ck0001432353-20211130
Global X Green Building
ETF
NASDAQ:
GRNR
Prospectus
April
6, 2022
The
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has not approved or disapproved these
securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to
the contrary is a criminal offense.
Shares
in the Fund (defined below) are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other agency of the U.S. Government, nor are shares
deposits or obligations of any bank. Such shares in the Fund involve investment
risks, including the loss of principal.
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As
permitted by regulations adopted by the SEC, paper copies of the Fund's
shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you
specifically request paper copies of the reports from your financial
intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank). Instead, shareholder
reports will be available on the Fund’s website
(www.globalxetfs.com/explore), and you will be notified by mail each time
a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you
will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You
may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the
Fund electronically anytime by contacting your financial intermediary. You
may elect to receive all future Fund shareholder reports in paper free of
charge. Please contact your financial intermediary to inform them that you
wish to continue receiving paper copies of Fund shareholder reports and
for details about whether your election to receive reports in paper will
apply to all funds held with your financial
intermediary. |
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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FUND
SUMMARY |
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ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND |
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A
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF PRINCIPAL RISKS |
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A
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF OTHER RISKS |
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PORTFOLIO
HOLDINGS INFORMATION |
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FUND
MANAGEMENT |
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DISTRIBUTOR |
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BUYING
AND SELLING FUND SHARES |
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FREQUENT
TRADING |
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DISTRIBUTION
AND SERVICE PLAN |
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DIVIDENDS
AND DISTRIBUTIONS |
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TAXES |
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DETERMINATION
OF NET ASSET VALUE |
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PREMIUM/DISCOUNT
AND SHARE INFORMATION |
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INFORMATION
REGARDING THE INDEX AND THE INDEX PROVIDER |
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OTHER
SERVICE PROVIDERS |
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ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION |
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FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS |
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OTHER
INFORMATION |
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Global
X Green Building ETF
Ticker:
GRNR Exchange: NASDAQ
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Global X Green Building
ETF ("Fund") seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to
the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive
Green Building Index ("Underlying Index").
FEES AND EXPENSES
This table describes the fees
and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares (“Shares”) of
the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees
to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment):
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Management
Fees: |
0.45% |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees: |
None |
Other
Expenses:1 |
0.00% |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses: |
0.45% |
1 Other Expenses are based
on estimated amounts for the current fiscal
year.
Example:
The following example
is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost
of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account customary
brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund
in the secondary market. The example assumes that you invest
$10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your
Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses
remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on
these assumptions, your costs would be:
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One
Year |
Three
Years |
$46 |
$144 |
Portfolio
Turnover:
The Fund pays transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over"
its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction
costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account.
These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the
example, affect the Fund's performance. This is a new fund and does not yet have
a portfolio turnover rate to disclose.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund invests at least 80% of its total assets, plus borrowings for investments
purposes (if any), in the securities of the Solactive Green Building Index (the
"Underlying Index") and in American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") and Global
Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") based on the securities in the Underlying Index.
The Fund's 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and requires 60 days prior
written notice to shareholders before it can be changed. The Fund may lend
securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets
(including the value of the collateral received).
The
Underlying Index is designed to provide exposure to companies that are
positioned to benefit from increased demand for buildings that reduce or
eliminate negative impacts, and/or create positive impacts, on the natural
environment (“Green Building”). Specifically, the Underlying Index consists of
securities issued by “Green Building Companies” as defined by Solactive AG, the
provider of the Underlying Index (the "Index Provider"). “Green Building
Companies” are those companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues from
one or more of the following business activities, as determined by the Index
Provider:
•Green
Building Development:
Companies that design, construct, redevelop, or retrofit properties that meet
reputable green building certification standards. The Index Provider utilizes
ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) data provider Sustainalytics for its
assessment of reputable green building certification standards. As of April 1,
2022
examples
of green building certification standards that Sustainalytics has identified as
reputable currently include LEED, BREEAM, Greenstar, DGNB, CASBEE, and
Verde.
•Green
Building Management:
Companies that manage and/or operate buildings that have obtained a green
certification.
•Green
Building Technologies & Materials:
Companies that provide products/services that increase the energy efficiency of
residential, commercial, or public buildings. This includes products/services
such as insulation and building envelopes, controls and displays for heating,
cooling, lighting and home automation, HVAC, energy management services,
windows, doors, elevators, etc. These products and services help residential,
commercial and/or public buildings to reduce or eliminate negative impacts on
the natural environment and/or to create positive impacts on the natural
environment, which improves the environmental footprint of a building and makes
it more “green” across measures such as energy efficiency, water usage, carbon
emissions, and overall environmental impact.
To
be a part of the eligible universe of the Underlying Index, certain minimum
market capitalization and liquidity criteria, as defined by the Index Provider,
must be met. As of April 1, 2022, companies must have a minimum market
capitalization of $200 million and a minimum average daily turnover for the last
6 months greater than or equal to $2 million in order to be eligible for
inclusion in the Underlying Index. As of April 1, 2022, companies listed in the
following countries were eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index:
Australia, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong,
Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States,
and the United Arab Emirates.
In
constructing the Underlying Index, the Index Provider, in partnership with ESG
(Environmental, Social and Governance) data provider Sustainalytics, reviews the
companies from the eligible universe to confirm the companies that derive at
least 50% of their revenues from the business activities described above.
Revenue exposure is determined using company filings, disclosures, and other
public information. In addition, the Index Provider also applies an ESG
screening process to the universe of eligible companies. The Index Provider, in
partnership with ESG data provider Minerva, on a quarterly basis reviews each
constituent of the Underlying Index for compliance with the principles of the
United Nations Global Compact, as well as their involvement in controversial
activities. Any existing or potential constituent of the Underlying Index which
does not meet the labor, human rights, environmental, and anti-corruption
standards as defined by the United Nations Global Compact Principles as of the
quarterly review will be excluded from the Underlying Index, as determined by
the Index Provider.
The
Underlying Index is weighted according to a modified capitalization weighting
methodology and is reconstituted and re-weighted semi-annually. Modified
capitalization weighting seeks to weight constituents primarily based on market
capitalization, but subject to caps on the weights of the individual securities.
During each rebalance, the maximum weight of a company is capped at 4%, and all
constituents are subject to a minimum weight of 0.3%. Generally speaking,
modified capitalization weighting will limit the amount of concentration in the
largest market capitalization companies and increase company-level
diversification. The Underlying Index may include large-, mid- or
small-capitalization companies, and components primarily include real estate
companies. As of April 1, 2022, the Underlying Index had 75 constituents. The
Fund's investment objective and Underlying Index may be changed without
shareholder approval.
The
Underlying Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is an organization
that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Global X Management
Company LLC, the investment adviser for the Fund ("Adviser"). In addition, any
determinations related to the constituents of the Underlying Index are made
independent of the Fund's portfolio managers. The Index Provider determines the
relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes
information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
The
Adviser uses a "passive" or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund's
investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to
outperform the Underlying Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions
when markets decline or appear overvalued.
The
Fund generally will use a replication strategy. A replication strategy is an
indexing strategy that involves investing in the securities of the Underlying
Index in approximately the same proportions as in the Underlying Index. However,
the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the
Underlying Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or
disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties
or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to
replicate the Underlying Index, in instances in which a security in the
Underlying Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as
a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification
requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Underlying
Index.
The
Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund's performance
and that of the Underlying Index, before fees and expenses, will exceed 95%. A
correlation percentage of 100% would indicate perfect correlation. If the Fund
uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to
the Underlying Index than if it uses a representative sampling
strategy.
The Fund concentrates its investments
(i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group
of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is
concentrated. As of April 1, 2022, the Underlying Index was concentrated in the
equity real estate investment industry and had significant exposure to the real
estate sector. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified,”
which means it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a smaller number
of issuers than a diversified fund.
SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of
your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of
other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will
achieve its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a
bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, the Adviser or any of its
affiliates. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted
below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value ("NAV"),
trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective,
as well as other risks that are described in greater detail in the Additional
Information About the Fund
section of this Prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information
("SAI"). The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance
of any particular risk factor.
Asset
Class Risk: Securities
and other assets in the Underlying Index or otherwise held in the Fund's
portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets, a
particular securities market or other asset classes.
China
A-Shares Risk:
A-Shares are issued by companies incorporated in mainland China and are traded
on Chinese exchanges. Foreign investors can access A-Shares by obtaining a
Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor ("QFII") or a Renminbi Qualified
Foreign Institutional Investor ("RQFII") license, as well as through the Stock
Connect Program, which is a securities trading and clearing program with an aim
to achieve mutual stock market access between the China and Hong Kong markets.
Stock Connect was developed by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, the
Shanghai Stock Exchange ("SSE") (in the case of Shanghai Connect) or the
Shenzhen Stock Exchange ("SZSE") (in the case of Shenzhen Connect), and the
China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (“CSDCC”). The Fund
currently intends to gain exposure to A-Shares through the Stock Connect
Programs. Investments in A-Shares are subject to various regulations and limits,
and the recoupment or repatriation of assets invested in A-Shares is subject to
restrictions by the Chinese government. In addition, investors from outside
mainland China may face difficulties or prohibitions accessing certain A-Shares
that are part of a restricted list in countries such as the U.S. A-Shares may be
subject to frequent and widespread trading halts and may become illiquid.
Trading suspensions in certain stock could lead to greater market execution risk
and costs for the Fund, and the creation and redemption of Creation Units (as
defined below) may also be disrupted. These risks, among others, could adversely
affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Depositary
Receipts Risk: The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts, such as ADRs and GDRs. Depositary
receipts may be subject to certain of the risks associated with direct
investments in the securities of foreign companies. For additional details on
these risks, please see Foreign
Securities Risk.
Moreover, depositary receipts may not track the price of the underlying foreign
securities on which they are based. A holder of depositary receipts may
also be subject to fees and the credit risk of the financial institution acting
as depositary.
Equity
Securities Risk:
Equity securities are subject to changes in value, and their values may be more
volatile than other asset classes, as a result of such factors as a company’s
business performance, investor perceptions, stock market trends and general
economic conditions.
Real
Estate Stocks and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Investment
Risk:
The Fund may have exposure to companies that invest in real estate, such as
REITs, which exposes investors in the Fund 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. Real estate is highly sensitive to
general and local economic conditions and developments and characterized by
intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Many real estate companies,
including REITs, utilize leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which
increases risk and could adversely affect a real estate company's operations and
market value in periods of rising interest rates.
Associated
Risks Related to Investing in Green Building Companies: Green
Building companies are exposed to the risks specific to the real estate market
as well as the risks that relate specifically to the way in which Green Building
companies are utilized and operated. Green Building companies may be affected by
unique supply and demand factors that do not apply to other real estate sectors,
such as changes in demand for energy efficient technology and materials. Green
Building companies may be significantly affected by changes in government
spending or regulation, zoning laws, interest rates, taxation, and real estate
market trends. Green Building companies typically engage in significant amounts
of spending on research and development and could face risks associated with
higher building costs, availability of construction materials, and the effort
associated with securing and maintaining third-party certifications. Green
Building companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid
product obsolescence and are also heavily dependent on intellectual property
rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights.
Green Building companies may be concentrated in a particular country or region,
and any adverse event affecting one of these countries or regions could have a
negative impact on Green Building companies.
Associated
Risks Related to Socially Responsible Investments:
Certain social responsibility investment criteria limit the types of securities
that can be included in the Underlying Index. This could cause the Underlying
Index to underperform other benchmark indices, and could cause the Fund to
underperform other funds that do not have a social responsibility
focus.
Capitalization
Risk: Investing
in issuers within the same market capitalization category carries the risk that
the category may be out of favor due to current market conditions or investor
sentiment.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk: Large-capitalization
companies may trail the returns of the overall stock market.
Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better - or worse
- than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past, lasted for
as long as several years.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk: Mid-capitalization
companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less
liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization
companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management
depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer
financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization
companies.
Small-Capitalization
Companies Risk:
Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization
companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and
their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.
Concentration
Risk:
To the extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in investments related to a
particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will also concentrate its
investments to approximately the same extent. Similarly, if the Underlying Index
has significant exposure to one or more sectors, the Fund’s investments will
likely have significant exposure to such sectors. In such event, the Fund’s
performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such
industry or sector, which may include, but are not limited to, the following:
general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively
affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations;
political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased
competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or
viability of companies in a particular industry or sector. As a result, the
value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares
of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of
industries or sectors.
