EXCHANGE LISTED FUNDS TRUST

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF (CEFS)

Annual Report

November 30, 2022

 

Exchange Listed Funds Trust
TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

November 30, 2022  

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF

   

Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance

 

1

Schedule of Investments

 

3

Summary of Investments

 

7

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 

8

Statement of Operations

 

9

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

10

Statement of Cash Flows

 

11

Financial Highlights

 

12

Notes to Financial Statements

 

13

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

23

Disclosure of Fund Expenses

 

24

Board Consideration of Continuance of Advisory and Sub-Advisory Agreements

 

25

Other Information

 

27

Trustees

 

28

Officers

 

29

Before investing you should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other information is available in the Fund’s prospectus, a copy of which may be obtained by visiting the Fund’s website at www.sabaetf.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest.

There are risks involved with investing, including possible loss of principal, and there is no guarantee the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Fund is classified as a diversified investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).

Individual shares of the Fund may be purchased or sold in the secondary market throughout the regular trading day on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the “Cboe” or the “Exchange”) through a brokerage account. However, shares are not individually redeemable directly from the Fund. The Fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis, at net asset value (“NAV”), only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”).

Distributor: Foreside Fund Services, LLC

i

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION OF FUND PERFORMANCE

 

November 30, 2022  

(Unaudited)  

Dear Shareholders,

Thank you for your investment in the Saba Closed-End Funds ETF (the “Fund”). The information presented in this report relates to the operations of the Fund for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022.

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide capital appreciation and dividend income by investing in securities issued by closed-end funds (the “Underlying Funds”). The Fund’s sub-adviser, Saba Capital Management, L.P., uses an investment process that combines fundamental analysis, quantitative analysis, and proprietary screening tools to identify and rank closed-end fund investment opportunities. The Fund normally invests in Underlying Funds that pursue high yield and/or equity opportunities and trade at a discount to net asset value. The Fund also seeks to hedge the portfolio’s exposure to rising interest rates by engaging in short sales of U.S. Treasury securities and ETFs that seek to track the performance of bond indices or by entering into various types of derivatives transactions including futures contracts, swaps (including total return swaps), and options (including swaptions).

The Fund’s performance during the fiscal year was positively impacted by substantial discount tightening (i.e., the narrowing of the discount between the market price and net asset value) in several Underlying Funds. The Fund’s performance was negatively impacted by the broader market decline in prices for both equity and fixed income assets. This decline was partially offset by the Fund’s use of hedging transactions to limit the Fund’s exposure to rising interest rates.

For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022, the Fund’s market price decreased 1.46%, and the net asset value decreased 1.76%, while the broad market high yield index, the iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index, returned negative 7.85% and the broad market equity index, the S&P 500® Index returned negative 9.21%.

The Fund commenced operations on March 20, 2017, with outstanding shares of 5,100,001 as of November 30, 2022. We appreciate your investment in the Saba Closed-End Funds ETF.

Sincerely,

J. Garrett Stevens,

Chief Executive Officer

Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC, Adviser to the Fund

1

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION OF FUND PERFORMANCE (Concluded)

 

November 30, 2022  

(Unaudited)  

Growth of a $10,000 Investment

(at net asset value)

 

 

Average Annual Return
As of 11/30/2022

 

Inception Date
of the Fund

One Year

Five Year

Since
Inception

Expense Ratio*

Gross

Net

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF (Net Asset Value)

3/20/2017

-1.76%

6.60%

7.86%

2.90%

2.90%

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF (Market Price)

 

-1.46%

6.80%

8.10%

   

S&P 500® Index

 

-9.21%

10.98%

11.97%

   

*   The expense ratios in this table reflect the total annual fund operating expenses as presented in the Fund’s Prospectus dated April 1, 2022. The 2.90% is inclusive of the Management Fee of 1.10%, Other Expenses (including interest expense) of 0.08% and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses of 1.72%. In addition to this timing difference, the expense ratios in this table do not correlate to the Fund’s expense ratio as presented in the Fund’s financial highlights because 1) interest expense is variable and 2) the operating expenses of the Fund do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which are fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund through its investments in certain underlying investment companies.

