Exchange Listed Funds Trust

 

 

 

Exchange Listed Funds Trust  

 

Prospectus

 

November 1, 2021

 

High Yield ETF (Ticker Symbol: HYLD)

 

Principal Listing Exchange for the Fund: NYSE Arca, Inc.

 

Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

 

   

 

About This Prospectus

 

This Prospectus has been arranged into different sections so that you can easily review this important information. For detailed information about the Fund, please see:

 

    Page
Fund Summary   1
Additional Principal Investment Strategies Information   9
Additional Principal Risk Information   13
Portfolio Holdings   20
Fund Management   20
Portfolio Managers   21
Buying and Selling Fund Shares   22
Distribution and Service Plan   24
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes   24
Additional Information   29
Financial Highlights   30
How to Obtain More Information About the Fund   Back Cover

 

 

 

Fund Summary

 

Investment Objective

 

The High Yield ETF (the “Fund”) seeks high current income with a secondary goal of capital appreciation.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fee 1.25%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses 0.00%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 0.12%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses1 1.37%

1 The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s financial highlights and financial statements because the financial highlights and financial statements reflect only the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which are fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund through its investments in certain underlying investment companies.

 

Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your cost would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
$139 $434 $750 $1,646

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when shares of the Fund are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example above, affect the Fund’s performance. This rate excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s shares. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 90% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

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Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by selecting a focused portfolio of high-yield debt securities, which include senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as loans, bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper). High-yield debt securities are rated below investment grade (that is, securities rated below the top four rating categories of a ratings organization or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable credit quality by the Fund’s sub-advisers) and are commonly referred to as “high-yield” or “junk” bonds.

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in high-yield debt securities. The Fund may invest in debt securities issued by foreign issuers, including issuers in emerging markets. The Fund does not have any portfolio maturity limitation and may invest its assets in instruments with short-term, medium-term or long-term maturities. In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Fund may invest in closed-end funds. The Fund also may invest in equity securities that a sub-adviser believes will yield high dividends or are otherwise consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and in repurchase agreements. The Fund’s strategy may involve frequently buying and selling securities, which may lead to relatively high portfolio turnover. In implementing its investment strategies, the Fund may hold cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds.

 

The Fund employs a “multi-manager” approach whereby portions of the Fund’s assets are allocated among sub-advisers. Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC (“ETC” or the “Adviser”) is responsible for the management of the Fund and supervision of the Fund’s sub-advisers, MacKay Shields LLC (“MacKay Shields”) and WhiteStar Asset Management LLC (“WhiteStar”). Each sub-adviser manages its allocated portion of the Fund’s assets to correspond with its distinct investment style and strategy, as described below, in a manner consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, strategies, and restrictions. ETC may allocate assets from or towards each sub-adviser from time to time and may reallocate assets between the sub-advisers. MacKay Shields and WhiteStar act independently of each other and each uses its own methodology for selecting investments.

 

MacKay Shields. In selecting securities for the Fund’s portfolio, MacKay Shields performs an independent investment analysis of each issuer to determine its creditworthiness. MacKay Shields views credit as either of the highest quality or “D” (i.e., it either pays or does not). MacKay Shields takes a deep value contrarian approach to the credit markets, focusing on absolute value. MacKay Shields largely focuses on the secondary market, often investing in assets at a discount to par ($100), allowing for a potential opportunity to generate capital gains in addition to current yield. MacKay Shields believes that structural and technical inefficiencies exist in the secondary credit markets, which create attractive investment opportunities, and that, by holding a diversified but limited number of securities, MacKay Shields’ portion of the portfolio will be constructed of securities that provide exposure to industries believed to offer the most value to the Fund. Companies in the energy sector have significant representation in the high-yield debt securities market.

 

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WhiteStar. WhiteStar employs both “top-down” and “bottom-up” analyses to select investments for the Fund. WhiteStar’s top-down analysis involves a macro analysis of relative asset valuations, long-term industry trends, business cycles, interest rate expectations, credit fundamentals, and technical factors to target specific industry sectors and asset classes in which to invest. WhiteStar’s bottom-up analysis includes a rigorous analysis of the credit fundamentals and capital structure of each potential investment and a determination of relative value compared to alternative investments. Potential investments will be analyzed through a thorough review of the fundamentals of the economy in general and then the particular industry and the strengths and weaknesses of each individual credit. Under this approach, the credit performance of each asset will typically be subjected to stress tests to maximize the selection of investments with favorable risk-adjusted returns.

 

Principal Risks

 

As with all funds, a shareholder is subject to the risk that his or her investment could lose money. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risks affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.

 

Bank Loans Risk. Investments in bank loans (through both assignments and participations) are generally subject to the same risks as investments in other types of debt instruments, including, in many cases, investments in junk bonds. There may be limited public information available regarding bank loans and bank loans may be difficult to value. If the Fund holds a bank loan through another financial institution, or relies on a financial institution to administer the loan, its receipt of principal and interest on the loan may be subject to the credit risk of that financial institution. It is possible that any collateral securing a loan may be insufficient or unavailable to the Fund, and that the Fund’s rights to collateral may be limited by bankruptcy or insolvency laws. In addition, the secondary market for bank loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods, which may cause the Fund to be unable to realize the full value of its investment in a bank loan. Bank loans may not be considered “securities,” and purchasers, such as the Fund, therefore may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws.

 

Credit Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that an issuer of a fixed income security, such as a corporate bond, may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due. The Fund is also subject to the related risk that the value of a fixed income security may decline because of concerns about the issuer’s creditworthiness. Credit risk is heightened to the extent the Fund invests in high-yield debt securities.