Risks
Related to Investing in the Equity Real Estate Investment Industry:
The Fund is concentrated in the Equity Real Estate Investment Industry, which
comprises Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). For more information, see
Asset
Class Risk - Real Estate Stocks and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Investment Risk in
the SUMMARY
OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
and A
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
sections of the Prospectus.
Risks
Related to Investing in the Real Estate Sector:
The real estate sector includes real estate companies focused on commercial and
residential real estate development, sales, operations, and services, as well as
real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). For more information, see Asset
Class Risk - Real Estate Stocks and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Investment Risk in
the SUMMARY
OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
and A
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
sections of the Prospectus.
Currency
Risk:
The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the
Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if
China's currency depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or
limits on repatriation of such currency. Currency exchange rates can be very
volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund's NAV
may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative
impact on the
Fund.
Additionally, the Chinese government heavily regulates the domestic exchange of
foreign currencies and yuan exchange rates in China, which may adversely affect
the operations and financial results of the Fund’s investments in China. Shares
purchased through the Stock Connect Programs will be purchased using offshore
yuan, the value of which may differ from and experience greater volatility than
the value of onshore yuan. Offshore yuan cannot be freely remitted into or
transferred out of China, and there is no assurance that there will always be
sufficient amounts of offshore yuan available for the Fund to invest in all
components of the Underlying Index.
Custody
Risk:
The Fund may hold foreign securities and cash with foreign banks, agents, and
securities depositories appointed by the Fund's custodian. Investments in
emerging markets may be subject to even greater custody risks than investments
in more developed markets. Less developed markets are more likely to experience
problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities
by local banks, agents and depositories.
Foreign
Securities Risk:
The Fund may invest, within U.S. regulations, in foreign securities. The Fund's
investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities
investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including
investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing
in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or
nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S.
securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities
of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic
events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political
or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security
traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing
price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the
security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose
money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign
issuer or market.
Geographic
Risk: A
natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in
which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business
operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse
impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region
economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund
invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a
result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:
Risk
of Investing in Developed Markets:
The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to
regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated
with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant
portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic
growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have
experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international
relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause
uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s
investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the
economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt
burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.
Risk
of Investing in Emerging Markets: As
of the date of this Prospectus, China is an emerging market country. Investments
in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in
developed markets. Securities markets of emerging market countries are less
liquid, subject to greater price volatility, have smaller market
capitalizations, have less government regulation, and are not subject to as
extensive and frequent accounting, financial, and other reporting requirements
as the securities markets of more developed countries, and there may be greater
risk associated with the custody of securities in emerging markets. It may be
difficult or impossible for the Fund to pursue claims against an emerging market
issuer in the courts of an emerging market country.
There
may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for
investigations into or litigation against emerging market companies and
shareholders may have limited legal rights and remedies. Emerging markets may be
more likely to experience inflation, political turmoil and rapid changes in
economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging market economies’
exposure to specific industries, such as tourism, and lack of efficient or
sufficient health care systems, could make these economies especially vulnerable
to global crises, including but not limited to, pandemics such as the global
COVID-19 pandemic. Certain emerging market countries may have privatized, or
have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries.
Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized.
Risk
of Investing in the United States:
A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an
economic recession in the U.S. may have a material adverse effect on the U.S.
economy.
International
Closed Market Trading Risk: To
the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign
exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s
Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current
price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the
underlying security (i.e., the
Fund’s
quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums
or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by
other exchange-traded funds ("ETFs").
Investable
Universe of Companies Risk:
The investable universe of companies in which the Fund may invest may be
limited. If a company no longer meets the Index Provider’s criteria for
inclusion in the Underlying Index, the Fund may need to reduce or eliminate its
holdings in that company. The reduction or elimination of the Fund’s holdings in
the company may have an adverse impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s overall
portfolio holdings and on Fund performance.
Issuer
Risk:
Fund performance depends on the performance of individual companies in which the
Fund invests. Changes to the financial condition of any of those companies may
cause the value of such company's securities to decline.
Market
Risk:
Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity may negatively affect
issuers, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. If the securities held
by the Fund experience poor liquidity, the Fund may be unable to transact at
advantageous times or prices, which may decrease the Fund’s returns. In
addition, there is a risk that policy changes by central governments and
governmental agencies, including the U.S. Federal Reserve or the European
Central Bank, which could include increasing interest rates, could cause
increased volatility in financial markets and lead to higher levels of Fund
redemptions from Authorized Participants, which could have a negative impact on
the Fund. Furthermore, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of
terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues,
recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its
investments and trading of its Shares. For example, at the start of 2022,
expectations for higher policy interest rates and the removal of monetary policy
support resulted in elevated market volatility and a weak start to January as
markets rotated away from companies with weaker fundamentals and/or higher
valuations. Sustained elevated inflation, global supply chain bottlenecks and
labor shortages encouraged a U.S. Federal Reserve policy shift to increase
interest rates. With central bankers needing to reflect that they remain ahead
of the curve on inflation, there are concerns that monetary policy may provide
less support should economic growth slow. The slowing growth of gross domestic
product in China may weigh on global economic growth, while the COVID-19
pandemic remains a risk to both global economic growth and supply chain
normalization. Market risk factors may result in increased volatility and/or
decreased liquidity in the securities markets. The Fund’s NAV could decline over
short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during
market downturns.
New
Fund Risk: The
Fund is a new fund, with no operating history, which may result in additional
risks for investors in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will
grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Board of
Trustees may determine to liquidate the Fund. While shareholder interests will
be the paramount consideration, the timing of any liquidation may not be
favorable to certain individual shareholders. New funds are also subject to
Large Shareholder Risk.
Non-Diversification
Risk: The Fund is classified as a
“non-diversified” investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940
("1940 Act"). As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that it may be more
volatile than a diversified fund because the Fund may invest its assets in a
smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a
single issuer. As a result, the gains and losses on a single investment may have
a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more
diversified funds.
Operational
Risk:
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including but not limited to human error, processing and communication errors,
errors of the Fund's service providers, counterparties or other third-parties,
failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. Additionally,
cyber security failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the
Adviser, and the Fund's other service providers, market makers, Authorized
Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the
ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund's business
operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its
shareholders. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks
through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every
possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to
address.
Passive
Investment Risk:
The Fund is not actively managed, and the Adviser does not attempt to take
defensive positions in declining markets. Unlike many investment companies, the
Fund does not seek to outperform its Underlying Index. Therefore, it would not
necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed,
respectively, from the Underlying Index, even if that security generally is
underperforming. Additionally, if a constituent of the Underlying Index were
removed, even outside of a regular rebalance of the Underlying Index, the
Adviser anticipates that the Fund would sell such security. Maintaining
investments in securities regardless of market conditions or the performance of
individual securities could cause the Fund’s return to be lower than if the Fund
employed an active strategy.
Index-Related
Risk:
There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to
the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an
adverse
effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in
order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data, index computations
and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its
methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected
by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse
impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Management
Risk:
The Fund may not fully replicate its Underlying Index and may hold securities
not included in its Underlying Index. The Adviser’s investment strategy, the
implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may cause the
Fund to underperform the market or its relevant benchmark or adversely affect
the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective.
Tracking
Error Risk:
Tracking error may occur because of differences between the instruments held in
the Fund's portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences, transaction costs incurred by the Fund, the Fund's holding of
uninvested cash, size of the Fund, differences in timing of the accrual of or
the valuation of dividends or interest, tax gains or losses, changes to the
Underlying Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or
existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of
increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error
also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying
Index does not. ETFs that track indices with significant weight in emerging
markets issuers may experience higher tracking error than other ETFs that do not
track such indices.
Risks
Associated with Exchange-Traded Funds:
As an ETF, the Fund is subject to the following risks:
Authorized
Participants Concentration Risk:
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants and engage in creation or redemption transactions
directly with the Fund, and none of those Authorized Participants is obligated
to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that those
Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation
and/or redemption orders, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or
discount to NAV, and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting from an
exchange. Authorized Participants Concentration Risk may be heightened because
the Fund invests in non-U.S. securities.
Large
Shareholder Risk: Redemptions
by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund. If a
large shareholder were to redeem all, or a large portion, of its Shares, there
is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to maintain sufficient assets to
continue operations in which case the Board of Trustees may determine to
liquidate the Fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account
for a large percentage of the trading volume on a national securities exchange
and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market
price of the Shares.
Listing
Standards Risk: The
Fund is required to comply with listing requirements adopted by the listing
exchange. Non-compliance with such requirements may result in the Fund's shares
being delisted by the listing exchange. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund
could cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs and could result in
negative tax consequences for its shareholders.
Market
Trading Risks and Premium/Discount Risks:
Shares of the Fund are publicly traded on a national securities exchange, which
may subject shareholders to numerous market trading risks. Disruptions to
creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or
potential lack of assets in the Fund or an active trading market for Shares may
result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV. If a
shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to
the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the
NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at
the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of
the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund’s shares fluctuates, in some
cases materially, throughout trading hours in response to changes in the Fund’s
NAV.
Risks
Related to Stock Connect Programs:
The Stock Connect Programs are subject to daily and aggregate quota limitations,
which could affect the Fund’s ability to enter into and exit Stock Connect
positions on a timely basis. The Shenzen and Shanghai markets may operate when
the Stock Connect Programs are not active, and consequently the prices of shares
held via Stock Connect Programs may fluctuate at times when the Fund is unable
to add to or exit its positions. The Stock Connect Programs are new, and the
effect of the introduction of large numbers of foreign investors on the market
for trading Chinese-listed securities is not well understood. Regulations, such
as limitations on redemptions or suspension of trading, may adversely impact the
value of the Fund’s investments. The Fund's investments in A-Shares though the
Stock Connect Program are held by its custodian in accounts in Central Clearing
and Settlement System ("CCASS") maintained by the Hong Kong Securities Clearing
Company Limited ("HKSCC"), which in turn holds the A-Shares, as the nominee
holder, through an omnibus
securities
account in its name registered with the CSDCC. The precise nature and rights of
the Fund as the beneficial owner of the SSE Securities or SZSE Securities
through HKSCC as nominee is not well defined under Chinese law. There is no
guarantee that the Shenzen, Shanghai, and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges will
continue to support the Stock Connect Programs in the future.
Securities
Lending Risk:
Securities lending involves a risk of loss because the borrower may fail to
return the securities in a timely manner or at all. If the Fund is not able to
recover the securities loaned, it may sell the collateral and purchase a
replacement security in the market. Lending securities entails a risk of loss to
the Fund if and to the extent that the market value of the loaned securities
increases and the collateral is not increased accordingly. Additionally, the
Fund will bear any loss on the investment of cash collateral it receives. These
events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. As securities
on loan may not be voted by the Fund, there is a risk that the Fund may not be
able to recall the securities in sufficient time to vote on material proxy
matters.
Trading
Halt Risk:
An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities,
or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be
restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain
securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be
unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its
investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Valuation
Risk:
The sales price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s
valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying
Index, particularly for securities that trade in low value or volatile markets
or that are valued using a fair value methodology (such as during trading
halts). The value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on
days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's
Shares.
PERFORMANCE
INFORMATION
The Fund does not have a full calendar year
of performance. Once the Fund
has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be
included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund
by showing the variability of the Fund's returns and comparing the Fund's
performance to the Underlying Index. The Fund's performance is not
necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the
future.
FUND
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser:
Global X Management Company LLC.
Portfolio
Managers:
The professionals primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the
Fund are Nam To, CFA; Wayne Xie; Kimberly Chan; Vanessa Yang; William Helm, CFA;
and Sandy Lu, CFA (“Portfolio Managers”). Messrs. To, Xie, Helm and Lu and Ms.
Chan and Ms. Yang have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since the Fund's
inception.
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
Shares
of the Fund are or will be listed and traded at market prices on a national
securities exchange. Shares may only be purchased and sold on the exchange
through a broker-dealer. The price of Shares is based on market price, and
because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade
at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). Only
"Authorized Participants" (as defined in the SAI) who have entered into
agreements with the Fund's distributor, SEI Investments Distribution Co.