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed or sold in the market, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and all capital gains.

Current performance may be lower or higher than performance data quoted. For the Fund’s most recent month end performance, please visit www.sabaetf.com.

There are no assurances that the Fund will meet its stated objectives.

The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities. The information provided herein represents the opinion of Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC for the period stated and is subject to change at any time.

The S&P 500® Index is a capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks. The index is designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries.

The Fund’s shares are listed on an exchange. The price of the Fund’s shares is based on market price, and because exchange-traded fund shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value, shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (premium) or less than net asset value (discount).

Net asset value (“NAV”) — The dollar value of a single share is calculated by taking the value of the underlying assets of the fund minus its liabilities, divided by the number of shares outstanding. NAV is calculated at the end of each business day.

2

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

 

November 30, 2022  

 

Number of
Shares

 

Value

CLOSED-END FUNDS — 130.2%

       

EQUITY — 36.8%

     

 

 

Aberdeen Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund Inc

 

5,367

 

$

27,533

Aberdeen Standard Global Infrastructure Income Fund

 

15,316

 

 

280,283

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust II

 

33

 

 

538

BlackRock Innovation & Growth Trust

 

59,180

 

 

444,442

BlackRock Science & Technology Trust II

 

120

 

 

2,066

Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund(a)

 

146,912

 

 

2,662,045

ClearBridge Energy Midstream Opportunity Fund, Inc.(a)

 

256,867

 

 

7,816,463

ClearBridge MLP & Midstream Total Return Fund, Inc.(a)

 

187,434

 

 

5,774,841

Cushing MLP & Infrastructure Total Return Fund (The)(a)

 

59,901

 

 

2,110,911

GAMCO Natural Resources Gold & Income Trust

 

6

 

 

30

Kayne Anderson NextGen Energy & Infrastructure, Inc.

 

13,548

 

 

108,790

Macquarie Global Infrastructure Total Return Fund, Inc.

 

9,876

 

 

239,493

MainStay CBRE Global Infrastructure Megatrends Fund

 

24,476

 

 

351,965

Neuberger Berman MLP & Energy Income Fund, Inc.

 

22,066

 

 

159,096

Neuberger Berman Next Generation Connectivity Fund, Inc.(a)

 

522,541

 

 

5,225,410

New Ireland Fund, Inc. (The)(a)

 

47,261

 

 

438,109

Nuveen Real Asset Income and Growth Fund

 

76

 

 

929

NXG NextGen Infrastructure Income Fund(a)

 

60,013

 

 

2,552,353

Principal Real Estate Income Fund(a)

 

140,762

 

 

1,604,687

Taiwan Fund, Inc. (The)

 

7,184

 

 

176,008

Templeton Emerging Markets Fund

 

3,479

 

 

42,061

Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc.(a)

 

13,622

 

 

441,489

Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp.

 

2,624

 

 

88,009

Tortoise Midstream Energy Fund, Inc.(a)

 

35,631

 

 

1,342,932

 

Number of
Shares

 

Value

CLOSED-END FUNDS (Continued)

       

Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc.

 

5,540

 

$

158,333

Voya Asia Pacific High Dividend Equity Income Fund

 

5,534

 

 

34,975

Voya Emerging Markets High Income Dividend Equity Fund(a)

 

276,178

 

 

1,507,932

Voya Global Advantage and Premium Opportunity Fund

 

2,862

 

 

26,073

Voya Global Equity Dividend and Premium Opportunity Fund

 

9,313

 

 

51,501

Voya Infrastructure Industrials and Materials Fund(a)

 

63,722

 

 

622,564

       

 

34,291,861

FIXED INCOME — 81.9%

     

 

 

Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc.

 

2,637

 

 

6,909

Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust(a)

 

54,857

 

 

713,690

Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund, Inc.

 

4,227

 

 

54,232

Apollo Tactical Income Fund, Inc.(a)

 

266,525

 

 

3,304,910

Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund, Inc.(a)

 

85,500

 

 

1,049,085

Barings Global Short Duration High Yield Fund(a)

 

195,881

 

 

2,667,899

BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust(a)

 

275,437

 

 

3,032,561

BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust

 

1,290

 

 

13,777

Blackrock ESG Capital Allocation Trust(a)

 

870,914

 

 

12,488,907

BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund, Inc.

