limited partnerships in which the ownership units are publicly traded.
MLP units are registered with the SEC and are freely traded on a securities
exchange or in the OTC market. MLPs often own several properties or businesses
(or own interests) that are related to real estate development and oil and gas
industries, but they also may finance motion pictures, research and development
and other projects. Generally, an MLP is operated under the supervision of one
or more managing general partners. Limited partners are not involved in the
day-to-day management of the partnership.
The
risks of investing in an MLP are generally those involved in investing in a
partnership as opposed to a corporation. For example, state law governing
partnerships is often less restrictive than state law governing corporations.
Accordingly, there may be fewer protections afforded investors in an MLP than
investors in a corporation. Additional risks involved with investing in an MLP
are risks associated with the specific industry or industries in which the
partnership invests, such as the risks of investing in real estate, or oil and
gas industries.
MLPs
are generally treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. When
a Fund invests in the equity securities of an MLP or any other entity that is
treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a Fund will be
treated as a partner in the entity for tax purposes. Accordingly, in calculating
a Fund’s taxable income, it will be required to take into account its allocable
share of the income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits recognized by each
such entity, regardless of whether the entity distributes cash to the Fund.
Distributions from such an entity to a Fund are not generally taxable unless the
cash amount (or, in certain cases, the fair market value of marketable
securities) distributed to a Fund exceeds the Fund’s adjusted tax basis in its
interest in the entity. In general, a Fund’s allocable share of such an entity’s
net income will increase the Fund’s adjusted tax basis in its interest in the
entity, and distributions to a Fund from such an entity and a Fund’s allocable
share of the entity’s net losses will decrease the Fund’s adjusted basis in its
interest in the entity, but not below zero. A Fund may receive cash
distributions from such an entity in excess of the net amount of taxable income
a Fund is allocated from its investment in the entity. In other circumstances,
the net amount of taxable income a Fund is allocated from its investment in such
an entity may exceed cash distributions received from the entity. Thus, a Fund’s
investments in such an entity may lead a Fund to make distributions in excess of
its earnings and profits, or a Fund may be required to sell investments,
including when not otherwise advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy the
distribution requirements applicable to regulated investment companies under the
Code.
Depreciation
or other cost recovery deductions passed through to a Fund from any investments
in MLPs in a given year will generally reduce a Fund’s taxable income, but those
deductions may be recaptured in the Fund’s income in one or more subsequent
years. When recognized and distributed, recapture income will generally be
taxable to a Fund’s shareholders at the time of the distribution at ordinary
income tax rates, even though those shareholders might not have held Shares in a
Fund at the time the deductions were taken, and even though those shareholders
may not have corresponding economic gain on their Shares at the time of the
recapture. To distribute recapture income or to fund redemption requests, a Fund
may need to liquidate investments, which may lead to additional taxable income.
MONEY
MARKET INSTRUMENTS.
The Funds may invest a portion of their assets in high-quality money market
instruments or in money market mutual funds on an ongoing basis to provide
liquidity or for other reasons. The instruments in which a Fund or money market
mutual fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued by the U.S.
Government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits
and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions;
(iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or
“A-1+” or “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) or, if unrated, of
comparable quality as determined by the Fund; and (iv) repurchase agreements.
CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are
non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods
of time at stated interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on
commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international
transactions.
MORTGAGE-RELATED
SECURITIES (FLRT
Only).
The Funds may invest in mortgage-related and asset-backed securities.
Mortgage-related securities are interests in pools of residential or commercial
mortgage loans, including mortgage loans made by savings and loan institutions,
mortgage bankers, commercial banks and others. Pools of mortgage loans are
assembled as securities for sale to investors by various governmental,
government-related and private organizations. See “Mortgage Pass-Through
Securities.” A Fund also may invest in debt securities which are secured with
collateral consisting of mortgage-related securities (see “Collateralized
Mortgage Obligations”).
The
2008 financial downturn, particularly the increase in delinquencies and defaults
on residential mortgages, falling home prices, and unemployment, adversely
affected the market for mortgage-related securities. In addition, various market
and governmental actions may impair the ability to foreclose on or exercise
other remedies against underlying mortgage holders, or may reduce the amount
received upon foreclosure. These factors have caused certain mortgage-related
securities to experience lower valuations and reduced liquidity. There is also
no assurance that the U.S. government will take action to support the
mortgage-related securities industry, as it has in the past, should the economy
experience another downturn. Further, future government actions may
significantly alter the manner in which the mortgage-related securities market
functions. Each of these factors could ultimately increase the risk that a Fund
could realize losses on mortgage-related securities.
Mortgage
Pass-Through Securities
The
Funds may invest in mortgage pass-through securities. Interests in pools of
mortgage-related securities differ from other forms of debt securities, which
normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with
principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these
securities provide a monthly payment which consists of both interest and
principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the
monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential or
commercial mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of
such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal
resulting from the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure,
net of fees or costs which may be incurred. Some mortgage-related securities
(such as securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association
(“Ginnie Mae”)) are described as “modified pass-through.” These securities
entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the
mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless of
whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment.
The
rate of pre-payments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and
volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may have the effect of shortening
or extending the effective duration of the security relative to what was
anticipated at the time of purchase. To the extent that unanticipated rates of
pre-payment on underlying mortgages increase the effective duration of a
mortgage-related security, the volatility of such security can be expected to
increase. The residential mortgage market in the United States recently has
experienced difficulties that may adversely affect the performance and market
value of certain of the Funds’ mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and
losses on residential mortgage loans (especially subprime and second-lien
mortgage loans) generally have increased recently and may continue to increase,
and a decline in or flattening of housing values (as has recently been
experienced and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may
exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Borrowers with adjustable rate
mortgage loans are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, which affect
their monthly mortgage payments, and may be unable to secure replacement
mortgages at comparably low interest rates. Also, a number of residential
mortgage loan originators have experienced serious financial difficulties or
bankruptcy. Owing largely to the foregoing, reduced investor demand for mortgage
loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements
have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for certain
mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of
mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such
secondary markets could continue or worsen.
Agency
Mortgage-Related Securities
The
Funds may invest in agency mortgage-related securities. The principal
governmental guarantor of mortgage-related securities is Ginnie Mae. Ginnie Mae
is a wholly owned United States government corporation within the Department of
Housing and Urban Development. Ginnie Mae is authorized to guarantee, with the
full faith and credit of the United States government, the timely payment of
principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by Ginnie
Mae (such as savings and loan institutions,
commercial
banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the
Federal Housing Administration (the “FHA”), or guaranteed by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (the “VA”).
Government-related
guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States
government) include the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”). Fannie Mae is a
government-sponsored corporation. Fannie Mae purchases conventional (i.e., not
insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a
list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered
savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit
unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities issued by Fannie Mae are
guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by Fannie Mae, but are
not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. Freddie
Mac was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the
availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a
government-sponsored corporation that issues Participation Certificates (“PCs”),
which are pass-through securities, each representing an undivided interest in a
pool of residential mortgages. Freddie Mac guarantees the timely payment of
interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the
full faith and credit of the United States government.
On
September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac into conservatorship. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all
rights, titles, powers and privileges of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and of any
stockholder, officer or director of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with respect to
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the assets of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. FHFA
selected a new chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors
for each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In
connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury entered into a Senior
Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury will purchase a limited amount of each of
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to maintain a positive net worth in each enterprise.
The SPAs contain various covenants that severely limit each enterprise’s
operations. In exchange for entering into these agreements, the U.S. Treasury
received $1 billion of each enterprise’s senior preferred stock and warrants to
purchase 79.9% of each enterprise’s common stock. Please see "U.S. Government
Securities" for additional information on these agreements.
Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac are continuing to operate as going concerns while in
conservatorship and each remain liable for all of its obligations, including its
guaranty obligations, associated with its mortgage-backed securities. The FHFA
has indicated that the conservatorship of each enterprise will end when the
director of FHFA determines that FHFA’s plan to restore the enterprise to a safe
and solvent condition has been completed.
Under
the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (the “Reform Act”),
which was included as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008,
FHFA, as conservator or receiver, has the power to repudiate any contract
entered into by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac prior to FHFA’s appointment as
conservator or receiver, as applicable, if FHFA determines, in its sole
discretion, that performance of the contract is burdensome and that repudiation
of the contract promotes the orderly administration of Fannie Mae’s or Freddie
Mac’s affairs. The Reform Act requires FHFA to exercise its right to repudiate
any contract within a reasonable period of time after its appointment as
conservator or receiver.
FHFA,
in its capacity as conservator, has indicated that it has no intention to
repudiate the guaranty obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac because FHFA
views repudiation as incompatible with the goals of the conservatorship.
However, in the event that FHFA, as conservator or if it is later appointed as
receiver for Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, were to repudiate any such guaranty
obligation, the conservatorship or receivership estate, as applicable, would be
liable for actual direct compensatory damages in accordance with the provisions
of the Reform Act. Any such liability could be satisfied only to the extent of
Fannie Mae’s or Freddie Mac's assets available therefor.
In
the event of repudiation, the payments of interest to holders of Fannie Mae or
Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities would be reduced if payments on the
mortgage loans represented in the mortgage loan groups related to such
mortgage-backed securities are not made by the borrowers or advanced by the
servicer. Any actual direct compensatory damages for repudiating these guaranty
obligations may not be sufficient to offset any shortfalls experienced by such
mortgage-backed security holders.
Further,
in its capacity as conservator or receiver, FHFA has the right to transfer or
sell any asset or liability of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac without any approval,
assignment or consent. Although FHFA has stated that it has no present intention
to do so, if FHFA, as conservator or receiver, were to transfer any such
guaranty obligation to another party, holders of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
mortgage-backed securities would have to rely on that party for satisfaction of
the guaranty obligation and would be exposed to the credit risk of that
party.
In
addition, certain rights provided to holders of mortgage-backed securities
issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under the operative documents related to
such securities may not be enforced against FHFA, or enforcement of such rights
may be delayed, during the conservatorship or any future receivership. The
operative documents for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities
may provide (or with respect to securities issued prior to the date of the
appointment of the conservator may have provided)
that
upon the occurrence of an event of default on the part of Fannie Mae or Freddie
Mac, in its capacity as guarantor, which includes the appointment of a
conservator or receiver, holders of such mortgage-backed securities have the
right to replace Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac as trustee if the requisite
percentage of mortgage-backed securities holders consent. The Reform Act
prevents mortgage-backed security holders from enforcing such rights if the
event of default arises solely because a conservator or receiver has been
appointed. The Reform Act also provides that no person may exercise any right or
power to terminate, accelerate or declare an event of default under certain
contracts to which Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac is a party, or obtain possession of
or exercise control over any property of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or affect
any contractual rights of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, without the approval of
FHFA, as conservator or receiver, for a period of 45 or 90 days following the
appointment of FHFA as conservator or receiver, respectively.
In
addition, in a February 2011 report to Congress from the Treasury Department and
the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Obama administration
provided a plan to reform America’s housing finance market. The plan would
reduce the role of and eventually eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Notably,
the plan does not propose similar significant changes to Ginnie Mae, which
guarantees payments on mortgage-related securities backed by federally insured
or guaranteed loans such as those issued by the Federal Housing Association or
guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The report also identified
three proposals for Congress and the administration to consider for the
long-term structure of the housing finance markets after the elimination of
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, including implementing (i) a privatized system of
housing finance that limits government insurance to very limited groups of
creditworthy low- and moderate-income borrowers, (ii) a privatized system with a
government backstop mechanism that would allow the government to insure a larger
share of the housing finance market during a future housing crisis, and (iii) a
privatized system where the government would offer reinsurance to holders of
certain highly-rated mortgage-related securities insured by private insurers and
would pay out under the reinsurance arrangements only if the private mortgage
insurers were insolvent.
Collateralized
Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”)
The
Funds may invest in CMOs, which are debt obligations of a legal entity that are
collateralized by mortgages and divided into classes. Similar to a bond,
interest and prepaid principal is paid, in most cases, on a monthly basis. CMOs
may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans or private mortgage bonds, but are
more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities
guaranteed by Ginnie Mae, Freddie Mac, or Fannie Mae, and their income
streams.
CMOs
are structured into multiple classes, often referred to as “tranches,” with each
class bearing a different stated maturity and entitled to a different schedule
for payments of principal and interest, including pre-payments. Actual maturity
and average life will depend upon the prepayment experience of the collateral.
In the case of certain CMOs (known as “sequential pay” CMOs), payments of
principal received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including
pre-payments, are applied to the classes of CMOs in the order of their
respective final distribution dates. Thus, no payment of principal will be made
to any class of sequential pay CMOs until all other classes having an earlier
final distribution date have been paid in full.
In
a typical CMO transaction, a corporation (“issuer”) issues multiple series
(e.g.,
A, B, C, Z) of CMO bonds (“Bonds”). Proceeds of the Bond offering are used to
purchase mortgages or mortgage pass-through certificates (“Collateral”). The
Collateral is pledged to a third-party trustee as security for the Bonds.
Principal and interest payments from the Collateral are used to pay principal on
the Bonds in the order A, B, C, Z. The Series A, B, and C Bonds all bear current
interest. Interest on the Series Z Bond is accrued and added to principal and a
like amount is paid as principal on the Series A, B, or C Bond currently being
paid off. When the Series A, B, and C Bonds are paid in full, interest and
principal on the Series Z Bond begins to be paid currently. CMOs may be less
liquid and may exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or
asset-backed securities.
As
CMOs have evolved, some classes of CMO bonds have become more common. For
example, the Funds may invest in parallel-pay and planned amortization class
(“PAC”) CMOs and multi-class pass-through certificates. Parallel-pay CMOs and
multi-class pass-through certificates are structured to provide payments of
principal on each payment date to more than one class. These simultaneous
payments are taken into account in calculating the stated maturity date or final
distribution date of each class, which, as with other CMO and multi-class
pass-through structures, must be retired by its stated maturity date or final
distribution date but may be retired earlier. PACs generally require payments of
a specified amount of principal on each payment date. PACs are parallel-pay CMOs
with the required principal amount on such securities having the highest
priority after interest has been paid to all classes. Any CMO or multi-class
pass-through structure that includes PAC securities must also have support
tranches-known as support bonds, companion bonds or non-PAC bonds which lend or
absorb principal cash flows to allow the PAC securities to maintain their stated
maturities and final distribution dates within a range of actual prepayment
experience. These support tranches are subject to a higher level of maturity
risk compared to other mortgage-related securities, and usually provide a higher
yield to compensate investors. If principal cash flows are received in amounts
outside a pre-determined range such that the support bonds cannot lend or absorb
sufficient cash flows to the PAC securities as intended, the PAC securities are
subject to heightened maturity risk. Consistent with a Fund’s investment
objectives and policies, its Adviser may invest in various tranches of CMO
bonds, including support bonds.
Commercial
Mortgage-Backed Securities
The
Funds may invest in commercial mortgage-backed securities, which include
securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on
commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial
mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate
securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local
and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to
make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants.
Commercial mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid and exhibit greater
price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed
securities.
Other
Mortgage-Related Securities
The
Funds may invest in other mortgage-related securities, which include securities
other than those described above that directly or indirectly represent a
participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real
property, including mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals or stripped
mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”). Other mortgage-related securities may be
equity or debt securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S.
government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans,
including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks,
commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose
entities of the foregoing.
CMO
Residuals
The
Funds may invest in CMO residuals, which are mortgage securities issued by
agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government or by private originators
of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations,
homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special
purpose entities of the foregoing.
The
cash flow generated by the mortgage assets underlying a series of CMOs is
applied first to make required payments of principal and interest on the CMOs
and second to pay the related administrative expenses and any management fee of
the issuer. The residual in a CMO structure generally represents the interest in
any excess cash flow remaining after making the foregoing payments. Each payment
of such excess cash flow to a holder of the related CMO residual represents
income and/or a return of capital. The amount of residual cash flow resulting
from a CMO will depend on, among other things, the characteristics of the
mortgage assets, the coupon rate of each class of CMO, prevailing interest
rates, the amount of administrative expenses and the pre-payment experience on
the mortgage assets. In particular, the yield to maturity on CMO residuals is
extremely sensitive to pre-payments on the related underlying mortgage assets,
in the same manner as an interest-only (“IO”) class of stripped mortgage-backed
securities. See “Other Mortgage-Related Securities — Stripped Mortgage-Backed
Securities.” In addition, if a series of a CMO includes a class that bears
interest at an adjustable rate, the yield to maturity on the related CMO
residual will also be extremely sensitive to changes in the level of the index
upon which interest rate adjustments are based. As described below with respect
to stripped mortgage-backed securities, in certain circumstances a Fund may fail
to recoup fully its initial investment in a CMO residual.
CMO
residuals are generally purchased and sold by institutional investors through
several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers. Transactions in
CMO residuals are generally completed only after careful review of the
characteristics of the securities in question. In addition, CMO residuals may,
or pursuant to an exemption therefrom, may not have been registered under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”). CMO residuals, whether or
not registered under the Securities Act, may be subject to certain restrictions
on transferability, and may be deemed "illiquid" and subject to a Fund’s
limitations on investment in illiquid securities.
Adjustable
Rate Mortgage-Backed Securities (“ARMBSs”)
The
Funds may invest in ARMBSs, which have interest rates that reset at periodic
intervals. Acquiring ARMBSs permits the Funds to participate in increases in
prevailing current interest rates through periodic adjustments in the coupons of
mortgages underlying the pool on which ARMBSs are based. Such ARMBSs generally
have higher current yield and lower price fluctuations than is the case with
more traditional fixed income debt securities of comparable rating and maturity.
In addition, when prepayments of principal are made on the underlying mortgages
during periods of rising interest rates, a Fund can reinvest the proceeds of
such prepayments at rates higher than those at which they were previously
invested. Mortgages underlying most ARMBSs, however, have limits on the
allowable annual or lifetime increases that can be made in the interest rate
that the mortgagor pays. Therefore, if current interest rates rise above such
limits over the period of the limitation, a Fund, when holding an ARMBS, does
not benefit from further increases in interest rates. Moreover, when interest
rates are in excess of coupon rates (i.e., the rates being paid by mortgagors)
of the mortgages, ARMBSs behave more like fixed income securities and less like
adjustable rate securities and are subject to the risks associated with fixed
income securities. In addition, during periods of rising interest rates,
increases in the coupon rate of adjustable rate mortgages generally lag current
market interest rates slightly, thereby creating the potential for capital
depreciation on such securities.
Stripped
Mortgage-Backed Securities (“SMBSs”)
The
Funds may invest in SMBS, which are derivative multi-class mortgage securities.
SMBSs may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government, or
by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings
and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and
special purpose entities of the foregoing.
SMBSs
are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of
the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. A common
type of SMBS will have one class receiving some of the interest and most of the
principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive most of
the interest and the remainder of the principal. In the most extreme case, one
class will receive all of the interest (the “IO” class), while the other class
will receive all of the principal (the principal-only or “PO” class). The yield
to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal
payments (including pre-payments) on the related underlying mortgage assets, and
a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund
yield to maturity from these securities. If the underlying mortgage assets
experience greater than anticipated pre-payments of principal, the Funds may
fail to recoup some or all of its initial investment in these securities even if
the security is in one of the highest rating categories.
NON-U.S.
SECURITIES. The
Funds may invest in non-U.S. securities.
Investments
in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present in
investments in U.S. securities. For example, non-U.S. securities may be subject
to currency risks or to political, social, or economic instability. There may be
less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than about a U.S.
issuer, and a foreign issuer may or may not be subject to uniform accounting,
auditing and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to those in
the U.S. Investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding or
other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and
operational risks. Other risks of investing in such securities include
political, social, or economic instability in the country involved, the
difficulty of predicting international trade patterns and the possibility of
imposition of exchange controls. The prices of such securities may be more
volatile than those of domestic securities. With respect to certain foreign
countries, there is a possibility of expropriation of assets or nationalization,
imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments, difficulty in
obtaining and enforcing judgments against foreign entities or diplomatic
developments which could affect investment in these countries. Losses and other
expenses may be incurred in converting between various currencies in connection
with purchases and sales of foreign securities. Because foreign exchanges may be
open on days when the Funds do not price their Shares, the value of the
securities in a Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not
be able to purchase or sell Shares. Conversely, Shares may trade on days when
foreign exchanges are closed. Each of these factors can make investments in the
Funds more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
Non-U.S.
stock markets may not be as developed or efficient as, and may be more volatile
than, those in the U.S. While the volume of shares traded on non-U.S. stock
markets generally has been growing, such markets usually have substantially less
volume than U.S. markets. Therefore, a Fund’s investment in non-U.S. equity
securities may be less liquid and subject to more rapid and erratic price
movements than comparable securities listed for trading on U.S. exchanges.
Non-U.S. equity securities may trade at price/earnings multiples higher than
comparable U.S. securities and such levels may not be sustainable. There may be
less government supervision and regulation of foreign stock exchanges, brokers,
banks and listed companies abroad than in the U.S. Moreover, settlement
practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in U.S.
markets. Such differences may include delays beyond periods customary in the
U.S. and practices, such as delivery of securities prior to receipt of payment,
that increase the likelihood of a failed settlement, which can result in losses
to the Funds. The value of non-U.S. investments and the investment income
derived from them may also be affected unfavorably by changes in currency
exchange control regulations. Foreign brokerage commissions, custodial expenses
and other fees are also generally higher than for securities traded in the U.S.
This may cause the Funds to incur higher portfolio transaction costs than
domestic equity funds. Fluctuations in exchange rates may also affect the
earning power and asset value of the foreign entity issuing a security, even one
denominated in U.S. dollars. Dividend and interest payments may be repatriated
based on the exchange rate at the time of disbursement, and restrictions on
capital flows may be imposed.
Investing
in emerging markets can have more risk than investing in developed foreign
markets. The risks of investing in these markets may be exacerbated relative to
investments in foreign markets. Governments of developing and emerging market
countries may be more unstable as compared to more developed countries.
Developing and emerging market countries may have less developed securities
markets or exchanges, and legal and accounting systems. It may be more difficult
to sell securities at acceptable prices and security prices may be more volatile
than in countries with more mature markets. Currency values may fluctuate more
in developing or emerging markets. Developing or emerging market countries may
be more likely to impose government restrictions, including confiscatory
taxation, expropriation or nationalization of a company’s assets, and
restrictions on foreign ownership of local companies. In addition, emerging
markets may impose restrictions on the Funds’ ability to repatriate investment
income or capital and thus, may adversely affect the operations of the Funds.
Certain emerging markets may impose constraints on currency exchange and some
currencies in emerging markets may have been devalued significantly against the
U.S. dollar. For these and other reasons, the prices of securities in emerging
markets can fluctuate more significantly than the prices of securities of
companies in developed countries. The less developed the country, the greater
effect these risks may have on the Funds.
Set
forth below for certain markets in which the Funds may invest are brief
descriptions of some of the conditions and risks in each such
market.
Investments
in Canada.
The U.S. is Canada’s largest trading partner and foreign investor. As a result,
changes to the U.S. economy may significantly affect the Canadian economy. The
Canadian economy is reliant on the sale of natural resources and commodities,
which can pose risks such as the fluctuation of prices and the variability of
demand for exportation of such products. Canada is a major producer of
commodities such as zinc, uranium, forest products, metals, agricultural
products, and energy related products like oil, gas, and hydroelectricity.
Changes in spending on Canadian products by the economies of other countries or
changes in any of these economies may cause a significant impact on the Canadian
economy.
Investments
in China and Hong Kong.
Investing in ADRs with underlying shares organized, listed or domiciled in China
involves special considerations not typically associated with investing in
countries with more democratic governments or more established economies or
securities markets. Such risks may include: (i) the risk of nationalization
or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (ii) greater social,
economic and political uncertainty (including the risk of war);
(iii) dependency on exports and the corresponding importance of
international trade; (iv) increasing competition from Asia’s other low-cost
emerging economies; (v) higher rates of inflation; (vi) controls on
foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital;
(vii) greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy;
(viii) the risk that the Chinese government may decide not to continue to
support the economic reform programs implemented since 1978 and could return to
the prior, completely centrally planned, economy; (ix) the fact that
Chinese companies, particularly those located in China, may be smaller, less
seasoned and newly organized; (x) the differences in, or lack of, auditing
and financial reporting standards which may result in unavailability of material
information about issuers, particularly in China where, for example, the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) lacks access to inspect
PCAOB-registered accounting firms; (xi) the fact that statistical
information regarding the economy of China may be inaccurate or not comparable
to statistical information regarding the U.S. or other economies; (xii) the
less extensive, and still developing, regulation of the securities markets,
business entities and commercial transactions; (xiii) the fact that the
settlement period of securities transactions in foreign markets may be longer;
(xiv) the fact that the willingness and ability of the Chinese government
to support the Chinese and Hong Kong economies and markets is uncertain;
(xv) the risk that it may be more difficult, or impossible, to obtain
and/or enforce a judgment than in other countries; (xvi) the rapid and
erratic nature of growth, particularly in China, resulting in inefficiencies and
dislocations; (xvii) the risk that, because of the degree of
interconnectivity between the economies and financial markets of China and Hong
Kong, any sizable reduction in the demand for goods from China, or an economic
downturn in China, could negatively affect the economy and financial market of
Hong Kong as well; and (xviii) the risk that certain companies in the
Fund’s Index may have dealings with countries subject to sanctions or embargoes
imposed by the U.S. Government or identified as state sponsors of terrorism.
China
is also vulnerable economically to the impact of a public health crisis, which
could depress consumer demand, reduce economic output, and potentially lead to
market closures, travel restrictions, and quarantines, all of which would
negatively impact China’s economy and could affect the economies of its trading
partners.
After
many years of steady growth, the growth rate of China’s economy had slowed prior
to 2020. Although this slowdown was to some degree intentional, the slowdown
also slowed the once rapidly growing Chinese real estate market and left local
governments with high debts with few viable means to raise revenue, especially
with the fall in demand for housing. In the first quarter of 2021, however, as
China recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, these trends reversed as China’s
economy grew over 18% on a year-over-year basis and demand grew within the
Chinese real estate market. It remains unclear though whether these trends will
continue given global economic uncertainties caused by trade relations and fears
that the Chinese real estate market may be overheating. Recently, limited growth
and companies’ ability to pay down debt has impacted China’s economy through
rising default rates, specifically among real estate developers.
Investments
in Hong Kong are also subject to certain political risks not associated with
other investments. Following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China
by the Communist Party in 1949, the Chinese government renounced various debt
obligations incurred by China’s predecessor governments, which obligations
remain in default, and expropriated assets without compensation. There can be no
assurance that the Chinese government will not take similar action in the
future. Investments in China and Hong Kong involve risk of a total loss due to
government action or inaction. China has committed by treaty to preserve Hong
Kong’s autonomy and its economic, political and social freedoms for 50 years
from the July 1, 1997 transfer of sovereignty from Great Britain to China.
However, if China would exert its authority so as to alter the economic,
political or legal structures or the existing social policy of Hong Kong,
investor and business confidence in Hong Kong could be negatively affected,
which in turn could negatively affect markets and business performance. In
addition, the Hong Kong dollar trades at a fixed exchange rate in relation to
(or, is “pegged” to) the U.S. dollar, which has contributed to the growth and
stability of the Hong Kong economy. However, it is uncertain how long the
currency peg will continue or what effect the establishment of an alternative
exchange rate system would have on the Hong Kong economy. Because the Fund’s NAV
is denominated in U.S.
dollars,
the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system could result in a
decline in the Fund’s NAV. These and other factors could have a negative impact
on the Fund’s performance.
Investments
in Europe.
Most developed countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union
(“EU”), and many are also members of the European Monetary Union (EMU), which
requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, and debt
levels. Unemployment in certain European nations is historically high and
several countries face significant debt problems. These conditions can
significantly affect every country in Europe. The euro is the official currency
of the EU. Funds that invest in Europe may have significant exposure to the euro
and events affecting the euro. Recent market events affecting several of the EU
member countries have adversely affected the sovereign debt issued by those
countries, and ultimately may lead to a decline in the value of the euro. A
significant decline in the value of the euro may produce unpredictable effects
on trade and commerce generally and could lead to increased volatility in
financial markets worldwide.
The
United Kingdom (UK) withdrew from the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020
following a June 2016 referendum referred to as “Brexit.” Although the UK and EU
agreed to a trade deal in December 2020, certain post-EU arrangements, such as
those relating to the offering of cross-border financial services and sharing of
cross-border data, have yet to be reached and the EU’s willingness to grant
equivalency to the UK remains uncertain. There is significant market uncertainty
regarding Brexit’s ramifications, and the range of possible political,
regulatory, economic and market outcomes are difficult to predict. The
uncertainty surrounding the UK’s economy, and its legal, political, and economic
relationship with the remaining member states of the EU, may cause considerable
disruption in securities markets, including decreased liquidity and increased
volatility, as well as currency fluctuations in the British pound’s exchange
rate against the U.S. dollar.
The
effects of Brexit will depend, in part, on agreements the UK negotiates to
retain access to EU markets, either during a transitional period or more
permanently, including, but not limited to, current trade and finance
agreements. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially
divergent national laws and regulations, as the UK determines which EU laws to
replace or replicate. The extent of the impact of the withdrawal negotiations in
the UK and in global markets, as well as any associated adverse consequences,
remain unclear, and the uncertainty may have a significant negative effect on
the value of the Fund’s investments. If one or more other countries were to exit
the EU or abandon the use of the euro as a currency, the value of investments
tied to those countries or the euro could decline significantly and
unpredictably.
Investments
in Japan.
A significant portion of a Fund’s assets may be invested in Japanese securities.
To the extent a Fund invests in Japanese securities, it will be subject to risks
related to investing in Japan. The Japanese economy may be subject to
considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability, which could
have a negative impact on Japanese securities. Since the year 2000, Japan’s
economic growth rate has remained relatively low and it may remain low in the
future. In addition, Japan is subject to the risk of natural disasters, such as
earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons and tsunamis. Additionally, decreasing U.S.
imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates, a
recession in the United States or continued increases in foreclosure rates may
have an adverse impact on the economy of Japan. Japan also has few natural
resources, and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a
negative impact on Japanese securities.
Investments
in Russia and other Eastern European Countries.
Many formerly communist, eastern European countries have experienced significant
political and economic reform over the past decade. However, the democratization
process is still relatively new in a number of the smaller states and political
turmoil and popular uprisings remain threats. Investments in these countries are
particularly subject to political, economic, legal, market and currency risks.
The risks include uncertain political and economic policies and the risk of
nationalization or expropriation of assets, short-term market volatility, poor
accounting standards, corruption and crime, an inadequate regulatory system,
unpredictable taxation, the imposition of capital controls and/or foreign
investment limitations by a country and the imposition of sanctions on an
Eastern European country by other countries, such as the United States. Adverse
currency exchange rates are a risk, and there may be a lack of available
currency hedging instruments.
These
securities markets, as compared to U.S. markets, have significant price
volatility, less liquidity, a smaller market capitalization and a smaller number
of exchange-traded securities. A limited volume of trading may result in
difficulty in obtaining accurate prices and trading. There is little publicly
available information about issuers. Settlement, clearing, and registration of
securities transactions are subject to risks because of insufficient
registration systems that may not be subject to effective government
supervision. This may result in significant delays or problems in registering
the transfer of shares. It is possible that a Fund's ownership rights could be
lost through fraud or negligence. While applicable regulations may impose
liability on registrars for losses resulting from their errors, it may be
difficult for a Fund to enforce any rights it may have against the registrar or
issuer of the securities in the event of loss of share registration.
Political
risk in Russia remains high, and steps that Russia may take to assert its
geopolitical influence may increase the tensions in the region and affect
economic growth. Russia’s economy is heavily dependent on exportation of natural
resources, which may be particularly vulnerable to economic sanctions by other
countries during times of political tension or crisis.
In
response to recent political and military actions undertaken by Russia, the
United States and certain other countries, as well as the European Union, have
instituted economic sanctions against certain Russian individuals and companies.