 

Emerging Markets Securities Risk. Emerging markets are subject to greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets and more governmental limitations on foreign investment than more developed markets. In addition, securities in emerging markets may be subject to greater price fluctuations than securities in more developed markets. Differences in regulatory, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting and recordkeeping standards could impede a sub-adviser’s ability to evaluate local companies and impact the Fund’s performance. Investments in securities of issuers in emerging markets may also be exposed to risks related to a lack of liquidity, greater potential for market manipulation, issuers’ limited reliable access to capital, and foreign investment structures. Additionally, the Fund may have limited rights and remedies available to it to pursue claims against issuers in emerging markets.

 

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Energy Sector Risk. Issuers in energy-related industries can be significantly affected by fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of energy fuels. Markets for various energy-related commodities can have significant volatility, and are subject to control or manipulation by large producers or purchasers. Companies in the energy sector may need to make substantial expenditures, and to incur significant amounts of debt, in order to maintain or expand their reserves. Oil and gas exploration and production can be significantly affected by natural disasters, as well as changes in exchange rates, interest rates, government regulation, world events and economic conditions. These companies may be at risk for environmental damage claims.

 

Equity Securities Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual issuers, industries or the securities market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

 

Fixed Income Securities Risk. The market value of fixed income investments in which the Fund may invest may change in response to interest rate changes and other factors. During periods of falling interest rates, the value of outstanding fixed income securities may rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the value of fixed income securities may decline.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to expropriation, nationalization or adverse political or economic developments. Foreign securities may have relatively low market liquidity and decreased publicly available information about issuers. Investments in foreign securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. Foreign issuers may also be subject to inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. In addition, where all or a portion of the Fund’s portfolio holdings trade in markets that are closed when the Fund’s market is open, there may be valuation differences that could lead to differences between the Fund’s market price and the value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings.

 

Fund Distributions Risk. The Fund seeks to make cash distributions once per month throughout a calendar year based on a rate determined at the beginning of the year. Because these distributions will be made from Fund assets and shareholders are generally not expected to reinvest such distributions in additional Fund shares, the Fund’s monthly cash distributions will reduce the amount of assets available for investment by the Fund. It is possible for the Fund to suffer substantial investment losses and simultaneously experience additional asset reductions as a result of its distributions to shareholders under this distribution policy. Moreover, even if the Fund’s capital grows over short, intermediate, or long periods of time, it is possible that such growth will be insufficient to enable the Fund to maintain the amount of its cash distributions without returning capital to shareholders. A return of capital is a return of all or part of a shareholder’s original investment in the Fund. In general, a return of capital is not immediately taxable to a shareholder. Rather, it reduces a shareholder’s cost basis in Fund shares and is not taxable to a shareholder until his or her cost basis has been reduced to zero. The rate and dollar amount of the Fund’s monthly income payments could vary substantially from one year to the next, during the course of a year, and over time depending on several factors, including the performance of the financial markets in which the Fund invests, the allocation of Fund assets across different asset classes and investments, the performance of the Fund’s investment strategies, and the amount and timing of prior distributions by the Fund. The Fund is not guaranteed to provide a fixed or stable level of cash distributions at any time or over any period of time.

 

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High-Yield Risk. High-yield or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) and unrated securities of comparable credit quality are subject to the increased risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations and are generally considered to be speculative. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific corporate developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the non-investment grade securities markets generally, real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions and less secondary market liquidity. If the issuer of non-investment grade securities defaults, the Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery.

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. This risk exists when particular Fund investments are difficult to purchase or sell, which can reduce the Fund’s returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices.

 

Issuer Risk. The value of a debt security may decline for a number of reasons directly related to the issuer of such security, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services.

 

Limited Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Risk. Because the Fund is an ETF, only a limited number of institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) are authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly from the Fund. 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 Fund may trade at a material discount to their net asset value (“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.

 

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed. The sub-advisers continuously evaluate the Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. However, the achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed over short- or long-term market cycles. The sub-advisers’ judgments about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these judgments may affect the return on your investment.

 

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.

 

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Operational Risk. The Fund and its service providers may experience disruptions that arise from human error, processing and communications errors, counterparty or third-party errors, technology or systems failures, any of which may have an adverse impact on the Fund.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may result in relatively high portfolio turnover, which may result in increased transaction costs and may lower Fund performance.

 

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties with which the Fund enters into repurchase agreements, including with respect to recovering or realizing on collateral.

 

Risks of Investing in Closed-End Funds. The organizational documents of certain closed-end funds include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of a closed-end fund or to change the composition of its board, which could limit the ability of shareholders to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the closed-end fund. In addition, the closed-end funds in which the Fund may invest may be leveraged, thereby exposing the Fund indirectly to leverage. An investment in shares of closed-end funds that use leverage may expose the Fund to higher volatility in the market value of such shares and the possibility that the Fund’s long-term returns on such shares (and, indirectly, the long-term returns of the shares) will be diminished. Moreover, the shares of closed-end funds may trade at a discount or premium to their NAV. This characteristic is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that a closed-end fund’s NAV could decrease as a result of investment activities. Whether investors, such as the Fund, will realize gains or losses upon the sale of shares will depend not on a closed-end fund’s NAV, but entirely upon whether the market price of the closed-end fund’s shares at the time of sale is above or below an investor’s purchase price for shares.

 

Trading Risk. Shares of the Fund may trade on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) above (premium) or below (discount) their NAV. The NAV of shares of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply and demand and may deviate significantly from the value of the Fund’s holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay more or receive less than the underlying value of the Fund shares bought or sold. When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, you may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask), which is known as the bid-ask spread. In addition, although the Fund’s shares are currently listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares of the Fund inadvisable. In stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings.