 

3,256

 

 

34,123

BlackRock MuniYield New York Quality Fund, Inc.

 

15,932

 

 

161,710

BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund

 

110

 

 

1,257

BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust

 

16

 

 

168

Blackstone Long-Short Credit Income Fund

 

26,362

 

 

298,418

Blackstone Strategic Credit Fund(a)

 

120,407

 

 

1,326,885

BNY Mellon Municipal Income, Inc.

 

4,695

 

 

31,034

BrandywineGLOBAL Global Income Opportunities Fund, Inc.(a)

 

72,375

 

 

594,199

3

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)

 

November 30, 2022  
  

 

Number of
Shares

 

Value

CLOSED-END FUNDS (Continued)

       

FIXED INCOME (Continued)

     

 

 

Delaware Investments National Municipal Income Fund(a)

 

624,509

 

$

7,169,363

Delaware Ivy High Income Opportunities Fund

 

9,300

 

 

103,416

DWS Municipal Income Trust

 

1

 

 

9

DWS Strategic Municipal Income Trust

 

1,057

 

 

8,815

Eaton Vance California Municipal Bond Fund(a)

 

84,686

 

 

749,471

Eaton Vance California Municipal Income Trust

 

12,224

 

 

122,973

Eaton Vance New York Municipal Bond Fund(a)

 

382,073

 

 

3,495,968

Ellsworth Growth and Income Fund Ltd.(a)

 

192,128

 

 

1,610,033

Federated Hermes Premier Municipal Income Fund

 

137

 

 

1,504

First Trust Aberdeen Global Opportunity Income Fund

 

1,790

 

 

10,525

First Trust High Income Long/Short Fund(a)

 

151,286

 

 

1,771,559

First Trust High Yield Opportunities 2027 Term Fund

 

10,989

 

 

161,319

Invesco High Income Trust II

 

814

 

 

8,742

Invesco Pennsylvania Value Municipal Income Trust

 

1,501

 

 

15,145

Invesco Senior Income Trust

 

4,000

 

 

15,760

Invesco Trust for Investment Grade New York Municipals

 

606

 

 

6,442

KKR Income Opportunities Fund

 

19,691

 

 

227,825

MFS High Income Municipal Trust

 

7,405

 

 

27,176

MFS High Yield Municipal Trust

 

138,313

 

 

442,602

MFS Investment Grade Municipal Trust

 

91,284

 

 

665,917

MFS Municipal Income Trust

 

440

 

 

2,288

Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Inc.(a)

 

337,270

 

 

2,239,473

Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund, Inc.(a)

 

1,311,158

 

 

5,834,653

Neuberger Berman California Municipal Fund, Inc.

 

620

 

 

6,839

Neuberger Berman New York Municipal Fund, Inc.

 

793

 

 

7,867

New America High Income Fund, Inc. (The)

 

24,525

 

 

175,599

Nuveen Core Plus Impact Fund(a)

 

367,744

 

 

4,034,152

 

Number of
Shares

 

Value

CLOSED-END FUNDS (Continued)

       

Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund(a)

 

241,909

 

$

1,294,213

Nuveen Mortgage and Income Fund

 

3,190

 

 

51,519

Nuveen New Jersey Quality Municipal Income Fund

 

8,924

 

 

104,500

Nuveen New York AMT-Free Quality Municipal Income Fund(a)

 

57,354

 

 

608,526

Nuveen New York Quality Municipal Income Fund

 

5,110

 

 

56,006

Nuveen Ohio Quality Municipal Income Fund(a)

 

53,972

 

 

691,381

Nuveen Pennsylvania Quality Municipal Income Fund

 

11,443

 

 

130,794

Nuveen Senior Income Fund

 

273

 

 

1,340

PGIM Global High Yield Fund, Inc.(a)

 

45,201

 

 

512,127

PGIM Short Duration High Yield Opportunities Fund(a)

 

137,751

 

 

2,108,968

Pioneer High Income Fund, Inc.