("Distributor"), may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with
the Fund. The Fund will only issue or redeem Shares that have been aggregated
into blocks called "Creation Units". The Fund will issue or redeem Creation
Units in return for a basket of cash and/or securities that the Fund specifies
any day that the national securities exchanges are open for business (“Business
Day”). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the
highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and
the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when
buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). To
access information regarding the Fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums
and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, please go to
www.globalxetfs.com.
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income
or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement
such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account ("IRA"), in which case
distributions from such tax-advantaged arrangement may be taxable to you.
PAYMENTS
TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The
Adviser and its related companies may pay broker-dealers or other financial
intermediaries (such as a bank) for the sale of Fund Shares and related
services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your
broker-dealer, sales persons or other intermediary or its employees or
associated persons to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your
financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary's website for more
information.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND
This
Prospectus contains information about investing in the Fund. Please read this
Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Shares of the
Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange. The market price
for a Share of the Fund may be different from the Fund's most recent NAV. ETFs
are funds that trade like other publicly-traded securities. The Fund is designed
to track the Underlying Index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each
Share of the Fund represents an ownership interest in an underlying portfolio of
securities. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought and redeemed
from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, Shares of the
Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by
Authorized Participants and only in Creation Unit increments. Also, unlike
shares of a mutual fund, Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities
exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change
throughout the day. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset
allocation strategies. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not
constitute a complete investment program. An index is a financial calculation,
based on a grouping of financial instruments, and is not an investment product,
while the Fund is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund
and its Underlying Index may vary for a number of reasons, including transaction
costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such
as mergers and spin-offs), timing variances and differences between the Fund's
portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from the Fund's legal restrictions
(such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the
Underlying Index.
The
investment objective of the Fund is to seek to provide investment results that
correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and
expenses, of the Underlying Index. The Fund invests at least 80% of its total
assets in the securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund's 80% investment
policy is non-fundamental and requires 60 days prior written notice to
shareholders before it can be changed. The Adviser anticipates that, generally,
the Fund will hold all of the securities that comprise its Underlying Index in
proportion to their weightings in such Underlying Index. However, under various
circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of those
securities in those weightings. In these circumstances, the Fund may purchase a
sample of securities in its Underlying Index. There also may be instances in
which the Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the
Fund's Underlying Index, purchase securities not in the Fund's Underlying Index
that the Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities
in such Underlying Index or utilize various combinations of other available
investment techniques in seeking to replicate, as closely as possible, before
fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Fund's Underlying
Index. In addition, the Fund may also invest in equity index futures for cash
flow management purposes and as a portfolio management technique. The Fund may
sell securities that are represented in its Underlying Index in anticipation of
their removal from such Underlying Index or purchase securities not represented
in its Index in anticipation of their addition to such Underlying Index. The
Fund's investment objective and its Underlying Index may be changed without
shareholder approval upon at least 60 days prior written notice to shareholders.
A
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
The
Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any
of which may adversely affect the Fund's NAV, trading price, yield, total return
and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your
investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other
investments.
Asset
Class Risk
The
returns from the types of securities and/or assets in which the Fund invests may
under-perform returns from the various general securities markets or different
asset classes. The assets in the Underlying Index may under-perform investments
that track other markets, segments, sectors or assets. Different types of assets
tend to go through cycles of out-performance and under-performance in comparison
to the general securities markets.
China
A-Shares Risk
A-Shares
are issued by companies incorporated in mainland China and are traded on Chinese
exchanges. Foreign investors can access A-Shares by obtaining a QFII or a RQFII
license, as well as through the Stock Connect Programs. The Fund currently
intends to gain exposure to A-Shares through the Stock Connect Programs. Trading
suspensions in certain stocks could lead to greater market execution risk,
valuation risks, liquidity risks and costs for the Fund, as well as for
Authorized Participants that create and redeem Creation Units of the Fund. The
SSE and SZSE currently apply a daily limit, set at 10%, of the amount of
fluctuation permitted in the prices of A-shares during a single trading day. The
daily limit refers to price movements only and does not restrict trading within
the relevant limit. There can be no assurance that a liquid market on an
exchange will exist for any particular A-share or for any particular time.
Additionally, during instances where aggregate limits on foreign ownership are
exceeded. the Fund may be unable to
purchase
additional equity securities of a particular company. This could increase the
Fund’s tracking error and/or cause the Fund to trade in the market at greater
bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Given that
the A-share market is considered volatile and unstable (with the risk of
widespread trading suspensions or government intervention), the creation and
redemption of Creation Units (as defined below) may also be disrupted. These
risks, among others, could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s
investments.
Depositary
Receipts Risk
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts, such as ADRs and GDRs. ADRs are
certificates that evidence ownership of shares of a foreign issuer and are
alternatives to purchasing the underlying foreign securities directly in their
national markets and currencies. GDRs are certificates issued by an
international bank that generally are traded and denominated in the currencies
of countries other than the home country of the issuer of the underlying
shares. Depositary receipts may be subject to certain of the risks
associated with direct investments in the securities of foreign companies. For
additional details on these risks, please see Foreign Securities Risk.
Moreover, depositary receipts may not track the price of the underlying foreign
securities on which they are based. Certain countries may limit the
ability to convert depositary receipts into the underlying foreign securities
and vice versa, which may cause the securities of the foreign company to trade
at a discount or premium to the market price of the related depositary receipts.
A holder of depositary receipts may also be subject to fees and the credit
risk of the financial institution acting as depositary.
Equity
Securities Risk
The
Fund may invest in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that
may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer, general stock
market fluctuations that affect all issuers, or as a result of such factors as a
company’s business performance, investor perceptions, stock market trends and
general economic conditions. Investments in equity securities may be more
volatile than investments in other asset classes.
Real
Estate Stocks and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Investment
Risk
The
Fund invests in companies or underlying funds that invest in real estate, such
as REITs, which exposes investors in the Fund 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. Real estate is highly sensitive to
general and local economic conditions and developments, and characterized by
intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Many real estate companies,
including REITs, utilize leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which
increases risk and could adversely affect a real estate company's operations and
market value in periods of rising interest rates.
Associated
Risks Related to Investing in Green Building Companies
Green
Building companies are exposed to the risks specific to the real estate market
as well as the risks that relate specifically to the way in which Green Building
companies are utilized and operated. Green Building companies may be affected by
unique supply and demand factors that do not apply to other real estate sectors,
such as changes in demand for energy efficient technology and materials. Green
Building companies may be significantly affected by changes in government
spending or regulation, zoning laws, interest rates, taxation, and real estate
market trends. Green Building companies typically engage in significant amounts
of spending on research and development and could face risks associated with
higher building costs, availability of construction materials, and the effort
associated with securing and maintaining third-party certifications. Green
Building companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid
product obsolescence and are also heavily dependent on intellectual property
rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights.
Green Building companies may be concentrated in a particular country or region,
and any adverse event affecting one of these countries or regions could have a
negative impact on Green Building companies.
Associated
Risks Related to Socially Responsible Investments
Certain
social responsibility investment criteria limit the types of securities that can
be included in the Underlying Index. In order to comply with its social
responsibility investment criteria, the Underlying Index may be required to
exclude advantageous investment opportunities or reduce exposure at
inappropriate times. This could cause the Underlying Index to underperform other
benchmark indices. The Fund’s social responsibility investment criteria could
therefore cause it to underperform funds that do not maintain social
responsibility investment criteria by limiting the Fund’s exposure to certain
types of profitable activity.
Capitalization
Risk
Investing
in issuers within the same market capitalization category carries the risk that
the category may be out of favor due to current market conditions or investor
sentiment.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk
Large-capitalization
companies may trail the returns of the overall stock market.
Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better - or worse
- than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past, lasted for
as long as several years.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk
Mid-capitalization
companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less
liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization
companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management
depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer
financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization
companies.
Small-Capitalization
Companies Risk
The
Fund may invest a significant percentage of its assets in small-capitalization
companies. If it does so, it may be subject to certain risks associated with
small-capitalization companies. These companies often have greater price
volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger, more
established companies. In addition, these companies are often subject to less
analyst coverage and may be in early and less predictable periods of their
corporate existences. These companies tend to have smaller revenues, narrower
product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their
product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive
strength than larger companies.
Concentration
Risk
In
following its methodology, the Underlying Index may be concentrated to a
significant degree in securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of
industries and/or may have significant exposure to one or more sectors. To the
extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in
such an area, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately
the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly
susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry or sector, and the Fund
will face greater risk than if it were diversified broadly over numerous such
areas. Such heightened risks, any of which may adversely affect the companies in
which the Fund invests, may include, but are not limited to, the following:
general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively
affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations;
political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased
competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or
viability of companies in a particular industry or sector. In addition, at
times, such industry, group of industries or sector may be out of favor and
underperform other such categories or the market as a whole.
Risks
Related to Investing in the Equity Real Estate Investment Industry
The
Fund is concentrated in the Equity Real Estate Investment Industry, which
comprises Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). For more information, see
Asset
Class Risk - Real Estate Stocks and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Investment Risk in
the SUMMARY
OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
and A
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
sections of the Prospectus.
Risks
Related to Investing in the Real Estate Sector
The
real estate sector includes real estate companies focused on commercial and
residential real estate development, sales, operations, and services, as well as
real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). For more information, see Asset
Class Risk - Real Estate Stocks and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Investment Risk in
the SUMMARY
OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
and A
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF PRINCIPAL RISKS
sections of the Prospectus.
Currency
Risk
Foreign
currencies are subject to risks, which include changes in the debt level and
trade deficit of the country issuing the foreign currency; inflation rates of
the United States and the country issuing the foreign currency; investors’
expectations concerning inflation rates; interest rates of the United States and
the country issuing the foreign currency; investors’ expectations concerning
interest rates; investment and trading activities of mutual funds, hedge funds
and currency funds; and global or regional political, economic or financial
events and situations.
In
addition, a foreign currency in which the Fund invests may not maintain its
long-term value in terms of purchasing power in the future. When the price of a
foreign currency in which the Fund invests declines, it may have an adverse
impact on the Fund.
Foreign
exchange rates are influenced by the factors identified above and may also be
influenced by: changing supply and demand for a particular currency; monetary
policies of governments (including exchange control programs, restrictions on
local exchanges or markets and limitations on foreign investment in a country or
on investment by residents of a country in other countries); changes in balances
of payments and trade; trade restrictions; and currency devaluations and
revaluations. Also, governments from time to time intervene in the currency
markets, directly and by regulation, in order to influence prices directly.
These events and actions are unpredictable. The resulting volatility in the
USD/foreign currency exchange rate could materially and adversely affect the
performance of the Fund.
Custody
Risk
Custody
risk refers to risks in the process of clearing and settling trades and in the
holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading
volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to
complete and settle. Local agents are held only to the standard of care of the
local markets. Governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold
securities in designated depositories that are subject to independent
evaluation. Generally, the less developed a country’s securities market, the
greater the likelihood of custody problems occurring.
Foreign
Securities Risk
The
Fund’s assets may be invested within the equity markets of countries outside of
the United States. These markets are subject to special risks associated with
foreign investment, including, but not limited to: lower levels of liquidity and
market efficiency; greater securities price volatility; exchange rate
fluctuations and exchange controls; less availability of public information
about issuers; limitations on foreign ownership of securities; imposition of
withholding or other taxes; imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of
the assets of the Fund; restrictions placed on U.S. investors by U.S.
regulations governing foreign investments; higher transaction and custody costs
and delays in settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing contractual
obligations; lower levels of regulation of the securities market; weaker
accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and legal principles relating
to corporate governance and directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities.
Shareholder rights under the laws of some foreign countries may not be as
favorable as U.S. laws. Thus, a shareholder may have more difficulty in
asserting its rights or enforcing a judgment against a foreign company than a
shareholder of a comparable U.S. company. Investment of more than 25% of the
Fund’s total assets in securities located in one country or region will subject
the Fund to increased country or region risk with respect to that country or
region.