 

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Performance Information

 

On June 22, 2018, the Fund acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the AdvisorShares Peritus High Yield ETF (the “Predecessor Fund”), a series of AdvisorShares Trust, in exchange for shares of beneficial interest of the Fund (the “Reorganization”). As a result of the Reorganization, the Fund is the accounting successor of the Predecessor Fund. The historical performance information shown below reflects, for the period prior to the Reorganization, the historical performance of the Predecessor Fund. The Predecessor Fund was advised by another investment adviser and sub-adviser.

 

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for certain time periods compare with the average annual total returns of the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index, Bloomberg U.S. High Yield Very Liquid Index, and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index is considered representative of the universe of U.S. fixed rate, non-investment-grade debt, the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield Very Liquid Index is considered representative of the universe of liquid U.S. fixed rate, non-investment-grade corporate debt, and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a market-capitalization weighted bond market index representing intermediate term investment grade bonds traded in the U.S. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at http://www.hyldetf.com or by calling toll-free 844-880-3837.

 

Annual Total Returns as of 12/31*

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* The performance information shown above is based on a calendar year. The Fund's year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2021 was 5.14%.

 

Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 7.33% 4Q/2020
Lowest Return -14.41% 1Q/2020

 

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Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2020

 

High Yield ETF 1 Year 5 Year 10 Year
Return Before Taxes 2.31% 6.85% 3.38%
Return After Taxes on Distributions -0.73% 3.69% 0.15%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 1.22% 3.86% 1.19%
Bloomberg U.S. High Yield Very Liquid Index1 (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) 5.87% 8.18% N/A
Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) 7.11% 8.59% 6.80%
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) 7.51% 4.44% 3.84%

1 Effective November 1, 2021, the Fund changed one of its benchmark indexes from the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index to the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield Very Liquid Index. The Adviser believes that this new index is more representative of the types of securities available for the Fund to invest in. The Bloomberg U.S. High Yield Very Liquid Index commenced operations on February 26, 2013.

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. After tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of shares of the Fund at the end of the measurement period.

 

Investment Advisers

 

Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. MacKay Shields LLC and WhiteStar Asset Management LLC serve as sub-advisers to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Michael DePalma, CEO/Managing Partner of MacKay Shields, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2018.

 

Michael Ning, Chief Investment Officer of MacKay Shields, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2018.

 

Gibran Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of WhiteStar, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2019.

 

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Barry Boland, portfolio manager of WhiteStar, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2019.

 

Nathan Hall, portfolio manager of WhiteStar, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2019.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund issues (or redeems) shares to certain institutional investors known as “Authorized Participants” (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions are generally conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund and/or a specified amount of cash. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at a market price. You can purchase and sell individual shares of the Fund throughout the trading day like any publicly traded security. The Fund’s shares are listed on the Exchange. The price of the Fund’s shares is based on market price, and, because exchange-traded fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).When buying or selling shares of the Fund in the secondary market, you may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.hyldetf.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Distributions made by the Fund may be taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or long-term capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. In that case, you may be taxed when you take a distribution from such account, depending on the type of account, the circumstances of your distribution, and other factors.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

Additional Principal Investment Strategies Information

 

The Fund is an actively-managed ETF and does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified passive index of securities. Instead, it uses an active investment strategy in seeking to meet its investment objective. The sub-advisers, subject to the supervision of ETC and oversight of the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Exchange Listed Funds Trust (the "Trust") have discretion on a daily basis to manage the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and investment policies. The Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy and may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval.

 

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In response to actual or perceived adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may (but will not necessarily), without notice, depart from its principal investment strategies by temporarily investing for defensive purposes. Temporary defensive positions may include, but are not limited to, U.S. government securities, high quality fixed income securities, money market instruments, overnight and fixed-term repurchase agreements, cash and cash equivalents with maturities of one year or less. If the Fund invests for defensive purposes, it may not achieve its investment objective. In addition, the defensive strategy may not work as intended.

 

To the extent the Fund invests in closed-end funds, it will bear its pro rata portion of the closed-end funds’ expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses are in addition to the direct expenses of the Fund’s own operations.

 

MacKay Shields

 

MacKay Shields seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by selecting a focused portfolio largely of high-yield debt securities, which include senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as loans, bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper). MacKay Shields often aims to acquire these securities at discounts to par ($100), which will allow for a potential opportunity to generate additional capital gains. Debt securities that comprise the Fund’s portfolio are individually picked by MacKay Shields in the belief that each security can add value in terms of high risk adjusted returns. By holding a diversified but limited number of securities, MacKay Shields can pick and choose the industries and securities it believes offer the most value to the Fund. These high-yield corporate debt obligations are principally purchased in the public secondary market. The portion of the Fund sub-advised by MacKay Shields may also invest up to 20% of its net assets in equity securities that MacKay Shields believes will yield high dividends or are otherwise consistent with the Fund’s investment objective.

 

Investment Philosophy

 

MacKay Shields seeks to take advantage of the fact that most fixed income investors continue to use ratings as one of their primary investment tools. MacKay Shields, however, believes that the focus should be on the fundamentals of the businesses in which the Fund invests rather than ratings. MacKay Shields views credit as either of the highest quality or “D” (i.e., it either pays or does not). Due to this investment ideology, MacKay Shields places limited value on credit ratings and instead focuses on true cash flow while looking to buy credit at prices that it feels provide a margin of safety. Additional factors are considered when constructing the portfolio, including, but not limited to, excess cash on the balance sheet and/or a history of producing real free cash flow, as well as a capital structure that can be sustained on conservative forecasts.