The political and economic situation in Russia, and the current and any future
sanctions or other government actions against Russia, may result in the decline
in the value and liquidity of Russian securities, devaluation of Russian
currency, a downgrade in Russia’s credit rating, the inability to freely trade
sanctioned companies (either due to the sanctions imposed or related operational
issues) and/or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy, any of which
could negatively impact a Fund’s investments in Russian securities. Sanctions
could result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the
ability of a Fund to buy, sell, receive, or deliver those securities. Both the
current and potential future sanctions or other government actions against
Russia also could result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory
actions, which may impair further the value or liquidity of Russian securities
and negatively impact a Fund. Any or all of these potential results could lead
Russia’s economy into a recession.
Investments
in South Korea. The
South Korean government has historically imposed significant restrictions and
controls on foreign investors. As a result, the Funds may be limited in their
investments or precluded from investing in certain South Korean companies, which
may adversely affect the performance of the Funds. Investments by the Funds in
the securities of South Korean issuers may involve investment risks different
from those of U.S. issuers, including possible political, economic or social
instability in South Korea, and changes in South Korean law or regulations. In
addition, there is the possibility of the imposition of currency-exchange
controls, foreign withholding tax on the interest income payable on such
instruments, foreign controls, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits or
assets, or the adoption of other foreign government restrictions that might
adversely affect the South Korean securities held by the Funds. Political
instability and/or military conflict involving North Korea may adversely affect
the value of the Funds’ assets. Foreign securities may also be subject to
greater fluctuations in price than securities of domestic corporations or the
U.S. government. There may be less publicly available information about a South
Korean company than about a U.S. company. Brokers in South Korea may not be as
well capitalized as those in the U.S., so that they may be more susceptible to
financial failure in times of market, political or economic stress.
Additionally, South Korean accounting, auditing and financial reporting
standards and requirements differ, in some cases significantly, from those
applicable to U.S. issuers. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on
the financial statements of a South Korean issuer may not reflect its financial
position or results of operations in accordance with U.S. generally accepted
accounting principles. There is a possibility of expropriation, nationalization,
confiscatory taxation or diplomatic developments that could adversely affect
investments in South Korea.
Investments
in Taiwan.
Investments in Taiwanese issuers may subject a Fund to legal, regulatory,
political, currency and economic risks that are specific to Taiwan.
Specifically, Taiwan’s geographic proximity and history of political contention
with China have resulted in ongoing tensions between the two countries. These
tensions may materially affect the Taiwanese economy and its securities market.
Taiwan’s economy is export-oriented, so it depends on an open world trade regime
and remains vulnerable to fluctuations in the world economy. The Taiwanese
economy is dependent on the economies of Asia, mainly those of Japan and China,
and the United States. Reduction in spending by any of these countries on
Taiwanese products and services or negative changes in any of these economies
may cause an adverse impact on the Taiwanese economy.
OTHER
SHORT-TERM INSTRUMENTS.
In addition to repurchase agreements, a Fund may invest in short-term
instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide
liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally
short-term investments that may include but are not limited to: (i) shares of
money market funds; (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored
enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’
acceptances, fixed time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and foreign banks
(including foreign branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper
rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1” by S&P or, if
unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser, or Sub-Adviser as
applicable; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and
debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than
397 days and that satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under
the 1940 Act; and (vi) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of foreign
banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser, or
Sub-Adviser as applicable, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S.
banks which may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be
purchased on a current or a forward-settled basis. Money market instruments also
include shares of money market funds. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits
maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated
interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks
by borrowers, usually in connection with international
transactions.
PRC
BROKER AND PRC CUSTODIAN RISK (AFTY
only).
The Sub-Adviser is responsible for selecting a PRC Broker(s) to execute
transactions for the Fund in the PRC markets. In its selection of a PRC
Broker(s), the Sub-Adviser, will consider factors such as the competitiveness of
commission rates, size of the relevant orders and execution standards.
The
Sub-Adviser is responsible for selecting a custodian in the PRC (the “PRC
Custodian”) to maintain its assets pursuant to local Chinese laws and
regulations. According to the RQFII regulations and market practice, the
securities and cash accounts for the Fund in the PRC are to be maintained by the
PRC Custodian in the joint names of the Sub-Adviser as the RQFII holder and the
Fund. The
Fund’s
PRC Custodian is HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited. The PRC Custodian maintains
the Fund’s RMB deposit accounts and oversees each Fund’s investments in A-Shares
in the PRC to ensure their compliance with the rules and regulations of the
CSRC, the SAFE and the People’s Bank of China (the “PBOC”). A-Shares that are
traded on the Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchanges are dealt and held in
book-entry form through the China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation
Limited (“CSDCC”).
The
assets held or credited in the Fund’s securities trading account(s) maintained
by the PRC Custodian are segregated and independent from the proprietary assets
of the PRC Custodian. However, under PRC law, cash deposited in the Fund’s cash
account(s) maintained with the PRC Custodian will not be segregated, but will be
a debt owed from the PRC Custodian to the Fund as a depositor. Such cash will be
co-mingled with cash that the PRC Custodian has received from other clients or
creditors of the PRC Custodian. In the event of bankruptcy or liquidation of the
PRC Custodian, the Fund will not have any proprietary rights to the cash
deposited in such cash account(s), and the Fund will become an unsecured
creditor, ranking pari
passu with
all other unsecured creditors, of the PRC Custodian.
There
is a risk that the Fund may suffer losses from the default, bankruptcy or
disqualification of the PRC Broker(s) or the PRC Custodian. In such event, the
Fund may be adversely affected in the execution of any transaction, face
difficulty and/or encounter delays in recovering its assets, or may not be able
to recover its assets in full or at all. The Fund may also incur losses due to
the acts or omissions of the PRC Broker(s) and/or the PRC Custodian in the
execution or settlement of any transaction or in the transfer of any funds or
securities. Subject to the applicable laws and regulations in the PRC, the
Sub-Adviser will make arrangements to ensure that the PRC Broker(s) and the PRC
Custodian have appropriate procedures to properly safe-keep the Fund’s assets.
Economic,
Political and Social Risks of the PRC —
The economy of China, which has been in a state of transition from a planned
economy to a more market oriented economy, differs from the economies of most
developed countries in many respects, including the level of government
involvement, its state of development, its growth rate, control of foreign
exchange, protection of intellectual property rights and allocation of
resources.
Although
the majority of productive assets in China are still owned by the government of
the PRC at various levels, in recent years, the PRC has implemented economic
reform measures emphasizing utilization of market forces in the development of
the economy of China and a high level of management autonomy. The economy of
China has experienced significant growth in the past 20 years, but growth has
been uneven both geographically and among various sectors of the economy.
Economic growth has also been accompanied by periods of high inflation. The PRC
has implemented various measures from time to time to control inflation and
restrain the rate of economic growth.
For
more than 20 years, the PRC has carried out economic reforms to achieve
decentralization and utilization of market forces to develop the economy of the
PRC. These reforms have resulted in significant economic growth and social
progress. There can, however, be no assurance that the PRC will continue to
pursue such economic policies or, if it does, that those policies will continue
to be successful. Any such adjustment and modification of those economic
policies may have an adverse impact on the securities market in the PRC as well
as the portfolio securities of the Fund. Further, the PRC may from time to time
adopt corrective measures to control the growth of the PRC’s economy, which may
also have an adverse impact on the capital growth and performance of the Fund.
Political changes, social instability and adverse diplomatic developments in the
PRC could result in the imposition of additional government restrictions
including expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxes or nationalization of some
or all of the property held by the underlying issuers of the Fund’s portfolio
securities.
PRC
Laws and Regulations Risk —
The regulatory and legal framework for capital markets and joint stock companies
in the PRC may not be as well developed as those of developed countries. PRC
laws and regulations affecting securities markets are relatively new and
evolving, and because of the limited volume of published cases, judicial
interpretations and their non-binding nature, interpretation and enforcement of
these regulations involve significant uncertainties. In addition, as the PRC’s
legal system develops, no assurance can be given that changes in such laws and
regulations, their interpretation or their enforcement will not have a material
adverse effect on their business operations.
Taxation
Risk —
Uncertainties in the PRC tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from
investments in A-Shares could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund.
The Fund’s investments in securities, including A-Shares, issued by PRC
companies may cause the Fund to become subject to withholding and other taxes
imposed by the PRC.
If
the Trust or the Fund were considered to be a tax resident enterprise of the
PRC, it would be subject to PRC corporate income tax at the rate of 25% on its
worldwide taxable income. If the Trust or the Fund were considered to be a
non-tax resident enterprise with a “permanent establishment” in the PRC, it
would be subject to PRC corporate income tax on the profits attributable to the
permanent establishment. The Adviser and Sub-Adviser intend to operate the Trust
and the Fund in a manner that will prevent them from being treated as tax
resident enterprises of the PRC and from having a permanent establishment in the
PRC. It is possible, however, that the PRC could disagree with that conclusion,
or that changes in PRC tax law could affect the PRC corporate income tax status
of the Trust or the Fund.
Unless
reduced or exempted by the applicable tax treaties, the PRC generally imposes
withholding income tax at the rate of 10% on dividends, premiums, interest and
capital gains originating in the PRC and paid to a company that is not a
resident of the PRC for tax purposes and that has no permanent establishment in
China. The State Administration of Taxation has confirmed the application to a
QFII of the withholding income tax on dividends, premiums and interest.
Effective as of November 17, 2014, Chinese authorities issued two circulars
(Caishui [2014] 79 and Caishui [2014] 81) clarifying the corporate income tax
policy of China with respect to QFIIs and RQFIIs and investments through the
Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program. Pursuant to the circulars, the Fund is
expected to be temporarily exempt from withholding tax on capital gains out of
trading in A-Shares. Since there is no indication how long the temporary
exemption will remain in effect, it is possible the Fund may be subject to such
withholding tax in future. If in the future China begins applying tax rules
regarding the taxation of income from A-Shares investment to QFIIs and RQFIIs or
investments through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program, and/or begins
collecting capital gains taxes on such investments, the Fund could be subject to
withholding tax liability if the Fund determines that such liability cannot be
reduced or eliminated by applicable tax treaties. The negative impact of any
such tax liability the Fund’s return could be substantial.
The
Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or the Fund may also potentially be subject to PRC
value added tax at the rate of 6% on capital gains derived from trading of
A-Shares and interest income (if any). Existing guidance provides a temporary
value added tax exemption for QFIIs and RQFIIs in respect of their gains derived
from the trading of PRC securities. Since there is no indication of how long the
temporary exemption will remain in effect, it is possible the Fund may be
subject to such value added tax in the future. In addition, urban maintenance
and construction tax (currently at rates ranging from 1% to 7%), educational
surcharge (currently at the rate of 3%) and local educational surcharge
(currently at the rate of 2%) (collectively, the “surtaxes”) are imposed based
on value added tax liabilities, so if the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or the Fund
were liable for value added tax it would also be required to pay the applicable
surtaxes.
The
PRC rules for taxation of RQFIIs and QFIIs are evolving, and the tax regulations
to be issued by the PRC State Administration of Taxation and/or PRC Ministry of
Finance to clarify the subject matter may apply retrospectively, even if such
rules are adverse to a Fund and its shareholders.
As
described below under “Taxes,” the Fund may elect, for U.S. federal income tax
purposes, to treat PRC taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund as
paid by its shareholders. Even if a Fund is qualified to make that election and
does so, however, your ability to claim a credit for certain PRC taxes may be
limited under general U.S. tax principles.
RMB
Exchange Controls and Restrictions Risk —
It should be noted that the RMB is currently not a freely convertible currency
as it is subject to foreign exchange control policies and repatriation
restrictions imposed by the PRC government. There is no assurance that there
will always be RMB available in sufficient amounts for the Fund to remain fully
invested. Since 1994, the conversion of RMB into U.S. dollars has been based on
rates set by the PBOC, which are set daily based on the previous day’s PRC
interbank foreign exchange market rate. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government
introduced a managed floating exchange rate system to allow the value of RMB to
fluctuate within a regulated band based on market supply and demand and by
reference to a basket of currencies. In addition, a market maker system was
introduced to the interbank spot foreign exchange market. In July 2008, China
announced that its exchange rate regime was further transformed into a managed
floating mechanism based on market supply and demand. Given the domestic and
overseas economic developments, the PBOC decided to further improve the RMB
exchange rate regime in June 2010 to enhance the flexibility of the RMB exchange
rate. In March 2014, the PBOC decided to take a further step to increase the
flexibility of the RMB exchange rate by expanding the daily trading band from
+/-1% to +/-2%.
However,
it should be noted that the PRC government’s policies on exchange control and
repatriation restrictions are subject to change, and any such change may
adversely impact the Fund. There can be no assurance that the RMB exchange rate
will not fluctuate widely against the U.S. dollar or any other foreign currency
in the future. Foreign exchange transactions under the capital account,
including principal payments in respect of foreign currency-denominated
obligations, currently continue to be subject to significant foreign exchange
controls and require the approval of the SAFE. On the other hand, the existing
PRC foreign exchange regulations have significantly reduced government foreign
exchange controls for transactions under the current account, including trade-
and service-related foreign exchange transactions and payment of dividends.
Nevertheless, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser cannot predict whether the PRC
government will continue its existing foreign exchange policy, or when the PRC
government will allow free conversion of the RMB to foreign currency.
RMB
Trading and Settlement Risk —
The trading and settlement of RMB-denominated securities are recent developments
in Hong Kong, and there is no assurance that problems will not be encountered
with the systems or that other logistical problems will not arise.
Future
Movements in RMB Exchange Rates Risk —
The exchange rate of RMB ceased to be pegged to U.S. dollars on July 21,
2005, resulting in a more flexible RMB exchange rate system. The China Foreign
Exchange Trading System, authorized
by
the PBOC, promulgates the central parity rate of RMB against U.S. dollars,
Euros, Yen, pounds sterling and Hong Kong dollars at 9:15 a.m. on each business
day, which will be the daily central parity rate for transactions on the
Inter-bank Spot Foreign Exchange Market and over-the-counter transactions of
banks. The exchange rate of RMB against the above-mentioned currencies
fluctuates within a range above or below such central parity rate. As the
exchange rates are based primarily on market forces, the exchange rates for RMB
against other currencies, including U.S. dollars and Hong Kong dollars, are
susceptible to movements based on external factors. There can be no assurance
that such exchange rates will not fluctuate widely against U.S. dollars, Hong
Kong dollars or any other foreign currency in the future. From 1994 to July
2005, the exchange rate for RMB against the U.S. dollar and the Hong Kong dollar
was relatively stable. Since July 2005, the appreciation of RMB has begun to
accelerate. But since August 2015, the depreciation of RMB has begun to
accelerate. Although the PRC government has constantly reiterated its intention
to maintain the stability of RMB, it may introduce measures (such as a reduction
in the rate of export tax refund) to address the concerns of the PRC’s trading
partners. Therefore, the possibility that the depreciation of RMB will be
further accelerated cannot be dismissed. On the other hand, there can be no
assurance that RMB will not be subject to appreciation.
Offshore
RMB Market Risk —
The onshore RMB (“CNY”) is the only official currency of the PRC and is used in
all financial transactions between individuals, state and corporations in the
PRC. Hong Kong is the first jurisdiction to allow accumulation of RMB deposits
outside the PRC. Since June 2010, the offshore RMB (“CNH”) is traded officially,
regulated jointly by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the PBOC. While both
CNY and CNH represent RMB, they are traded in different and separated markets.
The two RMB markets operate independently where the flow between them is highly
restricted. Though the CNH is a proxy of the CNY, they do not necessarily have
the same exchange rate and their movement may not be in the same direction. This
is because these currencies act in separate jurisdictions, which leads to
separate supply and demand conditions for each, and therefore separate but
related currency markets.
Currently,
the amount of RMB-denominated financial assets outside the PRC is limited. As of
the end of October 2017, the total amount of RMB (CNH) deposits held by
institutions authorized to engage in RMB banking business in Hong Kong amounted
to approximately RMB 540 billion. In addition, participating authorized
institutions are also required by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to maintain a
total amount of RMB (in the form of cash and its settlement account balance with
a Renminbi clearing bank) of no less than 25% of their RMB deposits, which
further limits the availability of RMB that participating authorized
institutions can utilize for conversion services for their customers such as the
Fund. RMB business participating banks do not have direct RMB liquidity support
from PBOC. Only the Renminbi clearing bank has access to onshore liquidity
support from PBOC (subject to annual and quarterly quotas imposed by PBOC) to
square open positions of participating banks for limited types of transactions,
including open positions resulting from conversion services for corporations
relating to cross-border trade settlement and for individual customers of up to
RMB20,000 per Hong Kong resident person per day. The Renminbi clearing bank is
not obliged to square for participating banks any open positions resulting from
other foreign exchange transactions or conversion services, and the
participating banks will need to source RMB (CNH) from the offshore market to
square such open positions. Although it is expected that the offshore RMB (CNH)
market will continue to grow in depth and size, its growth is subject to many
constraints as a result of PRC laws and regulations on foreign exchange. There
is no assurance that new PRC regulations will not be promulgated or that the
Settlement Agreement will not be terminated or amended in the future which will
have the effect of restricting availability of RMB (CNH) offshore.
REAL
ESTATE SECTOR.
Companies in the real estate sector include companies that invest in real
estate, such as a REIT or a real estate holding company (collectively, “Real
Estate Companies”). Investing in Real Estate Companies exposes investors to the
risks of owning real estate directly, as well as to risks that relate
specifically to the way in which Real Estate Companies are organized and
operated. The real estate industry is highly sensitive to general and local
economic conditions and developments, and characterized by intense competition
and periodic overbuilding. Investing in Real Estate Companies involves various
risks. Some risks that are specific to Real Estate Companies are discussed in
greater detail below.
Interest
Rate Risk.
Rising interest rates could result in higher costs of capital for Real Estate
Companies, which could negatively impact a Real Estate Company’s ability to meet
its payment obligations. Declining interest rates could result in increased
prepayment on loans and require redeployment of capital in less desirable
investments.
Leverage
Risk.
Real Estate Companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which
increases investment risk and could adversely affect a Real Estate Company’s
operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. Real Estate
Companies are also exposed to the risks normally associated with debt financing.
Financial covenants related to a Real Estate Company’s leverage may affect the
ability of the Real Estate Company to operate effectively. In addition, real
property may be subject to the quality of credit extended and defaults by
borrowers and tenants. If the properties do not generate sufficient income to
meet operating expenses, including, where applicable, debt service, ground lease
payments, tenant improvements, third-party leasing commissions and other capital
expenditures, the income and ability of a Real Estate Company to make payments
of any interest and principal on its debt securities will be adversely
affected.
Loan
Foreclosure Risk. Real
Estate Companies may foreclose on loans that the Real Estate Company originated
or acquired. Foreclosure may generate negative publicity for the underlying
property that affects its market value. In addition to length and expense,
foreclosure proceedings may not fully uphold the validity of all of the terms of
the applicable loan. Claims and defenses asserted by borrowers or other lenders
may interfere with the enforcement of rights by a Real Estate Company. Parallel
proceedings, such as bankruptcy, may also delay resolution and limit the amount
of recovery on a foreclosed loan by a Real Estate Company even where the
property underlying the loan is liquidated.
Property
Risk. Real
Estate Companies may be subject to risks relating to functional obsolescence or
reduced desirability of properties; extended vacancies due to economic
conditions and tenant bankruptcies; catastrophic events such as earthquakes,
hurricanes and terrorist acts; and casualty or condemnation losses. Real estate
income and values also may be greatly affected by demographic trends, such as
population shifts or changing tastes and values, or increasing vacancies or
declining rents resulting from legal, cultural, technological, global or local
economic developments.
Distressed
Investment Risk.
Real Estate Companies may invest in distressed, defaulted or out-of-favor bank
loans. Identification and implementation by a Real Estate Company of loan
modification and restructure programs involves a high degree of uncertainty.
Even successful implementation may still require adverse compromises and may not
prevent bankruptcy. Real Estate Companies may also invest in other debt
instruments that may become non-performing, including the securities of
companies with higher credit and market risk due to financial or operational
difficulties. Higher risk securities may be less liquid and more volatile than
the securities of companies not in distress.
Underlying
Investment Risk. Real
Estate Companies make investments in a variety of debt and equity instruments
with varying risk profiles. For instance, Real Estate Companies may invest in
debt instruments secured by commercial property that have high risks of
delinquency and foreclosure than loans on single family homes due to a variety
of factors associated with commercial property, including the tie between income
available to service debt and productive use of the property. Real Estate
Companies may also invest in debt instruments and preferred equity that are
junior in an issuer’s capital structure and that involve privately negotiated
structures. Subordinated debt investments, such as B-Notes and mezzanine loans,
involve a greater credit risk of default due to the need to service more senior
debt of the issuer. Similarly, preferred equity investments involve a greater
risk of loss than conventional debt financing due to their non-collateralized
nature and subordinated ranking. Investments in commercial mortgage-backed
securities may also be junior in priority in the event of bankruptcy or similar
proceedings. Investments in senior loans may be effectively subordinated if the
senior loan is pledged as collateral. The ability of a holder of junior claims
to proceed against a defaulting issuer is circumscribed by the terms of the
particular contractual arrangement, which vary considerably from transaction to
transaction.
Management
Risk. Real
Estate Companies are dependent upon management skills and may have limited
financial resources. Real Estate Companies are generally not diversified and may
be subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and voluntary
liquidation. In addition, transactions between Real Estate Companies and their
affiliates may be subject to conflicts of interest, which may adversely affect a
Real Estate Company’s shareholders. A Real Estate Company may also have joint
venture investments in certain of its properties, and, consequently, its ability
to control decisions relating to such properties may be limited.
Liquidity
Risk. Investing
in Real Estate Companies may involve risks similar to those associated with
investing in small-capitalization companies. Real Estate Company securities,
like the securities of small-capitalization companies, may be more volatile
than, and perform differently from, shares of large-capitalization companies.
There may be less trading in Real Estate Company shares, which means that buy
and sell transactions in those shares could have a magnified impact on share
price, resulting in abrupt or erratic price fluctuations. In addition, real
estate is relatively illiquid, and, therefore, a Real Estate Company may have a
limited ability to vary or liquidate properties in response to changes in
economic or other conditions.
Concentration
Risk. Real
Estate Companies may own a limited number of properties and concentrate their
investments in a particular geographic region or property type. Economic
downturns affecting a particular region, industry or property type may lead to a
high volume of defaults within a short period.
U.S.
Tax Risk. Certain
U.S. Real Estate Companies are subject to special U.S. federal tax requirements.
A REIT that fails to comply with such tax requirements may be subject to U.S.
federal income taxation, which may affect the value of the REIT and the
characterization of the REIT’s distributions. The U.S. federal tax requirement
that a REIT distribute substantially all of its net income to its shareholders
may result in a REIT having insufficient capital for future expenditures. A REIT
that successfully maintains its qualification may still become subject to U.S.
federal, state and local taxes, including excise, penalty, franchise, payroll,
mortgage recording, and transfer taxes, both directly and indirectly through its
subsidiaries.
Regulatory
Risk. Real
estate income and values may be adversely affected by such factors as applicable
domestic and foreign laws (including tax laws). Government actions, such as tax
increases, zoning law changes or environmental regulations, also may have a
major impact on real estate. In addition, quarterly compliance with regulation
limiting the proportion of asset types held by a REIT may force certain Real
Estate Companies to liquidate or restructure otherwise attractive
investments.
REAL
ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS. The
Funds may invest in the securities of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) to
the extent allowed by law. Risks associated with investments in securities of
REITs include decline in the value of real estate, risks related to general and
local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition, increases in
property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, casualty or
condemnation losses, variations in rental income, changes in neighborhood
values, the appeal of properties to tenants, and increases in interest rates.
REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified and are
subject to the risks of financing projects. If an issuer of debt securities
collateralized by real estate defaults, it is conceivable that the REITs could
end up holding the underlying real estate. A REIT is a corporation or business
trust (that would otherwise be taxed as a corporation) which meets the
definitional requirements of the Code. The Code permits a qualifying REIT to
deduct from taxable income the dividends paid, thereby effectively eliminating
corporate level federal income tax. To meet the definitional requirements of the
Code, a REIT must, among other things: invest substantially all of its assets in
interests in real estate (including mortgages and other REITs), cash and
government securities; derive most of its income from rents from real property
or interest on loans secured by mortgages on real property; and, in general,
distribute annually 90% or more of its taxable income (other than net capital
gains) to shareholders.
REITs
are sometimes informally characterized as Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. An
Equity REIT invests primarily in the fee ownership or leasehold ownership of
land and buildings (e.g.,
commercial equity REITs and residential equity REITs); a Mortgage REIT invests
primarily in mortgages on real property, which may secure construction,
development or long-term loans.
REITs
may be affected by changes in underlying real estate values, which may have an
exaggerated effect to the extent that REITs in which the Fund invests may
concentrate investments in particular geographic regions or property types.
Additionally, rising interest rates may cause investors in REITs to demand a
higher annual yield from future distributions, which may in turn decrease market
prices for equity securities issued by REITs. Rising interest rates also
generally increase the costs of obtaining financing, which could cause the value
of the Fund’s investments to decline. During periods of declining interest
rates, certain Mortgage REITs may hold mortgages that the mortgagors elect to
prepay, which prepayment may diminish the yield on securities issued by such
Mortgage REITs. In addition, Mortgage REITs may be affected by the ability of
borrowers to repay when due the debt extended by the REIT and Equity REITs may
be affected by the ability of tenants to pay rent.
Certain
REITs have relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase
the volatility of the market price of securities issued by such REITs.
Furthermore, REITs are dependent upon specialized management skills, have
limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in
operating and financing a limited number of projects. By investing in REITs
indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder will bear not only his or her
proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also, indirectly, similar
expenses of the REITs. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate
cashflow to make distributions to shareholders.
In
addition to these risks, Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of
the underlying property owned by the trusts, while Mortgage REITs may be
affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, Equity and Mortgage
REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified.
Equity and Mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cashflow dependency defaults
by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, Equity and Mortgage REITs could
possibly fail to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment
generally available to REITs under the Code or fail to maintain their exemptions
from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors may also adversely
affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT.
In the event of default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays
in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs
associated with protecting its investments.
REPURCHASE
AGREEMENTS. Each
Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to
present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in
which a Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities
dealer (or its affiliate) and simultaneously commits to resell them to a
counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a
market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the
purchased obligations. A Fund maintains custody of the underlying obligations
prior to their repurchase, either through its regular custodian or through a
special “tri-party” custodian or sub-custodian that maintains separate accounts
for both the Fund and its counterparty. Thus, the obligation of the counterparty
to pay the repurchase price on the date agreed to or upon demand is, in effect,
secured by such obligations.
Repurchase
agreements carry certain risks not associated with direct investments in
securities, including a possible decline in the market value of the underlying
obligations. If their value becomes less than the repurchase price, plus any
agreed-upon additional amount, the counterparty must provide additional
collateral so that at all times the collateral is at least equal to the
repurchase price plus any agreed- upon additional amount. The difference between
the total amount to be received upon repurchase of the obligations and the price
that was paid by the Fund upon acquisition is accrued as interest and included
in its net investment income. Repurchase agreements involving obligations other
than U.S. Government securities (such as commercial paper and corporate bonds)
may be subject to special risks and may not have the benefit of certain
protections in the event of the counterparty’s insolvency. If the seller or
guarantor becomes insolvent, the Fund may suffer delays, costs and possible
losses in connection with the disposition of collateral.
REVERSE
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The
Funds may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of
securities held by a Fund subject to its agreement to repurchase the securities
at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of
interest. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to a Fund’s limitation on
borrowings and may be entered into only with banks or securities dealers or
their affiliates. While a reverse repurchase agreement is outstanding, a Fund
will maintain the segregation, either on its records or with the Trust’s
custodian, of cash or other liquid securities, marked-to-market daily, in an
amount at least equal to its obligations under the reverse repurchase agreement.
Reverse
repurchase agreements involve the risk that the buyer of the securities sold by
a Fund might be unable to deliver them when that Fund seeks to repurchase. If
the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for
bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the buyer or trustee or receiver may receive an
extension of time to determine whether to enforce a Fund’s obligation to
repurchase the securities, and the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse
repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision.
SECURITIES
LENDING. Each
Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers, including
the Fund’s securities lending agent. Loans of portfolio securities provide a
Fund with the opportunity to earn additional income on the Fund’s portfolio
securities. All securities loans will be made pursuant to agreements requiring
the loans to be continuously secured by collateral in cash, or money market
instruments, or money market funds at least equal at all times to the market
value of the loaned securities. The borrower pays to the Fund an amount equal to
any dividends or interest received on loaned securities. The Fund retains all or
a portion of the interest received on investment of cash collateral or receives
a fee from the borrower. Lending portfolio securities involves risks of delay in
recovery of the loaned securities or in some cases loss of rights in the
collateral should the borrower fail financially. Furthermore, because of the
risks of delay in recovery, the Fund may lose the opportunity to sell the
securities at a desirable price. The Fund will generally not have the right to
vote securities while they are being loaned.
SHORT
SALES (FLRT
only).
The Fund may engage regularly in short sales transactions in which the Fund
sells a security it does not own. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must
borrow or otherwise obtain the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund
then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at
the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more
or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the
security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to
any dividends or interest, which accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow
the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would
increase the cost of the security sold. The Fund may also use repurchase
agreements to satisfy delivery obligations in short sales transactions. The
proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent
necessary to meet the margin requirements, until the short position is closed
out. Any short sales conducted by the Fund will comply with the requirements of
Rule 18f-4 of the 1940 Act.
TAX
RISKS.
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares will
be taxed. The tax information in the Prospectus and this SAI is provided as
general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax
consequences of an investment in Shares.
Certain
Funds invest in partnerships that elect to be classified as corporations for
U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such entities are required to pay U.S. federal
income tax on its taxable income. This has the effect of reducing the amount of
cash available for distribution to a Fund, which may result in a reduction of
the value of your investment in the Fund, as compared to if such entity were not
taxed as a corporation.
Unless
your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred
retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be
aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you
sell Shares.
U.S.
GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. A
Fund may invest in U.S. government securities to the extent consistent with its
investment objective and strategies. Not all U.S. government obligations carry
the same credit support. Although many U.S. government securities in which the
fund may invest, such as those issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be
chartered or sponsored by Acts of Congress, their securities are neither issued
nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full
faith and credit of the United States. Some, such as those of Ginnie Mae, are
supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Other obligations,
such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the
issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; and others are supported by the
discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agency’s
obligations. Still others are supported only by the credit of the
instrumentality or sponsored enterprise. The maximum potential liability of the
issuers of some U.S. government securities held by the fund may greatly exceed
their current resources, including their legal right to support from the U.S.
Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet
their payment obligations in the future. No assurance can be given that the U.S.
government would provide financial support to its agencies, instrumentalities or
sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law.
As
agency of the U.S. government has placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into
conservatorship, a statutory process with the objective of returning the
entities to normal business operations. It is unclear what effect this
conservatorship will have on the securities issued
or
guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. As a result, these securities are
subject to more credit risk than U.S. government securities that are supported
by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g.,
U.S. Treasury bonds).
To
the extent a Fund invests in debt instruments or securities of non-U.S.
government entities that are backed by the full faith and credit of the United
States, there is a possibility that such guarantee may be discontinued or
modified at a later date.
The
total public debt of the United States as a percentage of gross domestic product
has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008‑2009 financial downturn and is
expected to grow even greater as a result of efforts to support the U.S. economy
during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020. Although high debt levels do not
necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may create certain
systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented. A high
national debt can raise concerns that the U.S. government will not be able to
make principal or interest payments when they are due. This increase has also
necessitated the need for the U.S. Congress to negotiate adjustments to the
statutory debt ceiling to increase the cap on the amount the U.S. government is
permitted to borrow to meet its existing obligations and finance current budget
deficits. In August 2011, S&P lowered its long term sovereign credit rating
on the U.S. In explaining the downgrade at that time, S&P cited, among other
reasons, controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and growth in
public spending. Any controversy or ongoing uncertainty regarding the statutory
debt ceiling negotiations may impact the U.S. long-term sovereign credit rating
and may cause market uncertainty. As a result, market prices and yields of
securities supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government may be
adversely affected. Increased government spending in response to COVID-19 can
cause the national debt to rise higher, which could heighten these associated
risks.