Geographic
Risk
Geographic
risk is the risk that the Fund’s assets may be concentrated in countries located
in the same geographic region. This concentration will subject the Fund to risks
associated with that particular region, or a region economically tied to that
particular region, such as a natural, biological or other disaster. Outbreaks of
contagious viruses and diseases may reduce business activity or disrupt market
activity, and have the potential to exacerbate market risks in the countries and
regions in which they occur. The securities in which the Fund invests and,
consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their
business operations, including, but not limited to:
Risk
of Investing in Developed Markets
Investment
in developed country issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political,
currency, security, and economic risk specific to developed countries. Developed
countries generally tend to rely on services sectors (e.g., the financial
services sector) as the primary means of economic growth. A prolonged slowdown
in, among others, services sectors is likely to have a negative impact on
economies of certain developed countries, although economies of individual
developed countries can be impacted by slowdowns in other sectors. In the past,
certain developed countries have been targets of terrorism, and some geographic
areas in which the Fund invests have experienced strained international
relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, defense concerns
and other security concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the
financial markets in these countries or geographic areas and may
adversely
affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. Heavy
regulation of certain markets, including labor and product markets, may have an
adverse effect on certain issuers. Such regulations may negatively affect
economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. Many developed
countries are heavily indebted and face rising healthcare and retirement
expenses and may be underprepared for global health crises. For example, the
rapid and global spread of a highly contagious novel coronavirus respiratory
disease, designated COVID-19, has resulted in extreme volatility in the
financial markets and severe losses; reduced liquidity of many instruments;
restrictions on international and, in some cases, local travel; significant
disruptions to business operations (including business closures); strained
healthcare systems; disruptions to supply chains, consumer demand and employee
availability; and widespread uncertainty regarding the duration and long-term
effects of this pandemic. In addition, price fluctuations of certain commodities
and regulations impacting the import of commodities may negatively affect
developed country economies.
Risk
of Investing in Emerging Markets
The
securities markets of emerging market countries may be less liquid, subject to
greater price volatility, have smaller market capitalizations, have less
government regulation and not be subject to as extensive and frequent
accounting, financial and other reporting requirements as the securities markets
of more developed countries, as has historically been the case. Issuers and
securities markets in emerging markets are generally not subject to as extensive
and frequent accounting, financial and other reporting requirements or as
comprehensive government regulations as are issuers and securities markets in
the developed markets. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the
financial statements of emerging market issuers may not reflect their financial
position or results of operations in the same manner as financial statements for
developed market issuers. Substantially less information may be publicly
available about emerging market issuers than is available about issuers in
developed markets. It may be difficult or impossible for the Fund to pursue
claims against an emerging market issuer in the courts of an emerging market
country. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary
for investigations into or litigation against emerging market companies and
shareholders may have limited legal rights and remedies.
Emerging
markets are generally located in the Asia and Pacific regions, the Middle East,
Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Emerging markets typically are
classified as such by lacking one or more of the following characteristics:
sustainability of economic development, large and liquid securities markets,
openness to foreign ownership, ease of capital inflows and outflows, efficiency
of the market’s operational framework, and/or stability of the institutional
framework. The Fund’s purchase and sale of portfolio securities in certain
emerging market countries may be constrained by limitations relating to daily
changes in the prices of listed securities, periodic trading or settlement
volume and/or limitations on aggregate holdings of foreign investors. Such
limitations may be computed based on the aggregate trading volume by or holdings
of the Fund, the Adviser, its affiliates and their respective clients and other
service providers. The Fund may not be able to sell securities in circumstances
where price, trading or settlement volume limitations have been reached.
Foreign
investment in the securities markets of certain emerging market countries is
restricted or controlled to varying degrees, which may limit investment in such
countries or increase the administrative costs of such investments. For example,
certain Asian countries require government approval prior to investments by
foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified
percentage of an issuer's outstanding securities or a specific class of
securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than
securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals. In addition,
certain countries may restrict or prohibit investment opportunities in issuers
or industries deemed important to national interests. Such restrictions may
affect the market price, liquidity and rights of securities that may be
purchased by the Fund. The repatriation of both investment income and capital
from certain emerging market countries is subject to restrictions, such as the
need for governmental consents. In situations where a country restricts direct
investment in securities (which may occur in certain Asian, Latin American and
other countries), the Fund may invest in such countries through other investment
funds in such countries. Certain emerging market countries may have privatized,
or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries.
Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized.
Many
emerging market countries have experienced currency devaluations, substantial
(and, in some cases, extremely high) rates of inflation, and economic
recessions. These circumstances have had a negative effect on the economies and
securities markets of those emerging market countries. Economies in emerging
market countries generally are dependent upon commodity prices and international
trade and, accordingly, have been, and may continue to be, affected adversely by
the economies of their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls,
managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures
imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. As a result,
emerging market countries are particularly vulnerable to downturns of the world
economy. The 2008-2009 global financial crisis tightened international credit
supplies and weakened the global demand for their
exports.
As a result, certain of these economies faced significant economic difficulties,
which caused some emerging market economies to fall into recession. Recovery
from such conditions may be gradual and/or halting as weak economic conditions
in developed markets may continue to suppress demand for exports from emerging
market countries.
Many
emerging market countries are subject to a substantial degree of economic,
political and social instability. Governments of some emerging market countries
are authoritarian in nature or have been installed or removed as a result of
military coups, while governments in other emerging market countries have
periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the
pace and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial
disaffection, among other factors, have also led to social unrest, violence
and/or labor unrest in some emerging market countries. Many emerging market
countries have experienced strained international relations due to border
disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets and may adversely affect the performance of
these economies. Unanticipated political, social, and public health developments
may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Many emerging markets
may be underprepared for global health crises. For example, the rapid and global
spread of a highly contagious novel coronavirus respiratory disease, designated
COVID-19, has resulted in extreme volatility in the financial markets and severe
losses; reduced liquidity of many instruments; restrictions on international
and, in some cases, local travel; significant disruptions to business operations
(including business closures); strained healthcare systems; disruptions to
supply chains, consumer demand and employee availability; and widespread
uncertainty regarding the duration and long-term effects of this pandemic.
Investing in emerging market countries involves greater risk of loss due to
expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the
imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital
invested. As an example, in the past some Eastern European governments have
expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and many claims of the
property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that
similar expropriations will not occur in other emerging market countries,
including China.
As
a result of heightened geopolitical tensions, various countries have imposed
economic sanctions, imposed non-trade barriers and renewed existing economic
sanctions on specific emerging markets and on issuers within those markets.
These non-trade barriers consist of prohibiting certain securities trades,
prohibiting certain private transactions in certain sectors and with respect to
certain companies, asset freezes, and prohibition of all business, against
certain individuals and companies. The United States and other nations or
international organizations may impose additional, broader economic sanctions or
take other actions that may adversely affect certain emerging markets in the
future. These actions, any future sanctions or other actions, or even the threat
of further sanctions or other actions, may negatively affect the value and
liquidity of the Fund’s investments. For example, the Fund may be prohibited
from investing in securities issued by companies subject to such sanctions. In
addition, sanctions may require the Fund to freeze its existing investments,
prohibiting the Fund from buying, selling or otherwise transacting in these
investments. Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund's Underlying
Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the
affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling
strategy to seek to track the investment results of the Underlying Index. The
use of (or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the
Fund’s tracking error risk. Actions barring some or all transactions with a
specific company will likely have a substantial, negative impact on the value of
such company’s securities. These sanctions may also lead to changes in the
Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s index provider may remove securities from
the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that
have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an event, it is expected
that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with its
Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in
transaction costs and increased tracking error. The Fund’s investment in
emerging market countries may also be subject to withholding or other taxes,
which may be significant and may reduce the return to the Fund from an
investment in such countries.
Settlement
and clearance procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less
developed and reliable than those in the United States and may involve the
Fund’s delivery of securities before receipt of payment for their sale. In
addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in registering the
transfer of securities. Settlement, clearance or registration problems may make
it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities and could cause
the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, to have a portion of its
assets uninvested or to incur losses due to the failure of a counterparty to pay
for securities the Fund has delivered or the Fund’s inability to complete its
contractual obligations because of theft or other reasons. In addition, local
agents and depositories are subject to local standards of care that may not be
as rigorous as developed countries. Governments and other groups may also
require local agents to hold securities in depositories that are not subject to
independent verification. The less developed a country’s securities market, the
greater the risk to the Fund.
The
creditworthiness of the local securities firms used by the Fund in emerging
market countries may not be as sound as the creditworthiness of firms used in
more developed countries. As a result, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk
of loss if a securities firm defaults in the performance of its
responsibilities.
The
Fund’s use of foreign currency management techniques in emerging market
countries may be limited. Due to the limited market for these instruments in
emerging market countries, all or a significant portion of the Fund's currency
exposure in emerging market countries may not be covered by such instruments.
Rising
interest rates, combined with widening credit spreads, could negatively impact
the value of emerging market debt and increase funding costs for foreign
issuers. In such a scenario, foreign issuers might not be able to service their
debt obligations, the market for emerging market debt could suffer from reduced
liquidity, and the Fund could lose money.
Certain
issuers in emerging market countries may utilize share blocking schemes. Share
blocking refers to a practice, in certain foreign markets, where voting rights
related to an issuer's securities are predicated on these securities being
blocked from trading at the custodian or sub-custodian level, for a period of
time around a shareholder meeting. These restrictions have the effect of barring
the purchase and sale of certain voting securities within a specified number of
days before and, in certain instances, after a shareholder meeting where a vote
of shareholders will be taken. Share blocking may prevent the Fund from buying
or selling securities for a period of time. During the time that shares are
blocked, trades in such securities will not settle. The blocking period can last
up to several weeks. The process for having a blocking restriction lifted can be
quite onerous with the particular requirements varying widely by country. In
addition, in certain countries, the block cannot be removed. As a result of the
ramifications of voting ballots in markets that allow share blocking, the
Adviser, on behalf of the Fund, reserves the right to abstain from voting
proxies in those markets.
Risk
of Investing in the United States
A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic
recession in the U.S. may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and
the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. Proposed and adopted policy and
legislative changes in the U.S. are changing many aspects of financial and other
regulation and may have a significant effect on the U.S. markets generally, as
well as on the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the
U.S. public debt level or the imposition of U.S. austerity measures may
adversely affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the Fund has
exposure. The U.S. has developed increasingly strained relations with a number
of foreign countries. If these relations continue to worsen, it could adversely
affect U.S. issuers as well as non-U.S. issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade.
The U.S. has also experienced increased internal unrest and discord. If this
trend were to continue, it may have an adverse impact on the U.S. economy and
the issuers in which the Fund invests.
International
Closed Market Trading Risk
To
the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign
exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s
Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current
price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the
underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market).
These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that
may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.
Investable
Universe of Companies Risk
The
investable universe of companies in which the Fund may invest may be limited. If
a company no longer meets the Index Provider’s criteria for inclusion in the
Underlying Index, the Fund may need to reduce or eliminate its holdings in that
company. The reduction or elimination of the Fund’s holdings in the company may
have an adverse impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s overall portfolio holdings
and on Fund performance.
Issuer
Risk
Issuer
risk is the risk that any of the individual companies that the Fund invests in
may perform badly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor
performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures,
changes in technology, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages,
corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors.
Issuers
may, in times of distress or on their own discretion, decide to reduce or
eliminate dividends, which would also cause their stock prices to
decline.
Market
Risk
Market
risk is the risk that the value of the securities in which the Fund invests may
go up or down in response to the prospects of individual issuers and/or general
economic conditions. Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity
may negatively affect issuers, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
If the securities held by the Fund experience poor liquidity, the Fund may be
unable to transact at advantageous times or prices, which may decrease the
Fund’s returns. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by central
governments and governmental agencies, including the Federal Reserve or the
European Central Bank, which could include increasing interest rates, could
cause increased volatility in financial markets and lead to higher levels of
Fund redemptions from Authorized Participants, which could have a negative
impact on the Fund. Furthermore, local, regional or global events such as war,
acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health
issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund
and its investments and trading of its Shares. For example, at the start of
2022, expectations for higher policy interest rates and the removal of monetary
policy support resulted in elevated market volatility and a weak start to
January as markets rotated away from companies with weaker fundamentals and/or
higher valuations. Sustained elevated inflation, global supply chain bottlenecks
and labor shortages encouraged a U.S. Federal Reserve policy shift to increase
interest rates. With central bankers needing to reflect that they remain ahead
of the curve on inflation, there are concerns that monetary policy may provide
less support should economic growth slow. The slowing growth of gross domestic
product in China may weigh on global economic growth, while the COVID-19
pandemic remains a risk to both global economic growth and supply chain
normalization. Market risk factors may result in increased volatility and/or
decreased liquidity in the securities markets. The Fund’s NAV could decline over
short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during
market downturns.
