EXCHANGE TRADED CONCEPTS TRUST

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

Annual Report

November 30, 2022

 

ETC 6 Meridian

Table of Contents

 

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

 

1

Schedules of Investments

 

11

Statements of Assets and Liabilities

 

23

Statements of Operations

 

25

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

27

Financial Highlights

 

32

Notes to the Financial Statements

 

33

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

44

Trustee and Officers of the Trust

 

45

Disclosure of Fund Expenses

 

47

Approval of Investment Advisory Agreements

 

48

Notice to Shareholders

 

54

Supplemental Information

 

55

The Funds file their complete schedule of holdings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to each Fund’s report on Form N-PORT within sixty days after the end of the period. Each Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at https://www.sec.gov.

Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC’s proxy voting policies and procedures are attached to the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”). The SAI, as well as information relating to how each Fund voted proxies relating to each Fund’s securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available without charge, upon request, by calling 866-SIXM-ETF (749-6383) and on the Commission’s website at https://www.sec.gov.

 

ETC 6 Meridian

Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited)

Dear Shareholders,

Thank you for your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF (the “Fund”). The following information pertains to the fiscal year December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2022.

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide capital appreciation by investing in a portfolio of equity securities, mostly common stocks, while selling call options against market indices or funds. The Fund may invest in securities of companies of any capitalization. The Fund’s sub-adviser, Madison Avenue Financial Solutions, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), employs a strategy pairing a portfolio of equity securities with an index call option writing overlay designed to reduce the exposure of the Fund to broad equity market risk with the goal of providing good risk-adjusted returns. Pursuant to this investment strategy, the Sub-Adviser will sell (or write) call options on broad equity market indices or funds. In constructing the equity portfolio, the Sub-Adviser uses quantitatively-driven methods emphasizing high quality large-capitalization stocks.

Utilizing the same underlying holdings as the ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF, which saw strong performance from positioning in the top quintile of low beta (low exposure to market risk) and high yield (high dividends or income paid) factors, the Fund was also able to provide positive relative performance from its option writing overlay. The options reduced the overall beta of the portfolio relative to the S&P 500® Index, and, in the tough and volatile equity environment that occurred over the fiscal year, the options proved to be a positive aspect of the Fund’s strategy.

For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022, the Fund’s market price increased 11.95%, and the net asset value increased 11.44%, while the Cboe S&P 500® BuyWrite Index, a broad market index that also writes options against its portfolio, decreased 6.82% over the same period.

The Fund commenced operations on May 8, 2020, with 9,775,000 shares outstanding as of November 30, 2022.

We appreciate your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF.

Sincerely,

J. Garrett Stevens,
Chief Executive Officer
Exchange Traded Concepts, Adviser to the Fund

The Cboe S&P 500® BuyWrite Index is a benchmark index designed to show the hypothetical performance of a portfolio that engages in a buy-write strategy using S&P 500® index call options.

This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice.

1

ETC 6 Meridian

Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited) (Concluded)

Growth of a $10,000 Investment

(at Net Asset Value)

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
NOVEMBER 30, 2022

 

One Year
Return

Annualized
Inception To Date*

 

Net Asset Value

Market Price

Net Asset Value

Market Price

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

11.44%

11.95%

11.89%

12.12%

Cboe S&P 500® BuyWrite Index

-6.82%

-6.82%

10.01%

10.01%

*       Fund commenced operations on May 8, 2020.

      Unaudited

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed or sold in the market, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and all capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike the Fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the Index returns, the performance would have been lower. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. A prospectus, containing this and other information, is available at www.6meridianfunds.com. Investors should read the prospectus carefully before investing. There are risks associated with investing, including possible loss of principal.

Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data shown above.

Performance data current to the most recent month-end is available at www.6meridianfunds.com.

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

The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

2

ETC 6 Meridian

Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited)

Dear Shareholders,

Thank you for your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF (the “Fund”). The following information pertains to the fiscal year of December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2022.

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide capital appreciation by investing in equity securities, mainly common stocks. The Fund may invest in equity securities of companies of any capitalization. The Fund may also invest in real estate investment trusts. The Fund’s Sub-Adviser, Madison Avenue Financial Solutions, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), uses a quantitatively driven strategy designed to emphasize high quality securities with a relatively low exposure to broad equity market risk. The Sub-Adviser believes that, when held over a full market cycle, high quality securities with lower relative exposure to broad market risk may produce higher risk-adjusted returns than securities of lower quality with higher relative exposure to broad market risk.

Beta is intended to measure the exposure of a security to broad market risk and is defined here as the co-movement of the return of a security with the return of the securities included in the investable universe scaled by the volatility of the investable universe’s returns. Low beta stocks outperformed high beta stocks for most of the fiscal year as volatility across all assets was heightened from inflationary pressures and geopolitical conflict. The Fund saw its largest benefits from its overweighting of stocks in the Consumer Staples Sector and Utilities Sector, and large underweighting of stocks in the Consumer Discretionary Sector and Information Technology Sector, which are more sensitive to interest rates and discretionary spending.

For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022, the Fund’s market price increased 2.65% and the net asset value increased 2.80%, while the S&P 500® Index, a broad market index, decreased 9.21% over the same period.

The Fund commenced operations on May 8, 2020, with 4,600,000 shares outstanding as of November 30, 2022.

We appreciate your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF.

Sincerely,

J. Garrett Stevens,
Chief Executive Officer
Exchange Traded Concepts, Adviser to the Fund

The Equal Blend is an equal blend of the S&P 500® Index, S&P SmallCap 600® Index and S&P Midcap 400® Index.

The S&P 500® Index is a market-value weighted index consisting of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation, with each stock’s weight in the S&P 500® Index proportionate to its market value.

The S&P SmallCap 600® Index seeks to measure the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity market. The index is designed to track companies that meet specific inclusion criteria to ensure that they are liquid and financially viable.

The S&P Midcap 400® Index tracks the performance of companies considered to be in the mid-range of market capitalization of market value.

This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice.

3

ETC 6 Meridian

Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited) (Concluded)

Growth of a $10,000 Investment

(at Net Asset Value)

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
NOVEMBER 30, 2022

 

One Year
Return

Annualized
Inception To Date*

 

Net Asset Value

Market Price

Net Asset Value

Market Price

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

2.80%

2.65%

12.97%

12.94%

Equal Blend of the following 3 Indices:

-6.14%

-6.14%

19.37%

19.37%

S&P 500® Index

-9.21%

-9.21%

15.59%

15.59%

S&P SmallCap 600® Index

-5.99%

-5.99%

22.19%

22.19%

S&P MidCap 400® Index

-3.29%

-3.29%

20.01%

20.01%

*       Fund commenced operations on May 8, 2020.

      Unaudited

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed or sold in the market, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and all capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike the Fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the Index returns, the performance would have been lower. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. A prospectus, containing this and other information, is available at www.6meridianfunds.com. Investors should read the prospectus carefully before investing. There are risks associated with investing, including possible loss of principal.

Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data shown above.

Performance data current to the most recent month-end is available at www.6meridianfunds.com.

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

The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

4

ETC 6 Meridian

Mega Cap Equity ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited)

Dear Shareholders,

Thank you for your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF (the “Fund”). The following information pertains to the fiscal year December 1, 2021, through November 30, 2022.

The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund that seeks to provide capital appreciation by investing in mega capitalization equity securities, mainly common stocks. The Fund’s sub-adviser, Madison Avenue Financial Solutions, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), considers mega capitalization companies to be the largest 10% of stocks included in the Russell 3000 Index by market capitalization. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Sub-Adviser uses a quantitatively driven strategy designed to emphasize high quality large-capitalization stocks.

The Fund’s positive performance during the period relative to its benchmark, the S&P 500® Index, was heavily influenced by the Fund’s tilt towards 1st quintile securities across both low beta (low exposure to market risk) and high yield (high dividends or income paid) factors within its investable universe. The portfolio also benefitted from having overweight positions in the Consumer Staples Sector, Energy Sector, and Healthcare Sector, each of which performed well relative to the overall market.

For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022, the Fund’s market price increased 2.58% and the net asset value increased 2.73%, while the S&P 500® Index, a broad market index, decreased 9.21% over the same period.

The Fund commenced operations on May 8, 2020, with 5,125,000 shares outstanding as of November 30, 2022.

We appreciate your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF.

Sincerely,

J. Garrett Stevens,
Chief Executive Officer
Exchange Traded Concepts, Adviser to the Fund

The S&P 500® Index is a market-value weighted index consisting of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation, with each stock’s weight in the S&P 500® Index proportionate to its market value.

This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice.

5

ETC 6 Meridian

Mega Cap Equity ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited) (Concluded)

Growth of a $10,000 Investment

(at Net Asset Value)

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
NOVEMBER 30, 2022

 

One Year
Return

Annualized
Inception To Date*

 

Net Asset
Value

Market
Price

Net Asset
Value

Market
Price

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

2.73%

2.58%

15.14%

15.05%

S&P 500® Index

-9.21%

-9.21%

15.59%

15.59%

*       Fund commenced operations on May 8, 2020.

      Unaudited

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed or sold in the market, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and all capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike the Fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the Index returns, the performance would have been lower. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. A prospectus, containing this and other information, is available at www.6meridianfunds.com. Investors should read the prospectus carefully before investing. There are risks associated with investing, including possible loss of principal.

Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data shown above.

Performance data current to the most recent month-end is available at www.6meridianfunds.com.

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

The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

6

ETC 6 Meridian

Small Cap Equity ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited)

Dear Shareholders,

Thank you for your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF (the “Fund”). The following information pertains to the fiscal year December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2022.

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide capital appreciation by investing primarily in small-capitalization equity securities, mainly common stocks. The Fund also may invest in equity securities of companies of any capitalization and in real estate investment trusts. The Fund’s sub-adviser, Madison Avenue Financial Solutions, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), considers small-capitalization securities to be those with market capitalizations within the range of the market capitalization of companies included in the S&P SmallCap 600® Index. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Sub-Adviser uses a quantitatively-driven strategy designed to emphasize high quality small-capitalization securities.

After strong performance period the prior fiscal year, the Fund was negatively affected by being underweight in the Energy Sector, which was up 56% over the period. The Fund did, however, see a relative benefit from being overweight in the Utilities Sector and the low beta factor, as low beta stocks were less correlated to the broader market’s decline than were high beta stocks

For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022, the Fund’s market price decreased 8.94% and the net asset value decreased 8.58% while the S&P SmallCap 600® Index, a broad market index, decreased 5.99% over the same period.

The Fund commenced operations on May 8, 2020, with 1,475,000 shares outstanding as of November 30, 2022.

We appreciate your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF.

Sincerely,

J. Garrett Stevens,
Chief Executive Officer
Exchange Traded Concepts, Adviser to the Fund

The S&P SmallCap 600® Index seeks to measure the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity market. The index is designed to track companies that meet specific inclusion criteria to ensure that they are liquid and financially viable.

This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice.

7

ETC 6 Meridian

Small Cap Equity ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited) (Concluded)

Growth of a $10,000 Investment

(at Net Asset Value)

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
NOVEMBER 30, 2022

 

One Year
Return

Annualized
Inception To Date*

 

Net Asset
Value

Market
Price

Net Asset
Value

Market
Price

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

-8.58%

-8.94%

23.50%

23.44%

S&P SmallCap 600® Index

-5.99%

-5.99%

22.19%

22.19%

*       Fund commenced operations on May 8, 2020.

      Unaudited

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed or sold in the market, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and all capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike the Fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the Index returns, the performance would have been lower. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. A prospectus, containing this and other information, is available at www.6meridianfunds.com. Investors should read the prospectus carefully before investing. There are risks associated with investing, including possible loss of principal.

Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data shown above.

Performance data current to the most recent month-end is available at www.6meridianfunds.com.

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

The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

8

ETC 6 Meridian

Quality Growth ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited)

Dear Shareholders,

Thank you for your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF (the “Fund”). The following information relates to the fiscal year December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2022.

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks capital appreciation by investing in equity securities. The Fund invests mainly in common stocks and may invest in the securities of companies of any capitalization. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Fund’s sub-adviser, Madison Avenue Financial Solutions, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), uses a quantitatively-driven strategy designed to emphasize securities of companies that exhibit high quality and growth characteristics relative to their peers. Quality is defined as high and improving profitability, low leverage and low default probability, and low net equity and debt issuance relative to dividends and net buybacks. From an initial universe consisting of companies in the broad U.S. equity market, the Sub-Adviser excludes micro-cap companies (i.e., companies with a market capitalization of less than $500 million) and securities of companies that exhibit poor liquidity and momentum characteristics.

Exposure to growth equities during the past fiscal year was difficult due to the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy actions in raising interest rates. Increasing rates at this speed is unfavorable to longer duration assets such as the stocks that the Fund holds. While the Fund invests in high quality growth stocks, sentiment to growth names in general was not strong during the past fiscal year. The Fund’s performance lagged the Russell 1000 Growth Index at the start of 2022, but subsequently outperformed the index in 5 of the last 6 months of the Fund’s fiscal year, benefitting the most from being overweight in Health Care Sector stocks and underweight in Consumer Discretionary Sector stocks.

The Fund had negative performance during the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022. The market price for the Fund decreased 18.67% and the net asset value decreased 18.23% while the Russell 1000 Growth Index and S&P 500® Index, returned negative 21.64% and negative 9.21% respectively, over the same period.

The Fund commenced operations on May 10, 2021, with 1,325,000 shares outstanding as of November 30, 2022.

We appreciate your investment in the ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF.

Sincerely,

J. Garrett Stevens,
Chief Executive Officer
Exchange Traded Concepts, Adviser to the Fund

The Russell 1000® Growth Index seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit growth characteristics.

The S&P 500® Index is a market-value weighted index consisting of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation, with each stock’s weight in the S&P 500® Index proportionate to its market value.

This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice.

9

ETC 6 Meridian

Quality Growth ETF

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

(Unaudited) (Concluded)

Growth of a $10,000 Investment

(at Net Asset Value)

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
NOVEMBER 30, 2022

   

One Year
Return

Annualized
Inception To Date*

   

Net Asset Value

Market Price

Net Asset Value

Market Price

 

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

-18.23%

-18.67%

-6.41%

-6.60%

 

Russell 1000® Growth Index

-21.64%

-21.64%

-4.11%

-4.11%

 

S&P 500® Index

-9.21%

-9.21%

-0.13%

-0.13%

*       Fund commenced operations on May 10, 2021.

      Unaudited

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed or sold in the market, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and all capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike the Fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the Index returns, the performance would have been lower. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. A prospectus, containing this and other information, is available at www.6meridianfunds.com. Investors should read the prospectus carefully before investing. There are risks associated with investing, including possible loss of principal.

Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data shown above.

Performance data current to the most recent month-end is available at www.6meridianfunds.com.

