Merk Stagflation ETF

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

October 31, 2022
(Unaudited)

Merk Stagflation ETF

Table of Contents

(Unaudited)

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Shareholder Expense Example

(Unaudited)

As a shareholder of the Fund you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including brokerage commissions on purchases and sales of Fund shares; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and other fund expenses. The following example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars and cents) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held throughout the entire period (May 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022), except as noted in footnotes below.

ACTUAL EXPENSES

The first line under the Fund in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line for your Fund under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES

The second line in the table provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds. Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as brokerage commissions paid on purchases and sales of Fund shares. Therefore, the second line in the table is useful in comparing ongoing Fund costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Consolidated Schedule of Investments

October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

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

3

Merk Stagflation ETF

Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities

October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

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

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Consolidated Statement of Operations

For the Period Ended October 31, 2022 ⁽¹⁾ (Unaudited)

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

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Net Assets

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

6

Merk Stagflation ETF

Consolidated Financial Highlights

For a Share Outstanding Throughout the Period

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

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

Merk Stagflation ETF (the “Fund”) is a non-diversified series of Listed Funds Trust (the “Trust”), formerly Active Weighting Funds ETF Trust. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on August 26, 2016, under a Declaration of Trust amended on December 21, 2018 and is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as an open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

The Fund is a passively-managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Stagflation ^TM Index (the “Index”) which, in turn, seeks to track the performance of components that are expected to benefit, either directly or indirectly, from persistent inflation, including in an environment of weak economic growth (stagflation). The Index is owned and maintained by Solactive AG.

Costs incurred by the Fund in connection with the organization, registration and the initial public offering of shares were paid by Merk Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), the Fund’s Investment Adviser.

The Fund is an investment company and accordingly follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946, Financial Services — Investment Companies . The Fund prepares its financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and follows the significant accounting policies described below.

Consolidation of Subsidiary

The Fund expects to gain exposure to commodities by investing in Merk Stagflation Cayman, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”). The Adviser also serves as the investment adviser to the Subsidiary. The Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary is intended to provide the Fund with indirect exposure to commodities within the limits of current federal income tax laws applicable to investment companies such as the Fund, which limit the ability of investment companies to invest directly in commodities. The Subsidiary has the same investment objective as the Fund, but it may invest in commodities to a greater extent than the Fund. The Fund will invest, through the Subsidiary, in the VanEck Merk Gold Trust (“OUNZ”), a physical gold ETF sponsored by the Adviser. Except as otherwise noted, for purposes of this report, references to the Fund’s investments include the Fund’s indirect investments through the Subsidiary. Because the Fund intends to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, the size of the Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary generally will be limited to 25% of the Fund’s total assets, tested at the end of each fiscal quarter. Information regarding the Fund and its subsidiary has been consolidated in the Consolidated Schedule of Investments, Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Consolidated Statement of Operations, Consolidated Statement of Changes in Net Assets and Consolidated Financial Highlights.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the 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 disclosures 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 these estimates.

Share Transactions

The net asset value (“NAV”) per share of the Fund is equal to the Fund’s total assets minus the Fund’s total liabilities divided by the total number of shares outstanding. The NAV that is published will be rounded to the nearest cent. The NAV is determined as of the close of trading (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for trading.

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

October 31, 2022 (Unaudited) (Continued)

Fair Value Measurement

In calculating the NAV, the Fund’s exchange-traded equity securities will be valued at fair value, which will generally be determined using the last reported official closing or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation. Such valuations are typically categorized as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy described below.

Securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. are generally valued at the NASDAQ official closing price.

If market quotations are not readily available, or if it is determined that a quotation of a security does not represent fair value, then the security is valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Adviser using procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”). The circumstances in which a security may be fair valued include, among others: the occurrence of events that are significant to a particular issuer, such as mergers, restructurings or defaults; the occurrence of events that are significant to an entire market, such as natural disasters in a particular region or government actions; trading restrictions on securities; thinly traded securities; and market events such as trading halts and early market closings. Due to the inherent uncertainty of valuations, fair values may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had an active market existed. Fair valuation could result in a different NAV than a NAV determined by using market quotations. Such valuations are typically categorized as Level 2 or Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy described below.