New
Fund Risk
The
Fund is a new fund, with no operating history, which may result in additional
risks for investors in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will
grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Board of
Trustees may determine to liquidate the Fund. While shareholder interests will
be the paramount consideration, the timing of any liquidation may not be
favorable to certain individual shareholders. From time to time an Authorized
Participant, a third-party investor, the Adviser or another affiliate of the
Adviser or the Fund may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a
specific period of time in order to facilitate commencement of the Fund’s
operations or for the Fund to achieve size or scale. There can be no assurance
that any such entity would not redeem its investment or that the size of the
Fund would be maintained at such levels which could negatively impact the Fund.
Non-Diversification
Risk
The
Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” investment company under the 1940 Act.
This means that the Fund may invest most of its assets in securities issued by
or representing a small number of companies. As a result, the Fund may be more
susceptible to the risks associated with these particular companies, or to a
single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these companies.
Operational
Risk
The
Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including
but not limited to human error, processing and communication errors, errors of
the Fund's service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or
inadequate processes and technology or systems failures.
With
the increased use of technologies such as the internet to conduct business, the
Fund, Authorized Participants, service providers and the relevant listing
exchange are susceptible to operational, information security and related
“cyber” risks both directly and through their service providers. Similar types
of cyber security risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the
Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such
issuers and may cause the Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose
value. Unlike many other types of risks faced by the Fund, these risks typically
are not covered by insurance. In general, cyber incidents can result from
deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber incidents include, but are not
limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through
“hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets
or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption.
Cyber-attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining
unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites
(i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users).
Recently, geopolitical tensions may have increased the scale and sophistication
of deliberate attacks, particularly those from nation-states or from entities
with nation-state backing. Cyber security failures by or breaches of the systems
of the Adviser and the Fund’s distributor and other service providers
(including, but not limited to, the Index Provider, fund accountants,
custodians, transfer
agents
and administrators), market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of
securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and
impact business operations, potentially resulting in: financial losses,
interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, disclosure of
confidential trading information, impediments to trading, submission of
erroneous trades or erroneous creation or redemption orders, the inability of
the Fund or its service providers to transact business, violations of applicable
privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage,
reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In
addition, cyber-attacks may render records of Fund assets and transactions,
shareholder ownership of Fund Shares, and other data integral to the functioning
of the Fund inaccessible or inaccurate or incomplete. Substantial costs may be
incurred by the Fund in order to resolve or prevent cyber incidents in the
future. While the Fund has established business continuity plans in the event
of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber-attacks, there are
inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that
certain risks have not been identified and that prevention and remediation
efforts will not be successful. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber
security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund,
issuers in which the Fund invests, the Index Provider, market makers or
Authorized Participants. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively
impacted as a result.
The
Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and
procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may
be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Passive
Investment Risk
The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market
segments relating to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities
included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index regardless of their
investment merits, and the Adviser does not otherwise attempt to take defensive
positions in declining markets. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does
not seek to outperform its Underlying Index. Therefore, the Fund would not
necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed,
respectively, from the Underlying Index, even if that security generally is
underperforming. Additionally, if a constituent of the Underlying Index were
removed, even outside of a regular rebalance of the Underlying Index, the
Adviser anticipates that the Fund would sell such security. Maintaining
investments in securities regardless of market conditions or the performance of
individual securities could cause the Fund’s return to be lower than if the Fund
employed an active strategy.
Index-Related
Risk
There
is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the
Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Underlying Index. Errors in index data, index computations and/or the
construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may
occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index
Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the
Fund and its shareholders.
Management
Risk
The
Fund may not fully replicate its Underlying Index and may hold securities not
included in its Underlying Index. Therefore, the Fund is subject to management
risk. That is, the Adviser’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is
subject to a number of constraints, may cause the Fund to underperform the
market or its relevant benchmark or adversely affect the ability of the Fund to
achieve its investment objective. While the Fund is passively managed,
implementation of the Fund’s principal investment strategy may result in
tracking error risk, which is described below. The ability of the Adviser to
successfully implement the Fund’s investment strategies will influence the
Fund’s performance significantly.
Tracking
Error Risk
Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund's performance from that of the Underlying
Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities
and other instruments held in the Fund's portfolio and those included in the
Underlying Index, pricing differences (including differences between a
security's price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a
security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV), transaction costs
incurred by the Fund, the Fund's holding of uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of or the valuation of dividends or interest, tax gains or
losses, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs to the Fund of complying
with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be
heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and
expenses,
while the Underlying Index does not. ETFs that track indices with significant
weight in emerging markets issuers may experience higher tracking error than
other ETFs that do not track such indices.
Risks
Associated with Exchange-Traded Funds
As
an ETF, the Fund is subject to the following risks:
Authorized
Participants Concentration Risk
The
Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized
Participants. Only Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with
the Fund's distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions
directly with the Fund, and none of those Authorized Participants is obligated
to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that those
Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to process creation
and/or redemption orders, and no other Authorized Participant is able to step
forward to create and redeem in either of those cases, Shares may trade like
closed-end fund shares at a discount to NAV, and may possibly face trading halts
and/or delisting from the Exchange.
Large
Shareholder Risk
Certain
shareholders, including an Authorized Participant, the Adviser or an affiliate
of the Adviser, may own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. Additionally,
from time to time an Authorized Participant, a third-party investor, the
Adviser, or an affiliate of the Adviser may invest in the Fund and hold its
investment for a specific period of time in order to facilitate commencement of
the Fund’s operations or to allow the Fund to achieve size or scale.
Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on
the Fund. If a large shareholder were to redeem all, or a large portion, of its
Shares, there is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to maintain sufficient
assets to continue operations in which case the Board of Trustees may determine
to liquidate the Fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may
account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the Exchange and may,
therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the
Shares.
Listing
Standards Risk
The
Fund is required to comply with listing requirements adopted by the listing
exchange. Non-compliance with such requirements may result in the Fund's shares
being delisted by the listing exchange. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund
could cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs and could result in
negative tax consequences for its shareholders.
Market
Trading Risks and Premium/Discount Risks
Absence
of Active Market
Although
Shares of the Fund are or will be listed for trading on a U.S. exchange and may
be listed on certain foreign exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active
trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained.
Risks
of Secondary Listings
The
Fund's Shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges other than
the U.S. exchange where the Fund’s primary listing is maintained. There can be
no assurance that the Fund’s Shares will continue to trade on any such exchange
or in any market or that the Fund's Shares will continue to meet the
requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's
Shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than others, and investors
are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the
market where they or their brokers direct their trades for execution. Certain
information available to investors who trade Shares on a U.S. exchange during
regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other
markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less
efficient.
Secondary
Market Trading Risk
Shares
of the Fund may trade in the secondary market on days when the Fund does not
accept orders to purchase or redeem Shares. On such days, Shares may trade in
the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced on days when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary
market trading in Fund Shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of
market conditions or other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund Shares on a
stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by
extraordinary market volatility pursuant to "circuit breaker" rules on the stock
exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to
maintain the listing or trading of Fund Shares will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Shares
of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV
Shares
of the Fund may trade at, above or below NAV. The per share NAV of the Fund will
fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading
prices of Shares will fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund's NAV as
well as market supply and demand. The trading prices of the Fund's Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or when the
Fund has relatively few assets or experiences a lower trading volume. Any of
these factors may lead to the Fund's Shares trading at a premium or discount to
NAV. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that
Shares normally will trade close to the Fund’s NAV, market prices are not
expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons as well
as market supply and demand factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and
redemptions or the existence of extreme market volatility may result in trading
prices that differ significantly from NAV. If a shareholder purchases at a time
when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells at a time when the
market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.
Since
foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price Shares, the
value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when
shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares.
Costs
of Buying or Selling Fund Shares
Buying
or selling Fund Shares involves two types of costs that apply to all securities
transactions. When buying or selling Shares of the Fund through a broker, you
will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges imposed by brokers as
determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the "spread" -
that is, the difference between what professional investors are willing to pay
for Fund Shares (the "bid" price) and the market price at which they are willing
to sell Fund Shares (the "ask" price). Because of the costs inherent in buying
or selling Fund Shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from
investment results and an investment in Fund Shares may not be advisable for
investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Risks
Related to Stock Connect Programs
Investing
in securities through Stock Connect Programs is subject to trading, clearance,
settlement and other procedures, which could pose risks to the Fund. The Stock
Connect Programs are subject to daily and aggregate quota limitations, which
limit the maximum daily net purchases on any particular day by Hong Kong
investors (and foreign investors trading through Hong Kong) trading mainland
Chinese listed securities and mainland Chinese investors trading Hong Kong
listed securities trading through the relevant Stock Connect Program. The daily
quota is not specific to the Fund and is utilized on a first-come-first-serve
basis. As such, buy orders via the Stock Connect Programs could be rejected once
the daily quota is exceeded. The daily quota may thereby restrict the Fund’s
ability to invest through Stock Connect Programs on a timely basis, which could
affect the Fund’s ability to effectively pursue its investment strategy. The
daily quota is also subject to change. It is possible for securities eligible to
be purchased via the Stock Connect Programs to lose such designation, which
could impact the Fund's ability to pursue its investment strategy.
In
order to comply with applicable local market rules and to facilitate orderly
operations of the Fund, including the timely settlement of Stock Connect Program
trades placed by or on behalf of the Fund, the Fund utilizes an operating model
that may reduce the risks of trade failures; however, it will also allow Stock
Connect Program trades to be settled without the prior verification by the Fund.
Accordingly, this operating model may subject the Fund to additional risks,
including an increased risk of inadvertently exceeding certain trade or other
restrictions or limits placed on the Fund and/or its affiliates, and a
heightened risk of erroneous trades, which may negatively impact the Fund.
Additionally, the Shenzen and Shanghai markets may operate when the Stock
Connect Programs are not active, and consequently the prices of shares held via
Stock Connect Programs may fluctuate at times when the Fund is unable to add to
or exit its positions.
The
Stock Connect Programs are new, and the effect of the introduction of large
numbers of foreign investors on the market for trading Chinese-listed securities
is not well understood. Regulations, such as limitations on redemptions or
suspension of trading, may adversely impact the value of the Fund’s investments.
The Fund's investments in A-Shares though the Stock
Connect
Program are held by its custodian in accounts in Central Clearing and Settlement
System ("CCASS") maintained by the Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited
("HKSCC"), which in turn holds the A-Shares, as the nominee holder, through an
omnibus securities account in its name registered with the CSDCC. The precise
nature and rights of the Fund as the beneficial owner of the SSE Securities or
SZSE Securities through HKSCC as nominee is not well defined under Chinese law.
There is no guarantee that the Shenzen, Shanghai, and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges
will continue to support the Stock Connect Programs in the future. The
securities regimes and legal systems of China and Hong Kong differ
significantly, and issues may arise based on these differences. Different fees,
costs and taxes are imposed on foreign investors acquiring securities through
Stock Connect Programs, and these fees, costs and taxes may be higher than
comparable fees, costs and taxes imposed on owners of other Chinese securities
providing similar investment exposure.
Securities
Lending Risk
The
Fund may engage in lending its portfolio securities. The Fund may lend its
portfolio securities to the extent noted under Fund Summaries-Principal
Investment Strategies. In connection with such loans, the Fund receives liquid
collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of domestic equity securities and
ADRs and 105% of the value of the foreign equity securities (other than ADRs)
being lent. This collateral is marked-to-market on a daily basis. Although the
Fund will receive collateral in connection with all loans of its securities
holdings, the Fund would be exposed to a risk of loss should a borrower default
on its obligation to return the borrowed securities (e.g., the loaned securities
may have appreciated beyond the value of the collateral held by the Fund). In
addition, the Fund will bear the risk of loss of any cash collateral that it
invests. Also, as securities on loan may not be voted by the Fund, there is a
risk that the Fund may not be able to recall the securities in sufficient time
to vote on material proxy matters.