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

The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

10

ETC 6 Meridian

Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

COMMON STOCK — 97.0%

 

 

 

Communication Services — 7.7%

 

 

 

Alphabet, Cl A*

 

40,968

 

$

4,137,358

AT&T

 

424,863

 

 

8,191,359

T-Mobile US*

 

25,548

 

 

3,869,500

Verizon Communications

 

207,261

 

 

8,079,034

       

 

24,277,251

Consumer Discretionary — 3.9%

     

 

 

Home Depot(A)

 

13,074

 

 

4,235,845

Lowe’s(A)

 

19,858

 

 

4,220,818

Target

 

23,575

 

 

3,938,675

       

 

12,395,338

Consumer Staples — 20.6%

     

 

 

Altria Group(A)

 

251,094

 

 

11,695,959

Colgate-Palmolive

 

104,892

 

 

8,127,032

Costco Wholesale

 

7,716

 

 

4,160,853

Kraft Heinz(A)

 

201,327

 

 

7,922,217

PepsiCo

 

42,655

 

 

7,912,929

Philip Morris International(A)

 

126,487

 

 

12,606,960

Procter & Gamble

 

28,751

 

 

4,288,499

Walmart

 

54,417

 

 

8,294,239

       

 

65,008,688

Energy — 8.6%

     

 

 

Chevron(A)

 

42,812

 

 

7,847,868

ConocoPhillips(A)

 

92,137

 

 

11,379,841

Exxon Mobil(A)

 

69,891

 

 

7,781,664

       

 

27,009,373

Financials — 13.2%

     

 

 

American Express

 

26,081

 

 

4,110,104

American International Group

 

67,933

 

 

4,287,252

Bank of New York Mellon

 

91,960

 

 

4,220,964

Capital One Financial

 

36,523

 

 

3,770,635

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Financials (continued)

     

 

 

Citigroup(A)

 

168,884

 

$

8,175,674

JPMorgan Chase

 

30,758

 

 

4,250,140

Morgan Stanley

 

47,124

 

 

4,385,831

US Bancorp(A)

 

182,453

 

 

8,281,542

       

 

41,482,142

Health Care — 23.7%

     

 

 

AbbVie(A)

 

79,351

 

 

12,789,794

Amgen(A)

 

28,647

 

 

8,204,501

Bristol-Myers Squibb(A)

 

99,973

 

 

8,025,832

CVS Health(A)

 

40,888

 

 

4,165,670

Eli Lilly

 

21,385

 

 

7,935,546

Gilead Sciences(A)

 

49,355

 

 

4,334,850

Johnson & Johnson(A)

 

22,252

 

 

3,960,856

Merck(A)

 

76,529

 

 

8,427,373

Pfizer(A)

 

249,582

 

 

12,511,546

UnitedHealth Group

 

6,969

 

 

3,817,339

       

 

74,173,307

Industrials — 4.9%

     

 

 

3M

 

30,780

 

 

3,877,357

General Dynamics

 

15,497

 

 

3,911,288

Lockheed Martin(A)

 

15,909

 

 

7,718,887

       

 

15,507,532

Information Technology — 7.8%

     

 

 

Accenture PLC, Cl A

 

13,633

 

 

4,102,579

Apple

 

25,250

 

 

3,737,758

International Business Machines(A)

 

56,006

 

 

8,339,293

QUALCOMM

 

32,911

 

 

4,162,912

Texas Instruments(A)

 

24,103

 

 

4,349,627

       

 

24,692,169

Materials — 2.7%

     

 

 

Dow(A)

 

165,705

 

 

8,445,984

Real Estate — 1.3%

     

 

 

Simon Property Group

 

35,527

 

 

4,243,345

Utilities — 2.6%

     

 

 

Duke Energy

 

83,118

 

 

8,305,982

Total Common Stock
(Cost $291,066,535)

     

 

305,541,111

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

11

ETC 6 Meridian

Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022 (Concluded)

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

 

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT — 6.1%

 

 

 

 

 

Invesco Government & Agency Portfolio, CI Institutional, 3.73%(B)

 

19,157,908

 

$

19,157,908

 

 

Total Short-Term Investment (Cost $19,157,908)

     

 

19,157,908

 

 

Total Investments — 103.1%
(Cost $310,224,443)

     

$

324,699,019

 

 

WRITTEN OPTIONS — -2.9%

 

 

 

 

 

Total Written Options
(Premiums Received $4,518,664)

     

$

(9,214,936

)

 

A list of the Exchange Traded Option Contracts held by the Fund at November 30, 2022, is as follows:

Description

 

Number of
Contracts

 

Notional
Amount

 

Exercise
Price

 

Expiration
Date

 

Value

WRITTEN OPTIONS — (2.9)%

   

 

 

 

   

 

       

 

 

 

Call Options

   

 

 

 

   

 

       

 

 

 

S&P 500 Index*

 

(575

)

 

$

230,000,000

 

$

4,000

 

12/17/22

 

$

(7,291,000

)

S&P 500 Index*

 

(196

)

 

 

78,988,000

 

 

4,030

 

12/17/22

 

 

(1,923,936

)

     

 

 

 

   

 

       

 

(9,214,936

)

Total Written Options
(Premiums Received $4,518,664)

   

 

 

 

   

 

       

$

(9,214,936

)

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $314,875,394.

      Real Estate Investment Trust

*       Non-income producing security.

(A)         All or a portion of these securities has been pledged as collateral on written options with a fair value of $34,696,910.

(B)          The rate reported is the 7-day effective yield as of November 30, 2022.

Cl     — Class

PLC — Public Limited Company

As of November 30, 2022, all of the Fund’s investments were considered Level 1, in accordance with the authoritative guidance under U.S. GAAP.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

12

ETC 6 Meridian

Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

COMMON STOCK — 99.5%

     

 

 

Communication Services — 4.4%

     

 

 

Activision Blizzard

 

8,073

 

$

596,998

AT&T

 

34,903

 

 

672,930

ATN International

 

13,890

 

 

672,415

Cable One

 

455

 

 

329,552

Charter Communications,
Cl A*

 

1,457

 

 

570,110

Electronic Arts

 

4,972

 

 

650,238

Scholastic

 

13,821

 

 

568,320

Shenandoah Telecommunications

 

29,059

 

 

565,779

TEGNA

 

30,591

 

 

603,866

Telephone and Data Systems

 

40,430

 

 

426,132

Verizon Communications

 

14,129

 

 

550,748

World Wrestling Entertainment, Cl A

 

9,059

 

 

723,633

       

 

6,930,721

Consumer Discretionary — 2.9%

     

 

 

Graham Holdings, Cl B

 

1,059

 

 

681,657

Grand Canyon Education*

 

6,666

 

 

753,726

H&R Block

 

16,303

 

 

712,604

Helen of Troy*

 

4,884

 

 

481,269

McDonald’s

 

2,452

 

 

668,881

Murphy USA

 

2,198

 

 

650,190

Service International

 

8,694

 

 

621,186

       

 

4,569,513

Consumer Staples — 20.8%

     

 

 

Altria Group

 

14,619

 

 

680,953

B&G Foods

 

24,990

 

 

331,867

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Consumer Staples (continued)

     

 

 

Brown-Forman, Cl B

 

8,612

 

$

628,848

Calavo Growers

 

15,603

 

 

545,481

Cal-Maine Foods

 

12,313

 

 

717,602

Campbell Soup

 

13,020

 

 

698,783

Casey’s General Stores

 

3,144

 

 

764,055

Church & Dwight

 

7,362

 

 

602,727

Clorox

 

4,456

 

 

662,384

Coca-Cola

 

10,065

 

 

640,235

Colgate-Palmolive

 

7,982

 

 

618,445

Conagra Brands

 

18,783

 

 

713,378

Constellation Brands, Cl A

 

2,614

 

 

672,713

Edgewell Personal Care

 

16,177

 

 

699,008

Flowers Foods

 

23,036

 

 

692,232

Fresh Del Monte Produce

 

21,349

 

 

590,940

General Mills

 

8,469

 

 

722,406

Grocery Outlet Holding*

 

15,125

 

 

457,834

Hershey

 

2,795

 

 

657,300

Hormel Foods

 

12,972

 

 

609,684

Hostess Brands, Cl A*

 

28,346

 

 

748,334

Ingredion

 

7,057

 

 

691,374

J & J Snack Foods

 

4,751

 

 

779,259

J M Smucker

 

4,784

 

 

736,784

John B Sanfilippo & Son

 

8,505

 

 

720,288

Kellogg

 

8,675

 

 

632,841

Keurig Dr Pepper

 

16,619

 

 

642,657

Kimberly-Clark

 

4,817

 

 

653,330

Kraft Heinz

 

17,273

 

 

679,693

Kroger

 

13,697

 

 

673,755

Lancaster Colony

 

4,809

 

 

996,137

McCormick

 

7,249

 

 

617,470

Molson Coors Beverage, Cl B

 

11,992

 

 

660,879

Mondelez International, Cl A

 

9,891

 

 

668,731

PepsiCo

 

3,645

 

 

676,184

Philip Morris International

 

6,494

 

 

647,257

Pilgrim’s Pride*

 

20,653

 

 

540,282

Post Holdings*

 

7,245

 

 

678,204

Procter & Gamble

 

4,511

 

 

672,861

Seneca Foods, Cl A*

 

11,815

 

 

759,468

SpartanNash

 

19,567

 

 

642,776

Sprouts Farmers Market*

 

23,738

 

 

814,926

Tootsie Roll Industries

 

17,943

 

 

806,538

TreeHouse Foods*

 

14,340

 

 

708,826

Tyson Foods, Cl A

 

7,317

 

 

484,971

Universal

 

11,632

 

 

661,977

USANA Health Sciences*

 

9,223

 

 

507,634

Walmart

 

4,829

 

 

736,036

WD-40

 

3,569

 

 

597,808

       

 

32,544,155

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

13

ETC 6 Meridian

Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Energy — 2.3%

     

 

 

Chevron

 

4,020

 

$

736,906

Dorian LPG*

 

38,191

 

 

743,579

DT Midstream

 

11,804

 

 

712,135

Exxon Mobil

 

6,813

 

 

758,560

Williams

 

19,504

 

 

676,789

       

 

3,627,969

Financials — 15.8%

     

 

 

Allstate

 

5,539

 

 

741,672

American Financial Group

 

4,916

 

 

699,154

AMERISAFE

 

14,132

 

 

839,017

Assurant

 

3,733

 

 

478,645

BancFirst

 

5,818

 

 

593,087

Capitol Federal Financial

 

66,482

 

 

556,454

City Holding

 

7,467

 

 

761,037

Commerce Bancshares

 

9,159

 

 

686,192

CVB Financial

 

24,419

 

 

700,337

Employers Holdings

 

17,045

 

 

792,081

Encore Capital Group*

 

9,286

 

 

468,014

EZCORP, Cl A*

 

77,028

 

 

771,821

First Horizon

 

28,092

 

 

698,086

Hanover Insurance Group

 

4,863

 

 

716,320

Heritage Financial

 

23,166

 

 

762,161

Horace Mann Educators

 

19,143

 

 

738,728

KKR Real Estate Finance
Trust

 

33,747

 

 

558,513

Lakeland Financial

 

8,549

 

 

675,029

Mercury General

 

16,034

 

 

581,714

NBT Bancorp

 

15,912

 

 

734,498

Northfield Bancorp

 

43,415

 

 

692,469

Northwest Bancshares

 

45,034

 

 

688,570

PRA Group*

 

16,447

 

 

565,448

ProAssurance

 

30,005

 

 

599,800

Progressive

 

5,656

 

 

747,440

Provident Financial Services

 

26,643

 

 

600,267

RenaissanceRe Holdings

 

5,156

 

 

974,021

RLI

 

5,806

 

 

755,186

Safety Insurance Group

 

7,483

 

 

686,490

Selective Insurance Group

 

8,484

 

 

815,482

Southside Bancshares

 

16,126

 

 

586,019

Stellar Bancorp

 

20,931

 

 

707,688

Travelers

 

4,088

 

 

775,943

TrustCo Bank NY

 

19,209

 

 

746,078

Universal Insurance Holdings

 

52,571

 

 

577,755

Westamerica BanCorp

 

10,813

 

 

667,703

       

 

24,738,919

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Health Care — 15.4%

     

 

 

AbbVie

 

4,559

 

$

734,820

AmerisourceBergen, Cl A

 

4,485

 

 

765,544

Amgen

 

2,625

 

 

751,800

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals*

 

17,145

 

 

505,606

Baxter International

 

10,884

 

 

615,273

Becton Dickinson

 

2,635

 

 

657,010

Bristol-Myers Squibb

 

8,742

 

 

701,808

Chemed

 

1,349

 

 

701,480

Collegium Pharmaceutical*

 

36,106

 

 

789,638

Computer Programs and Systems*

 

19,075

 

 

564,620

CVS Health

 

6,716

 

 

684,226

DaVita*

 

7,411

 

 

546,413

Eagle Pharmaceuticals*

 

15,563

 

 

565,248

Encompass Health

 

12,586

 

 

736,029

Exelixis*

 

29,823

 

 

509,377

Gilead Sciences

 

10,760

 

 

945,050

HealthEquity*

 

8,481

 

 

538,374

HealthStream*

 

25,948

 

 

659,079

ICU Medical*

 

3,572

 

 

568,770

Innoviva*

 

45,486

 

 

597,231

Jazz Pharmaceuticals*

 

4,189

 

 

657,296

Johnson & Johnson

 

3,705

 

 

659,490

LHC Group*

 

3,942

 

 

644,162

McKesson

 

1,910

 

 

729,009

Merck

 

7,309

 

 

804,868

Meridian Bioscience*

 

20,379

 

 

652,128

Mesa Laboratories

 

2,997

 

 

507,002

Neurocrine Biosciences*

 

6,911

 

 

878,112

Omnicell*

 

5,833

 

 

301,041

Perrigo PLC

 

15,073

 

 

485,803

Pfizer

 

12,898

 

 

646,577

Prestige Consumer Healthcare*

 

10,653

 

 

654,733

Quest Diagnostics

 

4,685

 

 

711,324

QuidelOrtho*

 

6,352

 

 

556,499

Supernus Pharmaceuticals*

 

20,046

 

 

736,089

United Therapeutics*

 

2,848

 

 

797,127

Vir Biotechnology*

 

22,949

 

 

647,621

       

 

24,206,277

Industrials — 10.0%

     

 

 

3M

 

4,517

 

 

569,006

Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings*

 

15,746

 

 

818,793

CACI International, Cl A*

 

2,186

 

 

682,688

Curtiss-Wright

 

4,530

 

 

800,225

FTI Consulting*

 

3,964

 

 

685,058

Heartland Express

 

41,082

 

 

687,713

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

14

ETC 6 Meridian

Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Industrials (continued)

     

 

 

Huntington Ingalls Industries

 

2,947

 

$

683,586

KBR

 

12,225

 

 

631,666

L3Harris Technologies

 

2,625

 

 

596,085

Landstar System

 

4,211

 

 

728,419

Leidos Holdings

 

6,373

 

 

696,760

Lockheed Martin

 

1,494

 

 

724,874

MDU Resources Group

 

22,926

 

 

721,939

Mercury Systems*

 

11,145

 

 

566,389

MSC Industrial Direct, Cl A

 

7,858

 

 

674,452

National Presto Industries

 

9,034

 

 

624,430

Northrop Grumman

 

1,330

 

 

709,276

NV5 Global*

 

4,725

 

 

682,810

Park Aerospace

 

52,489

 

 

694,429

Science Applications International

 

6,774

 

 

745,885

Stericycle*

 

13,444

 

 

700,836

Waste Management

 

3,921

 

 

657,630

Werner Enterprises

 

15,281

 

 

672,058

       

 

15,755,007

Information Technology — 2.5%

     

 

 

CSG Systems International

 

9,861

 

 

609,804

International Business
Machines

 

4,859

 

 

723,505

Knowles*

 

33,603

 

 

524,207

MAXIMUS

 

9,636

 

 

677,411

OSI Systems*

 

6,713

 

 

593,966

Rogers*

 

2,400

 

 

261,696

Western Union

 

38,212

 

 

560,188

       

 

3,950,777

Materials — 3.0%

     

 

 

AptarGroup

 

6,007

 

 

637,583

Clearwater Paper*

 

18,416

 

 

718,776

NewMarket

 

2,072

 

 

654,793

Newmont

 

14,288

 

 

678,251

Royal Gold

 

6,140

 

 

689,707

Silgan Holdings

 

14,699

 

 

777,578

Sonoco Products

 

10,236

 

 

628,183

       

 

4,784,871

Real Estate — 6.1%

     

 

 

Apartment Income

 

14,673

 

 

558,308

Community Healthcare Trust

 

16,232

 

 

572,340

Corporate Office Properties Trust

 

23,505

 

 

652,733

Easterly Government Properties, Cl A

 

33,000

 

 

522,720

First Industrial Realty Trust

 

12,350

 

 

624,293

Four Corners Property Trust

 

22,464

 

 

609,673

Getty Realty

 

21,882

 

 

722,543

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Real Estate (continued)

     

 

 

Healthcare Realty Trust, Cl A

 

24,934

 

$

511,895

Lexington Realty Trust

 

59,780

 

 

643,233

LTC Properties

 

14,995

 

 

589,154

National Retail Properties

 

13,697

 

 

634,993

Omega Healthcare Investors

 

20,299

 

 

614,654

Physicians Realty Trust

 

36,536

 

 

545,482

Rayonier

 

16,967

 

 