FUTURE
DEVELOPMENTS.
The Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) may, in the future, authorize a Fund
to invest in securities contracts and investments other than those listed in
this SAI and in the Fund’s Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the
Fund’s investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or
policies.
INVESTMENT
LIMITATIONS
The
Trust has adopted the following investment restrictions as fundamental policies
with respect to the Funds. These restrictions cannot be changed with respect to
a Fund without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s
outstanding voting securities. For the purposes of the 1940 Act, a “majority of
outstanding shares” means the vote of the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the
voting securities of the Fund present at the meeting if the holders of more than
50% of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities are present or represented by
proxy; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the
Fund.
Except
with the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, each Fund
may not:
1.Concentrate
its investments (i.e.,
hold more than 25% of its total assets) in any industry or group of related
industries, except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same
extent that its Index concentrates in the securities of such particular industry
or group of related industries. For purposes of this limitation, securities of
the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), registered
investment companies, repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government
securities and tax-exempt securities of state or municipal governments and their
political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any
industry.
In
addition, except with the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities, each Fund (other than FLRT) may not:
1.Borrow
money or issue senior securities (as defined under the 1940 Act), except to the
extent permitted under the 1940 Act.
2.Make
loans, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act.
3.Purchase
or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or
other instruments, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This shall
not prevent the Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by
real estate, real estate investment trusts or securities of companies engaged in
the real estate business.
4.Purchase
or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of
securities or other instruments, except to the extent permitted under the 1940
Act. This shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options and
futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by
physical commodities.
5.Underwrite
securities issued by other persons, except to the extent permitted under the
1940 Act.
6.Each
Diversified Fund will not, with respect to 75% of its total assets, purchase the
securities of any one issuer if, immediately after and as a result of such
purchase, (a) the value of the Fund’s holdings in the securities of such issuer
exceeds 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets, or (b) the Fund owns more
than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer (with the exception
that this restriction does not apply to the Fund’s investments in the securities
of the U.S. government, or its agencies or instrumentalities, or other
investment companies).
With
respect to FLRT, the Trust has adopted the following investment restrictions as
fundamental policies with respect to the Fund. These restrictions cannot be
changed with respect to the Fund without the approval of the holders of a
majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. For the purposes of the
1940 Act, a “majority of outstanding shares” means the vote of the lesser of:
(1) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Fund present at the meeting if
the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities are
present or represented by proxy; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding voting
securities of the Fund.
Under
these restrictions:
1.FLRT
may not make loans, except that the Fund may: (i) lend portfolio securities;
(ii) enter into repurchase agreements; (iii) purchase all or a portion of an
issue of debt securities, bank loan or participation interests, bank
certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, debentures or other securities,
whether or not the purchase is made upon the original issuance of the
securities; and (iv) participate in an interfund lending program with other
registered investment companies;
2.FLRT
may not borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted
or modified by regulation from time to time;
3.FLRT
may not issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as
interpreted or modified by regulation from time to time;
4.FLRT
may not purchase or sell real estate, except that the Fund may: (i) invest in
securities of issuers that invest in real estate or interests therein; (ii)
invest in mortgage-related securities and other securities that are secured by
real estate or interests therein; and (iii) hold and sell real estate acquired
by the Fund as a result of the ownership of securities;
5.FLRT
may not engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by others,
except to the extent that the Fund may be considered an underwriter within the
meaning of the Securities Act, in the disposition of restricted securities or in
connection with its investments in other investment companies;
6.FLRT
may not purchase or sell commodities, unless acquired as a result of owning
securities or other instruments, but it may purchase, sell or enter into
financial options and futures, forward and spot currency contracts, swap
transactions and other financial contracts or derivative instruments and may
invest in securities or other instruments backed by commodities;
and
7.FLRT
may not purchase any security if, as a result of that purchase, more than 25% of
the Fund net assets would be invested in securities of issuers having their
principal business activities in the same industry or group of industries. This
limit does not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government,
its agencies or instrumentalities.
In
addition to the investment restrictions adopted as fundamental policies as set
forth above, the Funds observe the following non-fundamental restrictions, which
may be changed without a shareholder vote.
1.Each
Fund will not hold illiquid investments in excess of 15% of its net assets. An
illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be
sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less
without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the
investment.
2.Under
normal circumstances, at least 80% of PTBD’s net assets, plus borrowings for
investment purposes, will be invested in bonds denominated in U.S.
dollars.
3.Under
normal circumstances, ALTL and PALC will invest at least 80% of its net assets,
plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of
large cap companies. The Fund considers a company to be a “large cap company” at
the time of purchase if it was included in the S&P 500 at any time
within the prior twelve months.
4.Under
normal circumstances, PAMC will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the
amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of mid cap
companies. The Fund considers a company to be a “mid cap company” at the time of
purchase if it was included in the S&P MidCap 400 at any time within the
prior twelve months.
5.Under
normal circumstances, ROOM will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the
amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in companies in the hotel and
lodging real estate sector. The Fund defines the hotel and lodging real estate
sector as consisting of companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues or
profits from owning or managing hotels, motels, resorts, or other lodging
properties that rent space to guests.
6.Under
normal circumstances, PAD will invest at least 80% of the value of its net
assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in companies
in the apartments and residential real estate sector. The Fund defines the
apartments and residential real estate sector as consisting of companies that
derive at least 50% of their revenues or profits from owning or managing
apartment buildings, student housing, manufactured homes, and single-family
homes.
7.Under
normal circumstances, RXRE will invest at least 80% of the value of its net
assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in companies
in the healthcare real estate sector. The Fund defines the healthcare real
estate sector
as
consisting of companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues or profits
from owning or managing healthcare real estate (e.g., senior living facilities,
hospitals, medical office buildings, skilled nursing facilities).
8.Under
normal circumstances, INDS will invest at least 80% of the value of its net
assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in companies
the industrial real estate sector. The Fund defines the industrial real estate
sector as consisting of companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues or
profits from owning or managing land or buildings used for industrial purposes
(e.g., warehouses, distribution facilities, storage or self-storage
facilities).
9.Under
normal circumstances, SRVR will invest at least 80% of the value of its net
assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in companies
the data and infrastructure real estate sector. The Fund defines the data and
infrastructure real estate sector as consisting of companies that derive at
least 50% of their revenues or profits from owning or managing real estate used
to store, compute, or transmit large amounts of data (e.g., data centers,
communications towers).
10.Under
normal circumstances, FLRT will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) in senior secured floating rate loans and
other adjustable rate securities. Other adjustable rate securities will
typically include collateralized loan obligations, asset-backed securities, and
commercial mortgage backed securities (collectively, “Adjustable Rate
Securities”). The Fund may not purchase any security if, as a result of that
purchase, more than 25% of the Fund net assets would be invested in securities
of issuers having their principal business activities in the same industry or
group of industries. This limit does not apply to securities issued or
guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or
instrumentalities.
11.Under
normal circumstances, at least 80% of the SHPP’s net assets (plus any borrowings
for investment purposes) will be invested in companies in Industrials and
Logistics companies.
12.Under
normal circumstances, COWG will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the
amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of large cap
companies that are principally traded in the United States. The Fund considers a
company to be a “large cap company” at the time of purchase if it was included
in the Russell 1000 Index at any time within the prior twelve
months.
13.Under
normal circumstances, CAFG will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the
amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of small cap
companies that are principally traded in the United States. The Fund considers a
company to be a “small cap company” at the time of purchase if it was included
in the S&P SmallCap 600® Index at any time within the prior six
months.
14.With
the exception of PTNQ, PWS, VIRS, SZNE, ROOM, RXRE, INDS, SRVR, PAD, PALC, ALTL,
PAMC, and PTBD, each Fund has adopted a policy to invest, under normal
circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral
held from securities lending) in the component securities of its Index. In
addition to investments in the component securities of the applicable Index, the
following investments will count towards such 80% policy:
i.investments
that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the
economic characteristics of such component securities (e.g.,
depositary receipts);
ii.ETFs
that seek to track the performance of some or all of the component securities of
the applicable Index in the same approximate weight as such component
securities; and
iii.if
one or more component securities are other ETFs (“Underlying ETFs”), the
underlying holdings of such Underlying ETFs in the same approximate weight as
such holdings are assigned in the applicable Underlying ETF, adjusted to reflect
the weight of such Underlying ETF in the Fund’s Index (i.e., a Fund that is a
fund-of-funds may invest in either the Underlying ETFs comprising the Fund’s
Index or directly in such Underlying ETFs’ underlying holdings).
If
a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment or contract, a
later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or
total or net assets will not result in a violation of such restriction, except
with respect to the borrowing of money. With respect to the limitation on
illiquid securities, in the event that a subsequent change in net assets or
other circumstances cause a Fund to exceed its limitation, the Fund will take
steps to bring the aggregate amount of illiquid instruments back within the
limitations as soon as reasonably practicable. With respect to the limitation on
borrowing, in the event that a subsequent change in net assets or other
circumstances cause a Fund to exceed its limitation, the Fund will take steps to
bring the aggregate amount of borrowing back within the limitations within three
days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays).
PORTFOLIO
HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The
Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of
information about the Funds’ security holdings. As exchange-traded funds,
information about each Fund’s portfolio holdings is made available on a daily
basis in accordance with the provisions of an Order of the SEC applicable to the
Funds, regulations of the Exchange and other applicable SEC regulations, orders
and
no-action relief. Such information typically reflects all or a portion of each
Fund’s anticipated portfolio holdings as of the next Business Day. A “Business
Day” is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. As of the date of
this SAI, the Exchange observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day (observed),
Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving
Day, and Christmas Day. This information is used in connection with the creation
and redemption process and is disseminated on a daily basis through the
Exchange, the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) and/or
third-party service providers.
The
Funds will disclose on their website at the start of each Business Day the
identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by each Fund
that will form the basis of the Fund’s calculation of its NAV on that Business
Day. The portfolio holdings so disclosed will be based on information as of the
close of business on the prior Business Day and/or trades that have been
completed prior to the opening of business on that Business Day and that are
expected to settle on that Business Day.
Each
Fund may disclose its complete portfolio holdings or a portion of its portfolio
holdings online at www.PacerETFs.com. Each Fund will disclose its complete
portfolio holdings schedule in public filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis,
based on the Fund’s fiscal year, within sixty (60) days of the end of the
quarter, and will provide that information to shareholders, as required by
federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.
The
Trust’s portfolio holdings policy provides that neither the Funds nor their
Adviser, Sub-Advisers, distributor or any agent, or any employee thereof (“Fund
Representative”) will disclose a Fund’s portfolio holdings information to any
person other than in accordance with the policy. For purposes of the policy,
“portfolio holdings information” means a Fund’s non-public actual portfolio
holdings, as well as non-public information about its trading strategies or
pending transactions including the portfolio holdings, trading strategies or
pending transactions of any commingled fund portfolio which contains identical
holdings as the Fund. Under the policy, neither a Fund nor any Fund
Representative may solicit or accept any compensation or other consideration in
connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. A Fund
Representative may provide portfolio holdings information to third parties if
such information has been included in a Fund’s public filings with the SEC or is
disclosed on the Fund’s publicly accessible website. Information posted on a
Fund’s website may be separately provided to any person commencing the day after
it is first published on the Fund’s website.
Under
the policy, each business day each Fund’s portfolio holdings information will be
provided to the distributor or other agent for dissemination through the
facilities of the NSCC and/or other fee based subscription services to NSCC
members and/or subscribers to those other fee based subscription services,
including Authorized Participants (defined below), and to entities that publish
and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or
redeeming Creation Units or trading Shares of Funds in the secondary market. The
distributor may also make available portfolio holdings information to other
institutional market participants and entities that provide information
services. This information typically reflects each Fund’s anticipated holdings
on the following business day. “Authorized Participants” are generally large
institutional investors that have been authorized by the distributor to purchase
and redeem large blocks of Shares (known as Creation Units) pursuant to legal
requirements, including the exemptive order granted by the SEC, to which the
Funds offer and redeem Shares.
Other
than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the
creation/redemption process, as discussed above, portfolio holdings information
that is not filed with the SEC or posted on the publicly available website may
be provided to third parties only in limited circumstances. Third-party
recipients will be required to keep all portfolio holdings information
confidential and prohibited from trading on the information they receive.
Disclosure to such third parties must be approved in advance by the Trust’s
President or one of the principal officers of the Adviser. Disclosure to
providers of auditing, custody, proxy voting and other similar services for the
Funds, as well as rating and ranking organizations, will generally be permitted;
however, information may be disclosed to other parties (including, without
limitation, individuals, institutional investors, and Authorized Participants
that sell Shares of a Fund) only upon approval by the Trust’s President or one
of the principal officers of the Adviser, who must first determine that the Fund
has a legitimate business purpose for doing so. In general, each recipient of
non-public portfolio holding information must sign a confidentiality and
non-trading agreement, although this requirement will not apply when the
recipient is otherwise subject to a duty of confidentiality as determined by the
Trust’s President or one of the principal officers of the Adviser.
CONTINUOUS
OFFERING
The
method by which Creation Unit Aggregations of Shares are created and traded may
raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Unit
Aggregations of Shares are issued and sold on an ongoing basis, at any point a
“distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur.
Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their
part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed
participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory
underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and
liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For
example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory
underwriter if it takes Creation Unit Aggregations after placing an order with
the Trust’s Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares, and sells
such Shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a
supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of
secondary market
demand
for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the
Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining
to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and
the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of
all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer
firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are affecting
transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of
Shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the
prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is
not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d)
of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect
to Shares of a Fund are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the Securities
Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the
Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with the sale on the
Listing Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at
the Listing Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in
Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
MANAGEMENT
OF THE TRUST
Board
Responsibilities.
The management and affairs of the Trust and its series are overseen by a Board
of Trustees. The Board elects the officers of the Trust who are responsible for
administering the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the Funds. The Board
has approved contracts, as described below, under which certain companies
provide essential services to the Trust.
Like
most ETFs, the day-to-day business of the Trust, including the management of
risk, is performed by third party service providers, such as the Adviser, the
Sub-Advisers, the Distributor and the Administrator. The Trustees are
responsible for overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, have
oversight responsibility with respect to risk management performed by those
service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks,
i.e.,
events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the
business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation
of the Funds. The Funds and their service providers employ a variety of
processes, procedures and controls to identify various of those possible events
or circumstances, in an attempt to lessen the probability of their occurrence
and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur.
Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the
Trust’s business (e.g.,
the Adviser, or applicable Sub-Adviser, is responsible for the day-to-day
management of the Funds’ portfolio investments) and, consequently, for managing
the risks associated with that business. The Board has emphasized to the Funds’
service providers the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management.
The
Board’s role in risk oversight begins before the inception of a Fund, at which
time certain of the Fund’s service providers present the Board with information
concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of the Fund as well
as proposed investment limitations for the Fund. Additionally, the Adviser and
Sub-Advisers provide the Board with an overview of, among other things, its
investment philosophy, brokerage practices and compliance infrastructure.
Thereafter, the Board continues its oversight function as various personnel,
including the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer, as well as personnel of the
Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, and other service providers such as the Fund’s
independent accountants, make periodic reports to the Audit Committee or to the
Board with respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board and the
Audit Committee oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage
risks to which a Fund may be exposed.
The
Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent, and quality of the
services provided to the Funds by the Adviser and Sub-Advisers and receives
information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on an
annual basis, (following the initial two-year period for new Funds), in
connection with its consideration of whether to renew the Investment Advisory
Agreements with the Adviser, and Sub-Advisory Agreements with the Sub-Advisers,
the Board meets with the Adviser and/or Sub-Advisers to review such services.
Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Adviser’s and
Sub-Adviser’s adherence to the Funds’ investment restrictions and compliance
with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities
regulations. The Board also reviews information about each Fund’s performance
and the Fund’s investments, including, for example, portfolio holdings
schedules.
The
Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer reports regularly to the Board to review and
discuss compliance issues and Fund, Adviser, and Sub-Adviser risk assessments.
At least annually, the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer, as well as personnel of
the Adviser, provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and
effectiveness of the Trust’s policies and procedures and those of its service
providers, including the Adviser and Sub-Advisers. The report addresses the
operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider
since the date of the last report; any material changes to the policies and
procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material
changes to the policies and procedures; and any material compliance matters
since the date of the last report.
The
Board receives reports from the Funds’ service providers regarding operational
risks and risks related to the valuation and liquidity of portfolio securities.
Annually, the independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the
Audit Committee its audit of each Fund’s financial statements, focusing on major
areas of risk encountered by the Fund and noting any significant deficiencies or
material weaknesses in the Fund’s internal controls. Additionally, in connection
with its oversight function, the Board oversees Fund management’s implementation
of disclosure controls and procedures, which are designed to ensure that
information required to be disclosed by the Trust in its periodic reports with
the SEC are recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the required
time periods. The Board also oversees the Trust’s internal controls over
financial reporting, which comprise policies and
procedures
designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of the
Trust’s financial reporting and the preparation of the Trust’s financial
statements.
From
their review of these reports and discussions with the Adviser, the
Sub-Advisers, the Chief Compliance Officer, the independent registered public
accounting firm and other service providers, the Board and the Audit Committee
learn in detail about the material risks of each Fund, thereby facilitating a
dialogue about how management and service providers identify and mitigate those
risks.
The
Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect a Fund can be identified
and/or quantified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate
or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such
as investment-related risks) to achieve a Fund’s goals, and that the processes,
procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in
their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk
management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. Most of
the Funds’ investment management and business affairs are carried out by or
through the Adviser, Sub-Advisers, and other service providers, each of which
has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and the
methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may
differ from a Fund’s and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the
resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of
the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s ability to monitor and manage risk,
as a practical matter, is subject to limitations.
Members
of the Board and Officers of the Trust. There
are four members of the Board of Trustees (each, a “Trustee”), three of whom are
not interested persons of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act
(“Independent Trustees”). Joe M. Thomson serves as Chairman of the Board, and
Deborah G. Wolk serves as the Trust’s Lead Independent Trustee. The Lead
Independent Trustee may preside at meetings, participate in formulating agendas
for meetings, and/or coordinate with management to serve as a liaison between
the Independent Trustees and management on matters. The Board of Trustees is
comprised of a super-majority (75 percent) of Independent Trustees. There is an
Audit Committee of the Board that is chaired by an Independent Trustee and
comprised solely of Independent Trustees. The Audit Committee chair presides at
the Committee meetings, participates in formulating agendas for Committee
meetings, and coordinates with management to serve as a liaison between the
Independent Trustees and management on matters within the scope of
responsibilities of the Committee as set forth in its Board-approved charter.
The Trust has determined its leadership structure is appropriate given the
specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust. The Trust made this
determination in consideration of, among other things, the number of Independent
Trustees that constitute the Board, the amount of assets under management in the
Trust, and the number of Funds overseen by the Board. The Board also believes
that its leadership structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of
information to the Independent Trustees from Fund management.
The
Board of Trustees has two standing committees: the Audit Committee and
Nominating Committee. Each Committee is chaired by an Independent Trustee and
composed of Independent Trustees.
The
Audit Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees. The function of
the Audit Committee is to review the scope and results of the annual audit of
the Funds and any matters bearing on the audit or a Fund’s financial statements
and to help ensure the integrity of the Funds’ financial reporting. The Audit
Committee also recommends to the Board of Trustees the annual selection of the
independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds and it reviews and
pre-approves audit and certain non-audit services to be provided by the
independent registered public accounting firm. During the fiscal year ended
April 30, 2024, the Audit Committee met four times.
The
Nominating Committee, comprised of all the Independent Trustees, is responsible
for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for Trustees.
The Committee meets on an as needed basis. The Nominating Committee will accept
and review shareholder nominations for Trustees, which may be submitted to the
Trust by sending the nomination to the Trust’s Secretary, c/o Pacer Advisors,
Inc., 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355. During the fiscal
year ended April 30, 2024, the Nominating Committee met one
time.
Additional
information about each Trustee of the Trust is set forth below. The address of
each Trustee of the Trust is c/o Pacer Advisors, Inc., 500 Chesterfield Parkway,
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355.
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Name
and Year of Birth |
Position(s)
Held with the Trust |
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal
Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number
of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee |
Other Directorships
held by Trustee During Past Five Years |
Interested
Trustee |
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Joe
M. Thomson Born: 1944 |
Trustee,
Chairman, President, and Principal Executive Officer |
Indefinite
Term; since 2014 |
Founder/President
at Pacer Advisors, Inc. (since 2005) |
57 |
0 |
Independent
Trustees |
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Deborah
G. Wolk Born: 1950 |
Lead
Independent Trustee |
Indefinite
Term; since 2015 |
Self-employed
providing accounting services and computer modeling (since 1997) |
57 |
0 |
Jane
K. Sagendorph Born: 1951 |
Trustee |
Indefinite
Term; since 2021 |
Retired.
Accountant, BluFish Designs (2011-2023) |
57 |
0 |
Colin
C. Lake Born: 1971 |
Trustee |
Indefinite
Term; since 2021 |
President
and CEO, Delaware Life Marketing (distribution) (since 2023),
Founder/President, Developing the Next Leaders, Inc. (consulting)
(2016-2023) |
54 |
0 |
Individual
Trustee Qualifications. The
Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board because
of their ability to review and understand information about the Funds provided
to them by management, to identify and request other information they may deem
relevant to the performance of their duties, to question management and other
service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and
administration of the Funds, and to exercise their business judgment in a manner
that serves the best interests of each Fund’s shareholders. The Trust has
concluded that each of the Trustees should serve as a Trustee based on their own
experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.
The
Trust has concluded that Mr. Thomson should serve as Trustee because of the
experience he has gained as Founder and President of Pacer Advisors, Inc., Pacer
Financial, Inc., and in his past roles with various registered broker-dealers
and investment management firms. In addition, he holds the Certified Financial
Planner®
(CFP®),
Chartered Life Underwriter®
(CLU®),
Chartered Financial Consultant®
(ChFC®),
and Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC®)
designations, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) General
Principal’s license, and the Pennsylvania Life & Annuity Insurance
license.
The
Trust has concluded that Ms. Wolk should serve as Trustee because of her
experience in accounting services and computer modeling expertise to small
business clients, as well as her prior positions in the corporate finance field.
In addition, she holds the Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation.
The Trust believes that Ms. Wolk’s extensive experience in accounting and
finance provides an appropriate background in areas applicable to investment
company oversight.
The
Trust has concluded that Ms. Sagendorph should serve as Trustee because of her
experience in the financial services industry as a comptroller of a financial
marketing and wholesaling firm, as well as her experience providing accounting
services to a small business client. The Trust believes that Ms. Sagendorph’s
extensive experience in accounting and finance provides an appropriate
background in areas applicable to investment company oversight.
The
Trust has concluded that Mr. Lake should serve as Trustee because of his
experience in the financial services industry. The Trust believes that Mr.
Lake’s business acumen and understanding of financial issues provide an
appropriate background in areas applicable to investment company
oversight.
In
its periodic assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board considers
the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees
primarily in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition so that the
Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills
and experience to oversee the business of the Funds.
Principal
Officers of the Trust. The
officers of the Trust conduct and supervise its daily business. The address of
each officer of the Trust, unless otherwise indicated below, is c/o Pacer
Advisors, Inc., 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355.
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Name
and Year of Birth |
Position(s)
Held with Funds |
Term
of Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal
Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Joe
M. Thomson
Born:
1944 |
Trustee,
Chairman, President, and Principal Executive Officer |
Indefinite
Term; since 2014 |
Founder/President,
Pacer Advisors, Inc. (since 2005); President, Pacer Financial, Inc. (since
2004) |
Sean
E. O’Hara
Born:
1962 |
Treasurer
and Principal Financial Officer |
Indefinite
Term; since 2014 |
Director,
Index Design Group (since 2015); Director, Pacer Financial, Inc. (since
2007); Director, Pacer Advisors, Inc. (since 2007) |
Bruce
Kavanaugh
Born:
1964 |
Secretary
and Portfolio Manager |
Indefinite
Term; since 2016 |
Vice
President, Pacer Advisors, Inc. (since 2005); Vice President, Pacer
Financial, Inc. (since 2004) |
Liam
Clarke Gateway Corporate Center Suite 216 223 Wilmington West
Chester Pike Chadds Ford, PA 19317 Born: 1996 |
Chief
Compliance Officer and AML Officer |
Indefinite
Term; since 2023 |
Director,
Vigilant, (since 2021); Financial Services Assurance Experienced
Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers,
(2018-2021) |
Fund
Shares Owned by Board Members.
The Funds are required to show the dollar amount ranges of each Trustee’s
“beneficial ownership” of Shares of the Funds and each other series of the Trust
as of the end of the most recently completed calendar year. Dollar amount ranges
disclosed are established by the SEC. “Beneficial ownership” is determined in
accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Exchange Act.
As
of December 31, 2022, Mr. Thomson owned between $10,000 - $50,000 of Shares of
VIRS and ALTL and over $100,000 of Shares of each of COWZ, CALF, GCOW, and PEXL.
No other Trustee owned Shares of the Funds as of December 31, 2022.
Board
Compensation. Independent
Trustees are paid by the Adviser from the unified management fee paid to the
Adviser and not by the Funds. The Independent Trustees each receive a per
meeting trustee fee of $2,500, as well as reimbursement for travel and other
out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board meetings,
a $500 fee for any committee or special Board meeting attended, an annual
retainer fee of $10,000 per year, and an additional retainer of $500 for each
committee chair. The Trust has no pension or retirement plan. No officer,
director or employee of the Adviser, including Mr. Thomson, receives any
compensation from the Funds for acting as a Trustee or officer of the Trust. The
following table shows the compensation earned by each Trustee for the Funds’
fiscal year ended April 30, 2024. Trustee compensation does not include
reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses in connection with attendance at
meetings.
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Name |
Aggregate
Compensation From Each Fund |
Total
Compensation From Fund Complex Paid to Trustees |
Interested
Trustees |
Joe
M. Thomson |
$0 |
$0 |
Independent
Trustees |
Deborah
G. Wolk |
$0 |
$22,250 |
Jane
K. Sagendorph |
$0 |
$23,500 |
Colin
C. Lake |
$0 |
$6,250 |
Control
Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. A
principal shareholder is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or
more of the outstanding Shares of a Fund. A control person is a shareholder that
owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting
securities of a Fund or acknowledges the existence of control. Shareholders
owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any
matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of a Fund. As of August 1, 2024,
the Trustees and officers, as a group, owned approximately 2% of PEXL, and less
than 1% of the Shares of the other Funds, and the following shareholders were
considered to be a principal shareholder of the Funds:
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Pacer
Trendpilot®
US Large Cap ETF |
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Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
14.55% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
12.48% |
Record |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
12.41% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
11.59% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
10.70% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
10.33% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
8.77% |
Record |
Wells
Fargo Clearing Services 2801 Market Street St. Louis, MO
63103-2523 |
8.14% |
Record |
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Pacer
Trendpilot®
US Mid Cap ETF |
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Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Wells
Fargo Clearing Services 2801 Market Street St. Louis, MO
63103-2523 |
14.75% |
Record |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
13.48% |
Record |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
12.01% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
11.11% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
9.67% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
9.43% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
8.37% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
7.78% |
Record |
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Pacer
Trendpilot®
100 ETF |
| |
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
12.49% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
12.12% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
11.75% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
11.22% |
Record |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
10.81% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
10.33% |
Record |
Wells
Fargo Clearing Services 2801 Market Street St. Louis, MO
63103-2523 |
8.74% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
8.68% |
Record |
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Pacer
Trendpilot®
European Index ETF |
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Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
26.61% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
21.93% |
Record |
Wells
Fargo Clearing Services 2801 Market Street St. Louis, MO
63103-2523 |
9.09% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
8.09% |
Record |
STIFEL One
Financial Plaza 501 North Broadway St. Louis, Missouri
63102 |
6.85% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
5.69% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
5.68% |
Record |
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Pacer
Trendpilot®
US Bond ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
21.26% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
17.22% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
15.62% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
11.13% |
Record |
U.S.
Bank 60 Livingston Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55107 |
5.98% |
Record |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
5.35% |
Record |
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Pacer
Trendpilot®
International ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
19.07% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
15.02% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
14.68% |
Record |
Wells
Fargo Clearing Services 2801 Market Street St. Louis, MO
63103-2523 |
13.62% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
12.01% |
Record |
U.S.
Bank 60 Livingston Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55107 |
6.82% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
6.10% |
Record |
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Pacer
Trendpilot®
Fund of Funds ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
44.08% |
Record |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
14.05% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
9.65% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
9.44% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
8.01% |
Record |
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| |
Pacer
US Cash Cows 100 ETF |
| |
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
18.40% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
15.14% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
12.23% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
9.78% |
Record |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
8.32% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
7.11% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
5.76% |
Record |
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|
|
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| |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF |
| |
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
19.30% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
17.33% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
10.30% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
7.79% |
Record |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
7.67% |
Record |
Wells
Fargo Clearing Services 2801 Market Street St. Louis, MO
63103-2523 |
5.86% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
5.76% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
5.01% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF |
| |
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
20.26% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
12.02% |
Record |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
11.88% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
10.82% |
Record |
Edward
Jones 12555 Manchester Road Saint Louis, MO 63131 |
10.35% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
8.34% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
5.55% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
5.01% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Developed Markets International Cash Cows 100 ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
20.81% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
13.83% |
Record |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
10.44% |
Record |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
9.66% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
8.61% |
Record |
UBS
Financial Services, Inc. 1200 Harbor Boulevard Weehawken, NJ
07086 |
6.59% |
Record |
Wells
Fargo Clearing Services 2801 Market Street St. Louis, MO
63103-2523 |
6.27% |
Record |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
42.88% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
15.87% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
12.26% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
7.30% |
Record |
Goldman
Sachs & Co., LLC 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 |
7.21% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
6.13% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
32.51% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
29.34% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
10.54% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
9.53% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
8.20% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
36.50% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
17.01% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
14.09% |
Record |
Axos
Bank 4350 La Jolla Village Drive San Diego, CA 92121 |
7.21% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
7.17% |
Record |
Vanguard 100
Vanguard Blvd Malvern, PA 19355 |
5.42% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
US Cash Cows Growth ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
U.S.
Bank 60 Livingston Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55107 |
30.84% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
20.81% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
13.92% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
9.05% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
8.60% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Cash Cow Fund of Funds ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
36.74% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
21.72% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
17.12% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
11.72% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
US Export Leaders ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
31.99% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
29.20% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
15.87% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
13.03% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF |
| |
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
19.13% |
Record |
Goldman
Sachs & Co., LLC 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 |
17.22% |
Record |
Citibank
N.A. 388 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10013 |
11.59% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
9.13% |
Record |
Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 140 Broadway New York, NY
10005-1108 |
8.98% |
Record |
Apex
Clearing Corporation One Dallas Center 350 N. ST. Paul, Suite
1300 Dallas, TX 75201 |
6.46% |
Record |
J.P.