Money market funds are valued at NAV. If NAV is not readily available the securities will be valued at fair value.

An amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity, unless the Adviser determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value.

FASB ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”) defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and requires disclosure about fair value measurements. It also provides guidance on determining when there has been a significant decrease in the volume and level of activity for an asset or liability, when a transaction is not orderly, and how that information must be incorporated into fair value measurements. Under ASC 820, various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in the following hierarchy:

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 availability of observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors, including, for example, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, the liquidity of markets, and other characteristics particular to the security. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3.

All other securities and investments for which market values are not readily available, including restricted securities, and those securities for which it is inappropriate to determine prices in accordance with the aforementioned procedures, are valued at fair value as determined in good faith under procedures adopted by the Board, although the actual calculations may be done by others. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, or the appropriate stock exchange (for exchange-traded securities), analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents and, if necessary, available information concerning other securities in similar circumstances.

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

October 31, 2022 (Unaudited) (Continued)

The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The hierarchy classification of inputs used to value the Fund’s investments at October 31, 2022, are as follows:

Security Transactions

Investment transactions are recorded as of the date that the securities are purchased or sold (trade date). Realized gains and losses from the sale or disposition of securities are calculated based on the specific identification basis.

Investment Income

Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date. Interest income is accrued daily.

Tax Information, Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders and Uncertain Tax Positions

The Fund is treated as a separate entity for Federal income tax purposes. The Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). To qualify and remain eligible for the special tax treatment accorded to RICs, the Fund must meet certain annual income and quarterly asset diversification requirements and must distribute annually at least 90% of the sum of (i) its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and (ii) certain net tax-exempt income, if any. If so qualified, the Fund will not be subject to Federal income tax.

Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The Fund generally pays out dividends from net investment income, if any, quarterly, and distributes its net capital gains, if any, to shareholders at least annually. The Fund may also pay a special distribution at the end of the calendar year to comply with Federal tax requirements. The amount of dividends and distributions from net investment income and net realized capital gains are determined in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP. These “book/tax” differences are either considered temporary or permanent in nature. To the extent these differences are permanent in nature, such amounts are reclassified within the components of net assets based on their Federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require reclassification. Dividends and distributions which exceed earnings and profit for tax purposes are reported as a tax return of capital.

Management evaluates the Fund’s tax positions to determine if the tax positions taken meet the minimum recognition threshold in connection with accounting for uncertainties in income tax positions taken or expected to be taken for the purposes of measuring and recognizing tax liabilities in the financial statements. Recognition of tax benefits of an uncertain tax position is required only when the position is “more likely than not” to be sustained assuming examination by taxing authorities. Interest and penalties related to income taxes would be recorded as income tax expense. The Fund’s Federal income tax returns are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) for a period of three fiscal years after they are filed. State and local tax returns may be subject to examination for an additional fiscal year depending on the jurisdiction.

The Fund commenced operations on May 3, 2022.

Indemnification

In the normal course of business, the Fund expects to enter into contracts that contain a variety of representations and warranties and which provide general indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these anticipated arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet occurred. However, based on experience, the Fund expects the risk of loss to be remote.

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

October 31, 2022 (Unaudited) (Continued)

Commodities

The Fund will invest indirectly, via the Subsidiary, in commodities, which are exchange traded vehicles subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The commodities which underlie commodity instruments may be subject to additional economic and noneconomic variables, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political and regulatory developments. These factors may have a larger impact on commodity prices and commodity-linked instruments than on traditional securities. Certain commodities are also subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of supplies of other materials. These additional variables may create additional investment risks which subject the Fund’s investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. Also, unlike the financial instruments markets, in the commodity instruments markets there are costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the commodity instruments contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while the Fund is invested in instruments on that commodity, the value of the commodity instrument may change proportionately.