608,776

Sabra Health Care

 

41,694

 

 

538,270

Universal Health Realty Income Trust

 

11,869

 

 

623,004

       

 

9,572,071

Utilities — 16.3%

     

 

 

ALLETE

 

10,309

 

 

682,456

Alliant Energy

 

10,541

 

 

593,458

Ameren

 

6,921

 

 

618,184

American Electric Power

 

6,506

 

 

629,781

American States Water

 

7,252

 

 

710,624

Avista

 

14,918

 

 

615,815

Black Hills

 

8,464

 

 

606,276

California Water Service Group

 

10,581

 

 

687,024

Chesapeake Utilities

 

4,702

 

 

562,970

CMS Energy

 

9,298

 

 

567,829

Consolidated Edison

 

6,532

 

 

640,397

Dominion Energy

 

7,798

 

 

476,536

DTE Energy

 

5,927

 

 

687,592

Duke Energy

 

5,841

 

 

583,691

Essential Utilities

 

12,419

 

 

599,093

Evergy

 

9,423

 

 

557,936

Eversource Energy

 

7,098

 

 

588,140

FirstEnergy

 

16,146

 

 

665,861

Hawaiian Electric Industries

 

15,063

 

 

618,788

IDACORP

 

5,814

 

 

642,621

Middlesex Water

 

7,065

 

 

660,224

National Fuel Gas

 

9,077

 

 

601,170

New Jersey Resources

 

14,020

 

 

697,495

NiSource

 

21,287

 

 

594,759

Northwest Natural Holding

 

11,947

 

 

598,664

NorthWestern

 

11,757

 

 

686,726

OGE Energy

 

15,829

 

 

640,441

ONE Gas

 

7,717

 

 

670,993

Pinnacle West Capital

 

8,686

 

 

680,288

PNM Resources

 

13,329

 

 

653,121

Portland General Electric

 

12,493

 

 

615,030

PPL

 

22,019

 

 

650,001

Sempra Energy

 

3,913

 

 

650,301

South Jersey Industries

 

18,624

 

 

646,253

Southern

 

8,434

 

 

570,476

Southwest Gas Holdings

 

7,333

 

 

502,017

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

15

ETC 6 Meridian

Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022 (Concluded)

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Utilities (continued)

     

 

 

Spire

 

8,638

 

$

640,076

UGI

 

14,918

 

 

576,581

Unitil

 

11,532

 

 

632,184

WEC Energy Group

 

6,179

 

 

612,586

Xcel Energy

 

8,723

 

 

612,529

       

 

25,526,987

Total Common Stock
(Cost $148,518,784)

     

 

156,207,267

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT — 0.5%

 

 

 

Invesco Government & Agency Portfolio, CI Institutional, 3.73%(A)

 

722,247

 

$

722,247

Total Short-Term Investment
(Cost $722,247)

     

 

722,247

Total Investments — 100.0%
(Cost $149,241,031)

     

$

156,929,514

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $156,898,879.

      Real Estate Investment Trust

*       Non-income producing security.

(A)         The rate reported is the 7-day effective yield as of November 30, 2022.

Cl     — Class

PLC — Public Limited Company

As of November 30, 2022, all of the Fund’s investments were considered Level 1, in accordance with the authoritative guidance under U.S. GAAP.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

16

ETC 6 Meridian

Mega Cap Equity ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

COMMON STOCK — 99.8%

 

 

 

Communication Services — 7.9%

 

 

 

Alphabet, Cl A*

 

23,774

 

$

2,400,936

AT&T

 

246,544

 

 

4,753,368

T-Mobile US*

 

14,826

 

 

2,245,546

Verizon Communications

 

120,269

 

 

4,688,086

       

 

14,087,936

Consumer Discretionary — 4.0%

 

 

 

Home Depot

 

7,588

 

 

2,458,436

Lowe’s

 

11,526

 

 

2,449,851

Target

 

13,679

 

 

2,285,351

       

 

7,193,638

Consumer Staples — 21.2%

     

 

 

Altria Group

 

145,702

 

 

6,786,799

Colgate-Palmolive

 

60,866

 

 

4,715,897

Costco Wholesale

 

4,478

 

 

2,414,762

Kraft Heinz

 

116,829

 

 

4,597,221

PepsiCo

 

24,750

 

 

4,591,373

Philip Morris International

 

73,399

 

 

7,315,679

Procter & Gamble

 

16,685

 

 

2,488,735

Walmart

 

31,578

 

 

4,813,118

       

 

37,723,584

Energy — 8.8%

     

 

 

Chevron

 

24,845

 

 

4,554,337

ConocoPhillips

 

53,465

 

 

6,603,462

Exxon Mobil

 

40,558

 

 

4,515,728

       

 

15,673,527

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Financials — 13.5%

     

 

 

American Express

 

15,135

 

$

2,385,124

American International Group

 

39,423

 

 

2,487,986

Bank of New York Mellon

 

53,364

 

 

2,449,408

Capital One Financial

 

21,195

 

 

2,188,172

Citigroup

 

98,005

 

 

4,744,422

JPMorgan Chase

 

17,852

 

 

2,466,789

Morgan Stanley

 

27,347

 

 

2,545,185

US Bancorp

 

105,877

 

 

4,805,757

       

 

24,072,843

Health Care — 24.3%

     

 

 

AbbVie

 

46,048

 

 

7,422,017

Amgen

 

16,625

 

 

4,761,400

Bristol-Myers Squibb

 

58,016

 

 

4,657,524

CVS Health

 

23,727

 

 

2,417,307

Eli Lilly

 

12,411

 

 

4,605,474

Gilead Sciences

 

28,639

 

 

2,515,363

Johnson & Johnson

 

12,917

 

 

2,299,226

Merck

 

44,410

 

 

4,890,429

Pfizer

 

144,826

 

 

7,260,127

UnitedHealth Group

 

4,046

 

 

2,216,237

       

 

43,045,104

Industrials — 5.1%

     

 

 

3M

 

17,864

 

 

2,250,328

General Dynamics

 

8,993

 

 

2,269,743

Lockheed Martin

 

9,235

 

 

4,480,730

       

 

9,000,801

Information Technology — 8.1%

     

 

 

Accenture PLC, Cl A

 

7,914

 

 

2,381,560

Apple

 

14,653

 

 

2,169,084

International Business
Machines

 

32,499

 

 

4,839,101

QUALCOMM

 

19,098

 

 

2,415,706

Texas Instruments

 

13,989

 

 

2,524,455

       

 

14,329,906

Materials — 2.8%

     

 

 

Dow

 

96,160

 

 

4,901,275

Real Estate — 1.4%

     

 

 

Simon Property Group

 

20,618

 

 

2,462,614

Utilities — 2.7%

     

 

 

Duke Energy

 

48,234

 

 

4,820,024

Total Common Stock (Cost $168,036,797)

     

 

177,311,252

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

17

ETC 6 Meridian

Mega Cap Equity ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022 (Concluded)

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT — 0.2%

 

 

 

Invesco Government & Agency Portfolio, CI Institutional, 3.73%(A)

 

414,266

 

$

414,266

Total Short-Term Investment
(Cost $414,266)

     

 

414,266

Total Investments — 100.0%
(Cost $168,451,063)

     

$

177,725,518

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $177,680,465.

      Real Estate Investment Trust

*       Non-income producing security.

(A)         The rate reported is the 7-day effective yield as of November 30, 2022.

Cl     — Class

PLC — Public Limited Company

As of November 30, 2022, all of the Fund’s investments were considered Level 1, in accordance with the authoritative guidance under U.S. GAAP.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

18

ETC 6 Meridian

Small Cap Equity ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

COMMON STOCK†† — 99.6%

     

 

 

Communication Services — 1.2%

ATN International

 

15,853

 

$

767,444

Consumer Discretionary — 18.6%

Asbury Automotive Group*

 

4,128

 

 

774,495

Buckle

 

24,117

 

 

1,059,943

G-III Apparel Group*

 

32,496

 

 

702,889

Group 1 Automotive

 

4,157

 

 

803,714

Haverty Furniture

 

25,609

 

 

807,452

MDC Holdings

 

21,338

 

 

691,991

Meritage Homes*

 

8,664

 

 

748,656

Movado Group

 

20,627

 

 

663,983

Patrick Industries

 

12,471

 

 

697,503

Perdoceo Education*

 

54,153

 

 

777,096

Shoe Carnival

 

31,920

 

 

843,007

Sonic Automotive, Cl A

 

17,100

 

 

908,694

Sturm Ruger

 

11,100

 

 

609,723

Tri Pointe Homes*

 

42,115

 

 

776,601

Vista Outdoor*

 

24,633

 

 

688,985

Zumiez*

 

26,733

 

 

621,542

       

 

12,176,274

Consumer Staples — 12.5%

     

 

 

B&G Foods

 

29,120

 

 

386,714

Calavo Growers

 

17,802

 

 

622,358

Cal-Maine Foods

 

14,211

 

 

828,217

Hostess Brands, Cl A*

 

31,961

 

 

843,770

J & J Snack Foods

 

5,380

 

 

882,428

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Consumer Staples (continued)

     

 

 

John B Sanfilippo & Son

 

9,754

 

$

826,066

Tootsie Roll Industries

 

20,553

 

 

923,857

TreeHouse Foods*

 

16,558

 

 

818,462

Universal

 

13,600

 

 

773,976

USANA Health Sciences*

 

10,405

 

 

572,691

WD-40

 

4,056

 

 

679,380

       

 

8,157,919

Energy — 1.4%

     

 

 

Dorian LPG

 

45,467

 

 

885,242

       

 

 

Financials — 25.7%

     

 

 

Ambac Financial Group*

 

62,673

 

 

1,019,064

Ameris Bancorp

 

15,595

 

 

824,663

BankUnited

 

19,168

 

 

703,849

Capitol Federal Financial

 

76,535

 

 

640,598

Customers Bancorp*

 

19,839

 

 

640,205

Employers Holdings

 

19,173

 

 

890,969

Encore Capital Group*

 

21,214

 

 

1,069,186

Enova International*

 

21,494

 

 

867,068

Hilltop Holdings

 

25,942

 

 

773,072

HomeStreet

 

20,365

 

 

555,965

Horace Mann Educators

 

22,112

 

 

853,302

Lakeland Financial

 

9,450

 

 

746,172

Mercury General

 

25,628

 

 

929,784

Mr Cooper Group*

 

16,558

 

 

747,759

Pathward Financial

 

21,696

 

 

944,426

Piper Sandler

 

5,919

 

 

850,324

PRA Group*

 

18,840

 

 

647,719

Safety Insurance Group

 

8,733

 

 

801,165

TrustCo Bank NY

 

21,832

 

 

847,955

Universal Insurance Holdings

 

59,295

 

 

651,652

Westamerica BanCorp

 

12,475

 

 

770,331

       

 

16,775,228

Health Care — 12.9%

     

 

 

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals*

 

19,765

 

 

582,870

Arcus Biosciences*

 

27,971

 

 

983,741

Collegium Pharmaceutical*

 

40,833

 

 

893,018

Eagle Pharmaceuticals*

 

17,482

 

 

634,946

Fulgent Genetics*

 

11,711

 

 

424,758

Innoviva*

 

103,912

 

 

1,364,364

iTeos Therapeutics*

 

28,056

 

 

565,328

Meridian Bioscience*

 

22,839

 

 

730,848

Prestige Consumer Healthcare*

 

12,378

 

 

760,752

uniQure*

 

29,973

 

 

793,086

Vir Biotechnology*

 

25,406

 

 

716,957

       

 

8,450,668

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

19

ETC 6 Meridian

Small Cap Equity ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022 (Concluded)

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Industrials — 10.5%

     

 

 

Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings*

 

17,946

 

$

933,193

Boise Cascade

 

10,659

 

 

789,192

Encore Wire

 

6,041

 

 

882,651

Heartland Express

 

47,488

 

 

794,949

Heidrick & Struggles
International

 

23,442

 

 

696,227

Insteel Industries

 

25,327

 

 

746,893

Matson

 

8,948

 

 

570,524

Mueller Industries

 

10,990

 

 

755,782

National Presto Industries

 

10,174

 

 

703,227

       

 

6,872,638

Information Technology — 1.6%

     

 

 

Kulicke & Soffa Industries

 

15,297

 

 

733,491

Rogers*

 

2,752

 

 

300,078

       

 

1,033,569

Materials — 4.3%

     

 

 

AdvanSix

 

19,129

 

 

787,350

Mercer International

 

49,465

 

 

682,617

TimkenSteel*

 

43,202

 

 

807,877

Trinseo

 

21,302

 

 

525,094

       

 

2,802,938

Real Estate — 3.1%

     

 

 

Easterly Government Properties, Cl A

 

38,507

 

 

609,951

LTC Properties

 

17,498

 

 

687,496

Universal Health Realty Income Trust

 

13,971

 

 

733,338

       

 

2,030,785

Utilities — 7.8%

     

 

 

American States Water

 

8,161

 

 

799,697

Avista

 

17,518

 

 

723,143

California Water Service Group

 

12,015

 

 

780,134

Chesapeake Utilities

 

5,402

 

 

646,781

Middlesex Water

 

7,981

 

 

745,824

Northwest Natural Holding

 

13,823

 

 

692,671

Unitil

 

13,366

 

 

732,724

       

 

5,120,974

Total Common Stock
(Cost $64,862,708)

     

 

65,073,679

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT — 0.4%

 

 

 

Invesco Government & Agency Portfolio, CI Institutional, 3.73%(A)

 

252,250

 

$

252,250

Total Short-Term Investment
(Cost $252,250)

     

 

252,250

Total Investments — 100.0%
(Cost $65,114,958)

     

$

65,325,929

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $65,314,393.

††    Narrow industries are utilized for compliance purposes, whereas broad sectors are utilized for reporting.

      Real Estate Investment Trust

*       Non-income producing security.

(A)         The rate reported is the 7-day effective yield as of November 30, 2022.