Morgan Chase Clearing, Corp. 3 Chase Metrotech Center, 7th
Floor Brooklyn, NY 11245-0001 |
5.77% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Industrial Real Estate ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
26.72% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
19.28% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
14.74% |
Record |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
8.34% |
Record |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
6.22% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
32.89% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
12.05% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
10.58% |
Record |
Citibank
N.A. 388 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10013 |
8.49% |
Record |
Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Harborside Financial Center Plaza, 23rd
Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
8.28% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
7.18% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
WealthShield ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
55.92% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
12.13% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
8.94% |
Record |
Goldman
Sachs & Co., LLC 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 |
7.10% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
6.44% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
RBC
Capital Markets 3 World Financial Center 200 Vesey Street, 9th
Floor New York, NY 10281 |
21.56% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
18.21% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
9.54% |
Record |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
12.89% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
9.54% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
BioThreat Strategy ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
RBC
Capital Markets 3 World Financial Center 200 Vesey Street, 9th
Floor New York, NY 10281 |
22.07% |
Record |
Goldman
Sachs & Co., LLC 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 |
21.31% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
18.74% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
10.05% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
9.81% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
American
Enterprise Investment Services, Inc. 903 3rd Avenue
South Minneapolis, MN 55402 |
20.44% |
Record |
Merrill
Lynch Pierce, Fenner & Smith 4800 Deer Lake Drive
East Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
18.88% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
12.35% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
11.76% |
Record |
Raymond
James Financial, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway St. Petersburg, FL
33716 |
6.01% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
5.96% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
46.09% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
22.10% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
16.41% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
29.37% |
Record |
U.S.
Bank 60 Livingston Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55107 |
17.82% |
Record |
American
Enterprise Investment Services, Inc. 903 3rd Avenue
South Minneapolis, MN 55402 |
15.63% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
11.10% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
8.93% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
8.77% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
37.43% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
24.90% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
11.37% |
Record |
LPL
Financial 75 State Street, 22nd Floor Boston, MA 02109 |
10.52% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Data and Digital Revolution ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
38.62% |
Record |
National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street New York, NY
10281 |
31.40% |
Record |
Pershing,
LLC For the Benefit of Its Customers PO Box 2052 Jersey City, NJ
07303-2052 |
8.78% |
Record |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Industrials and Logistics ETF |
|
Name
and Address |
%
Ownership |
Type
of Ownership |
J.P.
Morgan Chase Clearing, Corp. 3 Chase Metrotech Center, 7th
Floor Brooklyn, NY 11245-0001 |
60.84% |
Record |
Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 211 Main Street San Francisco, CA
94105-1905 |
17.42% |
Record |
Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 140 Broadway New York, NY
10005 |
9.50% |
Record |
INVESTMENT
ADVISER AND SUB-ADVISERS
Pacer
Advisors, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Funds pursuant to an
investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, and the
Adviser (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”). The Adviser is a Pennsylvania
company located at 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355. The
Adviser is majority owned by Joe M. Thomson.
Pursuant
to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides investment advice to
the Funds and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Funds, subject to the
direction and control of the Board and the officers of the Trust. The Adviser
also arranges for sub-advisory (as applicable), transfer agency, custody, fund
administration and all other non-distribution-related services necessary for the
Funds to operate. Each Fund pays the Adviser a fee equal to a percentage of the
Fund’s average daily net assets, as follows:
|
|
|
|
| |
Name
of Fund |
Management Fee |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Trendpilot 100 ETF |
0.65% |
Pacer
Trendpilot European Index ETF |
0.65% |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Bond ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Trendpilot International ETF |
0.65% |
Pacer
Trendpilot Fund of Funds ETF |
0.15% |
Pacer
US Cash Cows 100 ETF |
0.49% |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF |
0.59% |
Pacer
Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Developed Markets International Cash Cows 100 ETF |
0.65% |
Pacer
Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF |
0.70% |
Pacer
US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
0.49% |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
0.59% |
Pacer
US Cash Cows Growth ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Cash Cows Fund of Funds ETF |
0.15% |
Pacer
US Export Leaders ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
International Export Leaders ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF |
0.70% |
Pacer
Hotel & Lodging Real Estate ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Apartments & Residential Real Estate ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Healthcare Real Estate ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Industrial Real Estate ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF |
0.65% |
Pacer
WealthShield ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Global Seasonal Rotation ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
BioThreat Strategy ETF |
0.70% |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Data and Digital Revolution ETF |
0.60% |
Pacer
Industrials and Logistics ETF |
0.60% |
Under
the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of
the Funds, except for: the fees paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment
Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage
commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and
sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and
expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and
distribution (12b-1) fees and expenses, if any.
The
Adviser, from its own resources, including profits from advisory fees received
from the Funds, provided such fees are legitimate and not excessive, may make
payments to broker-dealers and other financial institutions for their expenses
in connection with the distribution of Fund Shares, and otherwise currently pays
all distribution costs for Fund Shares.
The
Investment Advisory Agreement, with respect to the Funds, continues in effect
for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual
approval by (i) the Board of Trustees of the Trust or (ii) the vote of a
majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of
the Funds, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a
vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons
(as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Funds, by a vote cast in person at a meeting
called for the purpose of voting on such approval. If the shareholders of a Fund
fail to approve the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser may continue to
serve in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and
regulations thereunder.
The
Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Funds is terminable without
any penalty, by vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a
majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of
the Funds, or by the Adviser, in each case on not less than thirty (30) days’
nor more than sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party; provided
that a shorter notice period shall be permitted for the Funds in the event
Shares are no longer listed on a national securities exchange. The Investment
Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of
its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Fund
Expenses.
Pursuant to an operating expense limitation agreement between the Adviser, INDS,
and SRVR, the Adviser has agreed to waive its management fees and/or reimburse
expenses to ensure that the total amount of each Fund’s operating expenses
(excluding any front-end or contingent deferred loads, Rule 12b-1 plan fees,
shareholder servicing plan fees, taxes, leverage (i.e., any expenses incurred in
connection with borrowings made by the Fund), interest (including interest
incurred in connection with bank and custody overdrafts), brokerage commissions
and other transactional expenses, expenses incurred in connection with any
merger or reorganization, dividends or interest on short positions, acquired
fund fees and expenses or extraordinary expenses such as litigation
(collectively, “Excludable Expenses”)) does not exceed 0.55% of each Fund’s
average daily net assets. To the extent the Funds incur Excludable Expenses,
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense
Reimbursement may exceed 0.55%. The Adviser may request recoupment of previously
waived fees and paid expenses from the Funds for up to three years from the date
such fees and expenses were waived or paid, subject to the operating expense
limitation agreement, if such reimbursement will not cause each Fund’s total
expense ratio to exceed the lesser of: (1) the expense limitation in place at
the time of the waiver and/or expense payment; or (2) the expense limitation in
place at the time of the recoupment. The Funds must pay their current ordinary
operating expenses before the Adviser is entitled to any recoupment of
management fees and/or expenses. This operating expense limitation agreement is
in effect through at least October 31, 2024, and may be terminated only by, or
with the consent of, the Board of Trustees.
Management
fees paid by the Funds to the Adviser or previous investment adviser, as
applicable, for the three most recently completed fiscal years ended April 30
were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Management Fees
Paid for the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, |
Name
of Fund* |
2024 |
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF |
$13,982,346 |
| $12,071,078 |
| $11,704,204 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF |
$2,305,346 |
| $2,605,975 |
| $2,639,914 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot 100 ETF |
$6,590,916 |
| $4,481,745 |
| $5,042,740 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot European Index ETF |
$269,191 |
| $290,158 |
| $339,728 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot US Bond ETF |
$1,148,708 |
| $2,521,826 |
| $7,130,317 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot International ETF |
$909,940 |
| $775,940 |
| $901,621 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot Fund of Funds ETF |
$76,582 |
| $86,929 |
| $90,594 |
|
Pacer
US Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$81,733,134 |
| $44,297,410 |
| $7,072,763 |
|
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$30,298,102 |
| $7,739,370 |
| $3,248,079 |
|
Pacer
US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$251,991 |
| $12,212 |
** |
N/A |
|
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$23,329 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
US Cash Cows Growth ETF |
$239,650 |
| $152,860 |
| $66,180 |
|
Pacer
Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF |
$10,482,068 |
| $5,219,319 |
| $1,016,723 |
|
Pacer
Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$495,512 |
| $163,644 |
| $62,475 |
|
Pacer
Developed Markets International Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$6,099,594 |
| $1,461,919 |
| $345,903 |
|
Pacer
Cash Cows Fund of Funds ETF |
$108,853 |
| $37,285 |
| $5,730 |
|
Pacer
US Export Leaders ETF |
$251,922 |
| $58,627 |
| $16,143 |
|
Pacer
International Export Leaders ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF |
$30,882 |
| $38,381 |
| $62,633 |
|
Pacer
Hotel & Lodging Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
Apartments & Residential Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
Healthcare Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Pacer
Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
WealthShield ETF |
$149,652 |
| $191,072 |
| $297,845 |
|
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Global Seasonal Rotation ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF |
$309,308 |
| $437,399 |
| $496,031 |
|
Pacer
BioThreat Strategy ETF |
$25,886 |
| $30,775 |
| $42,945 |
|
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
$2,981,059 |
| $5,088,819 |
| $1,620,632 |
|
Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$242,632 |
| $215,029 |
| $241,185 |
|
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$1,544,517 |
| $1,329,064 |
| $918,753 |
|
Pacer
Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF |
$927,275 |
| $476,291 |
| $224,013 |
|
Pacer
Data and Digital Revolution ETF |
$60,137 |
| $5,032 |
** |
N/A |
|
Pacer
Industrials and Logistics ETF |
$6,257 |
| $5,071 |
** |
N/A |
|
*The
following Funds had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI: ROOM,
RXRE, PAD, SZNG, and PIEL. With respect to PAEU, all outstanding shares of the
Fund were redeemed on December 22, 2016, and shares of the Fund are not
currently offered for purchase.
**For
TRFK, SHPP and COWG, the information in the table reflects the period since each
Fund’s inception through the fiscal year ended April 30.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Management
Fees Paid for INDS and SRVR |
| Gross
Advisory Fees Earned |
Advisory
Fees Waived & Fund Expenses Reimbursed |
Net
Advisory Paid to Adviser |
Pacer
Industrial Real Estate ETF |
|
| |
2022 |
$1,930,171 |
$0 |
$1,930,171 |
2023 |
$1,500,156 |
$(54,148) |
$1,446,008 |
2024 |
$1,244,890 |
$0 |
$1,244,890 |
Pacer
Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF |
|
| |
2022 |
$8,615,531 |
$0 |
$8,615,531 |
2023 |
$5,919,096 |
$(206,699) |
$5,712,397 |
2024 |
$3,208,645 |
$0 |
$3,208,645 |
Aristotle
Pacific Capital, LLC
The
Trust, on behalf of the FLRT, and the Adviser have retained Aristotle Pacific
Capital, LLC (“Aristotle Pacific”), located at 840 Newport Drive, 7th
Floor, Newport Beach, California 92660, to serve as sub-adviser for FLRT.
Aristotle Pacific is a subsidiary of Aristotle Capital Management, LLC
(“Aristotle Capital”). Aristotle Capital is an investment management
organization that specializes in equity and fixed income portfolio management
for institutional and advisory clients worldwide.
Pursuant
to a Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and Aristotle Pacific (the
“Sub-Advisory Agreement”), Aristotle Pacific is responsible for trading
portfolio securities on behalf of FLRT, including selecting broker-dealers to
execute purchase and sale transactions, subject to the supervision of the
Adviser and the Board. For the services it provides to FLRT, Aristotle Pacific
is compensated by the Adviser from the management fees paid by FLRT to the
Adviser. The Sub-Advisory Agreement was approved by the Trustees (including all
the Independent Trustees) and the Adviser, as sole shareholder of FLRT, in
compliance with the 1940 Act. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in force
for an initial period of two years. Thereafter, the Sub-Advisory Agreement is
renewable from year to year with respect to FLRT, so long as its continuance is
approved at least annually (1) by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called
for that purpose, of a majority of those Trustees who are not “interested
persons” of the Trust; and (2) by the majority vote of either the full Board or
the vote of a majority of the outstanding Shares. The Sub-Advisory Agreement
will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable
at any time without penalty by the Board or, with respect to FLRT, by a majority
of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, on not less than 30 days’ nor more than
60 days’ written notice to Aristotle Pacific, or by Aristotle Pacific on 60
days’ written notice to the Adviser and the Trust. The Sub-Advisory Agreement
provides that Aristotle Pacific shall not be protected against any liability to
the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or
gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless
disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder. The table below shows
management fees paid by the Adviser to Aristotle Pacific in relation to FLRT for
the fiscal period/years ended April 30.
|
|
|
|
| |
Fiscal
Period/Year Ended |
Sub-Advisory
Fee Paid |
2022 |
$4,317 |
2023 |
$111,185 |
2024 |
$189,086 |
CSOP
Asset Management
The
Trust, on behalf of AFTY, and the Adviser have retained CSOP Asset Management
Limited (“CSOP”), located at Suite 2802, Two Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place,
Central, Hong Kong, to serve as sub-adviser for AFTY. CSOP was established in
January 2008 as a subsidiary of China Southern Asset Management Co. Limited.
CSOP is the first Hong Kong subsidiary set up by mainland Chinese fund houses to
carry out asset management and securities advisory activities in Hong Kong. CSOP
is dedicated to serving investors as a gateway for investment between China and
the rest of the world, and provides discretionary management services and
advisory services to both institutional investors and investment funds,
including other ETFs.
Pursuant
to a Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and CSOP (the “Sub-Advisory
Agreement”), CSOP is responsible for trading portfolio securities on behalf of
AFTY, including selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale
transactions as instructed by the Adviser or in connection with any rebalancing
or reconstitution of AFTY’s respective Index, subject to the supervision of the
Adviser and the Board. For the services it provides to AFTY, CSOP is compensated
by the Adviser from the management fees paid by AFTY to the Adviser. The
Sub-Advisory Agreement was approved by the Trustees (including all the
Independent Trustees) and the Adviser, as sole shareholder of AFTY, in
compliance with the 1940 Act. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in force
for an initial period of two years. Thereafter, the Sub-Advisory Agreement is
renewable from year to year with
respect
to the Fund, so long as its continuance is approved at least annually (1) by the
vote, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose, of a majority of
those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust; and (2) by the
majority vote of either the full Board or the vote of a majority of the
outstanding Shares. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in
the event of its assignment, and is terminable at any time without penalty by
the Board or, with respect to AFTY, by a majority of the outstanding Shares of
AFTY, on not less than 30 days’ nor more than 60 days’ written notice to CSOP,
or by the Sub-Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser and the Trust.
The Sub-Advisory Agreement provides that CSOP shall not be protected against any
liability to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad
faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from
reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder.
The
table below shows management fees paid by the Adviser to CSOP in relation to
AFTY for the fiscal period/years ended April 30.
|
|
|
|
| |
Fiscal
Period/Year Ended |
Sub-Advisory
Fee Paid |
2022 |
$4,719 |
2023 |
$2,427 |
2024 |
$1,266 |
Vident
Advisory, LLC
The
Trust, on behalf of PTBD, and the Adviser have retained Vident
Advisory, LLC (“VA”) (d/b/a
Vident Asset Management), located at 1125 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 515,
Alpharetta, GA 30009, to serve as sub-adviser for PTBD. VA
was
formed in 2016 and commenced operations and registered with the SEC as an
investment adviser in January 2019. VA is majority owned by Vident Capital
Holdings, LLC, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MM VAM, LLC, which is
entirely controlled by Casey Crawford.
Pursuant
to a Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and VA (the “Sub-Advisory
Agreement”), VA is responsible for trading portfolio securities on behalf of
PTBD, including selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale
transactions as instructed by the Adviser or in connection with any rebalancing
or reconstitution of PTBD’s respective Index, subject to the supervision of the
Adviser and the Board. For the services it provides to PTBD, VA is compensated
by the Adviser from the management fees paid by PTBD to the
Adviser.
The
Sub-Advisory Agreement was approved by the Trustees (including all the
Independent Trustees) and the Adviser, as sole shareholder of PTBD, in
compliance with the 1940 Act. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will continue in force
for an initial period of two years. Thereafter, the Sub-Advisory Agreement is
renewable from year to year with respect to PTBD, so long as its continuance is
approved at least annually (1) by the vote, cast in person at a meeting called
for that purpose, of a majority of those Trustees who are not “interested
persons” of the Trust; and (2) by the majority vote of either the full Board or
the vote of a majority of the outstanding Shares. The Sub-Advisory Agreement
will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable
at any time without penalty by the Board or, with respect to PTBD, by a majority
of the outstanding Shares of PTBD, on not less than 30 days’ nor more than 60
days’ written notice to VA, or by VA on 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser
and the Trust. The Sub-Advisory Agreement provides that VA shall not be
protected against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of
willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the
performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its obligations or
duties thereunder.
The
table below shows management fees paid by the Adviser to VA in relation to PTBD
for the fiscal period/years ended April 30.
|
|
|
|
| |
Fiscal
Period/Year Ended |
Sub-Advisory
Fee Paid |
2022 |
$495,561 |
2023 |
$377,041 |
2024 |
$137,410 |
All
Funds (except AFTY, FLRT, and PTBD)
Portfolio
Managers.
Each
Fund employs a rules-based, passive investment strategy. The Adviser uses a
committee approach to managing the Funds. Bruce Kavanaugh, Vice President of the
Adviser, and Danke Wang, CFA, FRM, Head Portfolio Analyst and Portfolio Manager
for the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day
management of the Funds and have served as Fund portfolio managers since each
Fund’s inception.
In
addition to the Funds, Mr. Kavanaugh and Mr. Wang each co-manage the following
other accounts (collectively, the “Other Accounts”) as of April 30,
2024:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Type
of Accounts |
Total
Number of Accounts |
Total
Assets of Accounts (billions) |
Total
Number of Accounts with Performance Based Fees |
Total
Assets of Accounts with Performance Based Fees |
Registered
Investment Companies |
47 |
$43.1 |
0 |
$0 |
Other
Pooled Investment Vehicles |
0 |
$0 |
0 |
$0 |
Other
Accounts |
0 |
$0 |
0 |
$0 |
Portfolio
Managers Compensation. Mr.
Kavanaugh and Mr. Wang each receive a fixed salary from the Adviser. Mr.
Kavanaugh and Mr. Wang are also eligible for additional bonuses; a fixed bonus
and a bonus based on growth of the Adviser’s assets under management that is not
based on performance of any accounts.
Portfolio
Managers Fund Ownership. As
of April 30, 2024, Mr. Kavanaugh owned $500,001–$1,000,000 shares of PTLC
$100,001–$500,000 shares of COWZ and CALF, $50,001–$100,000 shares of PTMC and
SRVR, and $10,001–$50,000 of shares of INDS, ICOW and ALTL. As of April 30,
2024, Mr. Wang owned $1–$10,000 shares of COWZ and ECOW.
AFTY
The
portfolio managers currently responsible for the day-to-day management of AFTY
are Yi Wang and Fred Zhang, each of CSOP. Mr. Zhang has managed the Predecessor
CSOP Fund and AFTY since their inception and Mr. Wang has managed AFTY since
August 2021.
In
addition to AFTY, Mr. Yi Wang and Mr. Zhang each co-manage the following other
accounts as of April 30, 2024:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Type
of Accounts |
Total
Number of Accounts |
Total
Assets of Accounts (billions) |
Total
Number of Accounts with Performance Based Fees |
Total
Assets of Accounts with Performance Based Fees |
Registered
Investment Companies |
0 |
$0 |
0 |
$0 |
Other
Pooled Investment Vehicles |
8 |
$2.5 |
0 |
$0 |
Other
Accounts |
0 |
$0 |
0 |
$0 |
Portfolio
Managers Compensation. CSOP’s
financial arrangements with its portfolio managers reflect the importance that
its management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of
components and may vary from year to year based on a number of factors. The
principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based
discretionary bonus and participation. Base salary is generally a fixed amount
that may change as a result of an annual review, upon assumption of new duties,
or when a market adjustment of the position occurs. Annual performance-based
bonuses are 100% discretionary. Factors considered in bonuses include individual
performance, team performance, investment performance of the associated
portfolio(s) (including both short and long term returns) and qualitative
behavioral factors. Other factors considered in determining the award are the
asset size and revenue growth/retention of the products managed (if
applicable).
Portfolio
Managers Fund Ownership. As
of April 30, 2024, Mr. Yi Wang and Mr. Zhang did not own shares of
AFTY.
FLRT
FLRT
is managed by Bob Boyd and Ying Qiu, CFA, each of Aristotle Pacific.
In
addition to FLRT, Mr. Boyd and Ms. Qiu each manage the following other accounts
as of April 30, 2024:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Type
of Accounts |
Total
Number of Accounts |
Total
Assets of Accounts (millions) |
Total
Number of Accounts with Performance Based Fees |
Total
Assets of Accounts with Performance Based Fees |
Bob
Boyd |
|
|
| |
Registered
Investment Companies |
2 |
$781.1 |
0 |
$0 |
Other
Pooled Investment Vehicles |
3 |
$170.6 |
1 |
$38.1 |
Other
Accounts |
11 |
$10,837.0 |
8 |
$2,609.6 |
Ying
Qiu |
|
|
| |
Registered
Investment Companies |
7 |
$4,095.0 |
0 |
$0 |
Other
Pooled Investment Vehicles |
1 |
$38.1 |
1 |
$38.1 |
Other
Accounts |
11 |
$9,575.8 |
0 |
$0 |
Portfolio
Managers Compensation.
The portfolio managers are compensated by Aristotle Pacific. Each portfolio
manager’s compensation consists of a fixed annual base salary, a discretionary
bonus and a share of the firm's profits. Compensation of the portfolio managers
is not tied to the Fund's performance or assets under management.
Portfolio
Managers Fund Ownership. As
of April 30, 2024, Ms. Qiu and Mr. Boyd each owned $10,001 - $50,000 shares
of FLRT.
PTBD
PTBD
is managed by James Iredale, CFA, and Jeff Kernagis, CFA, each of
VA.
In
addition to PTBD, Mr. Iredale and Mr. Kernagis managed the following other
accounts as of April 30, 2024, none of which were subject to a
performance-based management fee:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Portfolio
Manager |
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
Number
of Accounts |
Total
Assets in the Accounts (millions) |
Number
of Accounts |
Total
Assets in the Accounts (millions) |
Number
of Accounts |
Total
Assets in the Accounts (millions) |
Jim
Iredale, CFA |
3 |
$697.0 |
0 |
$0 |
334 |
$686.0 |
Jeff
Kernagis, CFA |
6 |
$720.0 |
0 |
$0 |
0 |
$0 |
Portfolio
Managers Compensation. Mr.
Iredale and Mr. Kernagis each receive a fixed base salary and discretionary
bonus that is not tied to the performance of PTBD.
Portfolio
Managers Fund Ownership. As
of April 30, 2024, Mr. Iredale and Mr. Kernagis did not own shares of
PTBD.
Description
of Material Conflicts of Interest. A
potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio managers’
management of a Fund and Other Accounts, which, in theory, may allow them to
allocate investment opportunities in a way that favors Other Accounts over a
Fund. This conflict of interest may be exacerbated to the extent that the
Adviser, Sub-Advisers’, or a portfolio manager receives, or expects to receive,
greater compensation from their management of the Other Accounts (some of which
may receive a base and incentive fee) than from a Fund. Notwithstanding this
theoretical conflict of interest, it is the Adviser’s and Sub-Advisers’ policy
to manage each account based on its investment objectives and related
restrictions, and the Adviser and Sub-Advisers have adopted policies and
procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities on a fair
and equitable basis over time and in a manner consistent with each account’s
investment objectives and related restrictions.
Codes
of Ethics.
The Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Advisers, and the Distributor (as defined under
“The Distributor”) have each adopted a code of ethics, including an insider
trading policy, pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 of the
Investment Advisors Act of 1940, as applicable. These codes of ethics are
designed to prevent affiliated persons of the Trust, the Adviser, the
Sub-Advisers, and the Distributor from engaging in deceptive, manipulative or
fraudulent activities in connection with securities held or to be acquired by
the Funds (which may also be held by persons subject to the codes of
ethics).
There
can be no assurance that the codes of ethics will be effective in preventing
such activities. Each code of ethics may be examined at the office of the SEC in
Washington, D.C. or on the Internet at the SEC’s website at
http://www.sec.gov.
Proxy
Voting Policy. The
Funds have delegated proxy voting responsibilities to the Adviser, except for
FLRT which has delegated proxy voting responsibilities to Aristotle Pacific,
subject to the Board’s oversight. In delegating proxy responsibilities, the
Board has directed that proxies be voted consistent with a Fund’s and its
shareholders’ best interests and in compliance with all applicable proxy voting
rules and regulations. The Adviser and Aristotle Pacific have adopted proxy
voting policies and guidelines for this purpose (“Proxy Voting Policies”) and
has engaged a third party proxy solicitation firm to assist with voting proxies
in a timely manner. The Trust’s chief compliance officer is responsible for
monitoring the effectiveness of the Proxy Voting Policies.
Under
the Proxy Voting Policies, in the absence of specific voting guidelines from the
client, the Adviser and Aristotle Pacific will vote proxies in the best interest
of each particular client. The Adviser has adopted the Glass Lewis Investment
Manager Guidelines (for all Funds except FLRT) attached as Appendix
B.
They are designed to vote in a manner consistent with the Adviser’s investment
decision making. The Adviser’s policy is to vote all proxies from a specific
issuer the same way for each client, absent qualifying restrictions from a
client. Clients are permitted to place reasonable restrictions on our voting
authority in the same manner that they may place such restrictions on the actual
selection of account securities. Clients may direct the vote in a particular
solicitation. For FLRT, Aristotle Pacific will vote such proxies in accordance
with its proxy policies and procedures, which are attached as Appendix
C.
Each
of the Adviser and Aristotle Pacific, as applicable, will generally vote in
favor of routine corporate housekeeping proposals such as the election of
directors and selection of auditors absent conflicts of interest raised by an
auditor’s non-audit services. Each of the Adviser and Aristotle Pacific, as
applicable, will generally vote against proposals that cause board members to
become entrenched or cause unequal voting rights. In reviewing proposals, the
Adviser and Aristotle Pacific will further consider the opinion of management,
the effect on management, the effect on shareholder value and the issuer’s
business practices.
When
available, information on how a Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio
securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 will be
available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-617-0004 and (2) on
the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
THE
ADMINISTRATOR, TRANSFER AGENT, AND INDEX RECEIPT AGENT
U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
(“Fund Services” or the “Transfer Agent”), serves as administrator, transfer
agent, and index receipt agent for the Funds. Fund Services’ principal address
is 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. Pursuant to a Fund
Administration Servicing Agreement and a Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement
between the Trust and Fund Services, Fund Services provides the Trust with
administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services)
and accounting services, including portfolio accounting services, tax accounting
services and furnishing financial reports. In this capacity, Fund Services does
not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Funds, the
determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the
distribution of Fund Shares. As compensation for the administration, accounting
and management services, the Adviser pays Fund Services a fee based on each
Fund’s average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee.
Fund
Services also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services
mentioned above, including pricing expenses. The Adviser was responsible for
paying the following fees to Fund Services for services rendered to the Funds
for the following fiscal years ended April 30:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Fees
Paid to Fund Services for the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, |
Name
of Fund* |
2024 |
| 2023 |
| 2022 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF |
$307,734 |
| $283,293 |
| $306,442 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF |
$50,941 |
| $61,166 |
| $69,133 |
Pacer
Trendpilot 100 ETF |
$133,753 |
| $97,022 |
| $122,082 |
Pacer
Trendpilot European Index ETF |
$5,499 |
| $6,290 |
| $8,238 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Bond ETF |
$25,458 |
| $59,124 |
| $186,405 |
Pacer
Trendpilot International ETF |
$18,520 |
| $16,799 |
| $21,790 |
Pacer
Trendpilot Fund of Funds ETF |
$6,775 |
| $8,160 |
| $9,445 |
Pacer
US Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$2,185,585 |
| $1,269,724 |
| $219,337 |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$657,176 |
| $184,088 |
| $85,282 |
Pacer
US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$9,941 |
| $351 |
** |
N/A |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$503 |
| N/A |
| N/A |
Pacer
US Cash Cows Growth ETF |
$4,948 |
| $3,577 |
| $1,691 |
Pacer
Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF |
$216,994 |
| $121,950 |
| $26,288 |
Pacer
Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$9,292 |
| $3,266 |
| $1,390 |
Pacer
Developed Markets International Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$122,531 |
| $31,489 |
| $8,151 |
Pacer
Cash Cows Fund of Funds ETF |
$9,527 |
| $3,490 |
| $591 |
Pacer
US Export Leaders ETF |
$5,478 |
| $1,371 |
| $417 |
Pacer
International Export Leaders ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
Pacer
CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF |
$586 |
| $772 |
| $1,416 |
Pacer
Hotel & Lodging Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
Pacer
Apartments & Residential Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
Pacer
Healthcare Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
Pacer
Industrial Real Estate ETF |
$27,523 |
| $35,171 |
| $49,976 |
Pacer
Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF |
$71,371 |
| $138,913 |
| $225,306 |
Pacer
Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
Pacer
WealthShield ETF |
$3,332 |
| $4,494 |
| $7,826 |
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Global Seasonal Rotation ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF |
$6,878 |
| $10,257 |
| $12,958 |
Pacer
BioThreat Strategy ETF |
$492 |
| $618 |
| $959 |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
$67,004 |
| $119,359 |
| $41,286 |
Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$5,298 |
| $5,044 |
| $6,316 |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$33,952 |
| $31,182 |
| $23,466 |
Pacer
Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF |
$21,341 |
| $11,125 |
| $4,218 |
Pacer
Data and Digital Revolution ETF |
$7,274 |
| $121 |
** |
N/A |
Pacer
Industrials and Logistics ETF |
$138 |
| $122 |
** |
N/A |
*The
following Funds had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI: ROOM,
RXRE, PAD, SZNG, and PIEL. With respect to PAEU, all outstanding shares of the
Fund were redeemed on December 22, 2016, and shares of the Fund are not
currently offered for purchase.
**For
TRFK, SHPP and COWG, the information in the table reflects the period since each
Fund’s inception through the fiscal period ended April 30.
THE
CUSTODIAN
Pursuant
to a Custody Agreement, U.S. Bank National Association, 1555 North Rivercenter
Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as the custodian of each
Fund’s assets. The custodian holds and administers the assets in a Fund’s
portfolios. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the custodian receives an annual
fee from the Adviser based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets,
subject to a minimum annual fee and certain settlement charges. The custodian
also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
SECURITIES
LENDING ACTIVITIES
U.S.
Bank (the “Securities Lending Agent”) serves as securities lending agent to the
Funds listed in the table below. The Securities Lending Agent is responsible for
the implementation and administration of the applicable Funds’ securities
lending program pursuant to an agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the
applicable Funds, and the Securities Lending Agent (the “Securities Lending
Agreement”). The Securities Lending Agent acts as agent to the applicable Funds
to lend available securities with any person on the Securities Lending Agent’s
list of approved borrowers and (i) determines whether a loan shall be made and
negotiates and establishes the terms and conditions of the loan with the
borrower; (ii) ensures that all substitute interest, dividends, and other
distributions paid with respect to loan securities is credited to the applicable
Fund’s relevant account on the date such amounts are delivered by the borrower
to the Securities Lending Agent; (iii) receives and holds, on the
applicable Fund’s behalf, collateral from borrowers to secure obligations of
borrowers with respect to any loan of available securities; (iv) marks loaned
securities and collateral to their market value each business day based upon the
market value of the loaned securities and collateral at the close of business
employing the most recently available pricing information and receives and
delivers collateral to maintain the value of the collateral at no less than 100%
of the market value of the loaned securities; (v) at the termination of a loan,
returns the collateral to the borrower upon the return of the loaned securities
to the Securities Lending Agent; (vi) invests cash collateral in accordance with
the Securities Lending Agreement; and (viii) maintains such records as are
reasonably necessary to account for loans that are made and the income derived
therefrom and makes available to the applicable Fund a monthly statement
describing the loans outstanding, including an accounting of all securities
lending transactions.