Trading
Halt Risk
An
exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or
the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be
restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain
securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be
unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its
investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Valuation
Risk
The
sales price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s
valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying
Index, particularly for securities that trade in low value or volatile markets
or that are valued using a fair value methodology (such as during trading
halts). Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not
price its Shares, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change
on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's
Shares.
A
FURTHER DISCUSSION OF OTHER RISKS
The
Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated with its investments
and investment strategies.
Leverage
Risk
Under
the 1940 Act, the Fund is permitted to borrow from a bank up to 33 1/3% of its
net assets for short term or emergency purposes. The Fund may borrow money at
fiscal quarter end to maintain the required level of diversification to qualify
as a regulated investment company ("RIC") for purposes of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). As a result, the Fund may be exposed to
the risks of leverage, which may be considered a speculative investment
technique. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and loss on amounts
invested and therefore increases the risks associated with investing in the
Fund. If the value of the Fund's assets increases, then leveraging would cause
the Fund's NAV to increase more sharply than it would have had the Fund not
leveraged. Conversely, if the value of the Fund's assets decreases, leveraging
would cause the Fund's NAV to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have
had the Fund not leveraged. The Fund may incur additional expenses in connection
with borrowings.
Qualification
as a Regulated Investment Company Risk
The
Fund must meet a number of diversification requirements to qualify as a RIC
under Section 851 of the Code and, if qualified, to continue to qualify. If the
Fund experiences difficulty in meeting those requirements for any fiscal
quarter, it might enter into borrowings in order to increase the portion of the
Fund’s total assets represented by cash, cash items, and U.S.
government
securities shortly thereafter and, as of the close of the following fiscal
quarter, to attempt to meet the requirements. However, the Fund may incur
additional expenses in connection with any such borrowings, and increased
investments by the Fund in cash, cash items, and U.S. government securities
(whether the Fund makes such investments from borrowings) are likely to reduce
the Fund’s return to investors.
Tax
Treaty Reclaims Uncertainty
When
the Fund receives dividend and interest income (if any) from issuers in certain
countries, such distributions may be subject to partial withholding by local tax
authorities in order to satisfy potential local tax obligations. The Fund may
file claims to recover such withholding tax in jurisdictions where withholding
tax reclaim is possible, which may be the case as a result of bilateral treaties
between the United States and local governments. Whether or when the Fund will
receive a withholding tax refund in the future is within the control of the tax
authorities in such countries. Where the Fund expects to recover withholding tax
based on a continuous assessment of probability of recovery, the NAV of the Fund
generally includes accruals for such tax refunds. The Fund continues to evaluate
tax developments for potential impact to the probability of recovery. If the
likelihood of receiving refunds materially decreases, for example due to a
change in tax regulation or approach, accruals in the Fund’s NAV for such
refunds may need to be written down partially or in full, which will adversely
affect that Fund’s NAV. Investors in the Fund at the time an accrual is written
down will bear the impact of any resulting reduction in NAV regardless of
whether they were investors during the accrual period. Conversely, if the Fund
receives a tax refund that has not been previously accrued, investors in the
Fund at the time the claim is successful will benefit from any resulting
increase in the Fund’s NAV. Investors who sold their shares prior to such time
will not benefit from such NAV increase.
PORTFOLIO
HOLDINGS INFORMATION
A
description of the policies and procedures of Global X Funds®
(the "Trust") with respect to the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio securities
is available in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI"). The top
holdings of the Fund and Fund Fact Sheets providing information regarding the
Fund's top holdings can be found at www.globalxetfs.com/explore/(click on the
name of your Fund) and may be requested by calling 1-888-493-8631.
FUND
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser
Global
X Management Company LLC (the "Adviser") serves as the investment adviser and
the administrator for the Fund. Subject to the supervision of the Board of
Trustees, the Adviser is responsible for managing the investment activities of
the Fund and the Fund's business affairs and other administrative matters. The
Adviser has been a registered investment adviser since 2008. The Adviser is a
Delaware limited liability company with its principal offices located at 605 3rd
Avenue, 43rd Floor, New York, New York 10158. As of March 23, 2022, the Adviser
provided investment advisory services for assets of approximately $44
billion.
Pursuant
to a Supervision and Administration Agreement and subject to the general
supervision of the Board of Trustees, the Adviser provides, or causes to be
furnished, all supervisory, administrative and other services reasonably
necessary for the operation of the Fund and also bears the costs of various
third-party services required by the Fund, including audit, certain custody,
portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Supervision
and Administration Agreement also requires the Adviser to provide investment
advisory services to the Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory
Agreement.
The
Fund pays the Adviser a fee ("Management Fee") in return for providing
investment advisory, supervisory and administrative services under an all-in fee
structure. The Fund will pay a monthly Management Fee to the Adviser at the
annual rate set forth in the table below (stated as a percentage of the Fund's
average daily net assets).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fund |
Management
Fee |
Global
X Green Building ETF |
0.45% |
In
addition, the Fund bears other fees and expenses that are not covered by the
Supervision and Administration Agreement, which may vary and will affect the
total expense ratio of the Fund, such as taxes, brokerage fees, commissions and
other transaction expenses, interest and extraordinary expenses (such as
litigation and indemnification expenses). The Adviser may earn a profit on the
Management Fee paid by the Fund. Also, the Adviser, and not the shareholders of
the Fund, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services,
including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.
The
Adviser or its affiliates may pay compensation out of profits derived from the
Adviser's Management Fee or other resources and not as an additional charge to
the Fund, to certain financial institutions (which may include banks, securities
dealers and other industry professionals) for the sale and/or distribution of
Fund Shares or the retention and/or servicing of Fund investors and Fund Shares
("revenue sharing"). These payments are in addition to any other fees described
in the fee table or elsewhere in the Prospectus or SAI. Examples of "revenue
sharing" payments include, but are not limited to, payments to financial
institutions for "shelf space" or access to a third party platform or fund
offering list or other marketing programs, including, but not limited to,
inclusion of the Fund on preferred or recommended sales lists, mutual fund
"supermarket" platforms and other formal sales programs; granting the Adviser
access to the financial institution's sales force; granting the Adviser access
to the financial institution's conferences and meetings; assistance in training
and educating the financial institution's personnel; and obtaining other forms
of marketing support. The level of revenue sharing payments made to financial
institutions may be a fixed fee or based upon one or more of the following
factors: gross sales, current assets and/or number of accounts of the Fund
attributable to the financial institution, or other factors as agreed to by the
Adviser and the financial institution or any combination thereof. The amount of
these revenue sharing payments is determined at the discretion of the Adviser,
from time to time, may be substantial, and may be different for different
financial institutions depending upon the services provided by the financial
institution. Such payments may provide an incentive for the financial
institution to make Shares of the Fund available to its customers and may allow
the Fund greater access to the financial institution's customers.
Approval
of Advisory Agreement
Discussion
regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the Supervision and
Administration Agreement and the related Investment Advisory Agreement for the
Fund will be available in the Fund's first shareholder report, either the
Semi-Annual Report or Annual Report to shareholders for the period ended May 31
or November 30, respectively.
Portfolio
Management
The
Portfolio Managers who are currently responsible for the day-to-day management
of each Fund's portfolio are Nam To, Wayne Xie, Kimberly Chan, Vanessa Yang,
William Helm and Sandy Lu.
Nam
To:
Nam To, CFA, Portfolio Manager, joined the Adviser in July 2017. Prior to that,
Mr. To was a Global Economics Research Analyst at Bunge Limited from 2014 to
2017. Mr. To received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Economics from
Cornell University in 2014.
Wayne
Xie:
Wayne Xie, Director of Portfolio Management, joined the Adviser in July 2018 as
a Portfolio Management Associate. Previously, Mr. Xie was an Analyst at VanEck
Associates on the Equity ETF Investment Management team from 2010 to 2018 and a
Portfolio Administrator at VanEck Associates from 2007 to 2010. Mr. Xie received
his Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo in
2002.
Kimberly
Chan:
Kimberly Chan, Portfolio Manager, joined the Adviser in June 2018 and is a
Portfolio Management Associate. Previously, Ms. Chan was a U.S. Associate Trader
at Credit Agricole from 2016 to 2018, and an Investment Analyst at MetLife
Investments from 2015 to 2016. Ms. Chan received her Bachelor of Science from
New York University in 2015.
Vanessa
Yang:
Vanessa Yang, Portfolio Manager, joined the Adviser in 2016 as a Portfolio
Administrator. She was appointed to the portfolio management team in June 2019.
Previously, Ms. Yang was a Portfolio Administrator at VanEck Associates from
2011 to 2014. Ms. Yang received her MS in Financial Engineering from Drucker
School of Management in 2010 and her BS in Economics from Guangdong University
of Foreign Studies in 2008.
William
Helm:
William Helm, CFA, Portfolio Manager, joined the Adviser in September 2021.
Previously, Mr. Helm spent 14 years at Vanguard where he most recently served as
an Equity Portfolio Manager and Trader. Previously, he held roles in Portfolio
Review, Corporate Strategy and Corporate Finance. Mr. Helm received his BBA in
Economics from Belmont University in 2007 and his MBA from Columbia Business
School in 2020.
Sandy
Lu:
Sandy Lu, CFA, Portfolio Manager, joined the Adviser in September 2021.
Previously, Mr. Lu worked at PGIM Fixed Income from 2014 to 2021, where he led
the portfolio analyst team covering Emerging Markets Debt. He began his career
in 2010 as an Investment Analyst at Lincoln Financial Group. Mr. Lu graduated
with a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania. He earned his CFA designation in September 2015, and holds the
Series 3 license.
The
SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers' compensation
structure, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio
Managers' ownership of Shares of the Fund.
DISTRIBUTOR
SEI
Investments Distribution Co. ("Distributor") distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in
Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or
the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor's
principal address is One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456. The Distributor
is not affiliated with the Adviser.
BUYING
AND SELLING FUND SHARES
Shares
of the Fund trade on a national securities exchange and in the secondary market
during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day
like other shares of publicly-traded securities. There is no minimum investment
for purchases made on a national securities exchange. When buying or selling
Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and
charges. In addition, you will also incur the cost of the "spread," which is the
difference between what professional investors are willing to pay for Shares
(the "bid" price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Shares (the
"ask" price). The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a
significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts
of Shares. The spread with respect to Shares varies over time based on the
Fund's trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund
has significant trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund has
little trading volume and market liquidity. Because of the costs of buying and
selling Shares, frequent trading may reduce investment return.
Shares
of the Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund only by
Authorized Participants (as defined in the SAI) and only in Creation Units or
multiples thereof, as discussed in the "Creations and Redemptions" section in
the SAI.
Shares
generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund trade under the trading symbol listed for the Fund in the
Fund Summary section of this Prospectus.
The
Fund is listed on a national securities exchange, which is open for trading
Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays, as
observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good
Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day,
Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Book
Entry
Shares
of the Fund are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates
are issued. The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") or its nominee is the record
owner of all outstanding Shares and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for
all purposes. Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the
records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for
all Shares. Participants include DTC, securities brokers and dealers, banks,
trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or
indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of
Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates
or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a
registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any rights as an owner of
Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These
procedures are the same as those that apply to any securities that you hold in
book entry or "street name" form.
FREQUENT
TRADING
Unlike
frequent trading of shares of a traditional open-end mutual fund (i.e., not
exchange-traded shares), frequent trading of Shares on the secondary market does
not disrupt portfolio management, increase the Fund's trading costs, lead to
realization of capital gains, or otherwise harm Fund shareholders because these
trades do not involve the Fund directly. A few institutional investors are
authorized to purchase and redeem the Fund's Shares directly with the Fund. When
these trades are effected in-kind (i.e., for securities, and not for cash), they
do not cause any of the harmful effects (noted above) that may result from
frequent cash trades. Moreover, the Fund imposes transaction fees on in-kind
purchases and redemptions of the Fund intended to cover the custodial and other
costs incurred by the Fund in effecting in-kind trades. These fees increase if
an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the
fact that the Fund's trading costs increase in those circumstances, although
transaction fees are subject to certain limits and therefore may not cover all
related costs incurred by the Fund. For these reasons, the Board of Trustees has
determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect
and deter frequent trading and market-timing in Shares of the Fund.