Cl — Class

As of November 30, 2022, all of the Fund’s investments were considered Level 1, in accordance with the authoritative guidance under U.S. GAAP.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

20

ETC 6 Meridian

Quality Growth ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

COMMON STOCK†† — 99.6%

     

 

 

Communication Services — 4.1%

     

 

 

Alphabet, Cl A*

 

11,811

 

$

1,192,793

Consumer Discretionary — 4.1%

     

 

 

Choice Hotels International

 

578

 

 

71,221

H&R Block

 

2,216

 

 

96,861

Lululemon Athletica*

 

1,708

 

 

649,569

Malibu Boats, Cl A*

 

284

 

 

16,390

NVR*

 

42

 

 

194,839

Skyline Champion*

 

687

 

 

35,717

Williams-Sonoma

 

941

 

 

110,003

XPEL*

 

270

 

 

18,509

       

 

1,193,109

Consumer Staples — 5.2%

     

 

 

Colgate-Palmolive

 

11,870

 

 

919,688

Medifast

 

188

 

 

23,697

Monster Beverage*

 

5,604

 

 

576,427

       

 

1,519,812

Energy — 5.1%

     

 

 

Coterra Energy

 

11,141

 

 

310,945

Magnolia Oil & Gas, Cl A

 

2,833

 

 

73,885

Matador Resources

 

1,594

 

 

105,778

Pioneer Natural Resources

 

3,237

 

 

763,900

Texas Pacific Land

 

91

 

 

235,921

       

 

1,490,429

Financials — 3.8%

     

 

 

Arch Capital Group*

 

4,980

 

 

298,352

Cohen & Steers

 

345

 

 

22,856

Everest Re Group

 

538

 

 

181,812

Houlihan Lokey, Cl A

 

974

 

 

95,793

Kinsale Capital Group

 

288

 

 

88,764

MarketAxess Holdings

 

520

 

 

139,318

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Financials (continued)

     

 

 

Moelis, Cl A

 

1,090

 

$

47,110

PJT Partners

 

518

 

 

39,891

Tradeweb Markets, Cl A

 

3,242

 

 

199,254

       

 

1,113,150

Health Care — 29.1%

     

 

 

ABIOMED*

 

649

 

 

245,186

AmerisourceBergen, Cl A

 

2,131

 

 

363,740

Chemed

 

204

 

 

106,080

Corcept Therapeutics*

 

1,285

 

 

32,485

Edwards Lifesciences*

 

8,440

 

 

651,989

Exelixis*

 

4,396

 

 

75,084

Globus Medical, Cl A*

 

1,345

 

 

99,382

Halozyme Therapeutics*

 

2,022

 

 

115,780

Horizon Therapeutics*

 

3,091

 

 

309,996

Incyte*

 

2,601

 

 

207,222

Merck

 

14,286

 

 

1,573,174

Meridian Bioscience*

 

602

 

 

19,264

Mettler-Toledo International*

 

314

 

 

461,442

Moderna*

 

4,791

 

 

842,785

Neurocrine Biosciences*

 

1,201

 

 

152,599

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals*

 

1,474

 

 

1,108,006

STAAR Surgical*

 

678

 

 

38,721

Tandem Diabetes Care*

 

1,042

 

 

43,816

Veeva Systems, Cl A*

 

2,169

 

 

412,891

Vertex Pharmaceuticals*

 

3,223

 

 

1,019,757

Waters*

 

848

 

 

293,917

West Pharmaceutical Services

 

1,043

 

 

244,750

       

 

8,418,066

Industrials — 10.8%

     

 

 

Atkore*

 

586

 

 

71,580

Copart*

 

6,080

 

 

404,685

Expeditors International of Washington

 

2,315

 

 

268,679

Exponent

 

717

 

 

74,145

Landstar System

 

503

 

 

87,009

Lockheed Martin

 

2,635

 

 

1,278,476

Mueller Industries

 

779

 

 

53,572

NV5 Global*

 

192

 

 

27,746

Old Dominion Freight Line

 

1,359

 

 

411,247

Robert Half International

 

1,526

 

 

120,218

Rollins

 

3,413

 

 

138,022

Trex*

 

1,560

 

 

71,588

TriNet Group*

 

509

 

 

36,887

UFP Industries

 

843

 

 

69,008

       

 

3,112,862

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

21

ETC 6 Meridian

Quality Growth ETF

Schedule of Investments

November 30, 2022 (Concluded)

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

Information Technology — 35.7%

     

 

 

Accenture PLC, Cl A

 

3,199

 

$

962,675

ACI Worldwide*

 

1,735

 

 

36,262

Adobe*

 

2,284

 

 

787,820

Apple

 

8,391

 

 

1,242,120

Badger Meter

 

415

 

 

48,065

Cadence Design Systems*

 

3,716

 

 

639,301

Datadog, Cl A*

 

3,971

 

 

300,922

Fortinet*

 

11,311

 

 

601,293

Jabil

 

1,754

 

 

126,622

Jack Henry & Associates

 

1,005

 

 

190,297

KLA

 

2,093

 

 

822,863

Kulicke & Soffa Industries

 

773

 

 

37,065

Lightwave Logic*

 

1,655

 

 

13,124

Manhattan Associates*

 

871

 

 

109,694

Mastercard, Cl A

 

2,769

 

 

986,871

Microsoft

 

3,887

 

 

991,728

Monolithic Power Systems

 

612

 

 

233,760

Power Integrations

 

819

 

 

65,913

Qualys*

 

495

 

 

61,043

Silicon Laboratories*

 

469

 

 

68,211

SPS Commerce*

 

496

 

 

70,561

Synopsys*

 

2,122

 

 

720,504

Texas Instruments

 

6,775

 

 

1,222,616

       

 

10,339,330

Materials — 1.7%

     

 

 

CF Industries Holdings

 

2,705

 

 

292,654

Louisiana-Pacific

 

1,148

 

 

73,242

Royal Gold

 

913

 

 

102,557

Warrior Met Coal

 

779

 

 

28,683

       

 

497,136

Total Common Stock
(Cost $29,349,477)

     

 

28,876,687

Description

 

Shares

 

Fair Value

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT — 0.5%

 

 

 

Invesco Government & Agency Portfolio, CI Institutional, 3.73%(A)

 

151,450

 

$

151,450

Total Short-Term Investment
(Cost $151,450)

     

 

151,450

Total Investments — 100.1%
(Cost $29,500,927)

     

$

29,028,137

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $29,005,465.

††    Narrow industries are utilized for compliance purposes, whereas broad sectors are utilized for reporting.

*       Non-income producing security.

(A)         The rate reported is the 7-day effective yield as of November 30, 2022.

Cl     — Class

PLC — Public Limited Company

As of November 30, 2022, all of the Fund’s investments were considered Level 1, in accordance with the authoritative guidance under U.S. GAAP.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

22

ETC 6 Meridian

Statements of Assets and Liabilities

November 30, 2022

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Hedged
Equity-Index
Option
Strategy ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Low Beta
Equity
Strategy ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Mega Cap
Equity ETF

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments, at Cost

 

$

310,224,443

 

 

$

149,241,031

 

 

$

168,451,063

 

Investments at Fair Value

 

$

324,699,019

 

 

$

156,929,514

 

 

$

177,725,518

 

Receivable for Investment Securities Sold

 

 

2,516,250

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends Receivable

 

 

949,894

 

 

 

343,666

 

 

 

530,422

 

Deposits at Broker for Options

 

 

9,968

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Assets

 

 

328,175,131

 

 

 

157,273,180

 

 

 

178,255,940

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options Written, at Value (Premiums Received $4,518,664, $— and $—, respectively)

 

 

9,214,936

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payable for Investment Securities Purchased

 

 

3,081,367

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income Distributions Payable

 

 

714,768

 

 

 

229,595

 

 

 

412,762

 

Advisory Fees Payable

 

 

154,332

 

 

 

76,301

 

 

 

86,264

 

Payable due to Administrator

 

 

17,710

 

 

 

8,756

 

 

 

9,899

 

Payable for Trustees’ Fee

 

 

17,516

 

 

 

8,327

 

 

 

9,811

 

Audit Expenses

 

 

17,000

 

 

 

17,000

 

 

 

17,000

 

Chief Compliance Officer Fees Payable

 

 

2,707

 

 

 

1,287

 

 

 

1,516

 

Other Accrued Expenses

 

 

79,401

 

 

 

33,035

 

 

 

38,223

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

 

 

13,299,737

 

 

 

374,301

 

 

 

575,475

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets

 

$

314,875,394

 

 

$

156,898,879

 

 

$

177,680,465

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets Consist of:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paid-in Capital

 

$

352,689,323

 

 

$

161,261,218

 

 

$

195,298,945

 

Total Distributable Earnings (Accumulated Losses)

 

 

(37,813,929

)

 

 

(4,362,339

)

 

 

(17,618,480

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets

 

$

314,875,394

 

 

$

156,898,879

 

 

$

177,680,465

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding Shares of Beneficial Interest (unlimited authorization — no par value)

 

 

9,775,000

 

 

 

4,600,000

 

 

 

5,125,000

 

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

 

$

32.21

 

 

$

34.11

 

 

$

34.67

 

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

23

ETC 6 Meridian

Statements of Assets and Liabilities

November 30, 2022 (Concluded)

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Small Cap
Equity ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Quality
Growth ETF

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments, at Cost

 

$

65,114,958

 

 

$

29,500,927

 

Investments at Fair Value

 

$

65,325,929

 

 

$

29,028,137

 

Dividends Receivable

 

 

151,706

 

 

 

38,651

 

Total Assets

 

 

65,477,635

 

 

 

29,066,788

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income Distributions Payable

 

 

85,484

 

 

 

10,465

 

Advisory Fees Payable

 

 

31,443

 

 

 

13,851

 

Audit Expenses

 

 

17,000

 

 

 

17,000

 

Transfer Agent Fees Payable

 

 

12,425

 

 

 

12,424

 

Payable due to Administrator

 

 

3,608

 

 

 

1,595

 

Payable for Trustees’ Fee

 

 

3,310

 

 

 

1,481

 

Chief Compliance Officer Fees Payable

 

 

511

 

 

 

229

 

Other Accrued Expenses

 

 

9,461

 

 

 

4,278

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

 

 

163,242

 

 

 

61,323

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets

 

$

65,314,393

 

 

$

29,005,465

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets Consist of:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paid-in Capital

 

$

73,176,650

 

 

$

34,846,091

 

Total Distributable Earnings (Accumulated Losses)

 

 

(7,862,257

)

 

 

(5,840,626

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets

 

$

65,314,393

 

 

$

29,005,465

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding Shares of Beneficial Interest
(unlimited authorization — no par value)

 

 

1,475,000

 

 

 

1,325,000

 

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

 

$

44.28

 

 

$

21.89

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

24

ETC 6 Meridian

Statements of Operations

For the year ended November 30, 2022

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Hedged
Equity-Index
Option
Strategy ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Low
Beta Equity
Strategy ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Mega
Cap Equity
ETF

Investment Income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividend Income

 

$

8,302,708

 

 

$

3,058,224

 

 

$

4,964,687

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

 

 

8,302,708

 

 

 

3,058,224

 

 

 

4,964,687

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advisory Fees

 

 

1,669,025

 

 

 

881,001

 

 

 

987,537

 

Interest Expense on Broker Account

 

 

110,027

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chief Compliance Officer Fees

 

 

15,272

 

 

 

8,152

 

 

 

9,038

 

Administration Fees

 

 

191,527

 

 

 

101,098

 

 

 

113,324

 

Trustees’ Fees

 

 

64,467

 

 

 

33,882

 

 

 

37,781

 

Transfer Agent Fees

 

 

31,135

 

 

 

36,897

 

 

 

42,132

 

Printing Fees

 

 

9,201

 

 

 

4,836

 

 

 

5,149

 

Custodian Fees

 

 

30,757

 

 

 

15,760

 

 

 

19,886

 

Pricing Fees

 

 

851

 

 

 

2,527

 

 

 

682

 

Legal Fees

 

 

34,176

 

 

 

18,080

 

 

 

20,555

 

Audit Fees

 

 

16,750

 

 

 

16,750

 

 

 

16,750

 

Registration Fees

 

 

17,201

 

 

 

13,867

 

 

 

13,226

 

Other Fees

 

 

44,998

 

 

 

23,514

 

 

 

24,786

 

Total Expenses

 

 

2,235,387

 

 

 

1,156,364

 

 

 

1,290,846

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

 

 

6,067,321

 

 

 

1,901,860

 

 

 

3,673,841

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments(1)

 

 

452,372

 

 

 

3,032,518

 

 

 

(810,644

)

Written Options

 

 

27,389,078

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments

 

 

4,425,957

 

 

 

(373,123

)

 

 

3,270,271

 

Written Options

 

 

(6,272,736

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

 

 

25,994,671

 

 

 

2,659,395

 

 

 

2,459,627

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

 

$

32,061,992

 

 

$

4,561,255

 

 

$

6,133,468

 

(1)          Includes realized gains (losses) as a result of in-kind transactions (See Note 4 in Notes to the Financial Statements).

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

25

ETC 6 Meridian

Statements of Operations

For the year ended November 30, 2022 (Concluded)

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Small
Cap Equity
ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Quality
Growth ETF

Investment Income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividend Income

 

$

1,328,361

 

 

$

289,562

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

 

 

1,328,361

 

 

 

289,562

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advisory Fees

 

 

380,802

 

 

 

165,098

 

Chief Compliance Officer Fees

 

 

3,518

 

 

 

1,521

 

Administration Fees

 

 

43,699

 

 

 

18,946

 

Trustees’ Fees

 

 

14,459

 

 

 

6,284

 

Transfer Agent Fees

 

 

37,883

 

 

 

34,412

 

Printing Fees

 

 

2,003

 

 

 

933

 

Custodian Fees

 

 

6,016

 

 

 

2,852

 

Pricing Fees

 

 

925

 

 

 

1,011

 

Offering Cost Fees

 

 

 

 

 

21,061

 

Legal Fees

 

 

8,028

 

 

 

3,504

 

Audit Fees

 

 

16,750

 

 

 

16,750

 

Registration Fees

 

 

11,985

 

 

 

10,640

 

Other Fees

 

 

13,474

 

 

 

10,096

 

Advisory Waiver Recapture (Note 3)

 

 

13,217

 

 

 

 

Total Expenses

 

 

552,759

 

 

 

293,108

 

Less: Advisory Fee Waiver (Note 3)

 

 

 

 

 

(22,457

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

 

 

775,602

 

 

 

18,911

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss) on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments(1)

 

 

(200,396

)

 

 

(4,010,417

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments

 

 

(6,437,296

)

 

 

(1,389,798

)

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

 

 

(6,637,692

)

 

 

(5,400,215

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

 

$

(5,862,090

)

 

$

(5,381,304

)

(1)          Includes realized gains (losses) as a result of in-kind transactions (See Note 4 in Notes to the Financial Statements).

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

26

ETC 6 Meridian

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged
Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

   

Year ended
November 30,
2022

 

Year ended
November 30,
2021

Operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

 

$

6,067,321

 

 

$

3,987,999

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss)(1)

 

 

27,841,450

 

 

 

26,544,433

 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

 

(1,846,779

)

 

 

(3,640,144

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

 

 

32,061,992

 

 

 

26,892,288

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions:

 

 

(6,013,160

)

 

 

(3,938,003

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

275,960,830

 

 

 

368,553,550

 

Redeemed

 

 

(233,753,485

)

 

 

(347,412,571

)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

 

 

42,207,345

 

 

 

21,140,979

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

68,256,177

 

 

 

44,095,264

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of Year

 

 

246,619,217

 

 

 

202,523,953

 

End of Year

 

$

314,875,394

 

 

$

246,619,217

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

9,100,000

 

 

 

12,725,000

 

Redeemed

 

 

(7,675,000

)

 

 

(11,975,000

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding from Share Transactions

 

 

1,425,000

 

 

 

750,000

 

(1)          Includes realized gains (losses) as a result of in-kind transactions. (See Note 4 in Notes to Financial Statements.)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

27

ETC 6 Meridian

Statements of Changes in Net Assets
(Continued)

 

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta
Equity Strategy ETF

   

Year ended
November 30,
2022

 

Year ended
November 30,
2021

Operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

 

$

1,901,860

 

 

$

787,029

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss)(1)

 

 

3,032,518

 

 

 

18,088,315

 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

 

(373,123

)

 

 

(1,643,112

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

 

 

4,561,255

 

 

 

17,232,232

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions:

 

 

(1,949,810

)

 

 

(812,365

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

78,183,774

 

 

 

93,154,294

 

Redeemed

 

 

(60,945,391

)

 

 

(65,807,713

)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

 

 

17,238,383

 

 

 

27,346,581

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

19,849,828

 

 

 

43,766,448

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of Year

 

 

137,049,051

 

 

 

93,282,603

 

End of Year

 

$

156,898,879

 

 

$

137,049,051

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

2,350,000

 

 

 

2,775,000

 

Redeemed

 

 

(1,825,000

)

 

 

(1,950,000

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding from Share Transactions

 

 

525,000

 

 

 

825,000

 

(1)          Includes realized gains (losses) as a result of in-kind transactions. (See Note 4 in Notes to Financial Statements.)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

28

ETC 6 Meridian

Statements of Changes in Net Assets
(Continued)

 

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap
Equity ETF

   

Year ended
November 30,
2022

 

Year ended
November 30,
2021

Operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

 

$

3,673,841

 

 

$

2,565,082

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss)(1)

 

 

(810,644

)

 

 

30,886,423

 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

 

3,270,271

 

 

 

(7,036,859

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

 

 

6,133,468

 

 

 

26,414,646

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions:

 

 

(3,543,151

)

 

 

(2,635,002

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

166,757,012

 

 

 

225,065,126

 

Redeemed

 

 

(150,347,117

)

 

 

(205,991,448

)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

 

 

16,409,895

 

 

 

19,073,678

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

19,000,212

 

 

 

42,853,322

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of Year

 

 

158,680,253

 

 

 

115,826,931

 

End of Year

 

$

177,680,465

 

 

$

158,680,253

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

4,900,000

 

 

 

6,850,000

 

Redeemed

 

 

(4,375,000

)

 

 

(6,225,000

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding from Share Transactions

 

 

525,000

 

 

 

625,000

 

(1)          Includes realized gains (losses) as a result of in-kind transactions. (See Note 4 in Notes to Financial Statements.)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