 

Selection Process

 

MacKay Shields reverse engineers the traditional financial analysis process when reviewing each issuer’s creditworthiness. Each analysis begins with the Statement of Cash Flows, moves to the Balance Sheet and then to the Income Statement. The investment team looks at a complete appraisal of the business’ intrinsic value, rather than just traditional credit analysis. Through fundamental and valuation analysis, MacKay Shields not only determines whether an investment should be made in a certain company, but also where in the capital structure (secured, senior, or subordinate) the risk/return is most attractive.

 

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The graphic representation is intended to generally demonstrate the potential investment rationale and analysis performed by MacKay Shields on a prospective investment. All processes, procedures and investment criteria do not apply in every circumstance and are subject to change.

 

Investment Approach

 

MacKay Shields seeks to construct a focused portfolio, largely of high-yield debt securities, which include senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as loans, bonds, debentures, notes and commercial paper).
Primarily focus on the “secondary” market, which means MacKay Shields often invests in assets at a discount to par ($100).
Belief that structural and technical inefficiencies exist in the secondary credit markets which create attractive opportunities.
A deep value contrarian approach to the credit markets, focusing on absolute returns.
MacKay Shields views credit as either of the highest quality or “D” and places limited value on rating agencies or their methodologies, which lag the market perception of risk.
Ideas, themes and investment process are generated internally by MacKay Shields. MacKay Shields does not solely rely on Wall Street sell side information.
MacKay Shields views participation as “senior equity” even though they are investing in performing debt. MacKay Shields does not stop with traditional credit analysis, but looks at a complete appraisal of the intrinsic value of each business in which it intends to invest.

 

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Investment Process

 

Target investments that possess some or all of the following characteristics: product or service is “essential” and recurring; hard asset values; quantifiable downside risk; ability to generate free cash flow; stable revenue stream; manageable balance sheet; traditional covenant protection; acceptable leverage through debt tranche (subordination).
Before being purchased into the portfolio, each security goes through a rigorous credit and valuation analysis.
Events which can create a sale or exit strategy within a portfolio include:
o poison puts – change of control covenants from merger or buyout activity;
o refinancing/calls – company decides to take out the bonds according to a scheduled price;
o tenders – company offers to buy your security at a set price; maturities; and default as well as a fundamental deterioration or yields no longer meeting internal targets.

 

Portfolio Focus

 

Issuers – MacKay Shields lets the value observed in the market dictate diversification rather than accepting securities that are viewed as less desirable for the sake of diversification.
Coupon Characteristics – Focus on the non-investment-grade market, which typically has high coupons reflecting the relative risk of the credits.
Current Yield – Because of its focus on value and generally buying in the secondary market (often buying at a discount to par), the Fund expects to achieve a current yield, before Fund fees and expenses, that, on a weighted average basis, exceeds that of the relevant market indexes (e.g., Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index).
Maturity Profile – Because of a focus primarily on seasoned credits, the stated maturity tends to be shorter than that of the market indexes, while actual maturity is generally even shorter due to early re-financings and take-outs via calls, puts and tenders.

 

WhiteStar

 

WhiteStar follows a defined investment process based on a comprehensive analysis of company creditworthiness, generally including a quantitative and qualitative assessment of a company’s business, an evaluation of management performance, an analysis of business strategy, regulatory and legal considerations, industry trends and an examination of capital structure, financial results and projections. The due diligence process typically includes: (i) an assessment of the outlook for the industry based on discussions with industry participants, industry analysts, suppliers to and customers of the industry, and relevant trade group representatives; (ii) discussions with company management as to the business outlook, competitive position within the industry, and flexibility of capital structure relative to business objectives; (iii) an analysis of fundamental asset values and enterprise value of the company (based on valuation comparisons to other industry participants) to assess the degree to which the investment under consideration has above average downside protection; (iv) a review of the company’s core competencies and competitive advantages and formation of a judgment as to the sustainability of each; (v) preparation of historical and projected financial statements to assess the company’s liquidity, fundamental creditworthiness, and prospects for future value creation; (vi) a review of any tax, legal, or regulatory contingencies that could negatively impact the company’s value or ability to continue as a going concern; and (vii) a thorough review of the company’s capitalization, its financial flexibility and debt amortization requirements, including an analysis of the terms and covenants of each of the company’s outstanding debt and equity securities.

 

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Additional Principal Risk Information

 

The following section provides additional information regarding the principal risks of the Fund.

 

Bank Loans Risk. Bank loans are arranged through private negotiations between a company and one or more financial institutions (lenders). Investments in bank loans are generally subject to the same risks as investments in other types of debt instruments, including, in many cases, investments in junk bonds. This means bank loans are subject to greater credit risks than other investments, including a greater possibility that the borrower will be adversely affected by changes in market or economic conditions and may default or enter bankruptcy. Bank loans made in connection with highly leveraged transactions, including operating loans, leveraged buyout loans, leveraged capitalization loans and other types of acquisition financing, are subject to greater credit risks than other types of bank loans. In addition, it may be difficult to obtain reliable information about and value any bank loan.

 

The Fund may invest in bank loans in the form of participations in the loans (participations) and assignments of all or a portion of the loans from third parties (assignments). In connection with purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not benefit directly from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation. When the Fund purchases assignments from lenders, the Fund will acquire direct rights against the borrower on the loan. The Fund may have difficulty disposing of bank loans because, in certain cases, the market for such instruments is not highly liquid. The lack of a highly liquid secondary market may have an adverse impact on the value of such instruments and on the Fund’s ability to dispose of the bank loan in response to a specific economic event, such as deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. Furthermore, transactions in many loans settle on a delayed basis, and the Fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a substantial period of time after the sale. As a result, those proceeds will not be available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations.