 

19,035

 

 

132,864

Pioneer Municipal High Income Opportunities Fund, Inc.(a)

 

130,109

 

 

1,466,328

Templeton Global Income Fund(a)

 

2,436,198

 

 

10,329,480

Vertical Capital Income Fund(a)

 

99,957

 

 

918,065

Virtus Convertible & Income Fund II(a)

 

289,539

 

 

903,362

Western Asset Diversified Income Fund(a)

 

148,400

 

 

2,019,724

Western Asset High Income Opportunity Fund, Inc.

 

1,500

 

 

6,090

Western Asset Intermediate Muni Fund, Inc.

 

27,024

 

 

208,625

Western Asset Municipal Partners Fund, Inc.

 

835

 

 

10,262

       

 

76,249,373

HYBRID — 11.5%

     

 

 

Blackrock Capital Allocation Trust(a)

 

101,090

 

 

1,482,990

Calamos Long/Short Equity & Dynamic Income Trust

 

1,580

 

 

25,628

Delaware Enhanced Global Dividend & Income Fund(a)

 

91,680

 

 

708,686

Ecofin Sustainable and Social(a)

 

162,175

 

 

2,246,124

First Trust Aberdeen Emerging Opportunity Fund(a)

 

112,469

 

 

1,074,113

4

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)

 

November 30, 2022  
  

 

Number of
Shares

 

Value

CLOSED-END FUNDS (Continued)

       

HYBRID (Continued)

     

 

 

 

Goldman Sachs MLP Energy and Renaissance Fund

 

1,093

 

$

14,909

 

Guggenheim Active Allocation Fund

 

811

 

 

11,370

 

Nuveen Multi-Asset Income Fund(a)

 

391,052

 

 

4,829,492

 

Thornburg Income Builder Opportunities Trust

 

13,779

 

 

199,244

 

Virtus Dividend Interest & Premium Strategy Fund

 

12,815

 

 

154,549

 

       

 

10,747,105

 

REAL ESTATE — 0.0%

     

 

 

 

Cohen & Steers Real Estate Opportunities and Income Fund

 

1,676

 

 

24,654

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS — 130.2%
(Cost $125,380,304)

     

 

121,312,993

 

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets — (30.2%)

     

 

(28,173,983

)

TOTAL NET ASSETS — 100.0%

     

$

93,139,010

 

(a)      All or a portion of this security is pledged as collateral for borrowings. As of November 30, 2022, the aggregate value of those securities was $63,735,844, representing 68.4% of net assets.

5

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Concluded)

 

November 30, 2022  
  

FUTURES CONTRACTS

 

Expiration
Date

 

Number of
Contracts

 

Notional
Value

 

Value

 

Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)

Bond Futures (Short Position)

         

 

   

 

   

 

 

CBOT 10-Year U.S. Treasury Note

 

March 2023

 

(44)

 

$

(4,986,370)

 

$

(4,994,000)

 

$

(7,630)

CBOT 5-Year U.S. Treasury Note

 

March 2023

 

(214)

 

 

(23,161,741)

 

 

(23,234,047)

 

 

(72,306)

TOTAL FUTURES CONTRACTS

         

$

(28,148,111)

 

$

(28,228,047)

 

$

(79,936)

Other Affiliated Investments

Fiscal period to date transactions with investments which are or were affiliates are as follows:

Affiliate

 

Value at
beginning
of the
period

 

Purchases
Cost

 

Sales
Proceeds

 

Net
Realized
Gain/
(Loss)

 

Net Change
in Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)

 

Value at
the end of
the period

 

Number of
Shares at
the end of
the period

 

Dividend
Income

 

Capital Gain
Distributions

Delaware Investments National Municipal Income Fund(a)(b)

 

$

 

$

8,371,639

 

$

— 

 

$

(25)

 

$

 

$

 

 

$

263,627

 

$

High Yield ETF(a)(c)

 

 

 

 

264,871

 

 

(243,573)

 

 

(21,298)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,968

 

 

Total

 

$

 

$

8,636,510

 

$

(243,573)

 

$

(21,323)

 

$

 

$

 

 

$

270,595

 

$

(a)      Security is no longer an affiliated company at period end.

(b)      Affiliated issuer as the beneficial owners of 5% or more of total outstanding shares of the Fund.