29

ETC 6 Meridian

Statements of Changes in Net Assets
(Continued)

 

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap
Equity ETF

   

Year ended
November 30,
2022

 

Year ended
November 30,
2021

Operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

 

$

775,602

 

 

$

457,264

 

Net Realized Gain (Loss)(1)

 

 

(200,396

)

 

 

14,570,660

 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

 

(6,437,296

)

 

 

248,109

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

 

 

(5,862,090

)

 

 

15,276,033

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions:

 

 

(834,121

)

 

 

(415,999

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

41,576,787

 

 

 

58,895,529

 

Redeemed

 

 

(32,138,306

)

 

 

(43,606,590

)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

 

 

9,438,481

 

 

 

15,288,939

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

2,742,270

 

 

 

30,148,973

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of Year

 

 

62,572,123

 

 

 

32,423,150

 

End of Year

 

$

65,314,393

 

 

$

62,572,123

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

900,000

 

 

 

1,325,000

 

Redeemed

 

 

(700,000

)

 

 

(975,000

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding from Share Transactions

 

 

200,000

 

 

 

350,000

 

(1)          Includes realized gains (losses) as a result of in-kind transactions. (See Note 4 in Notes to Financial Statements.)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

30

ETC 6 Meridian

Statements of Changes in Net Assets
(Concluded)

 

ETC 6 Meridian Quality
Growth ETF

   

Year ended
November 30,
2022

 

Period Ended
November 30,
2021
(1)

Operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income (Loss)

 

$

18,911

 

 

$

(15,182

)

Net Realized Gain (Loss)(2)

 

 

(4,010,417

)

 

 

333,599

 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

 

(1,389,798

)

 

 

917,008

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

 

 

(5,381,304

)

 

 

1,235,425

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions:

 

 

(10,465

)

 

 

(222

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

19,776,131

 

 

 

28,170,071

 

Redeemed

 

 

(10,821,406

)

 

 

(3,962,765

)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

 

 

8,954,725

 

 

 

24,207,306

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

 

 

3,562,956

 

 

 

25,442,509

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of Year/Period

 

 

25,442,509

 

 

 

 

End of Year/Period

 

$

29,005,465

 

 

$

25,442,509

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share Transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued

 

 

850,000

 

 

 

1,100,000

 

Redeemed

 

 

(475,000

)

 

 

(150,000

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding from Share Transactions

 

 

375,000

 

 

 

950,000

 

(1)          Commenced operations on May 10, 2021.

(2)          Includes realized gains (losses) as a result of in-kind transactions. (See Note 4 in Notes to Financial Statements.)

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

31

ETC 6 Meridian

Financial Highlights

Selected Per Share Data & Ratios

Year or Period Ended November 30.

For a Share Outstanding Throughout the Year or Period

 

Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of
Year/Period

 

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)*

 

Net Realized
and
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments

 

Total
from
Operations

 

Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income

 

Distributions
from Net
Realized
Capital Gains

 

Return
of
Capital

 

Total
Distributions

 

Net Asset
Value,
End of
Year/
Period

 

Net Asset
Value,
Total
Return
(1)

 

Net
Assets
End of
Year/
Period
(000)

 

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(Including
Waivers)

 

Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(Excluding
Waivers)

 

Ratio of
Net
Investment Income
(Loss) to
Average
Net Assets

 

Portfolio
Turnover
(2)

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

2022

 

$

29.54

 

$

0.67

 

 

$

2.66

 

 

$

3.33

 

 

$

(0.66

)

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

(0.66

)

 

$

32.21

 

11.44

%

 

$

314,875

 

0.82

%(8)

 

0.82

%(8)

 

2.22

%(8)

 

164

%

2021

 

 

26.65

 

 

0.50

 

 

 

2.88

 

 

 

3.38

 

 

 

(0.49

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.49

)

 

 

29.54

 

12.76

 

 

 

246,619

 

0.84

(7)

 

0.84

(7)

 

1.72

(7)

 

171

 

2020(3)

 

 

25.34

 

 

0.25

 

 

 

1.30

 

 

 

1.55

 

 

 

(0.24

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.24

)

 

 

26.65

 

6.14

 

 

 

202,524

 

0.87

(4)(5)

 

0.87

(4)(5)

 

1.71

(4)(5)

 

49

 

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

2022

 

$

33.63

 

$

0.44

 

 

$

0.49

 

 

$

0.93

 

 

$

(0.45

)

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

(0.45

)

 

$

34.11

 

2.80

%

 

$

156,899

 

0.80

%

 

0.80

%

 

1.32

%

 

73

%

2021

 

 

28.70

 

 

0.21

 

 

 

4.94

 

 

 

5.15

 

 

 

(0.22

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.22

)

 

 

33.63

 

17.96

 

 

 

137,049

 

0.82

 

 

0.82

 

 

0.64

 

 

70

 

2020(3)

 

 

25.54

 

 

0.10

 

 

 

3.15

 

 

 

3.25

 

 

 

(0.09

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.09

)

 

 

28.70

 

12.72

 

 

 

93,283

 

0.88

(4)

 

0.88

(4)

 

0.65

(4)

 

13

 

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

2022

 

$

34.50

 

$

0.77

 

 

$

0.14

 

 

$

0.91

 

 

$

(0.74

)

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

(0.74

)

 

$

34.67

 

2.73

%

 

$

177,680

 

0.80

%

 

0.80

%

 

2.27

%

 

160

%

2021

 

 

29.14

 

 

0.58

 

 

 

5.39

 

 

 

5.97

 

 

 

(0.58

)

 

 

(0.03

)

 

 

 

 

 

(0.61

)

 

 

34.50

 

20.59

 

 

 

158,680

 

0.82

 

 

0.82

 

 

1.76

 

 

166

 

2020(3)

 

 

25.38

 

 

0.27

 

 

 

3.74

 

 

 

4.01

 

 

 

(0.25

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.25

)

 

 

29.14

 

15.88

 

 

 

115,827

 

0.86

(4)

 

0.86

(4)

 

1.72

(4)

 

38

 

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

2022

 

$

49.08

 

$

0.56

 

 

$

(4.76

)

 

$

(4.20

)

 

$

(0.60

)

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

(0.60

)

 

$

44.28

 

(8.58

)%

 

$

65,314

 

0.89

%

 

0.89

%

 

1.24

%

 

91

%

2021

 

 

35.05

 

 

0.40

 

 

 

14.00

 

 

 

14.40

 

 

 

(0.37

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.37

)

 

 

49.08

 

41.20

 

 

 

62,572

 

0.88

 

 

0.88

 

 

0.87

 

 

104

 

2020(3)

 

 

26.43

 

 

0.13

 

 

 

8.60

 

 

 

8.73

 

 

 

(0.11

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.11

)

 

 

35.05

 

33.11

 

 

 

32,423

 

1.00

(4)

 

1.10

(4)

 

0.76

(4)

 

29

 

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

2022

 

$

26.78

 

$

0.02

 

 

$

(4.90

)

 

$

(4.88

)

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

21.89

 

(18.23

)%

 

$

29,005

 

1.00

%

 

1.08

%

 

0.07

%

 

84

%

2021(6)

 

 

24.28

 

 

(0.03

)

 

 

2.53

 

 

 

2.50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

 

 

26.78

 

10.30

 

 

 

25,443

 

1.00

(4)

 

1.52

(4)

 

(0.18

)(4)

 

40

 

*       Per share data calculated using average shares method.

**     Amount represents less than $0.01.

(1)          Total return is for the period indicated and has not been annualized for periods less than one year. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes the shareholder would pay on fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.

(2)          Portfolio turnover rate is for the period indicated and periods of less than one year have not been annualized. Excludes effect of securities received or delivered from processing in-kind creations or redemptions.

(3)          Commenced operations on May 8, 2020.

(4)          Annualized.

(5)          The expense ratio includes interest expense. Had this expense been excluded the ratio’s would have been 0.83%, 0.83% and 1.75%.

(6)          Commenced operations on May 10, 2021.

(7)          The expense and investment income ratio includes interest expense. Had this expense been excluded the ratio’s would have been 0.80%, 0.80% and 1.76%.

(8)          The expense and investment income ratio includes interest expense. Had this expense been excluded the ratio’s would have been 0.78%, 0.78% and 2.26%.

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

32

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022

1. ORGANIZATION

Exchange Traded Concepts Trust (the “Trust”) is a Delaware statutory trust formed on July 17, 2009. The Trust is registered with the Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) as an open-end management investment company with multiple investment portfolios. The financial statements herein are those of the ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF and ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”). Each Fund seeks to provide capital appreciation. The ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF and ETC 6 Meridian Small Equity ETF are classified as “diversified” under the 1940 Act. The ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF and ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF are classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act (see “Non-Diversification Risk” under Note 6). Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (the “Adviser”), an Oklahoma limited liability company, serves as the investment adviser for the Funds. The Funds, other than the ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF, commenced operations on May 8, 2020. The ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF commenced operations on May 10, 2021.

Shares of the Funds are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”). Market prices for shares may be different from their net asset value (“NAV”). The Funds issue and redeem shares on a continuous basis to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) at NAV only in large blocks of shares, typically 25,000 shares, called “Creation Units”. Transactions for each Fund are generally conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities constituting a substantial replication, or a representation, of the securities closely approximating the holdings of that Fund and a specified amount of cash. Once created, shares trade in a secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day in share amounts less than a Creation Unit.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Trust, are in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for investment companies. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP on the accrual basis of accounting. Management has reviewed Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946, Financial Services — Investment Companies (“ASC 946”), and concluded that the Funds meet the criteria of an “investment company,” and therefore, the Funds prepare their financial statements in accordance with investment company accounting as outlined in ASC 946.

Use of Estimates and Indemnifications — Each Fund is an investment company in conformity with U.S. GAAP. Therefore, the Funds follows the accounting and reporting guidelines for investment companies. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

In the normal course of business, the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations which provide general indemnifications. Each Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements cannot be known; however, the Funds expect any risk of loss to be remote.

Security Valuation — The Funds record their investments at fair value. Securities listed on a securities exchange, market or automated quotation system for which quotations are readily available (except for securities traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”), including securities traded over the counter, are valued at the last quoted sale price on the primary exchange or market (foreign or domestic) on which they are traded (or at approximately 4:00 pm Eastern Time if a security’s primary exchange is normally open at that time), or, if there is no such reported sale, at the most recent quoted bid price for long positions and at the most recent quoted ask price

33

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

for short positions. For securities traded on NASDAQ, the NASDAQ Official Closing Price will be used. If available, debt securities are priced based upon valuations provided by independent, third-party pricing agents. Such values generally reflect the last reported sales price if the security is actively traded.

The third-party pricing agents may also value debt securities at an evaluated bid price by employing methodologies that utilize actual market transactions, broker-supplied valuations, or other methodologies designed to identify the fair value for such securities. Debt obligations with remaining maturities of sixty days or less when acquired will be valued at their market value. If a market value is not available from a pricing vendor or from an independent broker, the security shall be fair valued according to the Trust’s fair value procedures. Prices for most securities held in the Funds are provided daily by recognized independent pricing agents. If a security price cannot be obtained from an independent, third-party pricing agent, the Funds seek to obtain a bid price from at least one independent broker.

Options are valued at the last quoted sales price. If there is no such reported sale on the valuation date, long positions are valued at the most recent bid price, and short positions are valued at the most recent ask price.

In December 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, establishing requirements to determine fair value in good faith for purposes of the 1940 Act. The rule permits fund boards to designate a fund’s investment adviser to perform fair-value determinations, subject to board oversight and certain other conditions. The rule also defines when market quotations are “readily available” for purposes of the 1940 Act and requires a fund to fair value a portfolio investment when a market quotation is not readily available. The SEC also adopted new Rule 31a-4 under the 1940 Act, which sets forth recordkeeping requirements associated with fair-value determinations. The compliance date for Rule 2a-5 and Rule 31a-4 was September 8, 2022.

Effective September 8, 2022, and pursuant to the requirements of Rule 2a-5, the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) designated the Adviser as the Board’s valuation designee to perform fair-value determinations for the Funds through a Fair Value Committee (the “Committee”) established by the Adviser and approved new Adviser Fair Value Procedures for the Funds. Prior to September 8, 2022, fair-value determinations were performed in accordance with the Trust’s Fair Value Procedures established by the Trust’s Board and were implemented through a Fair Value Committee designated by the Board.

Some of the more common reasons that may necessitate that a security be valued using fair value procedures include: the security’s trading has been halted or suspended; the security has been de-listed from a national exchange; the security’s primary trading market is temporarily closed at a time, when under normal conditions, it would be open; the security has not been traded for an extended period of time; the security’s primary pricing source is not able or willing to provide a price; or trading of the security is subject to local government-imposed restrictions. In addition, a Fund may fair value its securities if an event that may materially affect the value of the Fund’s securities that traded outside of the United States (a ‘‘Significant Event’’) has occurred between the time of the security’s last close and the time that the Fund calculates its net asset value. A Significant Event may relate to a single issuer or to an entire market sector. Events that may be Significant Events include, but are not limited to, government actions, natural disasters, armed conflict, acts of terrorism and significant market fluctuations. If the Adviser becomes aware of a Significant Event that has occurred with respect to a security or group of securities after the closing of the exchange or market on which the security or securities principally trade, but before the time at which the Fund calculates its net asset value, it may request that a Committee meeting be called. When a security is valued in accordance with the fair value procedures, the Committee will determine the value after taking into consideration relevant information reasonably available to the Committee.

In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. GAAP, the Funds disclose fair value of its investments in a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure the fair value. The objective of a fair value measurement is to determine the price that would be received to sell an asset, or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement

34

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

date (an exit price). Accordingly, the fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

        Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities that the Funds have the ability to access at the measurement date;

        Level 2 – Quoted prices which are not active, or inputs that are observable (either directly or indirectly) for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and

        Level 3 – Prices, inputs or exotic modeling techniques which are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (supported by little or no market activity).

The valuation techniques used by the Funds to measure fair value during the year ended November 30, 2022 maximized the use of observable inputs and minimized the use of unobservable inputs. Investments are classified within the level of the lowest significant input considered in determining fair value.

Federal Income Taxes  It is each Fund’s intention to qualify as a regulated investment company for Federal income tax purposes by complying with the appropriate provisions of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Accordingly, no provisions for Federal income taxes have been made in the financial statements.

The Funds’ policy is to classify interest and penalties associated with underpayment of federal and state income taxes, if any, as income tax expense on their Statements of Operations. As of November 30, 2022, the Funds did not have any interest or penalties associated with the underpayment of any income taxes. Current tax years remain open and subject to examination by tax jurisdictions. The Funds have reviewed all major jurisdictions and concluded that there is no impact on the Funds’ net assets and no tax liability resulting from unrecognized tax benefits relating to uncertain income tax positions taken or expected to be taken on its tax returns.

Security Transactions and Investment Income — Security transactions are accounted for on trade date. Costs used in determining realized gains and losses on the sale of investment securities are based on specific identification. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income and expenses are recognized on the accrual basis. Withholding taxes and reclaims on foreign dividends, if any, have been provided for in accordance with the Funds’ understanding of the applicable country’s tax rules and rates.

Counterparty Risk and Collateral — The ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF invests in exchange-traded derivatives, such as futures and exchange-traded options. Counterparty risk on these derivatives is minimal because the clearinghouse provides protection against counterparty defaults. For futures, the Fund is required to deposit collateral in the amount specified by the clearinghouse and the clearing firm (“margin requirement”), and the margin requirement must be maintained over the life of the contract. Collateral for exchange-traded derivatives may be in the form of cash or debt securities issued by the U.S. government or related agencies, although other securities may be used. Cash posted by the Fund, if any, is reflected as cash deposits in the accompanying financial statements and generally is restricted from withdrawal by the Fund. Securities posted by the Fund, if any, are noted in the accompanying schedule of investments. Both forms of collateral remain in the Fund’s assets. Exchange-traded derivatives may only be closed out on the exchange or clearinghouse where the contracts were cleared. This ability is subject to the liquidity of underlying positions.