 

Bank loans may not be considered “securities,” and purchasers, such as the Fund, therefore may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the Fund could lose money if an issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument becomes unwilling or unable to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise meet its obligations. The Fund is also subject to the risk that its investment in a debt instrument could decline because of concerns about the issuer’s credit quality or perceived financial condition. Fixed income securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are sometimes reflected in credit ratings.

 

Emerging Markets Securities Risk. Emerging markets are subject to greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets and more governmental limitations on foreign investment than more developed markets. In addition, securities in emerging markets may be subject to greater price fluctuations than securities in more developed markets. Investments in debt securities of foreign governments present special risks, including the fact that issuers may be unable or unwilling to repay principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt, or may be unable to make such repayments when due in the currency required under the terms of the debt. Political, economic and social events also may have a greater impact on the price of debt securities issued by foreign governments than on the price of U.S. securities. In addition, brokerage and other transaction costs on foreign securities exchanges are often higher than in the United States and there is generally less government supervision and regulation of exchanges, brokers and issuers in foreign countries. Differences in regulatory, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting and recordkeeping standards could impede a sub-adviser's ability to evaluate local companies and impact the Fund’s performance. Investments in securities of issuers in emerging markets may also be exposed to risks related to a lack of liquidity, greater potential for market manipulation, issuers’ limited reliable access to capital, and foreign investment structures. Additionally, the Fund may have limited rights and remedies available to it to pursue claims against issuers in emerging markets.

 

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Energy Sector Risk. Issuers in energy-related industries can be significantly affected by fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of energy fuels caused by geopolitical events, energy conservation or use of alternative fuel sources, the success of exploration projects, weather or meteorological events, taxes, increased governmental or environmental regulation, resource depletion, rising interest rates, declines in domestic or foreign production, accidents or catastrophic events, or terrorist threats or attacks, among others. Markets for various energy-related commodities can have significant volatility, and are subject to control or manipulation by large producers or purchasers. Companies in the energy sector may need to make substantial expenditures, and to incur significant amounts of debt, in order to maintain or expand their reserves through exploration of new sources of supply, through the development of existing sources, through acquisitions, or through long-term contracts to acquire reserves. Factors adversely affecting producers, refiners, distributors, or others in the energy sector may affect adversely companies that service or supply those entities, either because demand for those services or products is curtailed, or those services or products come under price pressure.

 

Equity Securities Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may decline in response. In addition, the equity market tends to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to rise over short or extended periods of time.

 

Fixed Income Securities Risk. The Fund may directly or indirectly invest in fixed income securities. Fixed income securities are debt obligations issued by corporations, municipalities and other borrowers. Coupons may be fixed or adjustable, based on a pre-set formula. The market value of fixed income investments may change in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Fixed income securities are subject to the risk that the securities may be paid off earlier or later than expected. Either situation could cause the Fund to hold securities paying lower-than-market rates of interest, which could adversely affect the Fund’s yield or share price. In addition, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of certain fixed income securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, the Fund may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as extension risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their fixed income securities sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund will have to reinvest that money at lower prevailing interest rates. This is known as prepayment risk. The prices of high-yield bonds, unlike those of investment-grade bonds, may fluctuate unpredictably and not necessarily inversely with changes in interest rates. Changes by recognized agencies in the rating of any fixed income security and in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal will also affect the value of these investments.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about a foreign issuer than a U.S. issuer. Foreign issuers may be subject to inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Investments in foreign securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. With respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries. Because foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. Conversely, shares of the Fund may trade on days when foreign exchanges are closed. Each of these factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.

 

Fund Distributions Risk. The Fund seeks to make cash distributions once per month throughout a calendar year based on a rate determined at the beginning of the year. Because these distributions will be made from Fund assets and shareholders are generally not expected to reinvest such distributions in additional Fund shares, the Fund’s monthly cash distributions will reduce the amount of assets available for investment by the Fund. It is possible for the Fund to suffer substantial investment losses and simultaneously experience additional asset reductions as a result of its distributions to shareholders under this distribution policy. Moreover, even if the Fund’s capital grows over short, intermediate, or long periods of time, it is possible that such growth will be insufficient to enable the Fund to maintain the amount of its cash distributions without returning capital to shareholders. A return of capital is a return of all or part of a shareholder’s original investment in the Fund. In general, a return of capital is not immediately taxable to a shareholder. Rather, it reduces a shareholder’s cost basis in Fund shares and is not taxable to a shareholder until his or her cost basis has been reduced to zero. The rate and dollar amount of the Fund’s monthly income payments could vary substantially from one year to the next, during the course of a year, and over time depending on several factors, including the performance of the financial markets in which the Fund invests, the allocation of Fund assets across different asset classes and investments, the performance of the Fund’s investment strategies, and the amount and timing of prior distributions by the Fund. The Fund is not guaranteed to provide a fixed or stable level of cash distributions at any time or over any period of time.

 

High-Yield Risk. The Fund’s investments in high-yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as junk bonds or below investment grade debt) may be subject to greater levels of interest rate, credit and illiquid investments risk than funds that do not invest in such securities. These securities are considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell these securities (illiquid investments risk). If the issuer of a security is in default with respect to interest or principal payments, the Fund may lose its entire investment.

 

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Illiquid Investments Risk. In certain circumstances, it may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular portfolio investments due to infrequent trading in such investments. The prices of such securities may experience significant volatility, make it more difficult for the Fund to transact significant amounts of such securities without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices, or make it difficult for a sub-adviser to dispose of such securities at a fair price at the time the sub-adviser believes it is desirable to do so. The Fund’s investments in such securities may restrict the Fund’s ability to take advantage of other market opportunities and adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The secondary market for high-yield securities may not be as liquid as the secondary market for more highly rated securities, a factor that may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to dispose of a particular security. There are fewer dealers in the market for high-yield securities than the market for investment grade securities. The prices quoted by different dealers for high-yield securities may vary significantly, and the spread between the bid and ask price is generally much larger for below investment grade municipal securities than for higher quality instruments. Under adverse market or economic conditions, the secondary market for high-yield securities could contract further, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer, and these instruments may become illiquid. As a result, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell these securities or may be able to sell the securities only at prices lower than if such securities were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s investments also may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules.