The
dollar amounts of gross and net income from securities lending activities
received and the related fees and/or compensation paid by each applicable Fund
during the period in which securities lending activities commenced through
April 30, 2024 are set forth in the following table.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| PTLC |
PTMC |
PTNQ |
Gross
Income from securities lending activities (including
income from cash collateral reinvestment)
|
$4,592,774 |
$4,328,811 |
$11,852,786 |
Fees
and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related
services |
|
| |
Fees
paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split |
$(36,773) |
$(29,734) |
$(74,599) |
Fees
paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted
from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included
in the revenue split |
$(24,962) |
$(23,517) |
$(63,457) |
Administrative
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Indemnification
fee not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Rebate
(paid to borrower) |
$(4,383,948) |
$(4,156,637) |
$(11,416,324) |
Other
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Aggregate
fees/compensation for securities lending activities |
$(4,445,683) |
$(4,209,888) |
$(11,554,380) |
Net
Income from securities lending activities |
$147,090 |
$118,924 |
$298,406 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| PTEU |
PTIN |
PTBD |
Gross
Income from securities lending activities (including
income from cash collateral reinvestment)
|
$253,924 |
$1,407,091 |
$1,301,611 |
Fees
and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related
services |
|
| |
Fees
paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split |
$(7,313) |
$(23,674) |
$(27,610) |
Fees
paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted
from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included
in the revenue split |
$(1,274) |
$(7,536) |
$(6,994) |
Administrative
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Indemnification
fee not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Rebate
(paid to borrower) |
$(211,439) |
$(1,300,484) |
$(1,156,578) |
Other
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Aggregate
fees/compensation for securities lending activities |
$(220,027) |
$(1,300,484) |
$(1,191,182) |
Net
Income from securities lending activities |
$33,897 |
$106,607 |
$110,429 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| COWZ |
CALF |
BUL |
Gross
Income from securities lending activities (including
income from cash collateral reinvestment)
|
$58,541,593 |
$42,135,241 |
$341,586 |
Fees
and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related
services |
|
| |
Fees
paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split |
$(1,642,373) |
$(265,275) |
$(2,487) |
Fees
paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted
from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included
in the revenue split |
$(292,168) |
$(228,983) |
$(1,865) |
Administrative
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Indemnification
fee not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Rebate
(paid to borrower) |
$(50,037,540) |
$(40,579,881) |
$(327,287) |
Other
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Aggregate
fees/compensation for securities lending activities |
$(51,972,081) |
$(41,074,139) |
$(331,640) |
Net
Income from securities lending activities |
$6,569,512 |
$1,061,102 |
$9,947 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| GCOW |
ECOW |
ICOW |
Gross
Income from securities lending activities (including
income from cash collateral reinvestment)
|
$8,676,436 |
$117,026 |
$4,526,679 |
Fees
and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related
services |
|
| |
Fees
paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split |
$(113,634) |
$(1,815) |
$(134,238) |
Fees
paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted
from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included
in the revenue split |
$(46,428) |
$(639) |
$(24,060) |
Administrative
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Indemnification
fee not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Rebate
(paid to borrower) |
$(7,975,912) |
$(107,195) |
$(3,766,682) |
Other
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Aggregate
fees/compensation for securities lending activities |
$(8,135,974) |
$(109,649) |
$(3,924,980) |
Net
Income from securities lending activities |
$540,462 |
$7,377 |
$601,699 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| PEXL |
INDS |
SRVR |
Gross
Income from securities lending activities (including
income from cash collateral reinvestment)
|
$302,780 |
$1,298,611 |
$2,984,785 |
Fees
and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related
services |
|
| |
Fees
paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split |
$(2,224) |
$(8,622) |
$(55,322) |
Fees
paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted
from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included
in the revenue split |
$(1,645) |
$(7,132) |
$(16,237) |
Administrative
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Indemnification
fee not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Rebate
(paid to borrower) |
$(290,012) |
$(1,248,369) |
$(2,691,939) |
Other
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Aggregate
fees/compensation for securities lending activities |
$(293,881) |
$(1,264,123) |
$(2,763,498) |
Net
Income from securities lending activities |
$8,899 |
$34,488 |
$221,287 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| PWS |
SZNE |
VIRS |
Gross
Income from securities lending activities (including
income from cash collateral reinvestment)
|
$186,366 |
$414,609 |
$34,327 |
Fees
and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related
services |
|
| |
Fees
paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split |
$(2,141) |
$(3,122) |
$(347) |
Fees
paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted
from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included
in the revenue split |
$(1,000) |
$(2,250) |
$(187) |
Administrative
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Indemnification
fee not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Rebate
(paid to borrower) |
$(174,667) |
$(396,748) |
$(32,404) |
Other
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Aggregate
fees/compensation for securities lending activities |
$(177,808) |
$(402,120) |
$(32,938) |
Net
Income from securities lending activities |
$8,558 |
$12,489 |
$1,389 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| ALTL |
PAMC |
PALC |
Gross
Income from securities lending activities (including
income from cash collateral reinvestment)
|
$2,200,470 |
$435,331 |
$743,047 |
Fees
and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related
services |
|
| |
Fees
paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split |
$(16,856) |
$(4,095) |
$(5,586) |
Fees
paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted
from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included
in the revenue split |
$(12,027) |
$(2,368) |
$(4,040) |
Administrative
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Indemnification
fee not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Rebate
(paid to borrower) |
$(2,104,159) |
$(412,485) |
$(711,079) |
Other
fees not included in revenue split |
$— |
$— |
$— |
Aggregate
fees/compensation for securities lending activities |
$(2,133,042) |
$(418,948) |
$(720,704) |
Net
Income from securities lending activities |
$67,428 |
$16,383 |
$22,343 |
THE
DISTRIBUTOR
The
Trust and
Pacer
Financial, Inc. (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of the Adviser, are parties to
a distribution agreement (“Distribution Agreement”), whereby the Distributor
acts as principal underwriter for the Trust and distributes the Shares of the
Funds. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only in
Creation Units. The Distributor will not distribute Shares in amounts less than
a Creation Unit and does not maintain an active market in Shares. The principal
business address of the Distributor is 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern,
Pennsylvania 19355.
Under
the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent for the Trust, will
solicit orders for the purchase of the Shares, provided that any subscriptions
and orders will not be binding on the Trust until accepted by the Trust. The
Distributor will deliver Prospectuses and, upon request, SAIs to persons
purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of orders placed with it.
The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and a member of FINRA.
The
Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting
Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Shares. Such
Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as discussed in
“Procedures for Purchase of Creation Units” below) or DTC participants (as
defined below).
The
Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and
is renewable thereafter. The continuance of the Distribution Agreement must be
specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a
vote of the shareholders of each Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the
Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust and have no direct or
indirect
financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Agreement or any
related agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting
on such approval. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by
the Trust on sixty (60) days’ written notice when authorized either by majority
vote of its outstanding voting Shares or by a vote of a majority of its Board
(including a majority of the Independent Trustees), or by the Distributor on
sixty (60) days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event
of its assignment. The Distribution Agreement provides that in the absence of
willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the
Distributor, or reckless disregard by it of its obligations thereunder, the
Distributor shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance
with its duties thereunder.
Intermediary
Compensation.
The
Adviser, Sub-Advisers, or their affiliates, out of their own resources and not
out of the Funds’ assets (i.e.,
without additional cost to the Funds or their shareholders), may pay certain
broker dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for
certain activities related to the Funds, including participation in activities
that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange
traded products, including the Funds, or for other activities, such as marketing
and educational training or support. These arrangements are not financed by the
Funds and, thus, do not result in increased Fund expenses. They are not
reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fees and expenses sections of
the Funds’ Prospectus and they do not change the price paid by investors for the
purchase of Fund Shares or the amount received by a shareholder as proceeds from
the redemption of Fund Shares.
Such
compensation may be paid to Intermediaries that provide services to the Funds,
including marketing and education support (such as through conferences, webinars
and printed communications). The Adviser periodically assesses the advisability
of continuing to make these payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be
significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your
adviser, broker or other investment professional, if any, may also be
significant to such adviser, broker or investment professional. Because an
Intermediary may make decisions about what investment options it will make
available or recommend, and what services to provide in connection with various
products, based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments
create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients. For
example, these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the
Funds over other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect
to your financial adviser, broker or investment professionals if he or she
receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
Intermediary
information is current only as of the date of this SAI. Please contact your
adviser, broker or other investment professional for more information regarding
any payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the
Adviser, Sub-Adviser, or their affiliates to an Intermediary may create the
incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy Shares of the Funds.
Distribution
and Service Plan. The
Trust has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) for each Fund
except AFTY, in accordance with the provisions of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act,
which regulates circumstances under which an investment company may directly or
indirectly bear expenses relating to the distribution of its Shares. No payments
pursuant to the Plan are expected to be made during the twelve (12) month period
from the date of this SAI. Rule 12b-1 fees to be paid by a Fund
under the Plan may only be imposed after approval by the Board.
Continuance
of the Plan must be approved annually by a majority of the Trustees of the Trust
and by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons (as defined in
the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in
the Plan or in any agreements related to the Plan (“Qualified Trustees”). The
Plan requires that quarterly written reports of amounts spent under the Plan and
the purposes of such expenditures be furnished to and reviewed by the Trustees.
The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount that may be spent
thereunder without approval by a majority of the outstanding Shares of the Fund.
All material amendments of the Plan will require approval by a majority of the
Trustees of the Trust and of the Qualified Trustees.
The
Plan provides that each Fund pays the Distributor an annual fee of up to a
maximum of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Shares. Under the Plan,
the Distributor may make payments pursuant to written agreements to financial
institutions and intermediaries such as banks, savings and loan associations and
insurance companies including, without limit, investment counselors,
broker-dealers and the Distributor’s affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively,
“Agents”) as compensation for services and reimbursement of expenses incurred in
connection with distribution assistance. The Plan is characterized as a
compensation plan since the distribution fee will be paid to the Distributor
without regard to the distribution expenses incurred by the Distributor or the
amount of payments made to other financial institutions and intermediaries. The
Trust intends to operate the Plan in accordance with its terms and with FINRA
rules concerning sales charges.
Under
the Plan, subject to the limitations of applicable law and regulations, each
Fund is authorized to compensate the Distributor up to the maximum amount to
finance any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units
of the Fund or for providing or arranging for others to provide shareholder
services and for the maintenance of shareholder accounts. Such activities may
include, but are not limited to: (i) delivering copies of a Fund’s then current
reports, prospectuses, notices, and similar materials, to prospective purchasers
of Creation Units; (ii) marketing and promotional services, including
advertising; (iii) paying the costs of and compensating others, including
Authorized Participants with whom the Distributor has entered into written
Authorized Participant
Agreements,
for performing shareholder servicing on behalf of a Fund; (iv) compensating
certain Authorized Participants for providing assistance in distributing the
Creation Units of a Fund, including the travel and communication expenses and
salaries and/or commissions of sales personnel in connection with the
distribution of the Creation Units of a Fund; (v) payments to financial
institutions and intermediaries such as banks, savings and loan associations,
insurance companies and investment counselors, broker-dealers, mutual fund
supermarkets and the affiliates and subsidiaries of the Trust’s service
providers as compensation for services or reimbursement of expenses incurred in
connection with distribution assistance; (vi) facilitating communications with
beneficial owners of Shares, including the cost of providing (or paying others
to provide) services to beneficial owners of Shares, including, but not limited
to, assistance in answering inquiries related to Shareholder accounts; and
(vii) such other services and obligations as are set forth in the Distribution
Agreement.
LEGAL
COUNSEL
Practus,
LLP, 11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310, Leawood, Kansas 66211, serves as
legal counsel for the Trust. Duane Morris LLP, 30 South 17th Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, serves as legal counsel for the Independent
Trustees.
INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Sanville
& Company, LLC, 2617 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania 19006,
serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds.
BROKERAGE
TRANSACTIONS
The
policy of the Trust regarding purchases and sales of securities for the Funds is
that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most favorable prices
and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with this policy, when
securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Trust’s policy is
to pay commissions which are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily
determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances.
The Trust believes that a requirement always to seek the lowest possible
commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude the
Funds from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In
seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any
transaction, the Adviser and Sub-Advisers will rely upon its experience and
knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its
judgment in evaluating the brokerage services received from the broker effecting
the transaction. Such determinations are necessarily subjective and imprecise,
as in most cases, an exact dollar value for those services is not ascertainable.
The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of
sales of Fund Shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer to
execute its portfolio transactions.
The
Adviser and Sub-Advisers owe a fiduciary duty to their clients to seek to
provide best execution on trades effected. In selecting a broker/dealer for each
specific transaction, the Adviser and Sub-Advisers choose the broker/dealer
deemed most capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most
favorable execution. “Best execution” is generally understood to mean the most
favorable cost or net proceeds reasonably obtainable under the circumstances.
The full range of brokerage services applicable to a particular transaction may
be considered when making this judgment, which may include, but is not limited
to: liquidity, price, commission, timing, aggregated trades, capable floor
brokers or traders, competent block trading coverage, ability to position,
capital strength and stability, reliable and accurate communications and
settlement processing, use of automation, knowledge of other buyers or sellers,
arbitrage skills, administrative ability, underwriting and provision of
information on a particular security or market in which the transaction is to
occur. The Adviser and Sub-Advisers will also use electronic crossing networks
(“ECNs”) when appropriate.
Subject
to the foregoing policies, brokers or dealers selected to execute a Fund’s
portfolio transactions may include the Fund’s Authorized Participants (as
discussed in “Procedures
for Purchase of Creation Units”
below) or their affiliates. An Authorized Participant or its affiliates may be
selected to execute a Fund’s portfolio transactions in conjunction with an
all-cash creation unit order or an order including “cash-in-lieu” (as described
below under “Purchase and Redemption of Shares in Creation Units”), so long as
such selection is in keeping with the foregoing policies. As described below
under “Purchase and Redemption of Shares in Creation Units—Creation Transaction
Fee” and “—Redemption Transaction Fee”, a Fund may determine to not charge a
variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser or Sub-Advisers have determined
that doing so is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, e.g.,
for creation orders that facilitate the changes to a Fund’s portfolio in a more
tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order, even if the
decision to not charge a variable fee could be viewed as benefiting the
Authorized Participant or its affiliate selected to executed the Fund’s
portfolio transactions in connection with such orders.
The
Adviser and Sub-Advisers may use a Fund’s assets for, or participate in, third
party soft dollar arrangements, in addition to receiving proprietary research
from various full service brokers, the cost of which is bundled with the cost of
the broker’s execution services. The Adviser and Sub-Advisers do not “pay up”
for the value of any such proprietary research. Section 28(e) of the Exchange
Act permits the Adviser and Sub-Advisers, under certain circumstances, to cause
a Fund to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in
excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged
for effecting the
transaction
in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by the
broker or dealer. The Adviser and Sub-Advisers may receive a variety of research
services and information on many topics, which it can use in connection with its
management responsibilities with respect to the various accounts over which it
exercises investment discretion or otherwise provides investment advice. The
research services may include qualifying order management systems, portfolio
attribution and monitoring services and computer software and access charges
which are directly related to investment research. Accordingly, a Fund may pay a
broker commission higher than the lowest available commission in recognition of
the broker’s provision of such services to the Adviser and Sub-Advisers, but
only if the Adviser and Sub-Advisers determine the total commission (including
the soft dollar benefit) is comparable to the best commission rate that could be
expected to be received from other brokers. The amount of soft dollar benefits
received depends on the amount of brokerage transactions effected with the
brokers. A conflict of interest exists because there is an incentive to: 1)
cause clients to pay a higher commission than the firm might otherwise be able
to negotiate; 2) cause clients to engage in more securities transactions than
would otherwise be optimal; and 3) only recommend brokers that provide soft
dollar benefits.
The
Adviser and Sub-Advisers face a potential conflict of interest when it uses
client trades to obtain brokerage or research services. This conflict exists
because the Adviser and Sub-Advisers are able to use the brokerage or research
services to manage client accounts without paying cash for such services, which
reduces the Adviser’s and Sub-Advisers’ expenses to the extent that the Adviser
and Sub-Advisers would have purchased such products had they not been provided
by brokers. Section 28(e) permits the Adviser and Sub-Advisers to use brokerage
or research services for the benefit of any account it manages. Certain accounts
managed by the Adviser and Sub-Advisers may generate soft dollars used to
purchase brokerage or research services that ultimately benefit other accounts
managed by the Adviser and Sub-Advisers, effectively cross subsidizing the other
accounts managed by the Adviser and Sub-Advisers that benefit directly from the
product. The Adviser and Sub-Advisers may not necessarily use all of the
brokerage or research services in connection with managing a Fund whose trades
generated the soft dollars used to purchase such products.
The
Adviser and Sub-Advisers are responsible, subject to oversight by the Board, for
placing orders on behalf of the Funds for the purchase or sale of portfolio
securities. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of a Fund and one or
more other investment companies or clients supervised by the Adviser and
Sub-Advisers are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such
securities are allocated among the several investment companies and clients in a
manner deemed equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to all by
the Adviser and Sub-Advisers. In some cases, this procedure could have a
detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as a Fund is
concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to
participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower brokerage commissions
will be beneficial to the Funds. The primary consideration is prompt execution
of orders at the most favorable net price.
A
Fund may deal with affiliates in principal transactions to the extent permitted
by exemptive order or applicable rule or regulation.
Brokerage
with Fund Affiliates.
The Funds may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered
broker-dealer affiliates of the Funds, the Adviser, and Sub-Advisers, or the
Distributor for a commission in conformity with the 1940 Act, the Exchange Act
and rules promulgated by the SEC. These rules require that commissions paid to
the affiliate by a Fund for exchange transactions not exceed “usual and
customary” brokerage commissions. The rules define “usual and customary”
commissions to include amounts which are “reasonable and fair compared to the
commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other
brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities
being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of
time.” The Trustees, including those who are not “interested persons” of the
Funds, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions
paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically. During the fiscal
year ended April 30, 2024, the Funds did not pay brokerage commissions to
any registered broker-dealer affiliates of the Funds, the Adviser, the
Sub-Advisers, or the Distributor.
Securities
of “Regular Broker-Dealers.”
Each Fund is required to identify any securities of its “regular brokers and
dealers” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) which it may hold at the
close of its most recent fiscal year. “Regular brokers and dealers” of the Trust
are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year: (i)
received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Trust’s
portfolio transactions; (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts
of portfolio transactions of the Trust; or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts
of the Trust’s Shares. As of April 30, 2024, the Funds, except those listed
in the table below, did not own securities of its regular brokers or
dealers.
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Aggregate
Brokerage Commissions for the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, |
Name
of Fund |
Broker-Dealer |
Market
Value |
Pacer
Wealthshield ETF |
Morgan
Stanley |
$81,483 |
Pacer
Trendpilot International ETF |
BNP
Paribas |
$662,947 |
Pacer
Trendpilot European Index ETF |
BNP
Paribas |
$521,928 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Bond ETF |
Jane
Street |
$251,445 |
Pacer
Tredpilot US Large Cap ETF |
Citigroup;
Morgan Stanley |
$7,151,814;
$7,011,485 |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
Citigroup |
$4,468,074 |
The
Funds are also required to identify any brokerage transactions during their most
recent fiscal year that were directed to a broker because of research services
provided, along with the amount of any such transactions and any related
commissions paid by the Funds. As of April 30, 2024, the Funds, except
those listed in the table below, did not have any such transactions or related
commissions paid for research services.
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Commissions
of Research Services Provided for the Fiscal Year Ended April
30, |
Name
of Fund |
Commissions
Paid |
Transactions
Directed |
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF |
$17,621 |
$88,286,118 |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
$167,638 |
$836,863,388 |
Pacer
Lunt Mid Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$72,224 |
$1,006,961,030 |
Brokerage
Commissions. The
following aggregate brokerage commissions were paid by the Funds for the
following fiscal years/periods ended April 30, none of which were paid to
affiliated brokers.
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Aggregate
Brokerage Commissions for the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, |
Name
of Fund* |
2024 |
| 2023 |
2022 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF |
$154,076 |
3 |
$339,121 |
| $381,718 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF |
$258,363 |
3 |
$348,902 |
1 |
$81,221 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot 100 ETF |
$47,960 |
| $75,418 |
| $23,015 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot European Index ETF |
$36,151 |
| $18,170 |
| $22,574 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot US Bond ETF |
$258 |
| $0 |
| $0 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot International ETF |
$56,262 |
| $42,486 |
2 |
$185,525 |
|
Pacer
Trendpilot Fund of Funds ETF |
$1,476 |
| $1,934 |
| $1,300 |
|
Pacer
US Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$4,344,761 |
| $4,215,299 |
1 |
$1,149,263 |
|
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$3,245,744 |
4 |
$1,331,783 |
1 |
$646,751 |
|
Pacer
US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$12,767 |
| $1,116 |
** |
N/A |
|
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$2,380 |
** |
N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
US Cash Cows Growth ETF |
$7,882 |
| $11,075 |
1 |
$1,414 |
|
Pacer
Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF |
$760,229 |
4 |
$381,627 |
1 |
$46,832 |
|
Pacer
Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$99,527 |
| $43,670 |
| $17,113 |
|
Pacer
Developed Markets International Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$626,558 |
4 |
$173,794 |
1 |
$44,280 |
|
Pacer
Cash Cows Fund of Funds ETF |
$1,250 |
| $1,001 |
| $456 |
|
Pacer
US Export Leaders ETF |
$6,558 |
| $3,129 |
| $511 |
|
Pacer
International Export Leaders ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF |
$851 |
| $1,705 |
| $9,377 |
|
Pacer
Hotel & Lodging Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
Apartments & Residential Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
Healthcare Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
Industrial Real Estate ETF |
$21,458 |
| $110,666 |
1 |
$57,466 |
|
Pacer
Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF |
$236,860 |
3 |
$486,126 |
1 |
$202,173 |
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Aggregate
Brokerage Commissions for the Fiscal Year Ended April 30, |
Pacer
Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
WealthShield ETF |
$15,405 |
| $28,448 |
| $26,049 |
|
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Global Seasonal Rotation ETF |
N/A |
| N/A |
| N/A |
|
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF |
$28,364 |
| $32,379 |
| $48,022 |
|
Pacer
BioThreat Strategy ETF |
$73 |
| $100 |
| $202 |
|
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
$823,953 |
| $895,763 |
1 |
$543,279 |
|
Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$40,958 |
| $91,912 |
1 |
$69,877 |
|
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$235,714 |
3 |
$368,551 |
1 |
$147,746 |
|
Pacer
Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF |
$0 |
| $247 |
| $0 |
|
Pacer
Data and Digital Revolution ETF |
$467 |
| $19 |
** |
N/A |
|
Pacer
Industrials and Logistics ETF |
$148 |
| $53 |
** |
N/A |
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*The
following Funds had not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI: ROOM,
RXRE, PAD, SZNG, and PIEL. With respect to PAEU, all outstanding shares of the
Fund were redeemed on December 22, 2016, and shares of the Fund are not
currently offered for purchase.
**For
TRFK, SHPP, COWG and CAFG, the information in the table reflects the period
since each Fund’s inception through the fiscal year ended April 30.
1.Aggregate
brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023
materially increased from the previous fiscal years due to an increase in
portfolio turnover.
2.Aggregate
brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023
materially decreased from the previous fiscal years due to a decrease in
portfolio turnover.
3.Aggregate
brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024
materially decreased from the previous fiscal years due to lower instances of
market conditions triggering lower turnover rates and a change in the underlying
index from investing in equity securities to U.S. Treasury
securities.
4.Aggregate
brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024
materially increased from the previous fiscal years due to higher instances of
market conditions triggering higher turnover rates and a change in the
underlying index from investing in equity securities to U.S. Treasury
securities.
Directed
Brokerage. For
the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024, the Funds did not pay any commissions
on brokerage transactions directed to brokers pursuant to an agreement or
understanding whereby the broker provides research or other brokerage services
to the Adviser.
Portfolio
Turnover. Portfolio
turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover
rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. The
overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by the Adviser and
Sub-Advisers based upon their knowledge of available information as to the
general level of commissions paid by the other institutional investors for
comparable services. The Funds listed below had a material increase or decrease
in their portfolio turnover rate from the fiscal period/year ended April 30,
2023 to the period/year ended April 30, 2024:
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Portfolio
Turnover Rate for the Fiscal Periods/Years Ended April 30, |
Name
of Fund |
2024 |
| 2023 |
|
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|
| |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF |
262 |
% |
1 |
441 |
% |
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| |
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Pacer
Trendpilot European Index ETF |
111 |
% |
2 |
5 |
% |
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| |
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Pacer
Trendpilot US Bond ETF |
131 |
% |
1 |
711 |
% |
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Pacer
WealthShield ETF |
315 |
% |
1 |
669 |
% |
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Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
597 |
% |
2 |
384 |
% |
|
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| |
Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
367 |
% |
3 |
569 |
% |
|
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
417 |
% |
4 |
629 |
% |
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1Material
decrease in the portfolio turnover rate was due to fewer instances of market
conditions triggering a change in the underlying index from investing in equity
securities to U.S. Treasury securities.
2Material
increase in the portfolio turnover rate was due to higher instances of market
conditions triggering a change in the underlying index from investing in equity
securities to U.S. Treasury securities.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST
The
Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of funds and
Shares of each Fund. Each Share of each Fund represents an equal proportionate
interest in any given Fund with any given Share. Shares are entitled upon
liquidation to a pro rata share in the net assets of the Funds. Shareholders
have no preemptive rights. The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees
may create additional series or classes of shares. All consideration received by
the Trust for shares of any additional funds and all assets in which such
consideration is invested would belong to that fund and would be subject to the
liabilities related thereto. Share certificates representing shares will not be
issued. Each Fund’s Shares, when issued, are fully paid and non-assessable.
Each
Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is
required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules
promulgated thereunder. Shares of all funds of the Trust vote together as a
single class, except that if the matter being voted on affects only a particular
fund it will be voted on only by that fund and if a matter affects a particular
fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such
matter. As a Delaware statutory trust, the Trust is not required, and does not
intend, to hold annual meetings of shareholders. Approval of shareholders will
be sought, however, for certain changes in the operation of the Trust and for
the election of Trustees under certain circumstances. Upon the written request
of shareholders owning at least 10% of the Trust’s shares, the Trust will call
for a meeting of shareholders to consider the removal of one or more Trustees
and other certain matters. In the event that such a meeting is requested, the
Trust will provide appropriate assistance and information to the shareholders
requesting the meeting.
Under
the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the power to liquidate a Fund
without shareholder approval. While the Trustees have no present intention of
exercising this power, they may do so if a Fund fails to reach a viable size
within a reasonable amount of time or for such other reasons as may be
determined by the Board.
As
described further in the Declaration of Trust, shareholders of the Trust or any
Fund may not bring a derivative action to enforce the right of the Trust or an
affected Fund, unless several conditions are met, including, among others,
shareholders owning Shares representing no less than a majority of the then
outstanding shares of the Trust or a Fund, as applicable, must join in bringing
the derivative action, provided, however, the foregoing may not apply to the
extent a claim arises under federal securities laws.
Role
of the Depositary Trust Company (“DTC”).
DTC acts as Securities Depository for the Shares of the Trust. Shares of the
Funds are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee
and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
DTC,
a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its
participants (“DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement
of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through
electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby
eliminating the need for physical movement of securities’ certificates. DTC
Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies,
clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of which (and/or
their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is a subsidiary of the
Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation, which is owned by its member firms,
including international broker dealers, correspondent and clearing banks, mutual
fund companies and investment banks. Access to the DTC system is also available
to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through
or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or
indirectly (“Indirect Participants”).
Beneficial
ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and
persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants.
Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests
are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of
ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to
DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to
Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants).
Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written
confirmation relating to their purchase of Shares. No Beneficial Owner shall
have the right to receive a certificate representing such Shares.
Conveyance
of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is
effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and
DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee
to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares of the Funds held by each DTC
Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the
number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such
DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies
of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form and number and at
such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such
notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant,
directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall
pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement
for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable
statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share
distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the
registered holder of all Shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt
of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts
with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests
in Shares of the Funds as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments
by
DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held
through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and
customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of
customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the
responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The
Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating
to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial
ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing
any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other
aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the
relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and
Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants. DTC may decide to
discontinue its service with respect to Shares of the Trust at any time by
giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with
respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall
take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a
comparable cost.
LIMITATION
OF TRUSTEES’ LIABILITY
The
Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee shall be liable only for his or her
own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of
the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee, and shall not be
liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. The Declaration of
Trust also provides that the Trust shall indemnify each person who is, or has
been, a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, any person who is
serving or has served at the Trust’s request as a Trustee, officer, trustee,
employee or agent of another organization in which the Trust has any interest as
a shareholder, creditor or otherwise to the fullest extent provided by law and
in the manner provided in the By-laws. However, nothing in the Declaration of
Trust shall protect or indemnify a Trustee against any liability for his or her
willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the
duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee. Nothing contained in
this section attempts to disclaim a Trustee’s individual liability in any manner
inconsistent with the federal securities laws.
PURCHASE
AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS
The
Trust issues and sells Shares of the Funds only: (i) in Creation Units on a
continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but subject to
transaction fees, if applicable), at their NAV per Share next determined after
receipt of an order, on any Business Day, in proper form pursuant to the terms
of the Authorized Participant Agreement (“Participant Agreement”); or (ii)
pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment Service (defined below). The NAV of a
Fund’s Shares is calculated each Business Day as of the close of regular trading
on the New York Stock Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on each day
that the New York Stock Exchange is open. The Funds will not issue fractional
Creation Units. A “Business Day” is any day on which the New York Stock Exchange
and Trust are open for business.
Fund
Deposits (each Fund other than AFTY).
The consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of a Fund (other than AFTY)
generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of
securities (the “Deposit Securities”) per each Creation Unit and the Cash
Component (defined below), computed as described below. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of
a “cash in lieu” amount (“Deposit Cash”) to be added to the Cash Component to
replace any Deposit Security. When accepting purchases of Creation Units for all
or a portion of Deposit Cash, a Fund may incur additional costs associated with
the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be provided by an
in-kind purchaser.
Fund
Deposits (AFTY only). The
consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of AFTY generally consists of the
deposit of a designated amount of cash (“Deposit Cash”). Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require consideration
consisting of a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) per each
Creation Unit and the Cash Component (defined below), computed as described
below or the substitution of a cash in lieu amount to be added to the Cash
Component to replace any Deposit Security. When accepting purchases of Creation
Units for all or a portion of Deposit Cash, the Fund may incur additional costs
associated with the acquisition of Deposit Securities that would otherwise be
provided by an in-kind purchaser.
Together,
the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component
constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and
subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of a Fund. The “Cash Component”
is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares (per Creation
Unit) and the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as
applicable. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e.,
the net asset value per Creation Unit exceeds the market value of the Deposit
Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be such
positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e.,
the net asset value per Creation Unit is less than the market value of the
Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable), the Cash Component shall be
such negative amount and the creator will be entitled to receive cash in an
amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the function of
compensating for any differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit
and the market value of the Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable.
Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees
and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit
Securities, if applicable, which shall be the sole responsibility of the
Authorized Participant (as defined below).
The
Funds, through NSCC, will make available on each Business Day, prior to the
opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the
list of the names and the required number of Shares of each Deposit Security or
the required amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, to be included in the
current Fund Deposits (based on information at the end of the previous Business
Day) for each Fund. Such Fund Deposits are subject to any applicable adjustments
as described below, to effect purchases of Creation Units of a Fund until such
time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit Securities or the required
amount of Deposit Cash, as applicable, is made available.
The
identity and number of Shares of the Deposit Securities or the amount of Deposit
Cash, as applicable, required for a Fund Deposit for a Creation Unit changes as
rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to
time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of a Fund. The
composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments
to the weighting or composition of the component securities of a Fund’s
portfolio. However, there will be no intraday changes to Deposit Securities or
Deposit Cash except to correct errors in the published list.
The
Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of
cash (that is a “cash in lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component to
replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity
for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of
DTC, the Clearing Process (discussed below), the Federal Reserve System for U.S.