Options — The ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF may purchase and sell put and call options. A call option gives a holder the right to purchase a specific security or an index at a specified price (“exercise price”) within a specified period of time. A put option gives a holder the right to sell a specific security or an index at a specified price within a specified period of time. The initial purchaser of a call option pays the “writer,” i.e., the party selling the option, a premium which is paid at the time of purchase and is retained by the writer whether or not such option is exercised. The Fund may purchase put options to hedge its portfolio against the risk of a decline in the market value of securities held and may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of

35

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

securities it is committed to purchase. The Fund may write put and call options along with a long position in options to increase its ability to hedge against a change in the market value of the securities it holds or is committed to purchase. The ETC 6 Meridian Hedge Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF entered into written and purchased options during the year ended November 30, 2022. These options were index options composed entirely of equity risk.

Options may relate to particular securities and may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange and issued by the Options Clearing Corporation. Options trading is a highly specialized activity that entails greater than ordinary investment risk. Options on particular securities may be more volatile than the underlying securities, and therefore, on a percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation than an investment in the underlying securities themselves. Refer to the Fund’s Schedule of Investments for details regarding open option contracts as of November 30, 2022, if applicable. The amount of realized gain (loss) on Purchased and/or Written Options is presented on the Statements of Operations as “Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Purchased and Written Options”. The change in the net fair value of the Purchased and/or Written Options is included in the Statement of Operations as “Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on Purchased and Written Options”.

For the year ended November 30, 2022, the average quarterly notional amount of options held in the ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF were as follows:

Average Quarterly Notional Balance Long

 

$

 

Average Quarterly Notional Balance Short

 

 

(197,058,206

)

Cash and Cash Equivalents — Idle cash may be swept into various overnight demand deposits and is classified as Cash and Cash equivalents on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. The Funds maintain cash in bank deposit accounts which, at times, may exceed United States federally insured limits. Amounts swept overnight are available on the next business day.

Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders — Each Fund pays out dividends from its net investment income monthly and distributes its net capital gains, if any, to investors at least annually. All distributions are recorded on ex-dividend date.

Offering costs — Offering costs, including costs of printing initial prospectus, legal and registration fees, are expensed monthly from inception for each Fund. During the year ended November 30, 2022, the ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF expensed $21,061 of offering costs.

Creation Units — The Funds issue and redeem shares at NAV and only in Creation Units, or multiples thereof. Purchasers of Creation Units (“Authorized Participants”) at NAV must pay a standard creation transaction fee of $500, $1,000, $500, $500 and $500 per transaction, regardless of the number of Creation Units created in a given transaction for ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF and ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF, respectively. An Authorized Participant who holds Creation Units and wishes to redeem at NAV would also pay a standard minimum redemption transaction fee of $500, $1,000, $500, $500 and $500 per transaction to the custodian on the date of such redemption, regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in a given transaction for ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF and ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF, respectively. The Funds may charge, either in lieu of or in addition to the fixed creation transaction fee, a variable fee for creations and redemptions in order to cover certain non-standard brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transactions. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the Commission applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

36

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable securities of the Funds. Shares of the Funds may only be purchased or redeemed by certain Authorized Participants. An Authorized Participant is either (i) a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation or (ii) a Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participant and, in each case, must have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Funds’ distributor. Most retail investors will not qualify as Authorized Participants or have the resources to buy and sell whole Creation Units. Therefore, they will be unable to purchase or redeem the shares directly from the Funds. Rather, most retail investors will purchase shares in the secondary market with the assistance of a broker and will be subject to customary brokerage commissions or fees.

The following table discloses the Creation Unit breakdown based on the NAV as of November 30, 2022:

Fund Name

 

Creation
Unit
Shares

 

Creation
Transaction
Fee

 

Value

 

Redemption
Transaction
Fee

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

25,000

 

$

500

 

$

805,250

 

$

500

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

25,000

 

 

1,000

 

 

852,750

 

 

1,000

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

25,000

 

 

500

 

 

866,750

 

 

500

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

25,000

 

 

500

 

 

1,107,000

 

 

500

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

25,000

 

 

500

 

 

547,250

 

 

500

To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant Agreement, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the shares comprising a Creation Unit to be redeemed to SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the “Distributor”), on behalf of a Fund, by the time as set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement, the Distributor may nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant’s delivery and maintenance of collateral equal to a percentage of the value of the missing shares as specified in the Authorized Participant Agreement. An Authorized Participant Agreement may permit a Fund to use such collateral to purchase the missing shares, and could subject an Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost of a Fund acquiring such shares and the value of the collateral. Amounts are disclosed as Segregated Cash Balance from Authorized Participants for Deposit Securities and Collateral Payable upon Return of Deposit Securities on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities, when applicable.

3. SERVICE PROVIDERS

Investment Advisory Agreement

The Adviser is an Oklahoma limited liability company located at 10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120, its principal place of business, and 295 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10017. The Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Funds, pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the Trust (the “Advisory Agreement”). Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides investment advisory services to each Fund and is responsible for, among other things, overseeing the Sub-Adviser (as defined below), including regular review of the Sub-Adviser’s performance, and trading portfolio securities on behalf of each Fund, and selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions, subject to the oversight of the Board. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration and accounting, and other non-distribution related services necessary for the Funds to operate. The Adviser administers the Funds business affairs, provides office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services, and provides its officers and employees to serve as officers or Trustees of the Trust.

37

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

3. SERVICE PROVIDERS (continued)

For the services it provides, each Fund pays the Adviser a fee calculated daily and paid monthly at an annual rate of 0.61% of the average daily net assets of each Fund.

The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep total annual operating expenses of each Fund (excluding amounts payable pursuant to any plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1, interest expense, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and extraordinary expenses) (the “Excluded Expenses) from exceeding 1.00% of each Fund’s average daily net assets until at least April 1, 2023. The expense limitation agreement may be terminated, without payment of any penalty: (i) by the Trust for any reason and at any time and (ii) by the Adviser, for any reason, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, such termination to be effective as of the close of business on the last day of the then-current one-year period. If it becomes unnecessary for the Adviser to waive fees or reimburse expenses, the Board may permit the Adviser to retain the difference between the Funds’ total annual operating expenses and the expense limitation currently in effect, or, if lower, the expense limitation that was in effect at the time of the waiver and/or reimbursement, to recapture all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements within three years of the date they were waived or reimbursed. The fees which were waived and/or reimbursed to a Fund by the Adviser, which may be subject to possible future reimbursement, up to the expense cap in place at the time the expenses were waived and reimbursed to the Adviser are as follows:

Fund Name

 

Reimbursement
Amount

 

Expiration Date

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

$

42,622

 

November 30, 2024

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

 

22,457

 

November 30, 2025

During the year ended November 30, 2022, the Adviser recaptured previously waived fees of $13,217 for ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF, which were due to expire on November 30, 2023.

Pursuant to an arrangement between the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser (defined below), the Sub-Adviser has agreed to assume the Adviser’s obligation to pay Fund expenses (except for Excluded Expenses) and has agreed, to the extent applicable, to pay the Adviser a minimum fee.

A Trustee and certain officers of the Trust are affiliated with the Adviser and receive no compensation from the Trust for serving as officers and/or Trustee.

Sub-Advisory Agreement

Madison Avenue Financial Solutions, LLC* (the “Sub-Adviser”), a Delaware limited liability company, serves as the Funds’ sub-adviser pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement (“Sub-Advisory Agreement”). Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Sub-Adviser makes investment decisions for the Funds and continuously reviewing and administering the investment program of the Funds, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the oversight of the Board.

Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, with respect to each Fund, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser a fee out of the fee the Adviser receives from the Funds, calculated daily and paid monthly at an annual rate of 0.49% of the Funds’ average daily net assets.

*Effective November 1, 2022, the sub-advisory services provided to the Funds by Hightower 6M Holding, LLC (“Hightower 6M”) transitioned to the Sub-Adviser as part of an internal reorganization by Hightower Holding, LLC, which wholly owns both Hightower 6M and the Sub-Adviser.

38

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

3. SERVICE PROVIDERS (continued)

Distribution Arrangement

The Distributor serves as each Funds underwriter and distributor of each Fund’s shares pursuant to a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”). Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent, receives orders to purchase shares in Creation Units and transmits such orders to the Fund’s custodian and transfer agent. The Distributor has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of a Fund’s shares. The Distributor bears the following costs and expenses relating to the distribution of shares: (i) the expenses of maintaining its registration or qualification as a dealer or broker under federal or state laws; (ii) filing fees; and (iii) all other expenses incurred in connection with the distribution services, that are not reimbursed by the Adviser, as contemplated in the Distribution Agreement. The Distributor does not maintain any secondary market in any Fund’s shares.

The Funds have adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, the Funds are authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities. For the year ended November 30, 2022, no fees were charged by the Distributor under the Plan and the Plan will only be implemented with approval of the Board.

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent

SEI Investments Global Funds Services serves as the Funds’ administrator pursuant to an administration agreement. Bank of New York Mellon serves as the Funds’ custodian and transfer agent pursuant to a custodian agreement and transfer agency services agreement.

An officer of the Trust is affiliated with the administrator and receives no compensation from the Trust for serving as an officer.

4. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

For the year ended November 30, 2022, the purchases and sales of investments in securities, excluding in-kind transactions, long-term U.S. Government and short-term securities were:

Fund Name

 

Purchases

 

Sales and
Maturities

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

$

449,049,013

 

$

441,307,185

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

 

104,714,696

 

 

105,111,248

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

 

257,232,241

 

 

262,137,281

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

 

56,645,806

 

 

58,144,411

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

 

23,153,162

 

 

22,706,781

There were no purchases or sales of long-term U.S. Government securities by any of the Funds.

For the year ended November 30, 2022, in-kind transactions associated with creations and redemptions were:

Fund Name

 

Purchases

 

Sales

 

Net Realized
Gain (Loss)

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

$

271,353,995

 

$

229,516,177

 

$

32,721,576

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

 

76,721,826

 

 

59,287,059

 

 

12,031,278

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

 

165,212,499

 

 

143,764,820

 

 

20,638,414

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

 

41,323,875

 

 

30,471,366

 

 

6,485,592

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

 

18,899,447

 

 

10,207,997

 

 

1,197,938

39

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

5. TAX INFORMATION

The amount and character of income and capital gain distributions to be paid, if any, are determined in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP. As a result, net investment income (loss) and net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions for a reporting period may differ significantly from distributions during such period. These book/tax differences may be temporary or permanent. To the extent these differences are permanent in nature, they are charged or credited to paid-in capital or total distributable earnings (accumulated losses) as appropriate, in the period that the differences arise.

Accordingly, the following permanent differences primarily attributable to redemptions in-kind and net operating losses have been reclassified within the components of net assets for the period ended November 30, 2022:

Fund Name

 

Total
Distributable
Earnings
(Accumulated
Losses)

 

Paid-in
Capital

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

$

(31,826,654

)

 

$

31,826,654

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

 

(11,977,016

)

 

 

11,977,016

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

 

(19,979,261

)

 

 

19,979,261

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

 

(6,369,500

)

 

 

6,369,500

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

 

(1,185,141

)

 

 

1,185,141

The tax character of dividends and distributions paid during the year/period ended November 30, were as follows:

Fund Name

 

Ordinary
Income

 

Return of
Capital

 

Totals

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

 

   

 

   

 

 

2022

 

$

6,013,160

 

$

 

$

6,013,160

2021

 

 

3,938,003

 

 

 

 

3,938,003

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

 

   

 

   

 

 

2022

 

$

1,949,810

 

$

 

$

1,949,810

2021

 

 

812,365

 

 

 

 

812,365

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

 

   

 

   

 

 

2022

 

$

3,543,151

 

$

 

$

3,543,151

2021

 

 

2,635,002

 

 

 

 

2,635,002

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

 

   

 

   

 

 

2022

 

$

834,121

 

$

 

$

834,121

2021

 

 

415,999

 

 

 

 

415,999

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

 

   

 

   

 

 

2022

 

$

10,465

 

$

 

$

10,465

2021

 

 

 

 

222

 

 

222

40

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

5. TAX INFORMATION (continued)

As of November 30, 2022, the components of Distributable Earnings (Accumulated Losses) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Hedged
Equity-Index
Option
Strategy ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Low Beta
Equity
Strategy ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Mega Cap
Equity ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Small Cap
Equity ETF

 

ETC
6 Meridian
Quality
Growth ETF

Undistributed Ordinary Income

 

$

805,025

 

 

$

262,378

 

 

$

465,171

 

 

$

105,690

 

 

$

18,911

 

Post-October Losses

 

 

(8,939,002

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Loss Carryforwards

 

 

(36,889,843

)

 

 

(10,747,430

)

 

 

(22,505,058

)

 

 

(7,395,412

)

 

 

(4,832,038

)

Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

 

 

7,924,660

 

 

 

6,352,308

 

 

 

4,834,169

 

 

 

(487,050

)

 

 

(1,017,035

)

Other Temporary Differences

 

 

(714,769

)

 

 

(229,595

)

 

 

(412,762

)

 

 

(85,485

)

 

 

(10,464

)

Total Distributable Earnings (Accumulated Losses)

 

$

(37,813,929

)

 

$

(4,362,339

)

 

$

(17,618,480

)

 

$

(7,862,257

)

 

$

(5,840,626

)

Post-October capital losses represent capital losses realized on investment transactions from November 1, 2022 through November 30, 2022, that, in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, the Funds may elect to defer and treat as having arisen in the following fiscal year.

The Funds are permitted to utilize capital losses that are carried forward and will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of November 30, 2022, the following Funds have capital loss carryforwards to offset capital gains for an unlimited period:

Fund Name

 

Non Expiring
Short-Term

 

Non Expiring
Long-Term

 

Total
Capital Loss
Carryforwards

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

$

29,630,458

 

$

7,259,385

 

$

36,889,843

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

 

8,673,213

 

 

2,074,217

 

 

10,747,430

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

 

19,972,263

 

 

2,532,795

 

 

22,505,058

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

 

7,005,001

 

 

390,411

 

 

7,395,412

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

 

3,837,946

 

 

994,092

 

 

4,832,038

For Federal income tax purposes, the cost of securities owned at November 30, 2022, and the net realized gains or losses on securities sold for the period, were different from amounts reported for financial reporting purposes primarily due to wash sales which cannot be used for Federal income tax purposes in the current period and have been deferred for use in future years. The Federal tax cost and aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on investments and foreign currency transactions held by the Funds at November 30, 2022, were as follows:

Fund Name

 

Federal Tax
Cost

 

Aggregated
Gross
Unrealized
Appreciation

 

Aggregated
Gross
Unrealized
Depreciation

 

Net
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

$

316,774,359

 

$

20,887,467

 

$

(12,962,807

)

 

$

7,924,660

 

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

 

150,577,206

 

 

16,235,155

 

 

(9,882,847

)

 

 

6,352,308

 

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

 

172,891,349

 

 

12,808,649

 

 

(7,974,480

)

 

 

4,834,169

 

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

 

65,812,979

 

 

5,983,761

 

 

(6,470,811

)

 

 

(487,050

)

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

 

30,045,172

 

 

1,984,350

 

 

(3,001,385

)

 

 

(1,017,035

)

41

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Continued)

6. PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUNDS

As with all exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), each shareholder of a Fund is subject to the risk that his or her investment could lose money. The Funds are subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect a Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Risk information is applicable to each Fund unless otherwise noted. Additional principal risks are disclosed in the Funds’ prospectus. Please refer to the Funds’ prospectus for a complete description of the principal risks of investing in a Fund.

Limited Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Risk. Because the Funds is an ETF, only a limited number of institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) are authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly from the Funds. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occurs, the risk of which is higher during periods of market stress, shares of the Funds may trade at a material discount to their NAV per share and possibly face delisting: (i) Authorized Participants exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other Authorized Participants step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument could decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. 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 market generally and on specific securities. The market value of a security may also decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.

Models and Data Risk. The Sub-Adviser relies heavily on quantitative models as well as data and information supplied by third parties that are utilized by the models. To the extent the models do not perform as designed or as intended, the Funds’ strategy may not be successfully implemented and the Funds may lose value. If the models or data are incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities that would have been excluded or included had the models or data been correct and complete.