 

Issuer Risk. Changes in the financial condition of an issuer of or counterparty to a debt security, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of debt security or issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can increase the risk of default by an issuer or counterparty, which can affect a security’s or instrument’s credit quality or value. Entities providing credit support or a maturity-shortening structure also can be affected by these types of changes. If the structure of a security fails to function as intended, the security could decline in value. Lower-quality debt securities (those of less than investment-grade quality) tend to be particularly sensitive to these changes and involve greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer.

 

Limited Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. Particularly in times of market stress, Authorized Participants, market makers, or liquidity providers may exit the business, reduce their business activities, or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, and there is a possibility that no other entities will step forward to perform these services. This may result in a significantly diminished trading market for the Fund’s shares, differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those shares, and delisting of the shares.

 

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Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed. The sub-advisers continuously evaluate the Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. However, the achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed. The sub-advisers’ judgments about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these judgments may affect the return on your investment. In fact, no matter how good a job the sub-advisers do, you could lose money on your investment in the Fund, just as you could with other investments. If the sub-advisers are incorrect in their assessment of the income, growth or price realization potential of the Fund’s holdings or incorrect in its assessment of general market or economic conditions, then the value of the Fund’s shares may decline.

 

Market Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. 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. For example, since December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus has spread globally, which has resulted in the temporary closure of many corporate offices, retail stores, manufacturing facilities and factories, and other businesses across the world. As the extent of the impact on global markets from the coronavirus pandemic is difficult to predict, the extent to which the pandemic may negatively affect the Fund’s performance or the duration of any potential business disruption is uncertain. Any potential impact on performance will depend to a large extent on future developments and new information that may emerge regarding the duration and severity of the pandemic and the actions taken by authorities and other entities to contain the pandemic or treat its impact. The values of the securities in which the Fund invests could decline generally or could underperform other investments. Different types of securities tend to go through cycles of out-performance and under-performance in comparison to the general securities markets. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets generally. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates generally do not have the same impact on all types of securities and instruments.

 

Operational Risk. Your ability to transact in shares of the Fund or the valuation of your investment may be negatively impacted because of the operational risks arising from factors such as processing errors and human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology, changes in personnel, and errors caused by third party service providers or trading counterparties. Although the Fund attempts to minimize such failures through controls and oversight, it is not possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls that completely eliminate or mitigate the occurrence of such failures. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s investment strategies may result in relatively high portfolio turnover, which may result in increased transaction costs and may lower Fund performance. The relatively high portfolio turnover may also result in a substantial amount of distributions from the Fund to be characterized as short-term capital gain distributions. Short-term capital gain distributions from the Fund are subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates and are to be reported by shareholders as ordinary income on their U.S. federal income tax returns.

 

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Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties with which the Fund enters into repurchase agreements. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, the Fund may be unable to terminate or realize any gain on the transaction, or to recover collateral posted to the counterparty, resulting in a loss to the Fund. If the Fund holds collateral posted by its counterparty, it may be delayed or prevented from realizing on the collateral in the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding relating to the counterparty. Due to the limited number of banks handling clearing and settlement of certain repurchase agreements, parties entering into repurchase agreement transactions also could have increased exposure to risks associated with cyberattacks.

 

Risks of Investing in Closed-End Funds. The Fund may be subject to the following risks as a result of its investment in closed-end funds:

 

Anti-Takeover Provision Risk. The organizational documents of certain of the closed-end funds include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of a closed-end fund or to change the composition of its board, which could limit the ability of shareholders to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the closed-end fund.

 

Leverage Risk. The closed-end funds in which the Fund may invest may be leveraged. As a result, the Fund may be exposed indirectly to leverage through investment in the closed-end funds. An investment in securities of closed-end funds that use leverage may expose the Fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the Fund’s long-term returns on such securities (and, indirectly, the long-term returns of the shares) will be diminished. The closed-end funds may employ the use of leverage in their portfolios through the issuance of preferred shares, borrowing from banks or other methods. While this leverage often serves to increase yield, it also subjects a closed-end fund to increased risks. These risks may include the likelihood of increased volatility and the possibility that a closed-end fund’s common stock income will fall if the dividend rate on the preferred shares or the interest rate on any borrowings rises. The use of leverage is premised upon the expectation that the cost of leverage will be lower than the return on the investments made with the proceeds. However, if the income or capital appreciation from the securities purchased with such proceeds is not sufficient to cover the cost of leverage or if the closed-end fund incurs capital losses, the return to common stockholders, such as the Fund, will be less than if leverage had not been used. There can be no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful during any period in which it is employed.

 

Risk of Market Price Discount from/Premium to Net Asset Value. The shares of closed-end funds may trade at a discount or premium to their NAV. This characteristic is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that a closed-end fund’s NAV could decrease as a result of investment activities. Whether investors, such as the Fund, will realize gains or losses upon the sale of shares will depend not on the closed-end fund’s NAV, but entirely upon whether the market price of the closed-end fund’s shares at the time of sale is above or below an investor’s purchase price for shares.

 

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Trading Risk. Although Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained. Secondary market trading in the Fund’s shares may be halted by the Exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in the Fund’s shares is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund’s shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.