Investment Advisory Agreement

The Trust has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with the Adviser. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser provides a continuous investment program for the Fund’s assets in accordance with its investment objectives, policies and limitations, and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Fund subject to the supervision of the Board, including the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust as defined in the 1940 Act.

Pursuant to the Advisory Agreements between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund and Subsidiary, and the Adviser, the Fund and Subsidiary pay a unified management fee to the Adviser, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 0.40% of the Fund’s and Subsidiary’s average daily net assets. The Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Fund and Subsidiary except the fees paid to the Adviser under the Advisory Agreements, interest charges on any borrowings, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution (12b-1) fees and expenses (if any).

Fee Waiver Agreement

The Adviser contractually agreed to waive the unitary management fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the management fee of 0.40% paid by the Subsidiary. The waiver will remain in effect for a period of one year from the effective date of the Fund’s prospectus, and therefore from year to year for successive one-year periods unless terminated sooner. The Adviser also contractually agreed through May 3, 2023 to waive 0.10% of the fee it receives as sponsor to OUNZ in connection with the Subsidiary’s investment in OUNZ. The Adviser waived $81 during the period ended October 31, 2022. Pursuant to the Fee Waiver Agreement, waived fees are not subject to recoupment by the Adviser.

Distribution Agreement and 12b-1 Plan

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”), serves as the Fund’s distributor pursuant to a Distribution Services Agreement. The Distributor receives compensation for the statutory underwriting services it provides to the Fund. The Distributor enters into agreements with certain broker-dealers and others that will allow those parties to be “Authorized Participants” and to subscribe for and redeem shares of the Fund. The Distributor will not distribute shares in less than whole Creation Units and does not maintain a secondary market in shares.

The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 12b-1 Plan”). In accordance with the Rule 12b-1 Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities. As authorized by the Board, no Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

October 31, 2022 (Unaudited) (Continued)

the Fund and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, they will be paid out of the Fund’s assets. The Adviser and its affiliates may, out of their own resources, pay amounts to third parties for distribution or marketing services on behalf of the Fund.

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (“Fund Services” or “Administrator”) serves as administrator, transfer agent and fund accountant of the Fund pursuant to a Fund Servicing Agreement. U.S. Bank N.A. (the “Custodian”), an affiliate of Fund Services, serves as the Fund’s custodian pursuant to a Custody Agreement. Under the terms of these agreements, the Adviser pays the Fund’s administrative, custody and transfer agency fees.

A Trustee and all officers of the Trust are affiliated with the Administrator and the Custodian.

Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”). The Fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis at NAV only in large blocks of shares called “Creation Units.” Creation Units are to be issued and redeemed principally in kind for a basket of securities and a balancing cash amount. Shares generally will trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit at market prices that change throughout the day. Market prices for the shares may be different from their NAV. The NAV is determined as of the close of trading (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for trading. The NAV of the shares of the Fund will be equal to the Fund’s total assets minus the Fund’s total liabilities divided by the total number of shares outstanding. The NAV that is published will be rounded to the nearest cent; however, for purposes of determining the price of Creation Units, the NAV will be calculated to four decimal places.

Creation Unit Transaction Fee

Authorized Participants may be required to pay to the Custodian a fixed transaction fee (the “Creation Transaction Fee”) in connection with the issuance or redemption of Creation Units. The standard Creation Transaction Fee will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by an investor on the applicable business day. The Creation Transaction Fee charged by the Fund for each creation order is $300.

An additional variable fee of up to a maximum of 2% of the value of the Creation Units subject to the transaction may be imposed for (1) creations effected outside the Clearing Process and (2) creations made in an all-cash amount (to offset the Trust’s brokerage and other transaction costs associated with using cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities). Investors are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust. The Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of Fund shareholders. Variable fees, if any, received by the Fund are displayed in the Capital Share Transactions section on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets.