Non-Diversification Risk (ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF and ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF only). The Funds are a non-diversified investment company under the 1940 Act, meaning that, as compared to a diversified fund, it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the performance of these issuers can have a substantial impact on the Funds’ performance.

Options Risk (ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Strategy ETF only). Options give the holder of the option the right to buy (or to sell) a position in a security or in a contract to the writer of the option, at a certain price. They are subject to correlation risk because there may be an imperfect correlation between the options and the securities markets that cause a given transaction to fail to achieve its objectives. The successful use of options depends on the Sub-Adviser’s ability to correctly predict future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. Exchanges can limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund or the Sub-Adviser, thus limiting the ability to implement the Fund’s strategies. Options are also particularly subject to leverage risk and can be subject to liquidity risk.

42

ETC 6 Meridian

Notes to the Financial Statements

November 30, 2022 (Concluded)

7. OTHER

At November 30, 2022, the records of the Trust, reflected in the table below, shows the total shares outstanding held by Authorized Participants, in the form of Creation Units. However, the individual shares comprising such Creation Units are listed and traded on the Exchange and have been purchased and sold by persons other Authorized Participants.

Fund Name

 

Number of Authorized Participants

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

3

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

4

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

4

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

4

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

3

8. RECENT MARKET EVENTS

The spread of COVID-19 around the world has caused significant volatility in U.S. and international markets. There is significant uncertainty around the breadth and duration of business disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its impact on the U.S. and international economies. The operational and financial performance of the issuers of securities in which the Funds invest depends on future developments, including the duration and spread of the outbreak, and such developments may in turn impact the value of the Funds’ investments. The ultimate impact of the pandemic on the financial performance of the Funds’ investments is not reasonably able to be approximated at this time.

On February 24, 2022, Russia engaged in military actions in the sovereign territory of Ukraine. The current political and financial uncertainty surrounding Russia and Ukraine may increase market volatility and the economic risk of investing in securities in these countries and may also cause uncertainty for the global economy and broader financial markets. The ultimate fallout and long-term impact from these events are not known.

9. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Funds have evaluated the need for additional disclosures and/or adjustments resulting from subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued. Based on this evaluation, no disclosure and/or adjustments were required to the financial statements.

43

ETC 6 Meridian

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders of ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF, and ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF and

Board of Trustees of Exchange Traded Concepts Trust

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statements of assets and liabilities, including the schedules of investments, of ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF, ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF, and ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF (the “Funds”), each a series of Exchange Traded Concepts Trust, as of November 30, 2022, the related statements of operations, the statements of changes in net assets, the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated below (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of each of the Funds as of November 30, 2022, the results of their operations, the changes in net assets, and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated below in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Fund Name

Statements of
Operations

Statements of
Changes in
Net Assets

Financial
Highlights

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy

ETF ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

For the year ended November 30, 2022

For the years ended November 30, 2022, and 2021

For the years ended November 30, 2022, and 2021 and for the period from May 8, 2020 (commencement of operations) through November 30, 2020

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

For the year ended November 30, 2022

For the year ended November 30, 2022, and for the period from May 10, 2021 (commencement of operations) through November 30, 2021

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Funds’ management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Funds’ financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Funds in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of November 30, 2022, by correspondence with the custodian and brokers. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies advised by Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC since 2012.

COHEN & COMPANY, LTD.

Cleveland, Ohio

January 24, 2023

44

ETC 6 Meridian

Trustees and Officers of the Trust

(Unaudited)

Set forth below is information about the Trustees of the Trust. The address of each Trustee of the Trust is c/o Exchange Traded Concepts Trust, 10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120. The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) includes additional information about the Trustees. The SAI may be obtained without charge by calling 833-466-6383.

Name and
Year of Birth

Position(s)
Held with
Trust

Term of
Office
and Length of
Time
Served
(1)

Principal
Occupation(s)
During the Past 5 Years

Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
(2)

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During
Past 5 Years

Interested Trustee(3)

 

 

 

 

J. Garrett Stevens
(1979)

Trustee and President

Trustee (Since 2009); President (Since 2011)

Investment Adviser/Vice President, T.S. Phillips Investments, Inc. (since 2000); Chief Executive Officer, Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (since 2009); President, Exchange Traded Concepts Trust (since 2011); President, Exchange Listed Funds Trust (since 2012).

20

None

Independent Trustees

 

 

 

 

Timothy Jacoby
(1952)

Trustee

Since 2014

None.

38

Independent Trustee, Bridge Builder Trust (14 portfolios); Independent Trustee, Edward Jones Money Market Fund (since 2017); Audit Committee Chair, Perth Mint Physical Gold ETF (2018 to 2020).

Linda Petrone
(1962)

Trustee

Since 2019

Founding Partner, Sage Search Advisors
(since 2012).

38

None.

Stuart Strauss
(1953)

Trustee

Since 2021

Partner, Dechert, LLP
(2009 to 2020).

38

None.

Mark Zurack
(1957)

Trustee

Since 2011

Professor, Columbia Business School
(since 2002).

20

Independent Trustee, AQR Funds (35 portfolios) (since 2014); Independent Trustee, Exchange Listed Funds Trust (2019).

(1)          Each Trustee shall serve during the continued life of the Trust until he or she dies, resigns, is declared bankrupt or incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction, or is removed.

(2)          The fund complex includes each series of the Trust and of Exchange Listed Funds Trust.

(3)          Mr. Stevens is an “interested person”of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, by virtue of his employment with, and ownership interest in, the Adviser.

45

ETC 6 Meridian

Trustees and Officers of the Trust
(Unaudited) (Concluded)

Set forth below is information about each of the persons currently serving as officers of the Trust. The address of J. Garrett Stevens, James J. Baker Jr., Richard Malinowski, Christopher W. Roleke and Matthew Fleischer is c/o Exchange Traded Concepts Trust, 10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120; and the address of Eric Olsen is SEI Investments Company, One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456.

Name and Year of Birth

Position(s) Held
with Trust

Term of Office and Length
of Time Served
(1)

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

Officers

J. Garrett Stevens
(1979)

Trustee and President

Trustee (Since 2009); President (Since 2011)

Investment Adviser/Vice President, T.S. Phillips Investments, Inc. (since 2000); Chief Executive Officer, Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (since 2009); President, Exchange Listed Funds Trust (since 2012).

James J. Baker Jr.
(1951)

Vice President

Since 2015

Managing Partner, Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (since 2011); Managing Partner

Richard Malinowski
(1983)

Vice President and Secretary

Since 2022

General Counsel, Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (since 2022); Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Counsel, Ultimus Fund Solutions LLC, (2020 to 2022); Senior Vice President, Ultimus Fund Solutions LLC (2017 to 2020).

Christopher W. Roleke
(1972)

Treasurer

Since 2022

Controller, Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (since 2022); Managing Director/Fund Principal Financial Officer, Foreside Management Services, LLC (2011 to 2022).

Eric Olsen
(1970)

Assistant Treasurer

Since 2021

Director, Fund Accounting, SEI Investments Global Funds Services (since 2021); Deputy Head of Fund Operations, Traditional Assets, Aberdeen Standard Investments (2013 to 2021).

Matthew Fleischer
(1983)

Chief Compliance Officer

Since 2021

Chief Compliance Officer, Exchange Traded Concepts Trust (since 2021); Chief Compliance Officer, Exchange Listed Funds Trust (since 2021); Vice President, Compliance, Goldman Sachs Asset Management Funds (2017 to 2021); Associate Counsel, Ameriprise Financial, Columbia Threadneedle Funds (2015 to 2017).

(1)          Each officer serves at the pleasure of the Board.

46

ETC 6 Meridian

Disclosure of Fund Expenses

(Unaudited)

All ETFs have operating expenses. As a shareholder of a Fund you incur an advisory fee. In addition to the advisory fee, a shareholder may pay brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses (including acquired fund fees and expenses), if any. It is important for you to understand the impact of these ongoing costs on your investment returns. Shareholders may incur brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of a Fund’s shares, which are not reflected in these examples.

The following examples use the annualized expense ratio and are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in a Fund and to compare these costs with those of other funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period (June 1, 2022 to November 30, 2022) (unless otherwise noted below). The table below illustrates the Fund’s cost in two ways:

Actual Fund Return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses after fee waivers that your Fund incurred over the period. The “Expenses Paid During Period” column shows the actual dollar expense cost incurred by a $1,000 investment in the Funds, and the “Ending Account Value” number is derived from deducting that expense cost from the Fund’s gross investment return.

You can use this information, together with the actual amount you invested in a Fund, to estimate the expenses you paid over that period. Simply divide your actual account value by $1,000 to arrive at a ratio (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply that ratio by the number shown for your Fund under “Expenses Paid During Period.”

Hypothetical 5% Return. This section helps you compare your Fund’s costs with those of other funds. It assumes that the Funds had an annual 5% return before expenses during the year, but that the expense ratio (Column 3) for the period is unchanged. This example is useful in making comparisons because the Commission requires all funds to make this 5% calculation. You can assess your Fund’s comparative cost by comparing the hypothetical result for your Fund in the “Expenses Paid During Period” column with those that appear in the same charts in the shareholder reports for other funds.

NOTE: Because the return is set at 5% for comparison purposes — NOT your Fund’s actual return — the account values shown may not apply to your specific investment.

Fund Name 

Beginning
Account
Value
6
/1/2022

Ending
Account
Value
11
/30/22

Annualized
Expense
Ratios

Expenses
Paid
During
Period
(1)

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

Actual Fund Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,038.80

0.85%

$   4.34

Hypothetical 5% Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,020.81

0.85%

$   4.31

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

       

Actual Fund Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,021.40

0.81%

$   4.10

Hypothetical 5% Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,021.01

0.81%

$   4.10

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

       

Actual Fund Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,017.70

0.81%

$   4.10

Hypothetical 5% Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,021.01

0.81%

$   4.10

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

       

Actual Fund Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,000.50

0.93%

$   4.66

Hypothetical 5% Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,020.41

0.93%

$   4.71

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

       

Actual Fund Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,046.70

1.00%

$   5.13

Hypothetical 5% Return

$   1,000.00

$   1,020.05

1.00%

$   5.06

(1)          Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 183/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

47

ETC 6 Meridian

Approval of Investment Advisory Agreements

(Unaudited)

At a meeting held on June 22, 2022 (the “Meeting”), the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Exchange Traded Concepts Trust (the “Trust”) considered and approved the following agreements (the “Agreements”) with respect to the 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF (“SIXA”), ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option ETF (“SIXH”), ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity ETF (“SIXL”), and ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF (“SIXS” and, with SIXA, SIXH, and SIXL, the “Funds”):

        a new investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, and Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (“ETC”); and

        a new sub-advisory agreement between ETC and Hightower 6M Holding, LLC (“6M”)* with respect to the Funds.

Pursuant to Section 15 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), the Agreements must be approved by a vote of (i) the Trustees or the shareholders of the Funds and (ii) a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Agreements or “interested persons” of any party thereto, as defined in the 1940 Act (the “Independent Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. In connection with its consideration of such approval, the Board must request and evaluate, and ETC and 6M are required to furnish, such information as may be reasonably necessary to evaluate the terms of the Agreements. In addition, rules under the 1940 Act require the Funds to disclose in their shareholder reports the material factors and the conclusions with respect thereto that formed the basis for the Board’s approval of the Agreements.

Although the 1940 Act requires that the Agreement be approved by the in-person vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, the Meeting was held virtually through the internet in view of the health risks associated with holding an in-person meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic and possible restrictions on gatherings. The Meeting was held in reliance on an order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission that provides temporary relief from the in-person voting requirements of the 1940 Act with respect to the approval of a fund’s advisory agreement in response to the challenges arising in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.

As previously disclosed in the semi-annual report for the period ended May 31, 2022, due to an administrative error, the Board did not timely approve the continuance of the investment advisory agreement between the Trust and ETC with respect to the Funds. The Board, therefore, considered and approved the Agreements at the Meeting. In considering whether to approve the Agreements, the Board took into account the materials provided for the Meeting, the extensive discussion before and during the Meeting, including the discussion the Independent Trustees had during executive session with independent legal counsel, and its past consideration of the prior advisory agreement with ETC and prior sub-advisory agreement between ETC and 6M. The Board discussed the lapse of the prior advisory agreement and the steps being taken to address the situation. The Board noted that ETC and 6M have continued to provide uninterrupted services to the Funds. In particular, the Board noted the representation by ETC that it will continue to provide services to the Funds that are of a nature and quality at least equivalent to those provided under the prior advisory agreement and that are consistent with the terms and conditions of the prior advisory agreement. The Board further noted that the material terms of the new advisory agreement, including the compensation payable to ETC, are identical to the terms of the prior advisory agreement and that the material terms of the new sub-advisory agreement, including the compensation payable to 6M, are identical to the terms of the prior sub-advisory agreement. The Board also took into consideration (i) the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided by ETC and 6M to the Funds; (ii) each Fund’s performance; (iii) ETC’s and 6M’s costs of and profits from providing such services, including any fall-out benefits enjoyed by ETC and 6M or their respective affiliates; (iv) comparative fee and expense data for each Fund; (v) the extent to which the advisory fee for each Fund reflects economies of scale shared with shareholders; and (vi) certain other factors the Board deemed to be relevant.

*      Effective November 1, 2022, the sub-advisory services provided to the Funds by 6M transitioned to Madison Avenue Financial Solutions, LLC (“Madison Avenue”) as part of an internal reorganization by Hightower Holding, LLC, which wholly owns both 6M and Madison Avenue.

48

ETC 6 Meridian

Approval of Investment Advisory Agreements

(Unaudited) (Continued)

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services. With respect to the nature, extent and quality of the services to be provided to the Funds, the Board considered ETC’s and 6M’s specific responsibilities in its allocated aspects of the day-to-day management of the Funds. The Board noted that ETC’s responsibilities include overseeing the activities of 6M, while 6M is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining an investment program for the Funds. The Board further noted that ETC’s responsibilities also include, among other things, trading portfolio securities and other investment instruments on behalf of each Fund, selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions, determining the daily baskets of deposit securities and cash components, executing portfolio securities trades for purchases and redemptions of shares, monitoring compliance with various policies and procedures and applicable securities regulations, overseeing general portfolio compliance with relevant law, quarterly reporting to the Board, and implementing Board directives as they relate to the Funds. The Board noted that it had been provided with ETC’s and 6M’s registration forms on Form ADV as well as their responses to a detailed series of questions, which included a description of their respective operations, services, personnel, compliance programs, risk management programs, and financial conditions, and whether there had been any material changes to such information since it was last presented to the Board. The Board considered the qualifications, experience and responsibilities of ETC’s and 6M’s investment personnel, the quality of each of ETC’s and 6M’s compliance infrastructure, and the determination of the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer that each has appropriate compliance policies and procedures in place.

The Board considered ETC’s experience working with ETFs including other series of the Trust and other ETFs outside of the Trust. The Board also considered other services provided to the Funds by ETC, such as arranging for transfer agency, custody, fund administration and accounting, and other non-distribution related services necessary for the Funds to operate; administering the Funds’ business affairs; providing office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services; liaising with and reporting to the Board on matters relating to Fund operations, portfolio management and other matters essential to the Funds’ business activities; supervising each Fund’s registration as an investment company and the offering of shares to the public, including oversight and preparation of regulatory filings; working with ETF market participants, including authorized participants, market makers, and exchanges, to help facilitate an orderly trading environment for each Fund’s shares; and providing its officers and employees to serve as officers or Trustees of the Trust.

Based on the factors discussed above, as well as those discussed below, the Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided to the Funds by ETC and 6M.

Performance. The Board reviewed each Fund’s performance in light of its stated investment objective, noting that each Fund is actively managed. The Board was provided with reports regarding the past performance of each Fund, including a report prepared by an independent third party comparing each Fund’s performance with the performance of a group of peer funds for various time periods. The Board noted that each Fund’s performance was within the range of the peer group for the time periods measured, though some Funds’ performance was at the higher end of their peer group while others were at the lower end. In reviewing each Fund’s performance, the Board took into account that each Fund has had a relatively short operating history over which to consider performance. The Board further noted that it received regular reports regarding each Fund’s performance at its quarterly meetings.