 

Shares of the Fund may trade at, above or below their most recent NAV. The per share NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings since the prior most recent calculation. The market prices of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply and demand. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from the value of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay more or receive less than the underlying value of the Fund shares bought or sold. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid and ask prices for the Fund’s shares quoted during the day or a premium or discount in the closing price from the Fund’s NAV. In stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. These factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV. However, given that shares of the Fund can be created and redeemed only in Creation Units at NAV (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs), the Adviser does not believe that large discounts or premiums to NAV will exist for extended periods of time. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade close to the Fund’s NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund’s NAV due to timing reasons as well as market supply and demand factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions or the existence of extreme volatility may result in trading prices that differ significantly from NAV.

 

As with all ETFs, the Fund’s shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the Fund’s shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. If a shareholder purchases at a time when the market price of the Fund is at a premium to its NAV or sells at time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

 

Investors buying or selling shares of the Fund in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Fund shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price that an investor is willing to pay for shares of the Fund (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell shares of the Fund (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for shares of the Fund based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of such shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in the Fund’s shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

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Portfolio Holdings

 

A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”).

 

Fund Management

 

Adviser

 

Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC, an Oklahoma limited liability company, is located at 10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120, its primary place of business, and 295 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10017. The Adviser was formed in 2009 and provides investment advisory services to other exchange-traded funds. The Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Fund and provides investment advisory services to the Fund primarily in the form of oversight of the sub-advisers, including daily monitoring of the purchase and sale of securities by the sub-advisers and regular review of the sub-advisers’ performance. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration and accounting, and other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate. The Adviser administers the Fund’s 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. For the services it provided to the Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, the Fund paid the Adviser a fee, calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 1.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.

 

Under the investment advisory agreement, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Fund except for the advisory fee, interest, 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 (“Excluded Expenses”).

 

Pursuant to an SEC exemptive order and subject to the conditions of that order, the Adviser may, with Board approval but without shareholder approval, change or select new sub-advisers, materially amend the terms of an agreement with a sub-adviser (including an increase in its fee), or continue the employment of a sub-adviser after an event that would otherwise cause the automatic termination of services. Shareholders will be notified of any such changes.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s most recent renewal of the investment advisory agreement with the Adviser is available in the Fund’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021.

 

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MacKay Shields

 

MacKay Shields LLC is a Delaware limited liability company with its principal offices at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105. MacKay Shields was incorporated in 1969 as an independent investment advisory firm and was privately held until 1984 when it became a wholly-owned, fully autonomous subsidiary of New York Life. MacKay Shields is responsible for selecting investments for its allocated portion of the Fund’s assets in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s most recent renewal of the sub-advisory agreement with MacKay Shields is available in the Fund’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021.

 

WhiteStar

 

WhiteStar Asset Management LLC is a Delaware limited liability company with its principal offices at 300 Crescent Court, Suite 200 Dallas, Texas 75201. WhiteStar was formed in 2013 and provides investment advisory services, including as collateral manager for pooled investment vehicles that are collateralized loan obligation funds. WhiteStar is responsible for selecting investments for its allocated portion of the Fund’s assets in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions. WhiteStar also is responsible for trading portfolio securities and other investment instruments on behalf of the Fund and selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the Board.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s most recent renewal of the sub-advisory agreement with WhiteStar is available in the Fund’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021.

 

Fund Sponsor

 

The Adviser has entered into an agreement with Cobalt Falcon, LLC (the “Sponsor”) pursuant to which the Sponsor has agreed to (i) provide administrative and other support with respect to the Fund and (ii) assume the obligation of the Adviser to pay all expenses of the Fund (except the Excluded Expenses) and, to the extent applicable, pay the Adviser a minimum fee under the arrangement. For its services, the Sponsor is entitled to a fee from the Adviser, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, based on a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund.  The Sponsor does not make investment decisions, provide investment advice, or otherwise act in the capacity of an investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Michael DePalma joined MacKay Shields in 2019. Prior to joining MacKay Shields, Mr. DePalma was CEO and co-CIO of PhaseCapital LP, a boutique asset manager that managed both credit and global macro strategies, including the Fund. Before that, Mr. DePalma was CIO of Quantitative Investment Strategies and Head of Fixed Income Absolute Return Strategies at AllianceBernstein, where he worked for 25 years.

 

Michael Ning joined MacKay Shields in 2019. Prior to joining MacKay Shields, Dr. Ning was co-CIO and Director of Risk Management at PhaseCapital LP, the Fund’s prior sub-adviser. Before joining PhaseCapital, Dr. Ning was a portfolio manager at First Eagle Investments where he managed multi-asset and tail hedging strategies. Before joining First Eagle, he spent 12 years at AllianceBernstein in various roles, more recently as portfolio manager for Unconstrained Bond and Fixed Income Macro strategies, as well as Director of Research for Credit and Absolute Return Strategies.

 

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Gibran Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of WhiteStar, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since August 2019. Prior to joining WhiteStar in 2013, Mr. Mahmud was a Senior Vice President and Head of Mergers, Acquisitions and Business Strategy for a private family office. Previously Mr. Mahmud served as Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Structured Products at Highland Capital Management, L.P. Prior to joining Highland in 2001, he served as a Senior Analyst at Fleet Capital where he was involved in originating, structuring, modeling and credit analysis for clients primarily in the manufacturing, retail and services industries. Prior to joining Fleet, in 2000, he was a Senior Auditor at Arthur Andersen. Mr. Mahmud received a Master of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Baylor University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

 

Barry Boland, portfolio manager of WhiteStar, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since August 2019. Prior to joining WhiteStar in 2014, Mr. Boland was an Associate Director in the Proprietary Investing group of ORIX USA, where he managed a portfolio of leveraged loans, high yield bonds, equities, and derivatives. Prior to joining Orix in 2006, Mr. Boland was a proprietary trader with Hold Brothers, a direct access equity trading firm. Prior to joining Hold Brothers in 2001, Mr. Boland was a senior auditor with Ernst & Young. Mr. Boland began his career as a staff auditor with Deloitte & Touche. Mr. Boland received a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics for Finance from Baruch College, City University of New York and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Oklahoma.