DISTRIBUTION
AND SERVICE PLAN
The
Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a Distribution and Services Plan
("Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Plan, the Fund is
authorized to pay distribution fees in connection with the sale and distribution
of its Shares and pay service fees in connection with the provision of ongoing
services to shareholders of each class and the maintenance of shareholder
accounts in an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each
year.
No
Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans
to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the
future, because these fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing
basis, these fees will increase the cost of your investment in the Fund. By
purchasing Shares subject to distribution fees and service fees, you may pay
more over time than you would by purchasing Shares with other types of sales
charge arrangements. Long-term shareholders may pay more than the economic
equivalent of the maximum front-end sales charge permitted by the rules of
FINRA. The net income attributable to Shares will be reduced by the amount of
distribution fees and service fees and other expenses of the Fund.
DIVIDENDS
AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Dividends
from net investment income, including any net foreign currency gains, generally
are declared and paid at least annually and any net realized capital gains are
distributed at least annually. In order to improve tracking error or comply with
the distribution requirements of the Code, dividends may be declared and paid
more frequently than annually for the Fund.
Dividends
and other distributions on Shares are distributed on a pro rata basis to
beneficial owners of such Shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC
participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the
Fund. Dividends and security gain distributions are distributed in U.S. dollars
and cannot be automatically reinvested in additional Shares.
No
dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make
available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial
owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial
owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of
the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require
beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this
service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and
realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares
purchased in the secondary market.
TAXES
The
following is a summary of certain tax considerations that may be relevant to an
investor in the Fund. Except where otherwise indicated, the discussion relates
to investors who are individual United States citizens or residents and is based
on current tax law. You should consult your tax advisor for further information
regarding federal, state, local and/or foreign tax consequences relevant to your
specific situation.
Distributions.
The Fund receives income and gains on its investments. The income, less expenses
incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund's net investment
income from which dividends may be paid to you. The Fund intends to qualify as a
RIC under the Code for federal tax purposes and to distribute to shareholders
substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gain each year.
Except as otherwise noted below, you will generally be subject to federal income
tax on the Fund's distributions to you. For federal income tax purposes, Fund
distributions attributable to short-term capital gains and net investment income
are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions attributable to net capital
gains (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital
losses) of the Fund generally are taxable to you as long-term capital gains.
This is true no matter how long you own your Shares or whether you take
distributions in cash or additional Shares. The maximum long-term capital gain
rate applicable to individuals is 20%.
Distributions
of "qualifying dividends" will also generally be taxable to you at long-term
capital gain rates as long as certain requirements are met. In general, if 95%
or more of the gross income of the Fund (other than net capital gain) consists
of dividends received from domestic corporations or "qualified" foreign
corporations ("qualifying dividends"), then all distributions received by
individual shareholders of the Fund will be treated as qualifying dividends. But
if less than 95% of the gross income of the Fund (other than net capital gain)
consists of qualifying dividends, then distributions received by individual
shareholders of the Fund will be qualifying dividends only to the extent they
are derived from qualifying dividends earned by the Fund. For the lower rates to
apply, you must have owned your Shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day
period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the Fund's ex-dividend date
(and the Fund will need to have met a similar holding period requirement with
respect to the Shares of the corporation paying the qualifying dividend). The
amount of the Fund's distributions that qualify for this favorable treatment may
be reduced as a result of the Fund's securities lending activities (if
any),
a high portfolio turnover rate or investments in debt securities or
"non-qualified" foreign corporations. In addition, whether distributions
received from foreign corporations are qualifying dividends will depend on
several factors including the country of residence of the corporation making the
distribution. Accordingly, distributions from many of the Fund's holdings may
not be qualifying dividends.
A
portion of distributions paid to shareholders that are corporations may also
qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporations, subject to
certain holding period requirements and debt financing limitations. The amount
of the dividends qualifying for this deduction may, however, be reduced as a
result of the Fund's securities lending activities, by a high portfolio turnover
rate or by investments in debt securities or foreign corporations.
Distributions
from the Fund will generally be taxable to you in the year in which they are
paid, with one exception. Dividends and distributions declared by the Fund in
October, November or December and paid in January of the following year are
taxed as though they were paid on December 31.
You
should note that if you buy Shares of the Fund shortly before it makes a
distribution, the distribution will be fully taxable to you even though, as an
economic matter, it simply represents a return of a portion of your investment.
This adverse tax result is known as "buying into a dividend."
You
will be informed of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualifying
dividend income, and capital gain distributions at the time they are paid, and
you will be advised of the tax status for federal income tax purposes shortly
after the close of each calendar year. If you have not held Shares for a full
year, the Fund may designate and distribute to you, as ordinary income or
capital gain, a percentage of income that is not equal to the actual amount of
such income earned during the period of your investment in the
Fund.
The
Fund's investments in partnerships, including in partnerships defined as
Qualified Publicly Traded Partnerships for tax purposes, may result in the Fund
being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding tax
liabilities.
Excise
Tax Distribution Requirements.
Under the Code, a nondeductible excise tax of 4% is imposed on the excess of a
RIC's "required distribution" for the calendar year ending within the RIC's
taxable year over the "distributed amount" for such calendar year. The term
"required distribution" means the sum of (a) 98% of ordinary income (generally
net investment income) for the calendar year, (b) 98.2% of capital gain (both
long-term and short-term) for the one-year period ending on October 31 (or
December 31, if the Fund so elects), and (c) the sum of any untaxed,
undistributed net investment income and net capital gains of the RIC for prior
periods. The term "distributed amount" generally means the sum of (a) amounts
actually distributed by the Fund from its current year's ordinary income and
capital gain net income and (b) any amount on which the Fund pays income tax for
the taxable year ending in the calendar year. Although the Fund intends to
distribute its net investment income and net capital gains so as to avoid excise
tax liability, the Fund may determine that it is in the interest of shareholders
to distribute a lesser amount. The Fund intends to declare and pay these amounts
in December (or in January, which must be treated by you as received in
December) to avoid these excise taxes, but can give no assurances that its
distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all such taxes.
Foreign
Currencies.
Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates
which occur between the time the Fund accrues interest or other receivables or
accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency, and the
time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities, are
treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. Similarly, gains or losses from the
disposition of foreign currencies, from the disposition of debt securities
denominated in a foreign currency, or from the disposition of a forward foreign
currency contract which are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the
foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the asset and the date of
disposition also are treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses,
referred to under the Code as "section 988" gains or losses, increase or
decrease the amount of the Fund's investment company taxable income available to
be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income, rather than increasing or
decreasing the amount of the Fund's net capital gain.
Foreign
Taxes.
The Fund will be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to certain
payments received from sources in foreign countries. If at the close of the
taxable year more than 50% in value of the Fund's assets consists of stock in
foreign corporations, the Fund will be eligible to make an election to treat a
proportionate amount of those taxes as constituting a distribution to each
shareholder, which would allow you either (subject to certain limitations) (1)
to credit that proportionate amount of taxes against your U.S. Federal income
tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (2) to take that amount as an itemized
deduction. If the Fund is not eligible or chooses not to make this election, it
will be entitled to deduct such taxes in computing the amounts it is required to
distribute.
Sales
and Exchanges.
The sale of Shares is a taxable event on which a gain or loss is recognized. The
amount of gain or loss is based on the difference between your tax basis in
Shares and the amount you receive for them upon disposition. Generally, you will
recognize long-term capital gain or loss if you have held your Shares for over
one year at the time you sell or exchange them. Gains and losses on Shares held
for one year or less will generally constitute short-term capital gains, except
that a loss on Shares held six months or less will be re-characterized as a
long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions
that you have received on the Shares. A loss realized on a sale or exchange of
Shares may be disallowed under the so-called "wash sale" rules to the extent the
Shares disposed of are replaced with other Shares of that same Fund within a
period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the Shares
are disposed of, such as pursuant to a dividend reinvestment in Shares of the
Fund. If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of
the Shares acquired.
Taxes
on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units.
An Authorized Participant who exchanges equity 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 of
purchase (plus any cash received by the Authorized Participant as part of the
issue) and the Authorized Participant's aggregate basis in the securities
surrendered (plus any cash paid by the Authorized Participant as part of the
issue). An Authorized Participant who exchanges Creation Units for equity
securities generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference
between the Authorized Participant's basis in the Creation Units (plus any cash
paid by the Authorized Participant as part of the redemption) and the aggregate
market value of the securities received (plus any cash received by the
Authorized Participant as part of the redemption). The Internal Revenue Service
(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. Persons exchanging securities should consult their
own tax advisor with respect to whether the wash sale rules apply and when a
loss might be deductible.
IRAs
and Other Tax-Qualified Plans.
The one major exception to the preceding tax principles is that distributions
on, and sales, exchanges and redemptions of, Shares held in an IRA or other
tax-qualified plan are not currently taxable but may be taxable when funds are
withdrawn from the tax qualified plan unless the Shares were purchased with
borrowed funds.
Medicare
Tax. An
additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income
(including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the
Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund
Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's
"modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted
gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount.
This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your
federal income tax return.
Backup
Withholding.
The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the U.S.
Treasury backup withholding at the applicable rate on dividends and gross sales
proceeds paid to any shareholder (i) who has either provided an incorrect tax
identification number or no number at all, (ii) who is subject to backup
withholding by the IRS, or (iii) who has failed to certify to the Fund, when
required to do so, that he or she is not subject to backup withholding or is an
"exempt recipient."
Cost
Basis Reporting. Federal
law requires that shareholders' cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period be
reported to the IRS and to shareholders on the Consolidated Form 1099s when
"covered" securities are sold. Covered securities are any RIC and/or dividend
reinvestment plan shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012.
For
those securities defined as "covered" under current IRS cost basis tax reporting
regulations, accurate cost basis and tax lot information must be maintained for
tax reporting purposes. This information is not required for Shares that are not
"covered." The Fund and its service providers do not provide tax advice. You
should consult independent sources, which may include a tax professional, with
respect to any decisions you may make with respect to choosing a tax lot
identification method. Shareholders should contact their financial
intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections
for their accounts.
State
and Local Taxes.
You may also be subject to state and local taxes on income and gain attributable
to your ownership of Shares. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the
tax status of distributions in your state and locality.
U.S.
Tax Treatment of Foreign Shareholders.
A non-U.S. shareholder generally will not be subject to U.S. withholding tax on
gain from the redemption of Shares or on capital gain dividends (i.e., dividends
attributable to long-term capital gains of the Fund) unless, in the case of a
shareholder who is a non-resident alien individual, the shareholder is present
in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain
other conditions are met. Non-U.S. shareholders generally will be subject to
U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate, if applicable) on
distributions by the Fund of net investment income, other ordinary income, and
the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital
loss for the year, unless the distributions are effectively connected with a
U.S. trade or business of the shareholder. Exemptions from U.S. withholding tax
are provided for certain capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net
long-term capital gains, if any,
interest-related
dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S.
sources and short-term capital gain dividends if such amounts are reported by
the Fund. Non-U.S. shareholders are subject to special U.S. tax certification
requirements to avoid backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits. Non-U.S.
shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. and foreign
tax consequences of investing in the Fund.
Other
Reporting and Withholding Requirements. Under
the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ("FATCA"), a 30% withholding tax is
imposed on income dividends paid by the Fund to certain foreign entities,
referred to as foreign financial institutions or nonfinancial foreign entities,
that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and
withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury
of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. After December 31, 2018, FATCA
withholding also would have applied to certain capital gain distributions,
return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund
Shares, however based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which may be
relied upon currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final
regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). Information about a
shareholder in the Fund may be disclosed to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities
or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA. Withholding also may be
required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of the Fund fails to provide
the appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status
under FATCA.
Consult
Your Tax Professional.
Your investment in the Fund could have additional tax consequences. You should
consult your tax professional for information regarding all tax consequences
applicable to your investments in the Fund. More tax information relating to the
Fund is also provided in the SAI. This short summary is not intended as a
substitute for careful tax planning.