(c)       Affiliated fund managed by Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC.

6

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF

SUMMARY OF INVESTMENTS

 

November 30, 2022  
  

Security Type/Sector

 

Percent of
Total Net
Assets

Closed-End Funds

   

 

Equity

 

36.8

%

Fixed Income

 

81.9

%

Hybrid

 

11.5

%

Real Estate

 

0.0

%

Total Closed-End Funds

 

130.2

%

Total Investments

 

130.2

%

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets

 

(30.2

)%

Total Net Assets

 

100.0

%

7

EXCHANGE LISTED FUNDS TRUST

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

November 30, 2022  

 

 

Saba Closed-End
Funds ETF

Assets:

 

Investments, at value

 

$

121,312,993

 

Cash

 

 

1,027,999

 

Deposit at broker for futures contracts

 

 

459,580

 

Dividends receivable

 

 

65,456

 

Investment securities sold

 

 

42,191

 

Total Assets

 

 

122,908,219

 

   

 

 

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Advisory fee payable

 

 

80,354

 

Credit Facility payable

 

 

29,342,086

 

Investment securities purchased

 

 

227,113

 

Variation margin on futures contracts

 

 

119,656

 

Total Liabilities

 

 

29,769,209

 

Net Assets

 

$

93,139,010

 

Net Assets Consist of:

 

 

 

 

Paid-in capital

 

$

97,761,060

 

Distributable earnings (loss)

 

 

(4,622,050

)

Net Assets

 

$

93,139,010

 

   

 

 

 

Net Assets

 

$

93,139,010

 

Shares of Beneficial Interest Outstanding
(unlimited number of shares authorized, no par value)

 

 

5,100,001

 

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

 

$

18.26

 

Investments, at cost

 

$

125,380,304

 

8

EXCHANGE LISTED FUNDS TRUST

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

 

  

 

Saba Closed-End
Funds ETF

   

Year Ended
November 30,
2022

Investment Income:

 

 

 

 

Unaffiliated dividends

 

$

3,965,023

 

Affiliated dividends

 

 

270,595

 

Total Investment Income

 

 

4,235,618

 

Expenses:

 

 

 

 

Advisory fees

 

 

953,967

 

Interest expense:

 

 

 

 

Line of credit

 

 

173,380

 

Total Expenses

 

 

1,127,347

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

 

 

3,108,271

 

Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)

 

 

 

 

Net realized gain (loss) from:

 

 

 

 

Unaffiliated investments

 

 

713,776

 

Affiliated investments

 

 

(21,323)

 

Futures

 

 

1,834,843

 

Capital gain distributions from underlying funds

 

 

1,091,551

 

Net realized gain (loss)

 

 

3,618,847

 

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:

 

 

 

 

Investments

 

 

(8,063,414

)

Futures

 

 

(55,039

)

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

 

 

(8,118,453

)

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

 

 

(4,499,606

)

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

 

$

(1,391,335

)

9

EXCHANGE LISTED FUNDS TRUST

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

 


 

 

Saba Closed-End Funds ETF

   

Year Ended
November 30,
2022

 

Year Ended
November 30,
2021

From Investment Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

$

3,108,271

 

 

$

1,818,324

 

Net realized gain (loss)

 

 

3,618,847

 

 

 

6,810,912

 

Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

 

 

(8,118,453

)

 

 

1,715,571

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

 

 

(1,391,335

)

 

 

10,344,807

 

Distributions to Shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions

 

 

(9,532,754

)

 

 

(5,831,002

)

Return of capital

 

 

(596,570

)

 

 

 

Total Distributions to Shareholders

 

 

(10,129,324

)

 

 

(5,831,002

)

Capital Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from shares issued

 

 

27,047,662

 

 

 

26,011,238

 

Cost of shares redeemed

 

 

(8,126,550

)

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Capital Share Transactions

 

 

18,921,112

 

 

 

26,011,238

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

7,400,453

 

 

 

30,525,043

 

Net Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of period

 

 

85,738,557

 

 

 

55,213,514

 

End of period

 

$

93,139,010

 

 

$

85,738,557

 

Change in Shares Outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares outstanding, beginning of period