Only “Authorized Participants” may purchase or redeem shares directly from the Fund. An Authorized Participant is either (i) a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of National Securities Clearing Corporation or (ii) a DTC participant and, in each case, must have executed a Participant Agreement with the 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 Fund. 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. Securities received or delivered in connection with in-kind creates and redeems are valued as of the close of business on the effective date of the creation or redemption.

A Creation Unit will generally not be issued until the transfer of good title of the deposit securities to the Fund and the payment of any cash amounts have been completed. To the extent contemplated by the applicable participant agreement, Creation Units of the Fund will be issued to such authorized participant notwithstanding the fact that the Fund’s deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the authorized participant to deliver the missing deposit securities as soon as possible. If the Fund or its agents do not receive all of the deposit securities, or the required cash amounts, by such time, then the order may be deemed rejected and the authorized participant shall be liable to the Fund for losses, if any.

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

October 31, 2022 (Unaudited) (Continued)

During the period ended October 31, 2022, the Fund realized net capital gains and losses resulting from in-kind redemptions, in which shareholders exchanged Fund shares for securities held by the Fund rather than for cash. Because such gains are not taxable to the Fund, and are not distributed to shareholders, they have been reclassified from distributable earnings (accumulated losses) to paid in-capital. The amount of realized gains and losses from in-kind redemptions included in realized gain/(loss) on investments in the Consolidated Statement of Operations is as follows:

Purchases and sales of investments (excluding short-term investments), creations in-kind and redemptions in-kind for the period ended October 31, 2022, were as follows:

As with all ETFs, shareholders of the Fund are subject to the risk that their investment could lose money. The Fund is subject to the principal risks, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 (commonly referred to as “coronavirus”) has disrupted economic markets and the prolonged economic impact is uncertain. The ultimate economic fallout from the pandemic, and the long-term impact on economies, markets, industries and individual issuers, are not known. The operational and financial performance of the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests depends on future developments, including the duration and spread of the outbreak, and such uncertainty may in turn adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance.

On February 24, 2022, Russia commenced a military attack on Ukraine. The outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could result in more widespread conflict and could have a severe adverse effect on the region and the markets. In addition, sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other countries, and any sanctions imposed in the future could have a significant adverse impact on the Russian economy and related markets. The price and liquidity of investments may fluctuate widely as a result of the conflict and related events. How long such conflict and related events will last and whether it will escalate further cannot be predicted, nor its effect on the Fund.

A complete description of principal risks is included in the Fund’s prospectus under the heading “Principal Investment Risks’’.

On December 30, 2022, Merk Stagflation ETF paid a distribution to shareholders of record on December 29, 2022, as follows:

Other than as disclosed, there were no other subsequent events requiring recognition or disclosure through the date the financial statements were issued.

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Board Consideration and Approval of Advisory Agreement

(Unaudited)

At a meeting held on March 16-17, 202 (the “Meeting”), the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Listed Funds Trust (the “Trust”), including those trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) (the “Independent Trustees”), considered the approval of an advisory agreement (the “Agreement”) between Merk Investments LLC (the “Adviser”) and the Trust, on behalf of the Merk Stagflation ETF (the “Fund”).

Pursuant to Section 15 of the 1940 Act, the Agreement must be approved by: (i) the vote of the Board or a vote of the shareholders of the Fund; and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, cast at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. As discussed in greater detail below, in preparation for the Meeting, the Board requested from, and reviewed a wide variety of information provided by, the Adviser.