DETERMINATION
OF NET ASSET VALUE
The
Fund calculates its NAV as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the
Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day that the Exchange is open
for business, based on prices at the time of closing, provided that any assets
or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar shall be
translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of
valuation as quoted by one or more major banks or dealers that make a two-way
market in such currencies (or a data service provider based on quotations
received from such banks or dealers). The NAV of the Fund is calculated by
dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total
assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding Shares,
generally rounded to the nearest cent. The price of Fund Shares is based on
market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV,
Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a
discount).
In
calculating the Fund's NAV, the Fund's investments are generally valued using
market valuations. A market valuation generally means a valuation (i) obtained
from an exchange or a major market maker (or dealer), (ii) based on a price
quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a
pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer), or (iii) based on
amortized cost, provided the amortized cost is approximately the value on
current sale of the security. In the case of shares of funds that are not traded
on an exchange, a market valuation means such fund's published NAV per share.
The Fund may use various pricing services or discontinue the use of any pricing
service.
In
the event that current market valuations are not readily available or such
valuations do not reflect current market values, the affected investments will
be valued using fair value pricing pursuant to the pricing policy and procedures
approved by the Board of Trustees. A price obtained from a pricing service based
on such pricing service's valuation matrix may be used to fair value a security.
The frequency with which the Fund's investments are valued using fair value
pricing is primarily a function of the types of securities and other assets in
which the Fund invests pursuant to its investment objective, strategies and
limitations.
Investments
that may be valued using fair value pricing include, but are not limited to: (i)
an unlisted security related to corporate actions; (ii) a restricted security
(i.e., one that may not be publicly sold without registration under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act")); (iii) a security
whose trading has been suspended or which has been de-listed from its primary
trading exchange; (iv) a security that is thinly traded; (v) a security in
default or bankruptcy proceedings for which there is no current market
quotation; (vi) a security affected by currency controls or restrictions; and
(vii) a security affected by a significant event (i.e., an event that occurs
after the close of the markets on which the security is traded but before the
time as of which the Fund's NAV is computed and that may materially affect the
value of the Fund's investments). Examples of events that may be "significant
events" are government actions, natural disasters, armed conflict, acts of
terrorism, and significant market fluctuations.
Valuing
the Fund's investments using fair value pricing will result in using prices for
those investments that may differ from current market valuations. Use of fair
value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference
between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the
Fund's Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between
the Fund's performance and the performance of the Fund's Underlying
Index.
Because
foreign markets may be open on different days than the days during which a
shareholder may purchase Shares, the value of the Fund's investments may change
on days when shareholders are not able to purchase Shares. Additionally, due to
varying holiday schedules, redemption requests made on certain dates may result
in a settlement period exceeding seven calendar days.
The
value of assets denominated in foreign currencies is converted into U.S. dollars
using exchange rates deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Any use of a different
rate from the rates used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the Fund's
ability to track its Underlying Index.
The
right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with
respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the NASDAQ or listing
exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings), (2) for
any period during which trading on the NASDAQ or listing exchange is suspended
or restricted, (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result
of which disposal of the Fund's portfolio securities or determination of its NAV
is not reasonably practicable, or (4) in such other circumstances as the SEC
permits.
In
December 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 2a-5”), which
is intended to address valuation practices and the role of a registered
investment company’s board of trustees with respect to the fair value of the
investments of the registered investment company or business development
company. Among other things, Rule 2a-5 will permit a fund’s board to designate
the fund’s primary investment adviser to perform the fund’s fair value
determinations, which will be subject to board oversight and certain reporting
and other requirements intended to ensure that the registered investment
company’s board receives the information it needs to oversee the investment
adviser’s fair value determinations. The Fund and the Adviser must comply with
Rule 2a-5 by September 8, 2022. The Adviser continues to review Rule 2a-5 and
its impact on the Adviser’s and the Fund’s valuation policies and related
practices.
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT
AND SHARE INFORMATION
Once
available, information regarding how often the Shares of the Fund traded on a
national securities exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium to) or below
(i.e., at a discount to) the NAV of the Fund; the Fund’s per share NAV, and the
median bid-ask spread of the Shares can be found at
www.globalxetfs.com.
INFORMATION
REGARDING THE INDEX AND THE INDEX PROVIDER
Solactive
Green Building Index
The
Solactive Green Building Index is designed to provide exposure to companies that
are positioned to benefit from increased demand for buildings that reduce or
eliminate negative impacts, and/or create positive impacts, on the natural
environment (“Green Building”). Specifically, the Solactive Green Building Index
consists of securities issued by “Green Building Companies” as defined by
Solactive AG, the provider of the Solactive Green Building Index. “Green
Building Companies” are those companies that derive at least 50% of their
revenues from one or more of the following business activities, as determined by
Solactive AG:
•Green
Building Development:
Companies that design, construct, redevelop, or retrofit properties that meet
reputable green building certification standards. Solactive AG utilizes ESG
(Environmental, Social and Governance) data provider Sustainalytics for its
assessment of reputable green building certification standards. As of April 1,
2022 examples of green building certification standards that Sustainalytics has
identified as reputable currently include LEED, BREEAM, Greenstar, DGNB, CASBEE,
and Verde.
•Green
Building Management:
Companies that manage and/or operate buildings that have obtained a green
certification.
•Green
Building Technologies & Materials:
Companies that provide products/services that increase the energy efficiency of
residential, commercial, or public buildings. This includes products/services
such as insulation and building envelopes, controls and displays for heating,
cooling, lighting and home automation, HVAC, energy management services,
windows, doors, elevators, etc. These products and services help residential,
commercial and/or public buildings to reduce or eliminate negative impacts on
the natural environment and/or to create positive impacts on the natural
environment, which improves the environmental footprint of a building and makes
it more “green” across measures such as energy efficiency, water usage, carbon
emissions, and overall environmental impact.
To
be a part of the eligible universe of the Solactive Green Building Index,
certain minimum market capitalization and liquidity criteria, as defined by
Solactive AG, must be met. As of April 1, 2022, companies must have a minimum
market capitalization of $200 million and a minimum average daily turnover for
the last 6 months greater than or equal to $2 million in order to be eligible
for inclusion in the Solactive Green Building Index. As of April 1, 2022,
companies listed in the following countries were eligible for inclusion in the
Solactive Green Building Index: Australia, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru,
Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South
Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey,
United Kingdom, United States, and the United Arab Emirates.
In
constructing the Solactive Green Building Index, Solactive AG, in partnership
with ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) data provider Sustainalytics,
reviews the companies from the eligible universe to confirm the companies that
derive at least 50% of their revenues from the business activities described
above. Revenue exposure is determined using company filings, disclosures, and
other public information. In addition, Solactive AG also applies an ESG
screening process to the universe of eligible companies. Solactive AG, in
partnership with ESG data provider Minerva, on a quarterly basis reviews each
constituent of the Solactive Green Building Index for compliance with the
principles of the United Nations Global Compact, as well as their involvement in
controversial activities. Any existing or potential constituent of the Solactive
Green Building Index which does not meet the labor, human rights, environmental,
and anti-corruption standards as defined by the United Nations Global Compact
Principles as of the quarterly review will be excluded from the Solactive Green
Building Index, as determined by Solactive AG.
The
Solactive Green Building Index is weighted according to a modified
capitalization weighting methodology and is reconstituted and re-weighted
semi-annually. Modified capitalization weighting seeks to weight constituents
primarily based on market capitalization, but subject to caps on the weights of
the individual securities. During each rebalance, the maximum weight of a
company is capped at 4%, and all constituents are subject to a minimum weight of
0.3%. Generally speaking, modified capitalization weighting will limit the
amount of concentration in the largest market capitalization companies and
increase company-level diversification. The Solactive Green Building Index may
include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, and components primarily
include real estate companies. As of April 1, 2022, the Solactive Green Building
Index had 75 constituents.
Disclaimer
Solactive
AG (Solactive) is a leading company in the structuring and indexing business for
institutional clients. Solactive runs the Solactive index platform. Solactive
indices are used by issuers worldwide as underlying indices for financial
products. Solactive does not sponsor, endorse or promote any Fund and is not in
any way connected to it and does not accept any liability in relation to their
issue, operation and trading.
OTHER
SERVICE PROVIDERS
SEI
Investments Global Funds Services is the sub-administrator for the
Fund.
Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. is the custodian and transfer agent for the
Fund.
Stradley
Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP serves as counsel for the Trust and the Trust's
Independent Trustees.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP will serve as the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm for
the fiscal year ending November 30, 2022.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
The
Trust enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including among
others, the Fund's Adviser, sub-adviser(s) (if applicable), custodian, and
transfer agent who provide services to the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to
any such contractual arrangements and are not intended beneficiaries of those
contractual arrangements, and those contractual arrangements are not intended to
create in any shareholder any right to enforce them against the service
providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either
directly or on behalf of the Trust.
This
Prospectus provides information concerning the Fund that investors should
consider in determining whether to purchase Fund Shares. Neither this Prospectus
nor the SAI is intended, or should be read, to be or give rise to an agreement
or contract
between
the Trust or the Fund and any investor, or to give rise to any rights in any
shareholder or other person other than any rights under federal or state law
that may not be waived.
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
Because
the Fund had not commenced operations as of the November 30, 2021 fiscal
year end, financial highlights are not yet available.
OTHER
INFORMATION
The
Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by any national securities
exchange. No national securities exchange makes any representation or warranty,
express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public
regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Fund to achieve its objective. No national
securities exchange has any obligation or liability in connection with the
administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
For
purposes of the 1940 Act, shares that are issued by a registered investment
company and purchases of such shares by investment companies and companies
relying on Sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act are subject to the
restrictions set forth in Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act. Registered
investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set
forth in section 12(d)(1), subject to certain conditions set forth in Rule
12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, including that such investment companies enter into
an agreement with the Fund.
The
method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues
under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold
by the Fund on an ongoing basis, a "distribution," as such term is used in the
Securities Act, may occur at any point. 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 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 Units after placing an order with the
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-dealers
who are not "underwriters" but are participating in a distribution (as
contrasted with ordinary secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with
Shares that are part of an "unsold allotment" within the meaning of Section
4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the
prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act.
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. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that
dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as
contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with
the Shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section
4(a)(3)(A) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the
prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act.
Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to Shares are
reminded that, under Rule 153 of the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery
obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange
member in connection with a sale on NASDAQ is satisfied by the fact that the
prospectus is available at NASDAQ upon request. The prospectus delivery
mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on
an exchange.
For
more information visit our website at
www.globalxetfs.com
or
call 1-888-493-8631
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Investment
Adviser and Administrator Global
X Management Company LLC 605 3rd Avenue, 43rd Floor New York, NY
10158 |
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Distributor
SEI
Investments Distribution Co.
One
Freedom Valley Drive
Oaks,
PA 19456
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Custodian
and Transfer Agent
Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co.
50
Post Office Square
Boston,
MA 02110
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Sub-Administrator
SEI
Investments Global Funds Services
One
Freedom Valley Drive
Oaks,
PA 19456
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Legal
Counsel to the Global X Funds®
and Independent Trustees
Stradley
Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP
2000
K Street N.W., Suite 700
Washington,
DC 20006
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Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP
Two
Commerce Square, Suite 1800
2001
Market Street
Philadelphia,
PA 19103 |
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A
Statement of Additional
Information
dated April 6, 2022, which contains more details about the Fund, is incorporated
by reference in its entirety into this Prospectus, which means that it is
legally part of this Prospectus.
Additional
information about the Fund and its investments is available in its annual and
semi-annual reports to shareholders. The annual report explains the market
conditions and investment strategies affecting the Fund's performance during its
last fiscal year.
You
can ask questions or obtain a free copy of the Fund's semi-annual and annual
report or the Statement of Additional Information by calling 1-888-493-8631.
Free copies of the Fund's semi-annual and annual report and the Statement of
Additional Information are available from our website at
www.globalxetfs.com.
Information
about the Fund, including its semi-annual and annual reports and the Statement
of Additional Information, has been filed with the SEC. It can be reviewed and
copied on the EDGAR database on the SEC's internet site (http://www.sec.gov).
You can also request copies of these materials, upon payment of a duplicating
fee, by electronic request at the SEC's e-mail address
([email protected]).
PROSPECTUS
Distributor
SEI
Investments Distribution Co.
One
Freedom Valley Drive
Oaks,
PA 19456
April
6, 2022
Investment
Company Act File No.: 811-22209