Treasury Securities (discussed below) or for other similar reasons. The Trust
also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount where the
delivery of Deposit Securities by the Authorized Participant (as described
below) would be restricted under the securities laws or where delivery of
Deposit Securities to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition
of Deposit Securities by the Authorized Participant becoming restricted under
the securities laws, and in certain other situations. The adjustments described
above will reflect changes, known to the Adviser on the date of announcement to
be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, resulting from certain
corporate actions.
On
a given Business Day, the Trust may require all Authorized Participants
purchasing Creation Units on that day to deposit an amount of cash (that is a
“cash in lieu” amount) to replace any Deposit Security that may not be eligible
for transfer through the systems of DTC or the Clearing Process (discussed
below). The Trust also reserves the right to permit a “cash in lieu” to replace
any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity or which
may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor on
whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting (“custom orders”). The Trust
may in its discretion require an Authorized Participant to purchase Creation
Units of the Fund in cash, rather than in-kind. On a given Business Day, the
Trust may announce before the open of trading that all purchases of Creation
Units of the Fund on that day will be made entirely in cash or, upon receiving a
purchase order for Creation Units of the Fund from an Authorized Participant,
the Trust may determine to require that purchase to be made entirely in cash.
Procedures
for Purchase of Creation Units.
To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor to purchase a Creation Unit
of the Funds, an entity must be (i) a “Participating Party”, i.e.,
a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the
Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”), a
clearing agency that is registered with the SEC; or (ii) a DTC Participant (see
“BOOK ENTRY ONLY SYSTEM”). In addition, each Participating Party or DTC
Participant (each, an “Authorized Participant”) must execute a Participant
Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted
by the Transfer Agent and the Trust, with respect to purchases and redemptions
of Creation Units. Each Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms
of a Participant Agreement, on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf
it will act, to certain conditions, including that it will pay to the Trust, an
amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component together with the creation
transaction fee (described below) and any other applicable fees and taxes.
All
orders to purchase Shares directly from the Funds must be placed for one or more
Creation Units and in the manner and by the time set forth in the Participant
Agreement and/or applicable order form. The date on which an order to purchase
Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set forth below) of
such Funds is received and accepted is referred to as the “Order Placement
Date.”
Except
as otherwise set forth in this SAI, the order cut-off time for PTEU, PAEU, GCOW,
PIEL, ICOW, PTIN, ECOW, AFTY, TRFK, and SHPP (each a “T-1 Fund” and
collectively, the “T-1 Funds”) for orders to purchase Creation Units on the same
Business Day is 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. In addition, orders to purchase Creation
Units on the next Business Day may be submitted as a “Future Dated Trade”
between 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time and 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the prior Business
Day. Such times may be modified by the T-1 Funds from time-to-time by amendment
to the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. The date on which an
order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set
forth below) is received and accepted is referred to as the “Order Placement
Date.” Future Dated Trades to purchase or redeem Creation Units will have an
Order Placement Date of the Business Day following the day on which such an
order is submitted.
The
order cut-off time for orders to purchase Creation Units for PTBD is expected to
be 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time and for FLRT is expected to be 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Time, which time may be modified by the Fund from time-to-time by amendment to
the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form.
All
orders to purchase Shares directly from SZNG on the next Business Day must be
submitted as a “Future Dated Trade” for one or more Creation Units between 4:30
p.m. Eastern time and 5:30 p.m. Eastern time on the prior Business Day. The
Business Day following the day on which such an order is submitted to purchase
Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as set forth below) of the
Fund is referred to as the “Order Placement Date.”
The
order cut-off time for orders to purchase Creation Units for each Fund other
than the T-1 Funds, PTBD, SZNG, and FLRT is expected to be 4:00 p.m. Eastern
Time, which time may be modified by a Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the
Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form.
The
order cut-off time for orders to purchase Creation Units for each Fund other
than the T-1 Funds and for any T-1 Fund when the Deposit Securities for such T-1
Fund include only U.S. Treasury bills is expected to be 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time,
which time may be modified by a Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the
Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form.
During
periods when the Deposit Securities for PWS consist of U.S. Treasury bonds
maturing in 20 or more years, the order cut-off time for orders to purchase
Shares of PWS for cash is expected to be 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which time may
be modified by a Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the Participant
Agreement and/or applicable order form.
An
Authorized Participant may require an investor to make certain representations
or enter into agreements with respect to the order, (e.g., to provide for
payments of cash, when required). Investors should be aware
that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and
that, therefore, orders to purchase Shares directly from the Funds in Creation
Units have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized
Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may
be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a
limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement and
only a small number of such Authorized Participants may have international
capabilities.
On
days when the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Funds may require orders
to create Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. In addition, if a
market or markets on which the Funds’ investments are primarily traded is
closed, the Funds will also generally not accept orders on such day(s). Orders
must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other
transmission method acceptable to the Distributor pursuant to procedures set
forth in the Participant Agreement and in accordance with the applicable order
form. On behalf of the Funds, the Distributor will notify the Custodian of such
order. The Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate local
sub-custodian(s). Those placing orders through an Authorized Participant should
allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the
Distributor by the cut-off time on such Business Day, as designated in the
Participant Agreement. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone
or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Distributor
or an Authorized Participant.
Fund
Deposits must be delivered by an Authorized Participant through the Federal
Reserve System (for cash) or through DTC (for corporate securities), through a
sub-custody agent (for foreign securities) and/or through such other
arrangements allowed by the Trust or its agents. With respect to foreign Deposit
Securities, the Custodian shall cause the sub-custodian of the Funds to maintain
an account into which the Authorized Participant shall deliver, on behalf of
itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, such Deposit Securities (or
Deposit Cash for all or a part of such securities, as permitted or required),
with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. Foreign Deposit
Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local
sub-custodian. The Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized
Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite
number of Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, to the account of a
Fund or its agents by no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or such other time
as specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If a Fund or its agents do
not receive all of the Deposit Securities, or the required Deposit Cash in lieu
thereof, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized
Participant shall be liable to a Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom.
The “Settlement Date” for a Fund is generally the second Business Day after the
Order Placement Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities or
Deposit Cash to be delivered, as applicable, and the validity, form and
eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered
securities or cash, as applicable, will be determined by the Trust, whose
determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash represented by the
Cash Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal
Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the
Custodian no later than the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the
Deposit Securities or Deposit Cash, as applicable, are not received by the
Custodian in a timely manner by the Settlement Date, the creation order may be
cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be
resubmitted the following Business Day using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted
to reflect the then current NAV of a Fund.
The
order shall be deemed to be received on the Order Placement Date provided that
the order is placed in proper form prior to the applicable cut-off time and the
Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash Component in the appropriate amount
are deposited with the Custodian on the Settlement Date. If the order is not
placed in proper form as required, or Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the Cash
Component in the appropriate amount are not received by the Custodian on the
Settlement Date, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized
Participant shall be liable to the Funds for losses, if any, resulting there
from. A creation request is
considered
to be in “proper form” if all procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement,
order form and this SAI are properly followed.
Issuance
of a Creation Unit.
Except as provided in this SAI, Creation Units will not be issued until the
transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities or payment of
Deposit Cash, as applicable, and the payment of the Cash Component have been
completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the
required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to
the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor and
the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery, and the Trust will issue and
cause the delivery of the Creation Units. The delivery of Creation Units so
created generally will occur no later than the second Business Day following the
day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor. The
Authorized Participant shall be liable to a Fund for losses, if any, resulting
from unsettled orders.
Creation
Units may be issued in advance of receipt by the Trust of all or a portion of
the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances,
the initial deposit will have a value greater than the net asset value of the
Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to
available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the
sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) an additional amount of cash equal
to a percentage of the market value as set forth in the Participant Agreement,
of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the “Additional Cash Deposit”), which
shall be maintained in a separate non-interest bearing collateral account. The
Authorized Participant must deposit with the Custodian the Additional Cash
Deposit, as applicable, by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or such other time as
specified by the Trust) on the Settlement Date. If a Fund or its agents do not
receive the Additional Cash Deposit in the appropriate amount, by such time,
then the order may be deemed rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be
liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount
of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending delivery of
the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the
Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to the
applicable percentage, as set forth in the Participant Agreement, of the daily
marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. The Participant
Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any
time. Authorized Participants will be liable to the Trust for the costs incurred
by the Trust in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed
to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit
Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the
purchase order was deemed received by the Distributor plus the brokerage and
related transaction costs associated with such purchases. The Trust will return
any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing
Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by
the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In addition, a transaction fee, as
described below under “Creation Transaction Fee” may be charged. The delivery of
Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the Settlement
Date.
Acceptance
of Orders of Creation Units.
The Trust reserves the right to reject an order for Creation Units transmitted
to it by the Distributor with respect to a Fund including, without limitation,
if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the Deposit Securities or Deposit
Cash, as applicable, delivered by the Participant are not as disseminated
through the facilities of the NSCC for that date by the Custodian; (c) the
investor(s), upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the
currently outstanding Shares of a Fund; (d) the acceptance of the Fund
Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (e) the acceptance or
receipt of the order for a Creation Unit would, in the opinion of counsel to the
Trust, be unlawful; or (f) in the event that circumstances outside the control
of the Trust, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent and/or the Adviser make it for
all practical purposes not feasible to process orders for Creation Units.
Examples
of such circumstances include acts of God or public service or utility problems
such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in
telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities
causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information
systems affecting the Trust, the Distributor, the Custodian, a sub-custodian,
the Transfer Agent, DTC, NSCC, Federal Reserve System, or any other participant
in the creation process, and other extraordinary events. The Distributor shall
notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of the creator of a Creation Unit of its rejection
of the order of such person. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian, any
sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give
notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits
nor shall either of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such
notification. The Trust, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian and the Distributor
shall not be liable for the rejection of any purchase order for Creation Units.
All
questions as to the number of Shares of each security in the Deposit Securities
and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities
to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination
shall be final and binding.
Creation
Transaction Fee.
A fixed purchase (i.e.,
creation) transaction fee, payable to the Funds’ custodian, may be imposed for
the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase of
Creation Units (“Creation Order Costs”). The standard fixed creation transaction
fee for each Fund, regardless of the number of Creation Units created in the
transaction, are set forth in the table below.
A
Fund may adjust the standard fixed creation transaction fee from time to time.
The fixed creation fee may be waived on certain orders if a Fund’s custodian has
determined to waive some or all of the Creation Order Costs associated with the
order or another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.
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Name
of Fund |
Fixed
Creation Transaction Fee |
| Name
of Fund |
Fixed
Creation Transaction Fee |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF |
$500 |
* |
Pacer
US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF |
$300 |
* |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot 100 ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Hotel & Lodging Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot European Index ETF |
$1,250 |
* |
Pacer
Apartments & Residential Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Bond ETF |
$500 |
| Pacer
Healthcare Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot International ETF |
$4,000 |
* |
Pacer
Industrial Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot Fund of Funds ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
US Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF |
$5,000 |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
WealthShield ETF |
$500 |
Pacer
US Cash Cows Growth ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Global Seasonal Rotation ETF |
$3,000 |
Pacer
Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF |
$1,000 |
| Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF |
$500 |
Pacer
Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$1,750 |
| Pacer
BioThreat Strategy ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Developed Markets International Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$1,000 |
| Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Cash Cows Fund of Funds ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
US Export Leaders ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
International Export Leaders ETF |
$2,000 |
| Pacer
Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Data and Digital Revolution ETF |
$500 |
|
|
| Pacer
Industrials and Logistics ETF |
$750 |
* The
fixed creation transaction fee will be $300 when the Deposit Securities include
only U.S. Treasury bills.
In
addition, a variable fee, payable to a Fund, of up to a maximum of 2%, except
for AFTY which has a maximum of 8%, of the value of the Creation Units subject
to the transaction may be imposed for cash purchases, non-standard orders, or
partial cash purchases of Creation Units. The variable charge is primarily
designed to cover additional costs (e.g.,
brokerage, taxes) involved with buying the securities with cash. A Fund may
determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has
determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund shareholders,
e.g.,
for creation orders that facilitate changes to the Fund’s portfolio in a more
tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order. Investors who
use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for
such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring the
Fund Securities from the Fund to their account or on their order.
Risks
of Purchasing Creation Units. There
are certain legal risks unique to investors purchasing Creation Units directly
from a Fund. Because Shares may be issued on an ongoing basis, a “distribution”
of Shares could be occurring at any time. Certain activities that a shareholder
performs as a dealer could, depending on the circumstances, result in the
shareholder being deemed a participant in the distribution in a manner that
could render the shareholder a statutory underwriter and subject to the
prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act. For example,
a shareholder could be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases Creation
Units from a Fund, breaks them down into the constituent Shares, and sells those
Shares directly to customers, or if a shareholder chooses to couple the creation
of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation
of secondary-market demand for Shares. Whether a person is an underwriter
depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s
activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete
description of all the activities that could cause you to be deemed an
underwriter.
Dealers
who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed
to engaging in ordinary secondary-market transactions), and thus dealing with
Shares as part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C)
of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus
delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act.
Redemption.
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their net asset value next
determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Funds
through the Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. Redemption requests must
be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. EXCEPT UPON LIQUIDATION OF A
FUND, THE TRUST WILL NOT REDEEM SHARES IN AMOUNTS LESS THAN CREATION UNITS.
Investors must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a
Creation Unit to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no
assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public
trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors
should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a
sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
With
respect to the Funds, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to
the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time) on
each Business Day, the list of the names and Share quantities of each Fund’s
portfolio securities that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or
correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on
that day (“Fund Securities”). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be
identical to Deposit Securities.
Redemption
proceeds for a Creation Unit are paid either in-kind or in cash, or combination
thereof, as determined by the Trust. With respect to in-kind redemptions of the
Funds, redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will consist of Fund Securities
-- as announced by the Custodian on the Business Day of the request for
redemption received in proper form plus cash in an amount equal to the
difference between the net asset value of the Shares being redeemed, as next
determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the
Fund Securities (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less a fixed redemption
transaction fee as set forth below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a
value greater than the net asset value of the Shares, a compensating cash
payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an
Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, at the Trust’s discretion, an Authorized Participant may receive the
corresponding cash value of the securities in lieu of the in-kind securities
value representing one or more Fund Securities.
Redemption
Transaction Fee. A
fixed redemption transaction fee, payable to the Funds’ custodian, may be
imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the
redemption of Creation Units (“Redemption Order Costs”). The standard fixed
redemption transaction fee for each Fund, regardless of the number of Creation
Units redeemed in the transaction are set forth in the table below. A Fund may
adjust the redemption transaction fee from time to time. The fixed redemption
fee may be waived on certain orders if the Fund’s custodian has determined to
waive some or all of the Redemption Order Costs associated with the order or
another party, such as the Adviser, has agreed to pay such fee.
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Name
of Fund |
Fixed
Redemption Transaction Fee |
Name
of Fund |
Fixed
Redemption Transaction Fee |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF |
$500 |
* |
Pacer
US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF |
$300 |
* |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot 100 ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Hotel & Lodging Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot European Index ETF |
$1,250 |
* |
Pacer
Apartments & Residential Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Bond ETF |
$500 |
| Pacer
Healthcare Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot International ETF |
$4,000 |
* |
Pacer
Industrial Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Trendpilot Fund of Funds ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
US Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF |
$5,000 |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
WealthShield ETF |
$500 |
Pacer
US Cash Cows Growth ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Global Seasonal Rotation ETF |
$3,000 |
Pacer
Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF |
$1,000 |
| Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF |
$500 |
Pacer
Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$1,750 |
| Pacer
BioThreat Strategy ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Developed Markets International Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$1,000 |
| Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
Cash Cows Fund of Funds ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
US Export Leaders ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
International Export Leaders ETF |
$2,000 |
| Pacer
Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF |
$300 |
Pacer
CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF |
$300 |
| Pacer
Data and Digital Revolution ETF |
$500 |
|
|
| Pacer
Industrials and Logistics ETF |
$750 |
*The
fixed redemption transaction fee will be $300 when the Deposit Securities
include only U.S. Treasury bills.
In
addition, a variable fee, payable to a Fund, of up to a maximum of 2%, except
for AFTY which has a maximum of 8%, of the value of the Creation Units subject
to the transaction may be imposed for cash redemptions, non-standard orders, or
partial cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are available) of Creation
Units. The variable charge is primarily designed to cover additional costs
(e.g.,
brokerage, taxes) involved with selling portfolio securities to satisfy a cash
redemption. A Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders
when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund
shareholders, e.g.,
for redemption orders that facilitate changes to the Fund’s portfolio in a more
tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order.
Investors
who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee
for such services. Investors are responsible for the fixed costs of transferring
the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account or on their order.
Procedures
for Redemption of Creation Units.
Except as otherwise set forth in this SAI, orders to redeem Creation Units of
the T-1 Funds on any Business Day must be submitted in proper form to the
Transfer Agent prior to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. In addition, orders to redeem
Creation Units on the next Business Day may be submitted as a “Future Dated
Trade” between 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time and 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the prior
Business Day. A redemption request is considered to be in “proper form” if (i)
an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the
Trust’s Transfer Agent the Creation Unit(s) being redeemed through the
book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the time as set forth in the
Participant Agreement and (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is
received by the Transfer Agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of
itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified in the
Participant Agreement. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investor’s
Shares through DTC’s facilities by the times and pursuant to the other terms and
conditions set forth in the Participant Agreement, the redemption request shall
be rejected.
Orders
to redeem Creation Units of PTBD must be submitted in proper form to the
Transfer Agent prior to 12:00 p.m Eastern Time, and 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time for
FLRT.
Orders
to redeem Creation Units of SZNG on the next Business Day must be submitted in
proper form to the Transfer Agent as a “Future Dated Trade” for one or more
Creation Units between 4:30 p.m. Eastern time and 5:30 p.m. Eastern time on the
prior Business Day and in the manner set forth in the Participant Agreement
and/or applicable order form.
The
order cut-off time for orders to redeem Creation Units for each Fund other than
the T-1 Funds, PTBD, and SZNG and for any T-1 Fund when the Deposit Securities
for such T-1 Fund include only U.S. Treasury bills is expected to be 4:00 p.m.
Eastern Time, which time may be modified by a Fund from time-to-time by
amendment to the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order
form.
During
periods when the Fund Securities for PWS consist of U.S. Treasury bonds maturing
in 20 or more years, the order cut-off time for orders to redeem Shares of PWS
for cash is expected to be 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which time may be modified
by a Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the Participant Agreement and/or
applicable order form.
A
redemption request is considered to be in “proper form” if (i) an Authorized
Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trust’s Transfer
Agent the Creation Unit(s) being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC
so as to be effective by the time as set forth in the Participant Agreement and
(ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received by the Transfer
Agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming
investor within the time periods specified in the Participant Agreement. If the
Transfer Agent does not receive the investor’s Shares through DTC’s facilities
by the times and pursuant to the other terms and conditions set forth in the
Participant Agreement, the redemption request shall be rejected.
The
Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption, in the form
required by the Trust, to the Transfer Agent in accordance with procedures set
forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that
their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant
Agreement, and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be
placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant who has
executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption
request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such
Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units
should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an
Authorized Participant and transfer of the Shares to the Trust’s Transfer Agent;
such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to
effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial
intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
Additional
Redemption Procedures. In
connection with taking delivery of Shares of Fund Securities upon redemption of
Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or Authorized Participant acting on
behalf of such Shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a
qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in
which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such
Fund Securities will be delivered. Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally
will be made within two business days of the trade date. The Trust may, in its
discretion, exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming
Shareholders will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.
In
addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that a Fund may, in its
sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash
payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares of the Funds
next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a
redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions
specified above, to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs
associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). A Fund may also, in its
sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a
portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund
Securities but does not differ in net asset value.
Redemptions
of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable
federal and state securities laws and each Fund (whether or not it otherwise
permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash
to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities
upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund
Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an investor for which
it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular
security included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of
Creation Units may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized
Participant may request the redeeming investor of the Shares to complete an
order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as
compensating cash payment. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a
“qualified institutional buyer,” (“QIB”) as such term is defined under Rule 144A
of the Securities Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are
restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. An Authorized
Participant may be required by the Trust to provide a written confirmation with
respect to QIB status to receive Fund Securities.
Because
the portfolio securities of the Funds may trade on other exchanges on days that
the Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Funds,
shareholders may not be able to redeem their Shares of the Funds, or to purchase
or sell Shares of the Funds on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Funds
could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets.
The
right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with
respect to each Fund (1) for any period during which the Exchange is closed
(other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during
which trading on the Exchange is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period
during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of
the Funds or determination of the NAV of the Shares is not reasonably
practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Chinese
Holidays (AFTY
only).
For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in China (including
Hong Kong) that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the
redemption settlement cycle may be extended by the number of such intervening
holidays at the discretion of the Fund. In addition to holidays, other
unforeseeable closings due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from
delivering securities within normal settlement period. The securities delivery
cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming
investors, coupled with non-U.S. market holiday schedules, will require a
delivery process longer than seven calendar days, in certain circumstances, but
in no event longer than fourteen calendar days. The holidays applicable to the
Fund during such periods are listed below, as are instances where more than
seven days will be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Although certain
holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years, the number of days
required to deliver redemption proceeds in any given year is not expected to
exceed the maximum number of days listed below for the Fund. The proclamation of
new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal
holidays” (e.g.,
days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of
substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays, or
changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set
forth herein at some time in the future.
In
the calendar year 2024, the dates of regular holidays affecting the relevant
securities markets in which a Fund invests are as follows:
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Holiday
Name |
Starting
Date |
Ending
Date |
A-Share
Resumption Date |
New
Year’s Day (Observed) |
January
1, 2024 |
January
1, 2024 |
January
2, 2024 |
Lunar
New Year |
February
9, 2024 |
February
18, 2024 |
February
19, 2024 |
Qingming
Festival |
April
4, 2024 |
April
7, 2024 |
April
8, 2024 |
Labour
Day |
May
1, 2024 |
May
5, 2024 |
May
6, 2024 |
Dragon
Boat Festival Holiday |
June
10, 2024 |
June
10, 2024 |
June
11, 2024 |
Mid-Autumn
Festival |
September
14, 2024 |
September
17, 2024 |
September
18, 2024 |
National
Day |
October
1, 2024 |
October
7, 2024 |
October
8, 2024 |
Required
Early Acceptance of Orders.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as described in the Participant Agreement and/or
applicable order form, a Fund may require orders to be placed or notification of
orders to be received prior to the trade date, as described in the Participant
Agreement or the applicable order form, to receive the trade date’s net asset
value. Orders to purchase Shares of the Funds that are submitted on the Business
Day immediately preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) that the
equity markets in the relevant foreign market are closed will not be accepted.
Authorized Participants may be notified that the cut-off time for an order may
be earlier on a particular business day, as described in the Participant
Agreement and the order form.
DETERMINATION
OF NAV
Net
asset value per Share for the Funds is computed by dividing the value of the net
assets of a Fund (i.e.,
the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of
Shares outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including
the management fees, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of
determining net asset value. The net asset value of a Fund is calculated by the
Custodian and determined at the close of the regular trading session on the New
York Stock Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that such
exchange is open, provided that fixed-income assets may be valued as of the
announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that
the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”) announces an
early closing time.
Pursuant
to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Board has appointed the Adviser as the
Funds’ valuation designee (the “Valuation Designee”) to perform all fair
valuations of each Fund’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s
oversight. As the Valuation Designee, the Adviser has established procedures for
its fair valuation of each Fund’s portfolio investments. These procedures
address, among other things, determining when market quotations are not readily
available or reliable and the methodologies to be used for determining the fair
value of investments, as well as the use and oversight of third-party pricing
services for fair valuation. The Adviser’s fair value determinations will be
carried out in compliance with Rule 2a-5 and based on fair value methodologies
established and applied by the Adviser and periodically tested to ensure such
methodologies are appropriate and accurate with respect to each Fund’s portfolio
investments. The Adviser’s fair value methodologies may involve obtaining inputs
and prices from third-party pricing services.
In
calculating the Funds’ NAV per Share, each Fund’s investments are generally
valued using market quotations to the extent such market quotations are readily
available. If market quotations are not readily available or are deemed to be
unreliable by the Adviser, the Adviser will fair value such investments and use
the fair value to calculate the Funds’ NAV. When fair value pricing is employed,
the prices of securities used by the Adviser to calculate the Funds’ NAV may
differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Due to the
subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, it is possible that the
fair value determined for a particular security may be materially different
(higher or lower) from the price of the security quoted or published by others,
or the value when trading resumes or is realized upon its sale. There may be
multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio investment when market
quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio
investment at a point in time might differ from what would be produced using a
different methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations.
DIVIDENDS
AND DISTRIBUTIONS
The
following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the
section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and
Taxes.”
General
Policies.
Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid, as
follows:
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Name
of Fund |
Frequency |
| Name
of Fund |
Frequency |
| Name
of Fund |
Frequency |
PTLC |
Annual |
| INDS |
Quarterly |
| PTBD |
Monthly |
PTMC |
Annual |
| SRVR |
Quarterly |
| PTIN |
Annual |
PTNQ |
Annual |
| PAD |
Quarterly* |
| TRND |
Annual |
PTEU |
Annual |
| ECOW |
Quarterly |
| BUL |
Quarterly |
PAEU |
Annual* |
| FLRT |
Monthly |
| HERD |
Quarterly |
PIEL |
Annual* |
| GCOW |
Quarterly |
| VIRS |
Quarterly |
PWS |
Quarterly |
| COWZ |
Quarterly |
| ALTL |
Quarterly |
SZNG |
Quarterly* |
| CALF |
Quarterly |
| PAMC |
Quarterly |
SZNE |
Quarterly |
| ICOW |
Quarterly |
| PALC |
Quarterly |
ROOM |
Quarterly* |
| PEXL |
Quarterly |
| COWG |
Quarterly |
RXRE |
Quarterly* |
| AFTY |
Annual |
| CAFG |
Quarterly |
TRFK |
Quarterly |
| SHPP |
Quarterly |
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*The
Fund had not commenced investment operations as of April 30, 2024.
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Distributions
of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a
year, but the Funds may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the
Funds to improve index tracking or to comply with the distribution requirements
of the Code, in all events in a manner consistent with the provisions of the
1940 Act.
Dividends
and other distributions on Shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro
rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such Shares. Dividend payments are made
through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of
record with proceeds received from the Trust.
The
Trust makes additional distributions to the extent necessary (i) to distribute
the entire annual taxable income of the Funds, plus any net capital gains and
(ii) to avoid imposition of the excise tax imposed by Section 4982 of the Code.
Management of the Funds reserves the right to declare special dividends if, in
its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the
status of each Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on
undistributed income.
Dividend
Reinvestment Service.
The Trust will not make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service
available for use by Beneficial Owners for reinvestment of their cash proceeds,
but certain individual broker-dealers may make available the DTC book- entry
Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Funds through
DTC Participants for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Investors
should contact their brokers to ascertain the availability and description of
these services. Beneficial Owners should be aware that each broker may require
investors to adhere to specific procedures and timetables to participate in the
dividend reinvestment service and investors should ascertain from their brokers
such necessary details. If this service is available and used, dividend
distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested
in additional whole Shares issued by the Trust of the Funds at NAV per Share.
Distributions reinvested in additional Shares of the Funds will nevertheless be
taxable to Beneficial Owners acquiring such additional Shares to the same extent
as if such distributions had been received in cash.
FEDERAL
INCOME TAXES
The
following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of
investing in the Funds are based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, and
other applicable authority, all as in effect as of the date of the filing of
this SAI. These authorities are subject to change by legislative or
administrative action, possibly with retroactive effect. Tax reform legislation
commonly known as the Tax
Cuts
and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”) was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act made
significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules for individuals and
corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31,
2017. The application of certain provisions of the TCJA is uncertain, and the
changes in the act may have indirect effects on a Fund, its investments and its
shareholders that cannot be predicted. The following discussion is only a
summary of some of the important U.S. federal income tax considerations
generally applicable to investments in a Fund. There may be other tax
considerations applicable to particular shareholders. Shareholders should
consult their own tax advisors regarding their particular situation and the
possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
Qualification
as a Regulated Investment Company (RIC).
Each Fund intends to elect to be treated and qualify each year as a RIC under
Subchapter M of the Code. To qualify for the special tax treatment accorded RICs
and their shareholders, a Fund must, among other things:
(a)derive
at least 90% of its gross income each year from (i) dividends, interest,
payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other
disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income
(including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts)
derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or
currencies, and (ii) net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly
traded partnerships” (as defined below);
(b)diversify
its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at
least 50% of the market value of a Fund’s total assets consists of cash and cash
items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other
securities, with investments in such other securities limited with respect to
any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of a Fund’s total
assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such
issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of a Fund’s total assets is
invested in (1) the securities (other than those of the U.S. government or other
RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers that are controlled by a Fund and
that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (2) the
securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships; and
(c)distribute
with respect to each taxable year an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of
its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code
without regard to the deduction for dividends paid – generally taxable ordinary
income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net
long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income.
In
general, for purposes of the 90% of gross income requirement described in (a)
above, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income
only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the
partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by a Fund.
However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a “qualified
publicly traded partnership” (generally, a partnership (i) interests in which
are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a
secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, and (ii) that derives
less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in (a)(i) of
the prior paragraph) will be treated as qualifying income. In addition, although
in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules
do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a
qualified publicly traded partnership.
The
U.S. Treasury Department has authority to issue regulations that would exclude
foreign currency gains from the 90% test described in (a) above if such gains
are not directly related to a fund’s business of investing in stock or
securities. Accordingly, regulations may be issued in the future that could
treat some or all of a Fund’s non-U.S. currency gains as non-qualifying income,
thereby potentially jeopardizing the Fund’s status as a RIC for all years to
which the regulations are applicable.
Under
the TCJA, “qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than
capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified
dividend income) are treated as eligible for a 20% deduction by noncorporate
taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective
tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). The TCJA
does not contain a provision permitting a RIC, such as the Fund, to pass the
special character of this income through to its shareholders. Currently, direct
investors in REITs will enjoy the deduction and, thus, the lower federal income
tax rate, but investors in a RIC, such as certain of the Funds, that invest in
such REITs will not. It is uncertain whether a future technical corrections bill
or regulations issued by the IRS will address this issue to enable the Fund to
pass through the special character of “qualified REIT dividends” to its
shareholders.
With
respect to the Real Estate ETFs, given the concentration of each Index in a
relatively small number of securities, it may not be possible for each Fund to
fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy
while satisfying the above diversification requirements. A Fund’s efforts to
satisfy such requirements may affect such Fund’s execution of its investment
strategy and may cause such Fund’s return to deviate from that of the applicable
Index, and such Fund’s efforts to replicate or represent the applicable Index
may cause it inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification
requirements.
Taxation
of the Funds.
If the Funds qualify for treatment as RICs, the Funds will not be subject to
federal income tax on income and gains that are distributed in a timely manner
to their shareholders in the form of dividends.
If,
for any taxable year, a Fund was to fail to qualify as a RIC or was to fail to
meet the distribution requirement, they would be taxed in the same manner as an
ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders would not be
deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In addition, a Fund’s
distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current and accumulated
earnings and profits, including any distributions of net long-term capital
gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for federal
income tax purposes. However, such dividends would be eligible, subject to any
generally applicable limitations, (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income
in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the
dividends-received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, a
Fund would be required to pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that
year to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent year. Under certain
circumstances, a Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC, but to
do so that Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may be forced to
dispose of certain assets. If a Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period
greater than two taxable years, the Fund would generally be required to
recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets upon a
disposition of such assets within ten years of qualifying as a RIC in a
subsequent year.
The
Funds intend to distribute, at least annually, substantially all of their
investment company taxable income and net capital gains. Investment company
taxable income that is retained by a Fund will be subject to tax at regular
corporate rates. If a Fund retains any net capital gain, that gain will be
subject to tax at corporate rates, but the Fund may designate the retained
amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (i)
will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as
long-term capital gain, their Shares of such undistributed amount, (ii) will be
deemed to have paid their proportionate Shares of the tax paid by the Fund on
such undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any,
and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds on a properly filed U.S. tax return
to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax
purposes, the tax basis of Shares owned by a shareholder of a Fund will be
increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of
undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the
tax deemed paid by the shareholder.