Prior to the Meeting, the Board reviewed written materials from the Adviser and, during the Meeting, representatives from the Adviser presented additional oral and written information to assist the Board with its evaluation of the Agreement. Among other things, representatives from the Adviser provided an overview of its advisory business, including information regarding investment personnel, financial resources, experience, investment processes, quality control, and compliance program. The representatives discussed the services to be provided by the Adviser, as well as the rationale for launching the Fund, the Fund’s proposed fees, and the operational aspects of the Fund. The Board considered the materials it received in advance of the meeting, including a memorandum from legal counsel to the Trust on the responsibilities of the Trustees in considering the approval of the Agreement under the 1940 Act. The Board also considered the information conveyed during the Adviser’s oral presentation, and deliberated on the approval of the Agreement in light of this information. Throughout the process, the Trustees were afforded the opportunity to ask questions of, and request additional materials from, the Adviser. The Independent Trustees also met in executive session with counsel to the Trust to further discuss the proposed advisory arrangement and the Independent Trustees’ responsibilities relating thereto.

At the Meeting, the Board and the Independent Trustees evaluated a number of factors, including, among other things: (i) the nature, extent, and quality of the services to be provided by the Adviser to the Fund; (ii) Fund expenses and performance; (iii) the cost of the services to be provided and profits to be realized by the Adviser from its relationship with the Trust and the Fund; (iv) comparative fee and expense data for the Fund and other investment companies with similar investment objectives; (v) the extent to which economies of scale would be realized as the Fund grows and whether the overall advisory fee for the Fund would enable investors to share in the benefits of economies of scale; (vi) any benefits to be derived by the Adviser from the relationship with the Trust and the Fund, including any fall-out benefits enjoyed by the Adviser; and (vii) other factors the Board deemed relevant. In its deliberations, the Board did not identify any single piece of information that was paramount or controlling and the individual Trustees may have attributed different weights to various factors.

Nature, Extent, and Quality of Services to be Provided. The Board considered the scope of services to be provided under the Agreement, noting that the Adviser will be providing, among other things, a continuous investment program for the Fund, including arranging for, or implementing, the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, the provision of related services such as portfolio management compliance services, and the preparation and filing of certain reports on behalf of the Trust. The Trustees reviewed the extensive responsibilities that the Adviser will have as investment adviser to the Fund, including the oversight of the activities and operations of the service providers, oversight of general fund compliance with federal and state laws, and the implementation of Board directives as they relate to the Fund. In considering the nature, extent, and quality of the services to be provided by the Adviser, the Board considered the quality of the Adviser’s compliance program and the report from the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer regarding his review of the Adviser’s compliance program. The Board noted that it had received a copy of the Adviser’s Form ADV, as well as the responses of the Adviser to a detailed series of questions that included, among other things, information about the Adviser’s decision-making process, details about the Fund, and information about the services to be provided by the Adviser. The Board also considered the Adviser’s operational capabilities and resources and its experience in managing investment portfolios. The Board concluded that, within the context of its full deliberations, it was satisfied with the nature, extent, and quality of the services to be provided to the Fund by the Adviser.

Fund Expenses and Performance. Because the Fund had not yet commenced operations, the Board noted that there were no historical performance records to consider. The Board was presented with information about the Fund’s investment strategies and expected break-even expense analysis. The Board then reviewed the proposed expense ratio for the Fund and compared it to the universe of World Small/Mid Stock ETFs, World Bond ETFs, Tactical Allocation ETFs, Nontraditional Bond ETFs, and Inflation-Protected Bond ETFs, as reported by Morningstar (the “Category Peer Group”) and its closest competitors as identified

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Board Consideration and Approval of Advisory Agreement

(Unaudited) (Continued)

by the Adviser (the “Selected Peer Group”). The Board noted that the proposed expense ratio for the Fund was higher than the median for the Category Peer Group, but was within the range of expense ratios for both Peer Groups. The Board further noted that because the Category Peer Group included thematic funds with various different investment strategies, none of which were substantially similar to that of the Fund, the Category Peer Group may not allow for an apt comparison by which to judge the Fund’s expense ratio. Based on its review, the Board concluded that the investment advisory fee and expense ratios appeared to be competitive and are otherwise reasonable in light of the information provided.