Cost of Advisory Services and Profitability. The Board reviewed the advisory fee and the sub-advisory fee to be paid by each Fund to ETC and 6M under the Agreements, noting that the advisory fee and sub-advisory fee are the same as the respective fee that was payable under the Prior Advisory Agreement and Prior Sub-Advisory Agreement. The Board reviewed a report prepared by ISS, an independent third party, comparing each Fund’s advisory fee to those paid by a group of peer funds. The Board noted that the ISS report included mutual funds in the peer group, which were intended to enhance the Board’s ability to evaluate the quality of fees and expenses on a broader scale. The Board took into account the differences in operations and fee structures between ETFs and mutual funds, noting that the Funds’ advisory fee was not structured as a unitary fee, and gave such weight to the mutual fund data as it deemed appropriate. The Board noted that ISS selected the particular mutual funds that were included in its report. The Board noted that the advisory fee for ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF was on the low end of its peer group range while its total expense ratio was on the high end of its peer group range; the

49

ETC 6 Meridian

Approval of Investment Advisory Agreements

(Unaudited) (Continued)

advisory fee for ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF was in the middle of its peer group range while its total expense ratio was on the high end of its peer group range; the advisory fee and total expense ratio for ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF were on the high end of its peer group range; and the advisory fee for ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF was in the middle of its peer group range while its total expense ratio was on the high end of its peer group range. The Board considered that ETC is responsible for paying 6M the sub-advisory fee out of the advisory fee it receives from each Fund and that the sub-advisory fee reflects an arm’s length negotiation between ETC and 6M. The Board further found that the sub-advisory fee reflected a reasonable allocation of the advisory fee paid to ETC given the work performed by each firm. The Board considered information provided about the costs and expenses incurred by ETC and 6M in providing advisory and sub-advisory services, evaluated the compensation and benefits to be received by each of ETC and 6M from its relationship with the Funds, and reviewed profitability analysis from ETC and 6M with respect to the Funds. In light of this information, the Board concluded that the advisory fee and the sub-advisory fee appeared reasonable in light of the services rendered.

Economies of Scale. The Board considered whether economies of scale have been realized with respect to the Funds. The Board concluded that no significant economies of scale have been realized by the Funds and that the Board will have the opportunity to periodically reexamine whether such economies have been achieved.

Conclusion. No single factor was determinative of the Board’s decision to approve the Agreements; rather, the Board based its determination on the total mix of information available to it. Based on a consideration of all the factors in their totality, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, determined that the Agreements, including the compensation payable thereunder, was fair and reasonable to each Fund. The Board, including the Independent Trustees, therefore, determined that the approval of the Agreements was in the best interests of each Fund and its shareholders.

50

ETC 6 Meridian

Approval of Investment Advisory Agreements

(Unaudited) (Continued)

At a meeting held on September 21, 2022 (the “Meeting”), the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Exchange Traded Concepts Trust (the “Trust”) considered and approved the continuance of the following agreements (the “Agreements”) with respect to the ETC 6 Meridian Quality Dividend Yield ETF (“SXQY”), ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF (“SXQG”), and ETC 6 Meridian Quality Value ETF (“SXQV” and, with SXQY and SXQG, the “Funds”):

        the investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, and Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (“ETC”) pursuant to which ETC provides advisory services to the Funds; and

        the sub-advisory agreement between ETC and Hightower 6M Holding, LLC (“6M”)* pursuant to which 6M provides sub-advisory services to the Funds.

Pursuant to Section 15 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), the Agreements must be approved by a vote of (i) the Trustees or the shareholders of the Funds and (ii) a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Agreements or “interested persons” of any party thereto, as defined in the 1940 Act (the “Independent Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. In connection with its consideration of such approval, the Board must request and evaluate, and ETC and 6M are required to furnish, such information as may be reasonably necessary to evaluate the terms of the Agreements. In addition, rules under the 1940 Act require the Funds to disclose in their shareholder reports the material factors and the conclusions with respect thereto that formed the basis for the Board’s approval of the Agreements.

Consistent with these responsibilities, prior to the Meeting, the Board reviewed materials from ETC and 6M and, at the Meeting, representatives from ETC presented additional information to help the Board evaluate the Agreements. Among other things, the Board was provided an overview of ETC’s and 6M’s advisory business, including investment personnel and investment processes. Prior to the Meeting, the Trustees met to review and discuss certain information provided. During the Meeting, the Board discussed the materials it received, including a memorandum from legal counsel to the Independent Trustees on the responsibilities of Trustees in considering the approval of investment advisory agreements under the 1940 Act, considered ETC’s oral presentations, and deliberated on the approval of the Agreements in light of this information. Throughout the process, the Trustees were afforded the opportunity to ask questions of and request additional materials from ETC and 6M. The Independent Trustees were assisted in their review by independent legal counsel and met with counsel separately and without management present.

In considering whether to approve the continuance of the Agreements, the Board took into consideration (i) the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided by ETC and 6M to each Fund; (ii) SXQG’s performance; (iii) ETC’s and 6M’s costs of and profits realized from providing advisory and sub-advisory services to each Fund, including any fall-out benefits enjoyed by ETC and 6M or their respective affiliates; (iv) comparative fee and expense data; (v) the extent to which the advisory fee for SXQG reflects economies of scale shared with Fund shareholders; and (vi) other factors the Board deemed to be relevant.

Nature, Extent, and Quality of Services. With respect to the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided to each Fund, the Board considered ETC’s and 6M’s specific responsibilities in all aspects of day-to-day management of each Fund. The Board noted that (i) ETC’s responsibilities include overseeing the activities of 6M, including regular review of 6M’s performance; trading portfolio securities and other investment instruments on behalf of each Fund; selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions; determining the daily baskets of deposit securities and cash components; executing portfolio securities trades for purchases and redemptions of Fund shares conducted on a cash-in-lieu basis; monitoring compliance with various policies and procedures and applicable securities regulations; quarterly reporting to the Board; and implementing Board directives as they relate to the Funds, and (ii) subject to the supervision of ETC and oversight of the Board, 6M’s responsibilities include developing, implementing, and maintaining each Fund’s investment program; portfolio management; overseeing

*      Effective November 1, 2022, the sub-advisory services provided to the Funds by Hightower 6M Holding, LLC transitioned to Madison Avenue Financial Solutions, LLC (“Madison Avenue”) as part of an internal reorganization by Hightower Holding, LLC, which wholly owns both 6M and Madison Avenue.

51

ETC 6 Meridian

Approval of Investment Advisory Agreements

(Unaudited) (Continued)

general portfolio compliance with relevant law; quarterly reporting to the Board; and implementing Board directives as they relate to the Funds. The Board noted that it had been provided with ETC’s and 6M’s registration forms on Form ADV as well as their responses to a detailed series of questions, which included a description of their operations, services, personnel, compliance programs, risk management programs, and financial conditions, and whether there had been material changes to such information since it was last presented to the Board. The Board considered the qualifications, experience, and responsibilities of ETC’s and 6M’s investment personnel, the quality of ETC’s and 6M’s compliance infrastructures, and the determination of the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer that each has appropriate compliance policies and procedures in place. The Board considered ETC’s and 6M’s experience working with ETFs, including the Funds, and noted ETC’s experience managing other series of the Trust and other ETFs outside of the Trust.

The Board also considered other services provided to the Funds by ETC, such as arranging for transfer agency, custody, fund administration and accounting, and other non-distribution related services necessary for the Funds to operate; administering each Fund’s business affairs; providing office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping, and administrative services; liaising with and reporting to the Board on matters relating to Fund operations, portfolio management and other matters essential to each Fund’s business activities; supervising each Fund’s registration as an investment company and the offering of Fund shares to the public, including oversight and preparation of regulatory filings; working with ETF market participants, including authorized participants, market makers, and exchanges, to help facilitate an orderly trading environment for each Fund’s shares; and providing its officers and employees to serve as officers or Trustees of the Trust.

Based on the factors discussed above, as well as those discussed below, the Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, extent, and quality of services provided to each Fund by ETC and 6M.

Performance. The Board noted that performance information was available for only SXQG because SXQY and SXQV had not yet commenced operation. The Board reviewed SXQG’s performance in light of its stated investment objective, noting that the Fund is actively managed. The Board was provided reports regarding SXQG’s past performance, including a report prepared by ISS, an independent third party, comparing the Fund’s performance to the performance of a group of peer funds for various time periods ended June 30, 2022. The Board noted that SXQG’s performance was lower than the median and average for the peer group. In absolute performance terms, the Board noted that SXGQ is a growth fund and that growth stocks generally had underperformed during the review period. In reviewing SXQG’s performance, the Board took into account that the Fund has had a relatively short operating history over which to consider performance. The Board further noted that it received regular reports regarding SXQG’s performance at its quarterly meetings.

Cost of Advisory Services and Profitability. The Board reviewed the advisory fee paid or to be paid by each Fund to ETC and the sub-advisory fee paid or to be paid by ETC to 6M under the Agreements. The Board reviewed a report prepared by ISS, an independent third party, comparing each Fund’s advisory fee to those paid by a group of peer funds. The Board noted that the report included mutual funds in each Fund’s peer group, which were intended to enhance the Board’s ability to evaluate the quality of fees and expenses on a broader scale. The Board took into account the differences in operations and fee structures between ETFs and mutual funds, noting that, unlike most ETFs, the Funds’ advisory fee was not structured as a unitary fee, and gave such weight to the mutual fund data as it deemed appropriate. The Board noted that ISS selected the particular mutual funds that were included in its report. The Board noted that each Fund’s advisory fee was at the high end of its respective peer group range, and that SXQG’s net total expenses was the highest among its peer ETFs and second highest among its peer ETFs and mutual funds, and that each of SXQY’s and SXQV’s estimated net total expenses were the highest of its peer group. The Board took into account that due to the specialized nature of each Fund’s strategy, there are limitations in comparing each Fund’s advisory fee to those of other funds and the information provided by the peer group report may not provide meaningful direct comparisons to the Funds. The Board also considered that ETC has contractually agreed to waive its fees and reimburse expenses for the Funds to ensure that the total operating expenses of each Fund do not exceed a certain amount. The Board considered that the sub-advisory fee is paid by ETC, not the Funds, and that the sub-advisory fee reflects an arm’s length negotiation between ETC and 6M.

52

ETC 6 Meridian

Approval of Investment Advisory Agreements

(Unaudited) (Concluded)

The Board further found that the sub-advisory fee reflected a reasonable allocation of the advisory fee between ETC and 6M given the work performed by each firm. The Board considered information provided about the costs and expenses incurred by ETC and 6M in providing advisory and sub-advisory services, evaluated the compensation and benefits received by each of ETC and 6M from its relationship with the Funds, and reviewed profitability information from ETC and 6M with respect to each Fund. The Board considered the risks borne by ETC associated with providing services to the Funds, including the entrepreneurial risk associated with sponsoring new funds, as well as the enterprise risk emanating from litigation and reputational risks, operational and business risks, and other risks associated with the ongoing management of the Funds. Based on the foregoing information, the Board concluded that the advisory and sub-advisory fees appeared reasonable in light of the services rendered.

Economies of Scale. The Board considered whether economies of scale have been realized with respect to SXQG. The Board concluded that no significant economies of scale have been realized and that the Board will have the opportunity to periodically reexamine whether such economies have been achieved.

Conclusion. No single factor was determinative of the Board’s decision to approve the continuance of the Agreements on behalf of each Fund; rather, the Board based its determination on the total mix of information available to it. Based on a consideration of all the factors in their totality, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, determined that the Agreements, including the compensation payable thereunder, were fair and reasonable to each Fund. The Board, including the Independent Trustees, therefore, determined that the approval of the continuance of the Agreements was in the best interests of each Fund and its shareholders.

53

ETC 6 Meridian

Notice to Shareholders

(Unaudited)

For shareholders that do not have a November 30, 2022 tax year end, this notice is for informational purposes only. For shareholders with a November 30, 2022 tax year end, please consult your tax advisor as to the pertinence of this notice.

For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022, the Funds is designating the following items with regard to distributions paid during the year.

Fund Name

 

Return of
Capital

 

Ordinary
Income
Distributions

 

Total
Distributions

 

Qualifying
For
Corporate
Dividend
Received
Deduction
(1)

 

Qualifying
Dividend
Income
(2)

 

U.S.
Government
Interest
(3)

 

Interest
Related
Dividends
(4)

 

Qualified
Short-
Term
Capital
Gain
(5)

 

Foreign
Tax
Credit

ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF

 

0.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF

 

0.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF

 

0.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

 

0.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

100.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

 

0.00%

____________

(1)          Qualifying dividends represent dividends which qualify for the corporate dividends received deduction and are reflected as a percentage ordinary Income distributions (the total of short-term capital gain and net investment income distributions).

(2)          The percentage in this column represents the amount of “Qualifying Dividend Income” as created by the Jobs and Growth Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 and it’s reflected as a percentage of ordinary income distributions (the total of short-term capital gain and net investment income distributions). It is the intention of the Fund to designate the maximum amount permitted by law.

(3)          U.S. Government Interest represents the amount of interest that was derived from U.S. Government obligations and distributed during the fiscal year. Generally, interest from direct U.S. Government obligations is exempt from state income tax.

(4)          The percentage in this column represents the amount of “Interest Related Dividends” as created by the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 and is a percentage of net investment income that is exempt from U.S. withholding tax when paid for foreign investors.

(5)          The percentage in this column represents the amount of “Qualifying Short-Term Capital Gain” as created by the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 and is reflected as a percentage of short-term capital gain distributions that is exempt from U.S. withholding tax when paid to foreign investors.

54

ETC 6 Meridian

Supplemental Information

(Unaudited)

NAV is the price per share at which a Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The “Market Price” of a Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest offer on the stock exchange on which the shares of a Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that such Fund’s NAV is calculated. A Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of each Fund will fluctuate with changes in the market value of such Fund’s holdings. The Market Price of a Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.

Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of a Fund on a given day, generally at the time NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that a Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the amount that a Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.

Further information regarding premiums and discounts is available on the Funds’ website at www.6meridianfunds.com.

55

ETC 6 Meridian

Supplemental Information

(Unaudited) (Concluded)

Shareholder Voting Results

A Special Meeting (the “Meeting”) of Shareholders of ETC 6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Index Option Strategy ETF (“SIXH”), ETC 6 Meridian Low Beta Equity Strategy ETF (“SIXL”), ETC 6 Meridian Mega Cap Equity ETF (“SIXA”), and ETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF (“SIXS” and, together with SIXH, SIXL, and SIXA, the “Funds”) was held on August 24, 2022, as adjourned and reconvened on September 15, 2022 with respect to SIXH and SIXL only.

The matters considered at the Meeting were:

Proposal 1: To approve a new investment advisory agreement between the Exchange Traded Concepts Trust, on behalf of the Funds, and Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (the “Adviser”).

 

Shares Voted in

       

Fund

 

Favor

 

Against

 

Abstain

SIXH

 

4,810,649

 

0

 

45,308

SIXL

 

2,407,044

 

0

 

17,991

SIXA

 

2,264,251

 

0

 

16,529

SIXS

 

754,596

 

250

 

26

Proposal 2: To approve payment of accrued advisory fees to the Adviser for its service to each Fund from May 7, 2022 until the new investment advisory agreement is approved by shareholders and effective.

 

Shares Voted in

       

Fund

 

Favor

 

Against

 

Abstain

SIXH

 

4,810,649

 

0

 

45,308

SIXL

 

2,407,044

 

0

 

17,991

SIXA

 

2,264,211

 

0

 

16,529

SIXS

 

754,596

 

250

 

26

56

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

 

 

 

10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400
Oklahoma City, OK 73120

Investment Adviser:

Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC

10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400

Oklahoma City, OK 73120

Sub-Adviser:

Madison Avenue Financial Solutions, LLC

8301 E 21st St. North

Suite 150

Wichita, KS 67206

Distributor:

SEI Investments Distribution Co.

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

Administrator:

SEI Investments Global Funds Services

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

Legal Counsel:

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

1111 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20004

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm:

Cohen & Company, Ltd.

1350 Euclid Avenue

Suite 800

Cleveland, OH 44115

This information must be preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus for the Funds.

MER-AR-001-0200