If
a Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year an amount at least equal to the
sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such year and 98.2% of its capital gain
net income for the one-year period ending October 31 of such year, plus any
retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a
non-deductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amount. For these purposes, a
Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been
subject to corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar
year. The Funds intend to declare and pay dividends and distributions in the
amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the 4% excise
tax, although there can be no assurance that they will be able to do so. The
Funds may in certain circumstances be required to liquidate Fund investments to
make sufficient distributions to avoid federal excise tax liability at a time
when the investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so, and
liquidation of investments in such circumstances may affect the ability of the
Funds to satisfy the requirement for qualification as a RIC.
A
Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it
had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s
taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and
profits. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net
long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31
of the current taxable year, and certain other late-year losses.
Although
AFTY intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and
may distribute its capital gains for any taxable year, AFTY will be subject to
federal income taxation, to the extent any such income or gains are not
distributed. If AFTY does not on a timely basis receive applicable government
approvals in the PRC to repatriate funds associated with direct investment in
A-Shares, AFTY may be unable to satisfy the minimum distribution requirement
described above. If AFTY failed to satisfy the distribution requirement for any
taxable year, it would be taxed as a regular corporation, with consequences
generally similar to those described in the preceding paragraph. AFTY may
designate certain amounts retained as undistributed net capital gain in a notice
to its shareholders, who: (i) will be required to include in income for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their proportionate
shares of the undistributed amount so designated; (ii) will be entitled to
credit their proportionate shares of the income tax paid by AFTY on that
undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities and to claim
refunds to the extent such credits exceed their liabilities; and (iii) will be
entitled to increase their tax basis, for federal income tax purposes, in their
shares in AFTY by an amount equal to the excess of the amount of undistributed
net capital gain included in their respective income over their respective
income tax credits. AFTY is treated as a separate corporation for federal income
tax purposes. AFTY therefore is considered to be a separate entity in
determining its treatment under the rules for RICs described
herein.
The
treatment of capital loss carryovers for the Funds is similar to the rules that
apply to capital loss carryovers of individuals, which provide that such losses
are carried over indefinitely. If a Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is,
capital losses in excess of capital gains) the excess of the Fund’s net
short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a
short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable
year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over
its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising
on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. The carryover of capital
losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if a Fund
experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.
At
April 30,
2024,
the Funds had the following capital loss carryforwards which do not
expire:
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Name
of Fund |
Capital
Loss Carryforwards Amount (Short-Term) |
Capital
Loss Carryforwards Amount (Long-Term) |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Large Cap ETF |
$120,467,978 |
$112,404,535 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Mid Cap ETF |
$131,854,933 |
$— |
Pacer
Trendpilot 100 ETF |
$12,631,202 |
$16,336,304 |
Pacer
Trendpilot European Index ETF |
$38,076,088 |
$10,686,286 |
Pacer
Trendpilot US Bond ETF |
$261,236,012 |
$211,121 |
Pacer
Trendpilot International ETF |
$16,458,290 |
$4,176,064 |
Pacer
Trendpilot Fund of Funds ETF |
$527,317 |
$416,617 |
Pacer
US Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$283,783,366 |
$251,573,608 |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$— |
$19,868,791 |
Pacer
US Large Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$888,588 |
$26,037 |
Pacer
US Small Cap Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETF |
$70,878 |
$— |
Pacer
US Cash Cows Growth ETF |
$4,444,605 |
$261,459 |
Pacer
Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF |
$3,760,510 |
$25,665,344 |
Pacer
Emerging Markets Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$2,122,928 |
$1,196,385 |
Pacer
Developed Markets International Cash Cows 100 ETF |
$3,301,284 |
$3,559,615 |
Pacer
Cash Cows Fund of Funds ETF |
$— |
$— |
Pacer
US Export Leaders ETF |
$949,045 |
$90,875 |
Pacer
International Export Leaders ETF |
N/A |
N/A |
Pacer
CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF |
$1,529,092 |
$673,630 |
Pacer
Hotel & Lodging Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
N/A |
Pacer
Apartments & Residential Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
N/A |
Pacer
Healthcare Real Estate ETF |
N/A |
N/A |
Pacer
Industrial Real Estate ETF |
$45,486,103 |
$12,789,537 |
Pacer
Data & Infrastructure Real Estate ETF |
$46,157,919 |
$217,206,878 |
Pacer
Autopilot Hedged European Index ETF |
N/A |
N/A |
Pacer
WealthShield ETF |
$27,663,504 |
$— |
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Global Seasonal Rotation ETF |
N/A |
N/A |
Pacer
CFRA-Stovall Equal Weight Seasonal Rotation ETF |
$27,412,930 |
$— |
Pacer
BioThreat Strategy ETF |
$13,664 |
$46,469 |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Alternator ETF |
$264,579,997 |
$6,550 |
Pacer
Lunt MidCap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$8,448,044 |
$— |
Pacer
Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETF |
$45,573,218 |
$1,228,380 |
Pacer
Pacific Asset Floating Rate High Income ETF |
$2,891,434 |
$583,850 |
Pacer
Data and Digital Revolution ETF |
$— |
$— |
Pacer
Industrials and Logistics ETF |
$380 |
$1,948 |
Fund
Distributions.
Distributions are taxable whether shareholders receive them in cash or reinvest
them in additional Shares. Moreover, distributions of a Fund’s Shares are
generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they
do not exceed the Fund’s realized income and gains, even though such
distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s
investment. Investors may therefore wish to avoid purchasing Shares at a time
when a Fund’s NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not
distributed. Realized gains must generally be distributed even when a Fund’s NAV
also reflects unrealized losses.
Dividends
and other distributions are generally treated under the Code as received by the
shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, if any
dividend or distribution is declared by a Fund in October, November or December
of any calendar year and payable to its shareholders of record on a specified
date in such a month but is actually paid during the following January, such
dividend or distribution will be deemed to have been received by each
shareholder on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.
Distributions
by a Fund of investment income is generally taxable as ordinary income. Taxes on
distributions of capital gains are determined by how long a Fund owned the
investments that generated those gains, rather than how long a shareholder has
owned his or her Fund Shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one
year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and
sales
of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term
capital gains and losses. Distributions from a Fund’s net capital gain (the
excess of a Fund’s net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital
loss) that are properly reported by a Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital
Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For individuals,
long-term capital gains are currently subject to a reduced maximum tax rate of
20%. Distributions of gains from the sale of investments that a Fund owned for
one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income.
Distributions
of investment income reported by a Fund as derived from “qualified dividend
income” will be taxed in the hands of non- corporate shareholders at the rates
applicable to long-term capital gains, provided holding period and other
requirements are met at both the shareholder and Fund level. If the aggregate
qualified dividends received by a Fund during any taxable year are 95% or more
of its gross income (excluding net long-term capital gain over net short-term
capital loss), then 100% of the Fund’s dividends (other than Capital Gain
Dividends) will be eligible to be reported as qualified dividend income.
A
dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either a Fund or
shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of
stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the
date that is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend
with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91
days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before the ex-dividend date),
(2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to
a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in
substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have
the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation
on deductibility of investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from
a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a
comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States (with the exception of
dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation that is readily tradable
on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) treated as a
passive foreign investment company. In addition, distributions that the Funds
receive from an ETF or an underlying fund taxable as a RIC will be treated as
qualified dividend income only to the extent so reported by such ETF or
underlying fund.
Dividends
of net investment income received by corporate shareholders of a Fund will
qualify for the 70%, except for AFTY which will qualify for 50%,
dividends-received deduction generally available to corporations to the extent
of the amount of qualifying dividends received by the Fund from domestic
corporations for the taxable year. A dividend received by a Fund will not be
treated as a qualifying dividend (1) if the stock on which the dividend is paid
is considered to be “debt-financed” (generally, acquired with borrowed funds),
(2) if it has been received with respect to any share of stock that a Fund has
held for less than 46 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date that
is 45 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect
to such dividend (91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before the
ex-dividend date in the case of certain preferred stock) or (3) to the extent
that a Fund is under an obligation (pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to
make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or
related property. Moreover, the dividends-received deduction may be disallowed
or reduced (1) if the corporate shareholder fails to satisfy the foregoing
requirements with respect to its Shares of the Fund or (2) by application of the
Code.
To
the extent that a Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in
lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan
pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute
qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible
for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.
Dividends
and distributions from a Fund will generally be taken into account in
determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare
contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.
If
a Fund makes distributions to a shareholder in excess of the Fund’s current and
accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution
will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of that shareholder’s tax
basis in its Shares, and thereafter as capital gain, assuming the shareholder
holds his or her Shares as capital assets. A return of capital is not taxable,
but reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in its Shares, thus reducing any loss or
increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of
its Shares.
The
Funds will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified
dividend income, and capital gain distributions shortly after the close of each
calendar year.
Sale
or Exchange of Shares.
A sale or exchange of Shares in the Funds may give rise to a gain or loss. For
tax purposes, an exchange of Shares of a Fund for shares of a different fund is
the same as a sale. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable
disposition of Shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the
Shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on
the taxable disposition of Shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or
loss. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares held for
six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the
extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or deemed received)
by the shareholder with respect to the Shares. All or a portion of any loss
realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares will be disallowed if other
substantially identical Shares of the Funds are purchased within 30 days before
or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased
Shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Tax
Treatment of Complex Securities.
The Funds may invest in complex securities and these investments may be subject
to numerous special and complex tax rules. These rules could affect a Fund’s
ability to qualify as a RIC, affect whether gains and losses recognized by the
Funds are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition
of income to the Funds and/or defer the Funds’ ability to recognize losses, and,
in limited cases, subject the Funds to U.S. federal income tax on income from
certain of their foreign securities. In turn, these rules may affect the amount,
timing or character of the income distributed to you by the Funds.
Some
debt obligations that are acquired by a Fund may be treated as having original
issue discount (“OID”). Generally, a Fund will be required to include OID in
taxable income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of the
OID is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures.
If a Fund holds such debt instruments, it may be required to pay out as
distributions each year an amount that is greater than the total amount of cash
interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the
cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary.
The
Funds are required for federal income tax purposes to mark to market and
recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on
certain futures contracts as of the end of the year as well as those actually
realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures contracts on broad-based
indexes required to be marked to market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term
capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and
character of distributions to shareholders. A Fund may be required to defer the
recognition of losses on futures contracts to the extent of any unrecognized
gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund. These provisions may also
require a Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolios
(i.e.,
treat them as if they were closed out), which may cause a Fund to recognize
income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts
necessary to satisfy the distribution requirement and for avoiding the excise
tax discussed above. Accordingly, in order to avoid certain income and excise
taxes, the Funds may be required to liquidate its investments at a time when the
investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so.
Real
Estate Investment Trusts.
The Funds may invest in REITs. Investments in REIT equity securities may require
a Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. To generate sufficient
cash to make the requisite distributions, a Fund may be required to sell
securities in its portfolio (including when it is not advantageous to do so)
that it otherwise would have continued to hold. A Fund’s investments in REIT
equity securities may at other times result in such Fund’s receipt of cash in
excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these
distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for
federal income tax purposes. Dividends paid by a REIT, other than capital gain
distributions, will be taxable as ordinary income up to the amount of the REIT’s
current and accumulated earnings and profits. Capital gain dividends paid by a
REIT to a Fund will be treated as long-term capital gains by such Fund and, in
turn, may be distributed by such Fund to its shareholders as a capital gain
distribution. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT generally will not
constitute qualified dividend income or qualify for the dividends received
deduction.
If
a REIT is operated in a manner such that it fails to qualify as a REIT, an
investment in the REIT would become subject to double taxation, meaning the
taxable income of the REIT would be subject to federal income tax at regular
corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders and the
dividends would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as
qualified dividend income) to the extent of the REIT’s current and accumulated
earnings and profits.
The
Tax Act treats “qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other
than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as
qualified dividend income eligible for capital gain tax rates) as eligible for a
20% deduction by non-corporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full,
equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income
after 20% deduction). The Tax Act does not contain a provision permitting a RIC,
such as a Fund, to pass the special character of this income through to its
shareholders. Currently, direct investors in REITs will enjoy the lower rate,
but investors in RICs that invest in such REITs will not. It is uncertain
whether future technical corrections or administrative guidance will address
this issue to enable a Fund to pass through the special character of “qualified
REIT dividends” to shareholders.
REITs
in which a Fund invests often do not provide complete and final tax information
to a Fund until after the time that a Fund issues a tax reporting statement. As
a result, a Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and
character of its distributions to you after it issues your tax reporting
statement. When such reclassification is necessary, a Fund (or your broker) will
send you a corrected, final Form 1099-DIV to reflect the reclassified
information. If you receive a corrected Form 1099-DIV, use the information on
this corrected form, and not the information on the previously issued tax
reporting statement, in completing your tax returns.
Backup
Withholding.
A Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a
shareholder holds Fund Shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to
the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or
redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a
correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or
interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to
such withholding.
Tax-Exempt
Shareholders.
Under current law, income of a RIC that would be treated as unrelated business
taxable income (“UBTI”) if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity generally will
not be attributed as UBTI to a tax-exempt entity that is a shareholder in the
RIC. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could
realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in a Fund if
Shares
in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt
shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b).
Non-U.S.
Shareholders.
In general, dividends other than Capital Gain Dividends paid by a Fund to a
shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code (a
“foreign person”) are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a
rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) even if they are funded by income
or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or
foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person
directly, would not be subject to withholding.
A
beneficial holder of Shares who is a non-U.S. person is not, in general, subject
to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a U.S. income tax
deduction for losses) realized on a sale of Shares of the Funds or on Capital
Gain Dividends unless (i) such gain or dividend is effectively connected with
the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United
States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the
United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the
year of the sale or the receipt of the Capital Gain Dividend and certain other
conditions are met. A Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a
portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital
gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding
tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain
dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S.
for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are
not exempt from this 30% withholding tax.
A
U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on dividends effective July
1, 2014 (and proceeds of sales in respect of Fund Shares (including certain
capital gain dividends) received by Fund shareholders beginning after December
31, 2018) for shareholders who own their Shares through foreign accounts or
foreign intermediaries if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S.
accounts or ownership are not satisfied. A Fund will not pay any additional
amounts in respect to any amounts withheld.
For
a non-U.S. person to qualify for an exemption from backup withholding, the
foreign investor must comply with special certification and filing requirements.
Foreign investors in the Funds should consult their tax advisors in this regard.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be
credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided
the appropriate information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service
(“IRS”).
A
beneficial holder of Shares who is a non-U.S. person may be subject to the U.S.
federal estate tax in addition to the federal income tax consequences referred
to above. If a shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any
effectively connected income or gain will generally be subject to U.S. federal
income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent
establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States.
An
Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally
will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the
difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the
sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the
amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units
will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the
exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market
value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such
Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an
exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the
rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant
change in economic position.
Any
capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally
be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for
such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or
loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as
long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares comprising the Creation Units have
been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will
be treated as short-term capital gains or losses. Persons purchasing or
redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to
the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
Section
351.
The Trust on behalf of the Funds has the right to reject an order for a purchase
of Shares of the Trust if the purchaser (or any group of purchasers) would, upon
obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of a
given Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, that Fund would have a
basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on
the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information
necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80%
determination.
Foreign
Investments.
Income received by the Funds from sources within foreign countries and U.S.
possessions (including, for example, dividends or interest on stock or
securities of non-U.S. issuers) may be subject to withholding and other taxes
imposed by such countries and U.S. possessions that would reduce the yield on a
Fund’s stock or securities. Tax treaties between certain countries and the U.S.
may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. Foreign countries generally do
not impose taxes on capital gains with respect to investments by foreign
investors.
If
as of the end of the Funds’ taxable year more than 50% of the value of a Fund’s
assets consist of the securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to
permit shareholders who are U.S. citizens, resident aliens, or U.S. corporations
to claim a foreign
tax
credit or deduction (but not both) on their income tax returns for their pro
rata portions of qualified taxes paid by the Fund during that taxable year to
foreign countries in respect of foreign securities the Fund has held for at
least the minimum period specified in the Code. In such a case, a Fund will
treat those taxes as dividends paid to its shareholders who must include in
gross income from foreign sources their pro rata shares of such taxes and must
treat the amount so included as if the shareholder had paid the foreign tax
directly. The shareholder may then either deduct the taxes deemed paid by him or
her in computing his or her taxable income or, alternatively, use the foregoing
information in calculating any foreign tax credit they may be entitled to use
against the shareholders’ federal income tax. If the Fund makes the election,
the Fund (or its administrative agent) will report annually to its shareholders
the respective amounts per Share of the Fund’s income from sources within, and
taxes paid to, foreign countries and U.S. possessions. A shareholder’s ability
to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction in respect of foreign taxes paid by a
Fund may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code, which may result
in the shareholder not getting a full credit or deduction for the amount of such
taxes. Shareholders who do not itemize on their federal income tax returns may
claim a credit, but not a deduction, for such foreign taxes.
If
a Fund owns shares in certain foreign investment entities, referred to as
“passive foreign investment companies” or “PFICs,” the Fund will generally be
subject to one of the following special tax regimes: (i) the Fund may be liable
for U.S. federal income tax, and an additional interest charge, on a portion of
any “excess distribution” from such foreign entity or any gain from the
disposition of such shares, even if the entire distribution or gain is paid out
by the Fund as a dividend to its shareholders; (ii) if the Fund were able and
elected to treat a PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” or “QEF,” the Fund would
be required each year to include in income, and distribute to shareholders in
accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above, the Fund’s pro
rata share of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the PFIC, whether
or not such earnings or gains are distributed to the Fund; or (iii) the Fund may
be entitled to mark-to-market annually shares of the PFIC, and in such event
would be required to distribute to shareholders any such mark-to-market gains in
accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above. In such
instances, the Funds intend to make the appropriate tax elections, if possible,
and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effect of these
rules.
Foreign
Currency Transactions.
A Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies and forward foreign currency
contracts will generally be subject to special provisions of the Code that,
among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by a
Fund (i.e.,
may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate
recognition of income to a Fund and defer losses. These rules could therefore
affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These
provisions also may require a Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions
in its portfolio (i.e.,
treat them as if they were closed out) which may cause a Fund to recognize
income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts
necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements and for avoiding the excise
tax described above. The Funds intend to monitor their transactions, intend to
make the appropriate tax elections, and intend to make the appropriate entries
in their books and records when they acquire any foreign currency or forward
foreign currency contract in order to mitigate the effect of these rules so as
to prevent disqualification of a Fund as a RIC and minimize the imposition of
income and excise taxes.
The
U.S. Treasury Department has authority to issue regulations that would exclude
foreign currency gains from income that qualifies for a Fund to satisfy the RIC
requirements of the Code described above if such gains are not directly related
to a Fund’s business of investing in stock or securities (or options and futures
with respect to stock or securities). Accordingly, regulations may be issued in
the future that could treat some or all of a Fund’s non-U.S. currency gains as
non-qualifying income, thereby potentially jeopardizing a Fund’s status as a RIC
for all years to which the regulations are applicable.
An
Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for
U.S. federal tax purposes that exchanges securities for Creation Units generally
will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the
market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any amount of
cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange and (ii) the sum of
the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any amount of
cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will
generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the
exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar
market value of the securities plus the amount of any cash received for such
Creation Units. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized by an
Authorized Participant upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot
be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis
that there has been no significant change in economic position.
Master
Limited Partnerships. In
general, for purposes of the Qualifying Income Requirement described above,
income derived from a partnership that is not a qualified publicly traded
partnership (as described below) will be treated as qualifying income only to
the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership
that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. While the
rules are not entirely clear with respect to an investment in a partnership
outside a master-feeder structure, for purposes of testing whether the Fund
satisfies the Diversification Requirement, the Fund is generally treated as
owning a pro rata share of the underlying assets of a partnership, including
interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships. As described below, the
Fund’s investment in one or more of such qualified publicly traded partnerships
is limited under the Diversification Requirement to no more than 25% of the
value of the Fund’s assets. However, 100% of the net income derived from an
interest in a “qualified publicly traded
partnership”
(generally, a partnership (i) interests in which are traded on an established
securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the
substantial equivalent thereof, (ii) that derives at least 90% of its income
from the passive income sources specified in the Internal Revenue Code section
7704(d), and (iii) that derives less than 90% of its income from the same
sources as described in the Qualifying Income Requirement) will be treated as
qualifying income. In addition, although in general the passive loss rules of
the Internal Revenue Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC
with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly traded
partnership.
MLPs
taxed as partnerships have historically made cash distributions to limited
partners that exceed the amount of taxable income allocable to limited partners
or members, due to a variety of factors, including significant non-cash
deductions such as depreciation and depletion. These excess cash distributions
would not be treated as income to the Fund but rather would be treated as a
return of capital to the extent of the Fund’s basis in the MLP. As a
consequence, the Fund may make distributions that exceed its earnings and
profits, which would be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders.
A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable but will reduce
each shareholder’s cost basis in Shares and result in a higher capital gain or
lower capital loss when the Shares are sold. After a shareholder’s basis in
Shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits
in respect of those Shares will be treated as gain from the sale of the Shares.
The
Fund may invest in certain MLPs which may be treated as “qualified publicly
traded partnerships” (as described above). Income from qualified publicly traded
partnerships is qualifying income for purposes of the Qualifying Income
Requirement, but the Fund’s investment in one or more of such qualified publicly
traded partnerships is limited under the Diversification Requirement to no more
than 25% of the value of the Fund’s assets. The Fund will monitor its investment
in such qualified publicly traded partnerships in order to ensure compliance
with the Qualifying Income and Diversification Requirements. MLPs and other
partnerships that the Fund may invest in will deliver Form K-1s to the Fund to
report its share of income, gains, losses, deductions and credits of the MLP or
other partnership. These Form K-1s may be delayed and may not be received until
after the time that the Fund issues its tax reporting statements. As a result,
the Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character
of its distributions to you after it issues you your tax reporting statement.
The
Fund may invest, directly or indirectly, in entities that are taxed as
corporations for United States federal income tax purposes, including certain
MLPs that elect corporate treatment. Distributions that the Fund receives from
such corporations will generally be taxable to the extent of the corporations
current or accumulated earnings and profits. Distributions the Fund receives
from such corporations in excess of current or accumulated earnings and profits
will generally not be taxable as a return of capital, but will reduce the Fund’s
cost basis in the shares it owns and result in a higher capital gain or lower
capital loss when the Fund sells such shares. Certain corporations in which the
Fund invests may accrue deferred income taxes for their future tax liability
associated with an underlying investment. Such deferred tax liabilities may
affect the value of the Fund’s investment in such entities.
Certain
Reporting Regulations.
Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2
million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a
corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure
statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many
cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance,
shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. The fact that a loss is reportable under
these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the
taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their
tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of
their individual circumstances.
Cost
Basis.
Legislation passed by Congress now requires the reporting of adjusted cost basis
information for covered securities, which generally include Shares of a RIC
acquired to the IRS and to taxpayers. Shareholders should contact their
financial intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available
elections for their accounts.
General
Considerations.
The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information
only. Shares of the Fund held in a tax-qualified retirement account will
generally not be subject to federal taxation on income and capital gains
distributions from a Fund until a shareholder begins receiving payments from
their retirement account. Because each shareholder’s tax situation is different,
prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific
federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of Shares
of the Funds, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any
proposed tax law changes.
State
Taxes.
Depending upon state and local law, distributions by a Fund to its shareholders
and the ownership of Shares may be subject to state and local taxes. Rules of
state and local taxation of dividend and capital gains distributions from RICs
often differ from the rules for federal income taxation described above. It is
expected that a Fund will not be liable for any corporate tax in Delaware if it
qualifies as a RIC for federal income tax purposes.
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
The
Annual
Report
for the Funds (other than PAEU, PAD, RXRE, ROOM, SZNG, and PIEL) for the fiscal
year ended April 30, 2024 is a separate document and the respective
financial statements and accompanying notes appearing therein are incorporated
by
reference
into this SAI. You may request a copy of the Funds’ Annual Report at no charge
by calling 1-800-617-0004 or through the Funds’ website at
www.PacerETFs.com.
APPENDIX
A
RATINGS
DEFINITIONS
S&P
Global Ratings Issue Credit Rating Definitions
An
S&P Global Ratings issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about
the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial
obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial
program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper
programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors,
insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into
account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion
reflects S&P Global Ratings’ view of the obligor’s capacity and willingness
to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and this opinion may assess
terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect
ultimate payment in the event of default.
Issue
credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term. Short-term ratings are
generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant
market. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an
obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. Medium-term notes
are assigned long-term ratings.
S&P
Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1
A
short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P
Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the
obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated
with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its
financial commitments on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2
A
short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse
effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in
higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial
commitments on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3
A
short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters.
However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely
to weaken an obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the
obligation.
B
A
short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant
speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its
financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties that could
lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial
commitments.
C
A
short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is
dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the
obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
SD
and D
An
obligor is rated ‘SD’ (selective default) or ‘D’ if S&P Global Ratings
considers there to be a default on one or more of its financial obligations,
whether long- or short-term, including rated and unrated obligations but
excluding hybrid instruments classified as regulatory capital or in nonpayment
according to terms. A ‘D’ rating is assigned when S&P Global Ratings
believes that the default will be a general default and that the obligor will
fail to pay all or substantially all of its obligations as they come due. An
‘SD’ rating is assigned when S&P Global Ratings believes that the obligor
has selectively defaulted on a specific issue or class of obligations but it
will continue to meet its payment obligations on other issues or classes of
obligations in a timely manner. A rating on an obligor is lowered to ‘D’ or ‘SD’
if it is conducting a distressed debt restructuring.
SPUR
(S&P Underlying Rating)
A
SPUR is an opinion about the stand-alone capacity of an obligor to pay debt
service on a credit-enhanced debt issue, without giving effect to the
enhancement that applies to it. These ratings are published only at the request
of the debt issuer or obligor with the designation SPUR to distinguish them from
the credit-enhanced rating that applies to the debt issue. S&P Global
Ratings maintains surveillance of an issue with a published SPUR.
Dual
Ratings
Dual
ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature.
The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of
principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses
only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either
a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or
long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put
option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for
example,
‘AAA/A-1+’ or ‘A-1+/A-1’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S.
municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the
rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).
The
analyses, including ratings, of S&P Global Ratings and its affiliates
(together, S&P Global Ratings) are statements of opinion as of the date they
are expressed and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, hold,
or sell any securities or make any investment decisions. S&P Global Ratings
assumes no obligation to update any information following publication. Users of
ratings or other analyses should not rely on them in making any investment
decision. S&P Global Ratings’ opinions and analyses do not address the
suitability of any security. S&P Global Ratings does not act as a fiduciary
or an investment advisor except where registered as such. While S&P Global
Ratings has obtained information from sources it believes to be reliable, it
does not perform an audit and undertakes no duty of due diligence or independent
verification of any information it receives. Ratings and other opinions may be
changed, suspended, or withdrawn at any time.
Active
Qualifiers
S&P
Global Ratings uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating.
The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a
‘p’ qualifier, which indicates the rating addresses the principal portion of the
obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the
rating.
1.
Federal deposit insurance limit: ‘L’ qualifier
Ratings
qualified with ‘L’ apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit
insurance limits.
2.
Principal: ‘p’ qualifier
This
suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both that
determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from
the credit factors, terms, or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of
interest on the obligation. The ‘p’ suffix indicates that the rating addresses
the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not
rated.
3.
Preliminary ratings: ‘prelim’ qualifier
Preliminary
ratings, with the ‘prelim’ suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations,
including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment
of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P Global Ratings of
appropriate documentation. S&P Global Ratings reserves the right not to
issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from
the preliminary rating.
•Preliminary
ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project
finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal
opinions.
•Preliminary
ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the
obligor’s emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on
late-stage reorganization plans, documentation, and discussions with the
obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings
consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or
post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated
obligation(s).
•Preliminary
ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the
process of being independently established when, in S&P Global Ratings’
opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be
assigned to the obligations of these entities.
•Preliminary
ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a
well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing, or other
transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments
are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its
proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated
general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated
obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event.
Should the transformative event not occur, S&P Global Ratings would likely
withdraw these preliminary ratings.
•A
preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a
preliminary issue credit rating.
4.
Termination structures: ‘t’ qualifier
This
symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their
contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and
cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.
5.
Counterparty instrument rating: ‘cir’ qualifier
This
symbol indicates a counterparty instrument rating (CIR), which is a
forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a
securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a
counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity
facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions
do not take into account timeliness of payment.
Inactive
Qualifiers
Inactive
qualifiers are no longer applied or outstanding.
1.
Contingent upon final documentation: ‘*’ inactive qualifier
This
symbol indicated that the rating was contingent upon S&P Global Ratings’
receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation
confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August
1998.
2.
Termination of obligation to tender: ‘c’ inactive qualifier
This
qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank
may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit
rating of the issuer was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the
issuer’s bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.
3.
U.S. direct government securities: ‘G’ inactive qualifier
The
letter ‘G’ followed the rating symbol when a fund’s portfolio consisted
primarily of direct U.S. government securities.
4.
Public information ratings: ‘pi’ qualifier
This
qualifier was used to indicate ratings that were based on an analysis of an
issuer’s published financial information, as well as additional information in
the public domain. Such ratings did not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with
an issuer’s management and therefore could have been based on less comprehensive
information than ratings without a ‘pi’ suffix. Discontinued use as of December
2014 and as of August 2015 for Lloyd’s Syndicate Assessments.
5.
Interest payment: ‘i’ inactive qualifier
This
suffix was used for issues in which the credit factors, terms, or both that
determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of interest are different from
the credit factors, terms, or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of
principal on the obligation. The ‘i’ suffix indicated that the rating addressed
the interest portion of the obligation only. The ‘i’ suffix was always used in
conjunction with the ‘p’ suffix, which addresses likelihood of receipt of
principal. For example, a rated obligation could have been assigned a rating of
‘AAApNRi’ indicating that the principal portion was rated ‘AAA’ and the interest
portion of the obligation was not rated.
6.
Provisional ratings: ‘pr’ inactive qualifier
The
letters ‘pr’ indicate that the rating was provisional. A provisional rating
assumed the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated
and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was largely or entirely
dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating,
however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the
project, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon
failure of such completion.
7.
Quantitative analysis of public information: ‘q’ inactive qualifier
A
‘q’ subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis
of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.
8.
Extraordinary risks: ‘r’ inactive qualifier
The
‘r’ modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks,
particularly market risks, that are not covered in the credit rating. The
absence of an ‘r’ modifier should not be taken as an indication that an
obligation would not exhibit extraordinary noncredit-related risks. S&P
Global Ratings discontinued the use of the ‘r’ modifier for most obligations in
June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance
transactions) in November 2002.
Active
Identifiers
1.
Unsolicited: ‘unsolicited’ and ‘u’ identifier
The
‘u’ identifier and ‘unsolicited’ designation are assigned to credit ratings
initiated by parties other than the issuer or its agents, including those
initiated by S&P Global Ratings.
2.
Structured finance: ‘sf’ identifier
The
‘sf’ identifier shall be assigned to ratings on "structured finance instruments"
when required to comply with applicable law or regulatory requirement or when
S&P Global Ratings believes it appropriate. The addition of the ‘sf’
identifier to a rating does not change that rating’s definition or our opinion
about the issue’s creditworthiness.
Local
Currency and Foreign Currency Ratings
S&P
Global Ratings’ issuer credit ratings make a distinction between foreign
currency ratings and local currency ratings. A foreign currency rating on an
issuer can differ from the local currency rating on it when the obligor has a
different capacity to meet its obligations denominated in its local currency
versus obligations denominated in a foreign currency.