Cost of Services to be Provided and Profitability. The Board considered the cost of the services to be provided by the Adviser, the proposed advisory fees, and the estimated profitability projected by the Adviser, including the methodology underlying such projection. The Board took into consideration that the advisory fee for the Fund was a “unitary fee,” meaning the Fund would pay no expenses except for the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses and distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. The Board noted that the Adviser would be responsible for compensating the Fund’s other service providers, and paying the Fund’s other expenses out of its own fee and resources. The Board considered the Adviser’s projected break-even point for the Fund or the level of the Fund’s assets under management at which the Adviser may earn revenue from its unitary fee in excess of the expenses necessary to operate the Fund on a day-to-day basis. The Board also evaluated the compensation and benefits expected to be received by the Adviser from its relationship with the Fund. Based on the projected profitability information presented and the comparability of the Fund’s proposed fees and expenses to those of its peer funds, the Board concluded that the Adviser’s anticipated profitability appears reasonable at this time.

Economies of Scale. The Board expressed the view that the Adviser might realize economies of scale in managing the Fund as assets grow in size. However, the Board determined that, based on the amount and structure of the Fund’s unitary fee, any such economies of scale would be shared with the Fund’s shareholders. In the event there were to be significant asset growth in the Fund, the Board determined to reassess whether the Fund and its shareholders may benefit from breakpoints in the Fund’s advisory fee.

Conclusion. Based on a consideration of all the factors in their totality, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, determined that the terms of the Agreement, including the compensation payable under the agreement, are fair and reasonable to the Fund. The Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, therefore determined that the approval of the Agreement for an initial term of two years was in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders.

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Supplemental Information

(Unaudited)

Investors should consider the investment objective and policies, risk considerations, charges and ongoing expenses of an investment carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information relevant to an investment in the Fund. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. A copy of the prospectus for the Fund may be obtained without charge by writing to the Fund, c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0701 or by calling 1-866-271-0093, or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.merkfunds.com.

QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO HOLDING INFORMATION

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings for its first and third fiscal quarters with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on Part F of Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Part F of Form N-PORT is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free at 1-866-271-0093. Furthermore, you may obtain the Part F of Form N-PORT on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

PROXY VOTING INFORMATION

The Fund is required to file a Form N-PX, with the Fund’s complete proxy voting record for the 12 months ended June 30, no later than August 31 of each year. The Fund’s proxy voting record will be available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free 1-866-271-0093 and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF PREMIUMS AND DISCOUNTS

Information regarding how often shares of the Fund trade on an exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund is available without charge, on the Fund’s website at www.merkfunds.com.

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Merk Stagflation ETF

Review of Liquidity Risk Management Program

(Unaudited)

Pursuant to Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Trust, on behalf of the series of the Trust covered by this shareholder report (the “Series”), has adopted a liquidity risk management program to govern the Trust’s approach to managing liquidity risk. Rule 22e-4 seeks to promote effective liquidity risk management, thereby reducing the risk that a fund will be unable to meet its redemption obligations and mitigating dilution of the interests of fund shareholders. The Trust’s liquidity risk management program is tailored to reflect the Series’ particular risks, but not to eliminate all adverse impacts of liquidity risk, which would be incompatible with the nature of such Series.

The investment adviser to the Series has adopted and implemented its own written liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) tailored specifically to assess and manage the liquidity risk of the Series.

There can be no assurance that the Program will achieve its objectives in the future. Please refer to the prospectus for more information regarding the Series’ exposure to liquidity risk and other principal risks to which an investment in the Series may be subject.

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Investment Adviser:

Merk Investments LLC
1150 Chestnut Street
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Legal Counsel:

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm:

BBD, LLP
1835 Market Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Distributor:

Foreside Fund Services, LLC
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100
Portland, ME 04101

Administrator, Fund Accountant & Transfer Agent:

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 E. Michigan St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Custodian:

U.S. Bank N.A.
1555 North RiverCenter Drive, Suite 302
Milwaukee, WI 53212

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