Moody’s
Credit Rating Definitions
Purpose
Since
John Moody devised the first bond ratings more than a century ago, Moody’s
rating systems have evolved in response to the increasing depth and breadth of
the global capital markets. Much of the innovation in Moody’s rating system is a
response to market needs for clarity around the components of credit risk or to
demand for finer distinctions in rating classifications.
Moody’s
Global Rating Scales
Ratings
assigned on Moody’s global long-term and short-term rating scales are
forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations
issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance
vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Moody’s defines
credit risk as the risk that an entity may not meet its contractual financial
obligations as they come due and any estimated financial loss in the event of
default or impairment. The contractual financial obligations addressed by
Moody’s ratings are those that call for, without regard to enforceability, the
payment of an ascertainable amount, which may vary based upon standard sources
of variation (e.g.,
floating interest rates), by an ascertainable date. Moody’s rating addresses the
issuer’s ability to obtain cash sufficient to service the obligation, and its
willingness to pay. Moody’s ratings do not address non-standard sources of
variation in the amount of the principal obligation (e.g.,
equity indexed), absent an express statement to the contrary in a press release
accompanying an initial rating. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or
obligations with an original maturity of eleven months or more and reflect both
on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial
obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or
impairment. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original
maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a
default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected
financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. Moody’s issues
ratings at the issuer level and instrument level on both the long-term scale and
the short-term scale. Typically, ratings are made publicly available although
private and unpublished ratings may also be assigned.
Moody’s
differentiates structured finance ratings from fundamental ratings (i.e.,
ratings on nonfinancial corporate, financial institution, and public sector
entities) on the global long-term scale by adding (sf) to all structured finance
ratings. The addition of (sf) to structured finance ratings should eliminate any
presumption that such ratings and fundamental ratings at the same letter grade
level will behave the same. The (sf) indicator for structured finance security
ratings indicates that otherwise similarly rated structured finance and
fundamental securities may have different risk characteristics. Through its
current methodologies, however, Moody’s aspires to achieve broad expected
equivalence in structured finance and fundamental rating performance when
measured over a long period of time.
Rating
Symbols
Gradations
of creditworthiness are indicated by rating symbols, with each symbol
representing a group in which the credit characteristics are broadly the same.
There are nine symbols as shown below, from that used to designate least credit
risk to that denoting greatest credit risk: Aaa
Aa A Baa Ba B Caa Ca C
Short-Term
Obligation Ratings
Moody’s
employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of
rated issuers:
P-1
Issuers
(or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay
short-term debt obligations.
P-2
Issuers
(or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay
short-term debt obligations.
P-3
Issuers
(or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay
short-term obligations.
NP
Issuers
(or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime
rating categories.
SHORT-TERM
VS. LONG-TERM RATINGS
The
following table indicates the long-term ratings consistent with different
short-term ratings when such long-term ratings exist.
Fitch’s
National Credit Ratings
Fitch
Ratings publishes credit ratings that are forward-looking opinions on the
relative ability of an entity or obligation to meet financial commitments.
Issuer default ratings (IDRs) are assigned to corporations, sovereign entities,
financial institutions such as banks, leasing companies and insurers, and public
finance entities (local and regional governments). Issue level ratings are also
assigned, often include an expectation of recovery and may be notched above or
below the issuer level rating. Issue ratings are assigned to secured and
unsecured debt securities, loans, preferred stock and other instruments,
Structured finance ratings are issue ratings to securities backed by receivables
or other financial assets that consider the obligations’ relative vulnerability
to default.
Credit
ratings are indications of the likelihood of repayment in accordance with the
terms of the issuance. In limited cases, Fitch may include additional
considerations (i.e.,
rate to a higher or lower standard than that implied in the obligation’s
documentation). Please see the section Specific Limitations Relating to Credit
Rating Scales for details.
Fitch
Ratings also publishes other ratings, scores and opinions. For example, Fitch
provides specialized ratings of servicers of residential and commercial
mortgages, asset managers and funds. In each case, users should refer to the
definitions of each individual scale for guidance on the dimensions of risk
covered in each assessment.
Fitch’s
credit rating scale for issuers and issues is expressed using the categories
‘AAA’ to ‘BBB’ (investment grade) and ‘BB’ to ‘D’ (speculative grade) with an
additional +/- for AA through CCC levels indicating relative differences of
probability of default or recovery for issues. The terms “investment grade” and
“speculative grade” are market conventions and do not imply any recommendation
or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. Investment grade
categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the
speculative categories signal either a higher level of credit risk or that a
default has already occurred.
Fitch
may also disclose issues relating to a rated issuer that are not and have not
been rated. Such issues are also denoted as ‘NR’ on its web page.
Credit
ratings express risk in relative rank order, which is to say they are ordinal
measures of credit risk and are not predictive of a specific frequency of
default or loss. For information about the historical performance of ratings,
please refer to Fitch’s Ratings Transition and Default studies, which detail the
historical default rates. The European Securities and Markets Authority also
maintains a central repository of historical default rates.
Fitch’s
credit ratings do not directly address any risk other than credit risk. Credit
ratings do not deal with the risk of market value loss due to changes in
interest rates, liquidity and/or other market considerations. However, market
risk may be considered to the extent that it influences the ability of an issuer
to pay or refinance a financial commitment. Ratings nonetheless do not reflect
market risk to the extent that they influence the size or other conditionality
of the obligation to pay upon a commitment (for example, in the case of payments
linked to performance of an equity index).
Fitch
will use credit rating scales to provide ratings to privately issued obligations
or certain note issuance programs, or for private ratings using the same public
scale and criteria. Private ratings are not published, and are only provided to
the issuer or its agents in the form of a rating letter.
The
primary credit rating scales may also be used to provide ratings for a narrower
scope, including interest strips and return of principal or in other forms of
opinions such as Credit Opinions or Rating Assessment Services.
Credit
Opinions are either a notch- or category-specific view using the primary rating
scale and omit one or more characteristics of a full rating or meet them to a
different standard. Credit Opinions will be indicated using a lower-case letter
symbol combined with either an ‘*’ (e.g.,
‘bbb+*’) or (cat) suffix to denote the opinion status. Credit Opinions will be
typically point-in-time but may be monitored if the analytical group believes
information will be sufficiently available.
Rating
Assessment Services are a notch-specific view using the primary rating scale of
how an existing or potential rating may be changed by a given set of
hypothetical circumstances. While Credit Opinions and Rating Assessment Services
are point-in-time and are not monitored, they may have a directional Watch or
Outlook assigned, which can signify the trajectory of the credit
profile.
Ratings
assigned by Fitch are opinions based on established, approved and published
criteria. A variation to criteria may be applied but will be explicitly cited in
our rating action commentaries (RACs), which are used to publish credit ratings
when established and upon annual or periodic reviews.
Ratings
are the collective work product of Fitch, and no individual, or group of
individuals, is solely responsible for a rating. Ratings are not facts and,
therefore, cannot be described as being "accurate" or "inaccurate." Users should
refer to the definition of each individual rating for guidance on the dimensions
of risk covered by the rating.
National
Short-Term Credit Ratings
F1(xxx)
Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments
relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. Under the agency’s
National Rating scale, this rating is assigned to the lowest default risk
relative to others in the same country. Where the liquidity profile is
particularly strong, a “+” is added to the assigned rating.
F2(xxx)
Indicates a good capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative
to other issuers or obligations in the same country. However, the margin of
safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.
F3(xxx)
Indicates an adequate capacity for timely payment of financial commitments
relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary
union.
B(xxx)
Indicates an uncertain capacity for timely payment of financial commitments
relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary
union.
C(xxx)
Indicates a highly uncertain capacity for timely payment of financial
commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or
monetary union.
RD(xxx):
Restricted default
Indicates
an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments,
although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Applicable to entity
ratings only.
D(xxx)
Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a
short-term obligation.
Notes
to Long-Term and Short-Term National Ratings:
The
ISO international country code is placed in parentheses immediately following
the rating letters to indicate the identity of the National market within which
the rating applies. For illustrative purposes, (xxx) has been used.
“+”
or “-” may be appended to a National Rating to denote relative status within a
major rating category. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA(xxx)’ Long-Term
National Rating category, to categories below ‘CCC(xxx)’, or to Short-Term
National Ratings other than ‘F1(xxx).’
LONG-TERM
RATINGS
S&P
Global Ratings Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue
credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings analysis
of the following considerations:
•Likelihood
of payment—the capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial
commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the
obligation;
•Nature
of and provisions of the obligation and the promise we impute; and
•Protection
afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of
bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy
and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.
An
issue rating is an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment
of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior
obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the
lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply
when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and
unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company
obligations.)
S&P
Global Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
AAA
An
obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P Global
Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation is extremely strong.
AA
An
obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small
degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation is very strong.
A
An
obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of
changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in
higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial
commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB
An
obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse
economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a
weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation.
BB;
B; CCC; CC; and C
Obligations
rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant
speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and
‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and
protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or
major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB
An
obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative
issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse
business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s
inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation.
B
An
obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated
‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial
commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic
conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its
financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC
An
obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent
upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to
meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse
business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have
the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC
An
obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’
rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P Global Ratings
expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to
default.
C
An
obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the
obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate
recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.
D
An
obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For
non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on
an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings
believes that such payments will be made within the next five business days in
the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace
period or the next 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the
filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where
default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic
stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to
a distressed debt restructuring.
Ratings
from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-)
sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
See
active and inactive qualifiers following S&P Global Ratings Short-Term Issue
Credit Ratings beginning on page A-2.
Moody’s
Long-Term Obligation Ratings
Aaa
Obligations
rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level
of credit risk.
Aa
Obligations
rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit
risk.
A
Obligations
rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit
risk.
Baa
Obligations
rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and
as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba
Obligations
rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit
risk.
B
Obligations
rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit
risk.
Caa
Obligations
rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very
high credit risk.
Ca
Obligations
rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with
some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C
Obligations
rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect
for recovery of principal or interest.
Note:
Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating
classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation
ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates
a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of
that generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to
all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies,
and securities firms.*
*
By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends,
interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if
such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually
allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together
with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid
security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that
security.
Fitch’s
National Long-Term Credit Ratings
AAA(xxx)
‘AAA’ National Ratings denote the highest rating assigned by the agency in its
National Rating scale for that country. This rating is assigned to issuers or
obligations with the lowest expectation of default risk relative to all other
issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
AA(xxx)
‘AA’ National Ratings denote expectations of very low default risk relative to
other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union. The default
risk inherent differs only slightly from that of the country’s highest rated
issuers or obligations.
A(xxx)
‘A’ National Ratings denote expectations of low default risk relative to other
issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
BBB(xxx)
‘BBB’ National Ratings denote a moderate default risk relative to other issuers
or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
BB(xxx)
‘BB’ National Ratings denote an elevated default risk relative to other issuers
or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
B(xxx)
‘B’ National Ratings denote a significantly elevated default risk relative to
other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
CCC(xxx)
‘CCC’
National Ratings denote very high default risk relative to other issuers or
obligations in the same country or monetary union.
CC(xxx)
‘CC’
National Ratings denote default risk is among the highest relative to other
issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
C(xxx)
A
default or default-like process has begun, or for a closed funding vehicle,
payment capacity is irrevocably impaired.
RD(xxx):
Restricted default.
‘RD’
ratings indicate an issuer that, in Fitch’s opinion, has experienced an uncured
payment default on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation but that
has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership,
liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure and has not otherwise ceased
business.
D(xxx)
‘D’ National Ratings denote an issuer that has entered into bankruptcy filings,
administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure
or that has otherwise ceased business.
Notes
to Long-Term and Short-Term National Ratings:
The
ISO International Country Code is placed in parentheses immediately following
the rating letters to indicate the identity of the National market within which
the rating applies. For illustrative purposes, (xxx) has been used.
“+”
or “-” may be appended to a National Rating to denote relative status within a
major rating category. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA(xxx)’ Long-Term
National Rating category, to categories below ‘CCC(xxx)’, or to Short-Term
National Ratings other than ‘F1(xxx).’
MUNICIPAL
NOTE RATINGS
S&P
Global Ratings Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings Definitions
An
S&P Global Ratings U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P Global
Ratings’ opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to
the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating.
Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely
receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to
assign, S&P Global Ratings analysis will review the following
considerations:
•Amortization
schedule—the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more
likely it will be treated as a note; and
•Source
of payment—the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing,
the more likely it will be treated as a note.
Note
rating symbols are as follows:
SP-1
Strong
capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very
strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+)
designation.
SP-2
Satisfactory
capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse
financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3
Speculative
capacity to pay principal and interest.
D
‘D’
is assigned upon failure to pay the note when due, completion of a distressed
exchange offer, or the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar
action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example
due to automatic stay provisions
See
active and inactive qualifiers following S&P Global Ratings Short-Term Issue
Credit Ratings beginning on page A-2.
Moody’s
US Municipal Short-Term Debt And Demand Obligation Ratings
Short-Term
Obligation Ratings
We
use the global short-term Prime rating scale for commercial paper issued by US
Municipalities and nonprofits. These commercial paper programs may be backed by
external letters of credit or liquidity facilities, or by an issuer’s
self-liquidity.
For
other short-term municipal obligations we use one of two other short-term rating
scales, the Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and Variable Municipal Investment
Grade (VMIG) scales discussed below.
MIG
Ratings
We
use the MIG scale for US municipal cash flow notes, bond anticipation notes and
certain other short-term obligations, which typically mature in three years or
less. Under certain circumstances, we use the MIG scale for bond anticipation
notes with maturities of up to five years.
MIG
1
This
designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by
established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated
broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG
2
This
designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample,
although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG
3
This
designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow
protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less
well-established.
SG
This
designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this
category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
VMIG
Ratings
For
variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), Moody’s assigns both a long-term
rating and a short-term payment obligation rating. The long-term rating
addresses the issuer’s ability to meet scheduled principal and interest
payments. The short-term payment obligation rating addresses the ability of the
issuer or the liquidity provider to meet any purchase price payment obligation
resulting from optional tenders (“on demand”) and/or mandatory tenders of the
VRDO. The short-term payment obligation rating uses the VMIG scale. Transitions
of VMIG ratings with conditional liquidity support differ from transitions of
Prime ratings reflecting the risk
that
external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer’s long-term rating drops
below investment grade. Please see our methodology that discusses obligations
with conditional liquidity support.
For
VRDOs, we typically assign a VMIG rating if the frequency of the payment
obligation is less than every three years. If the frequency of the payment
obligation is less than three years, but the obligation is payable only with
remarketing proceeds, the VMIG short-term rating is not assigned and it is
denoted as “NR”.
Industrial
development bonds in the US where the obligor is a corporate may carry a VMIG
rating that reflects Moody’s view of the relative likelihood of default and
loss. In these cases, liquidity assessment is based on the liquidity of the
corporate obligor.
VMIG
1
This
designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by
the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural
and legal protections.
VMIG
2
This
designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the
strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and
legal protections.
VMIG
3
This
designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded
by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and
structural and legal protections.
SG
This
designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in
this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have a
sufficiently strong short-term rating or may lack the structural or legal
protections.
Standard
Linkages Between the Long-Term and MIG and VMIG Short-Term Rating
Scale
The
following table indicates the municipal long-term ratings consistent with the
highest potential MIG and VMIG short-term ratings.
Reviewed
July 7, 2023
APPENDIX
B
The
Adviser has adopted the following guidelines with respect to the Adviser’s proxy
voting responsibilities for all Funds except for FLRT.
GLASS
LEWIS INVESTMENT MANAGER GUIDELINES
The
Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines are designed to maximize returns for
investment managers by voting in a manner consistent with such managers’ active
investment decision-making. The guidelines are designed to increase investor’s
potential financial gain through the use of the shareholder vote while also
allowing management and the board discretion to direct the operations, including
governance and compensation, of the firm.
The
guidelines will ensure that all issues brought to shareholders are analyzed in
light of the fiduciary responsibilities unique to investment advisors and
investment companies on behalf of individual investor clients including mutual
fund shareholders. The guidelines will encourage the maximization of return for
such clients through identifying and avoiding financial, audit and corporate
governance risks.
MANAGEMENT
PROPOSALS
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
In
analyzing directors and boards, Glass Lewis’ Investment Manager Guidelines
generally support the election of incumbent directors except when a majority of
the company’s directors are not independent or where directors fail to attend at
least 75% of board and committee meetings. In a contested election, we will
apply the standard Glass Lewis recommendation.
AUDITOR
The
Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will generally support auditor
ratification except when the non-audit fees exceed the audit fees paid to the
auditor.
COMPENSATION
Glass
Lewis recognizes the importance in designing appropriate executive compensation
plans that truly reward pay for performance. We evaluate equity compensation
plans based upon their specific features and will vote against plans than would
result in total overhang greater than 20% or that allow the repricing of options
without shareholder approval.
The
Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will follow the general Glass Lewis
recommendation when voting on management advisory votes on compensation
(“say-on-pay”) and on executive compensation arrangements in connection with
merger transactions (i.e.,
golden parachutes). Further, the Investment Manager Guidelines will follow the
Glass Lewis recommendation when voting on the preferred frequency of advisory
compensation votes.
AUTHORIZED
SHARES
Having
sufficient available authorized shares allows management to avail itself of
rapidly developing opportunities as well as to effectively operate the business.
However, we believe that for significant transactions management should seek
shareholder approval to justify the use of additional shares. Therefore,
shareholders should not approve the creation of a large pool of unallocated
shares without some rational of the purpose of such shares. Accordingly, where
we find that the company has not provided an appropriate plan for use of the
proposed shares, or where the number of shares far exceeds those needed to
accomplish a detailed plan, we typically vote against the authorization of
additional shares. We also vote against the creation of or increase in (i) blank
check preferred shares and (ii) dual or multiple class
capitalizations.
SHAREHOLDER
RIGHTS
Glass
Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will generally support proposals increasing
or enhancing shareholder rights such as declassifying the board, allowing
shareholders to call a special meeting, eliminating supermajority voting and
adopting majority voting for the election of directors. Similarly, the
Investment Manager Guidelines will generally vote against proposals to eliminate
or reduce shareholder rights.
MERGERS/ACQUISITIONS
Glass
Lewis undertakes a thorough examination of the economic implications of a
proposed merger or acquisition to determine the transaction’s likelihood of
maximizing shareholder return. We examine the process used to negotiate the
transaction as well as the terms of the transaction in making our voting
recommendation.
SHAREHOLDER
PROPOSALS
We
review and vote on shareholder proposals on a case-by-case basis. We recommend
supporting shareholder proposals if the requested action would increase
shareholder value, mitigate risk or enhance shareholder rights but generally
recommend voting against those that would not ultimately impact
performance.
GOVERNANCE
The
Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will support reasonable initiatives
that seek to enhance shareholder rights, such as the introduction of majority
voting to elect directors, elimination in/reduction of supermajority provisions,
the declassification of the board and requiring the submission of shareholder
rights’ plans to a shareholder vote. The guidelines generally support
reasonable, well- targeted proposals to allow increased shareholder
participation at shareholder meetings through the ability to call special
meetings and ability for shareholders to nominate director candidates to a
company’s board of directors. However, the Investment Manager Guidelines will
vote against proposals to require separating the roles of CEO and
chairman.
COMPENSATION
The
Glass Lewis Investment Manager Guidelines will generally oppose any shareholder
proposals seeking to limit compensation in amount or design. However, the
guidelines will vote for reasonable and properly-targeted shareholder
initiatives such as to require shareholder approval to reprice options, to link
pay with performance, to eliminate or require shareholder approval of golden
coffins, to allow a shareholder vote on excessive golden parachutes
(i.e.,
greater than 2.99 times annual compensation) and to claw back unearned bonuses.
The Investment Manager Guidelines will vote against requiring companies to allow
shareholders an advisory compensation vote.
ENVIRONMENT
Glass
Lewis’ Investment Manager Guidelines vote against proposals seeking to cease a
certain practice or take certain action related to a company’s activities or
operations with environmental. Further, the Glass Lewis’ Investment Manager
Guidelines generally vote against proposals regarding enhanced environment
disclosure and reporting, including those seeking sustainability reporting and
disclosure about company’s greenhouse gas emissions, as well as advocating
compliance with international environmental conventions and adherence to
environmental principles like those promulgated by CERES.
SOCIAL
Glass
Lewis’ Investment Manager Guidelines generally oppose proposals requesting
companies adhere to labor or worker treatment codes of conduct, such as those
espoused by the International Labor Organization, relating to labor standards,
human rights conventions and corporate responsibility at large conventions and
principles. The guidelines will also vote against proposals seeking disclosure
concerning the rights of workers, impact on local stakeholders, workers’ rights
and human rights in general. Furthermore, the Investment Manager Guidelines
oppose increased reporting and review of a company’s political and charitable
spending as well as its lobbying practices.
APPENDIX
C
Aristotle
Pacific has adopted the following guidelines with respect to Aristotle Pacific’s
proxy voting responsibilities for FLRT.
Investment
advisers are required to implement policies and procedures reasonably designed
to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interest of clients, in accordance
with fiduciary duties and SEC Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisers Act of
1940. In addition to SEC requirements governing advisers, Aristotle Pacific’s
proxy voting policies reflect the fiduciary standards and responsibilities for
ERISA accounts set out in applicable Department of Labor guidance.
Aristotle
Pacific’s authority to vote proxies for clients is established by the Investment
Management Agreement (“IMA”) or comparable documents. Aristotle Pacific manages
fixed income strategies; therefore the volume of proxies is relatively low.
Aristotle
Pacific generally follows the voting guidelines included in this Policy; however
each vote is ultimately cast on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration
the contractual obligations under the IMA or comparable document, and all other
relevant facts and circumstances at the time of the vote to ensure that proxies
are voted in the best interest of clients.
Conflicts
of Interest
Aristotle
Pacific takes reasonable measures to identify the existence of any material
conflicts of interest related to voting proxies. A potential conflict of
interest may exist when Aristotle Pacific votes a proxy for an issuer with
whom:
•Aristotle
Pacific maintains a material business relationship
•Aristotle
Pacific Senior Management or Portfolio Manager(s) maintain a personal
relationship
Conflicts
based on material business relationships or dealings with affiliates of
Aristotle Pacific will only be considered to the extent that Aristotle Pacific
has actual knowledge of such material business relationships. Aristotle Pacific
employees are periodically, and no less than annually, reminded of their
obligation to be aware of the potential for conflicts of interest with respect
to voting proxies both as a result of business or personal relationships and to
bring potential and actual conflicts of interest to the attention of the
Aristotle Pacific CCO. Additionally, employees of Aristotle Pacific, including
Senior Management and the Portfolio Managers, are required to disclose certain
activities, relationships and personal interests that may create, or appear to
create an actual or potential conflict of interest. Aristotle Pacific will not
vote proxies relating to such issuers identified as being involved in a
potential conflict of interest until it has been determined that the conflict of
interest is not material or a method for resolving the conflict of interest has
been agreed upon and implemented. When a material conflict of interest exists,
Aristotle Pacific will choose among the following options to eliminate such
conflict:
•Vote
in accordance with the Voting Guidelines, if the voting scenario is covered in
the Voting Guidelines (outlined below) and involves little or no
discretion;
•If
possible, erect information barriers around the person or persons making voting
decisions sufficient to insulate the decision from the conflict;
•If
practical, notify affected clients of the conflict of interest and seek a waiver
of the conflict for the proxy to be voted;
•If
agreed upon in writing with the client, forward the proxies to the affected
client or their designee and allow the client or their designee to vote the
proxies.
The
resolution of all potential and actual material conflicts of interest issues is
documented in order to demonstrate that Aristotle Pacific acted in the best
interest of its clients.
Abstaining
from Proxy Voting
In
certain circumstances, Aristotle Pacific may choose to abstain from voting a
proxy. In instances when Aristotle Pacific deems abstention to be in the best
interest of its client(s), Aristotle Pacific will formally indicate its
abstention on the proxy to ensure the vote is properly recorded. Considerations
that may cause Aristotle Pacific to abstain from voting include but are not
limited to:
•When
the cost of voting the proxy outweighs the benefits or is otherwise
impractical;
•International
constraints for timing and meeting deadlines;
•Restrictions
on foreign securities including share blocking (restrictions on the sale of
securities for a period of time in proximity to the shareholder meeting);
and
•Any
instance where the Firm feels there is insufficient information to determine the
most reasonable course of action on behalf of a client; and
•When
a client provides specific instruction to abstain from a vote as outlined in the
Client Instruction section below.
Any
proxies that Aristotle Pacific chooses not to vote will be documented along with
the rationale prior to the date of the shareholder’s meeting for that particular
proxy.
Client
Instruction
Under
certain circumstances a client may delegate proxy voting authority to Aristotle
Pacific and provide specific voting instructions. The IMA must reflect the terms
and conditions of the arrangement. As agreed to in the IMA, Aristotle Pacific
will vote in accordance with the client’s specific instructions which may or may
not align with this policy. Clients should be aware that providing specific
instructions may result in voting that may be contrary to how Aristotle Pacific
would have voted using the Voting Guidelines or their own analysis.
Differences
in Proxy Vote Determinations
Aristotle
Pacific may determine that specific circumstances require that proxies be voted
differently among accounts due to the accounts’ Investments Guidelines or other
distinguishing factors. Aristotle Pacific may from time to time reach
contrasting but equally valid views on how best to maximize economic value in
respect to a particular investment. This may result in situations in which a
client is invested in portfolios with dissimilar proxy outcomes. In those
situations, the other portfolios may be invested in strategies having
distinctive investment objectives, investment styles or investment
professionals. However, Aristotle Pacific generally votes consistently on the
same matter when securities of an issuer are held by multiple client accounts.
Any differences among proxies for other portfolios will be reviewed, approved
and documented by senior management and the Aristotle Pacific CCO prior to the
vote being cast.
Client
Disclosure and Availability of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
Aristotle
Pacific provides a copy of its proxy voting policy and procedures to clients
upon request. Clients can obtain information on how proxies were voted for their
account upon request. Compliance provides proxy filing information to the
advisors of 40 Act Accounts as requested for the purpose of filing proxy
information annually with the SEC.
Voting
Guidelines
Proxy
proposals generally fall into one of the following categories: Reports and
approval of accounts; Financial operations; Board elections; Remuneration;
Engagement; and other relevant issues *e.g. shareholder and business proposals).
In all cases, Aristotle Pacific will vote the proxies in a manner that is
consistent with the best interest of its clients as follows:
•Reports
and approval of accounts
(e.g., approval of financial statements, allocation of income, appointment of
auditors, etc.): Aristotle Pacific generally votes with the recommendations of a
company’s Board of Directors following our own review to include ensuring
proposals are reflective of, among others, ethical, reasonable, equitable and
financially sound corporate standards.
•Financial
operations
(e.g., mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, etc.): Aristotle
Pacific generally votes with the recommendations of a company’s Board of
Directors following our own review to include ensuring proposals are reflective
of, among others, ethical, reasonable, equitable and financially sound corporate
standards.
•Board
elections: Board
nominations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Aristotle Pacific is
supportive of NASDAQ’s Diversity requirements1.
In the event any underlying issuer does not have at least two
diverse2
board members, we expect to vote against resolutions or proposals to re-elect or
appoint a new, non-diverse board candidate3.
Where an issuer has two or more diverse board members, Aristotle Pacific may
vote in-line with the recommendations of a company’s Board of Directors
following our own review to include ensuring proposals are reflective of, among
others, ethical, reasonable, equitable and financially sound corporate
standards.
•Remuneration
and compensation practices: Votes
related to remuneration and compensation are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Aristotle Pacific expects to specifically review instances of increased
compensation (including bonus compensation) when the CEO to median employee
ratio is higher than 300 to 14
based on public remuneration disclosures by an issuer.
1
https://listingcenter.nasdaq.com/assets/RuleBook/Nasdaq/filings/SR-NASDAQ-2020-081.pdf
2
Defined per NASDAQ (see
Footnote 1)
as referring to any person who self-identifies as female, Black or African
American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian, Native American or Alaska Native, Middle
Eastern / North African, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, two or more races
or ethnicities, or as LGBTQ+.
3
Aristotle Pacific’s review is limited to publicly available data that is
reasonably practicable to locate or otherwise identify, and/or readily available
in ESG disclosures.
4
https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2021/07/15/americas-most-staggering-ceo-to-worker-pay-ratios-infographic/?sh=59eb3a762c56
•Shareholder
engagement related proxies:
These proxies are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Aristotle Pacific generally
expects to vote against any resolution that would reduce or restrict shareholder
rights or engagement activities without compensation deemed reasonable to
justify such restriction.
•Shareholder
proposals and other voting issues,
including ESG-related issues not described above, are evaluated on case-by-case
basis with consideration to our ESG policy. If a proposal relates to the
disclosure of material5
ESG-related
information (e.g., disclosure related to climate risk), and does not create
duplicate disclosure effort or an unreasonable cost burden to the company, we
generally expect to vote in favor of such proposal.
Any
proxies that Aristotle Pacific votes outside of these general Voting Guidelines
will be documented along with the rationale prior to the date of the
shareholder’s meeting for that particular proxy.
All
proxies are sent to the appropriate Aristotle Pacific Portfolio Manager(s), ESG
specialist and analyst responsible for the security held in a client account for
their review and recommendation. These individuals research the implications of
proxy proposals and make voting recommendations specific for each account that
holds the related security. Aristotle Pacific Portfolio Managers are ultimately
responsible for voting any client proxy. Aristotle Pacific uses information
gathered from research, company management, and outside shareholder groups to
reach voting decisions. In determining how to vote proxy issues, Aristotle
Pacific votes proxies in a manner intended to protect and enhance the economic
value of the securities held in client accounts.
Proxies
in certain client accounts are voted using a proxy management system called
ProxyEdge. ProxyEdge is used exclusively to assist with the administrative
processes for proxy voting such as tracking and management of proxy records,
vote execution, reporting, and auditing. ProxyEdge generates a variety of
reports and makes available various other types of information to assist in the
review and monitoring of votes cast. The holdings in certain client accounts are
electronically sent to the ProxyEdge system automatically by the custodians to
ensure that Aristotle Pacific is voting the most current share position for
clients. Once Compliance receives email notification from ProxyEdge that there
are proxies in the system to be voted, a ballot is created as a distributable
unmarked ballot and sent via email to the appropriate parties for review. The
Portfolio Managers respond with their voting decisions. Compliance has the
responsibility to vote the proxies according to the Portfolio Manager
selections. Once voted, an email is sent via ProxyEdge to the client, client
account custodian or third party as defined in the IMA confirming that proxies
have been voted. An email is received from ProxyEdge confirming the vote was
submitted.
For
those client accounts not on the ProxyEdge system, all custodian banks and
trustees are notified of their responsibility to forward to Compliance all proxy
materials. When Compliance is notified of an upcoming proxy for the accounts on
ProxyEdge, the proxy material is verified to have been received for the accounts
not on ProxyEdge as well. If an expected proxy is not received by the voting
deadline, Compliance will direct the custodian or trustee to vote in accordance
with Aristotle Pacific’s instructions. The final authority and responsibility
for proxy voting remains with Aristotle Pacific.
Aristotle
Pacific Compliance reviews the proxy votes cast to make sure Aristotle Pacific
is following the proxy voting policies and procedures. Compliance reviews, no
less than annually, the adequacy of the proxy voting policies and procedures to
make sure that they have been implemented effectively, including whether the
policies continue to be reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in
the best interests of clients.
•
•Rule
206(4)-6 of the Advisors Act
•Fiduciary
Duty
•Contractual
Requirements
•Department
of Labor Interpretive Bulletin 2008-2, 29 C.F.R. 2509.08-2 (Oct. 17,
2008)
•Aristotle
Pacific ESG Policy
April
17, 2023
5
As defined by SASB as ESG risks that create a financial or operational
impairment to a company
https://www.sasb.org/standards/materiality-map/