 

Nathan Hall, portfolio manager of WhiteStar, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since August 2019. Before joining WhiteStar in 2013, Mr. Hall served as a Vice President with H.I.G. WhiteHorse, managing a portfolio of syndicated bank loans. Additionally, Mr. Hall worked with Managing Directors at Bayside Capital, the distressed debt affiliate of H.I.G., to source, evaluate, and manage distressed debt investments across multiple sectors from inception to ultimate resolution. Prior to joining WhiteHorse in 2007, Mr. Hall worked at an integrated asset management firm, gaining exposure to bank debt, bonds, and equities across a wide variety of structures and strategies. He has also received credit management and underwriting training from Wells Fargo. Mr. Hall received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Texas A&M University.

 

The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed, and ownership of Fund shares.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

General

 

Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange. When you buy or sell the Fund’s shares on the secondary market, you will pay or receive the market price. You may incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. The shares of the Fund will trade on the Exchange at prices that may differ to varying degrees from the daily NAV of such shares. A business day with respect to the Fund is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. The Exchange is generally open Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

 

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NAV per share of the Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by its total number of shares outstanding. Expenses and fees, including management and distribution fees, if any, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. NAV is determined each business day, normally as of the close of regular trading of the New York Stock Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time).

 

When determining NAV, the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities is based on market prices of the securities, which generally means a valuation obtained from an exchange or other market (or based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of the value supplied by an exchange or other market) or a valuation obtained from an independent pricing service. If a security’s market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of the security, the security will be valued by another method that the Trust’s Valuation Committee believes will better reflect fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures, which were approved by the Board. Fair value pricing may be used in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, situations when the value of a security in the Fund’s portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which the security is principally traded but prior to the close of the Exchange (such as in the case of a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of a security) or trading in a security has been suspended or halted. Accordingly, the Fund’s NAV may reflect certain portfolio securities’ fair values rather than their market prices.

 

Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security will materially differ from the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security.

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares

 

The Fund does not impose any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Creation Units; however, the Fund reserves the right to reject or limit purchases at any time as described in the SAI. When considering that no restriction or policy was necessary, the Board evaluated the risks posed by arbitrage and market timing activities, such as whether frequent purchases and redemptions would interfere with the efficient implementation of the Fund’s investment strategy, or whether they would cause the Fund to experience increased transaction costs. The Board considered that, unlike traditional mutual funds, shares of the Fund are issued and redeemed only in large quantities of shares known as Creation Units available only from the Fund directly to Authorized Participants, and that most trading in the Fund occurs on the Exchange at prevailing market prices and does not involve the Fund directly. Given this structure, the Board determined that it is unlikely that trading due to arbitrage opportunities or market timing by shareholders would result in negative impact to the Fund or its shareholders. In addition, frequent trading of shares of the Fund by Authorized Participants and arbitrageurs is critical to ensuring that the market price remains at or close to NAV.

 

23

 

 

Distribution and Service Plan

 

The Fund has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act pursuant to which payments of up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets may be made for the sale and distribution of its shares. No payments pursuant to the Distribution and Service Plan will be made during the twelve (12) month period from the date of this Prospectus. Thereafter, 12b-1 fees may only be imposed after approval by the Board. Because these fees, if imposed, would be paid out of the Fund’s assets on an on-going basis, if payments are made in the future, these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.

 

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

 

Fund Distributions

 

The Fund generally pays out dividends from its net investment income monthly and distributes its net capital gains, if any, to investors at least annually. In so doing, the Fund seeks to make cash distributions once per month throughout a calendar year based on a rate determined at the beginning of the year. This rate is based on the sub-advisers’ annual projection of income and forecast of interest rates for the upcoming year. Thus, the rate will vary from year to year. Further, the rate may be adjusted at any time during a given year. The sub-advisers monitor the Fund’s distributions, the expected cash flow from investments and other metrics in determining whether to adjust the distribution rate during the course of a year. A portion of the distributions made by the Fund may be treated as return of capital for tax purposes. Shareholders who receive a payment of a distribution consisting of a return of capital may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits when, in fact, they are not. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net profit. One or more additional distributions may be made generally in December or after the Fund’s fiscal year-end to comply with applicable law. The Fund will declare and pay capital gain distributions in cash. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional shares of the Fund only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service

 

Brokers may make available to their customers who own shares of the Fund the Depository Trust Company book-entry dividend reinvestment service. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased on the secondary market. Without this service, investors would receive their distributions in cash. To determine whether the dividend reinvestment service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using this service, consult your broker. Brokers may require the Fund’s shareholders to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.

 

24

 

 

Tax Information

 

The following is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax issues that affect the Fund and its shareholders. The summary is based on current tax laws, which may be changed by legislative, judicial or administrative action. You should not consider this summary to be a comprehensive explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund, or the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund. This summary does not apply to shares of the Fund held in an individual retirement account or other tax-qualified plans, which are generally not subject to current tax. Transactions relating to shares held in such accounts may, however, be taxable at some time in the future. More information about taxes is located in the SAI.

 

You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding specific questions as to federal, state, and local income taxes regarding your investment in the Fund.

 

Tax Status of the Fund

 

The Fund has elected and intends to qualify for the special tax treatment afforded to regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Internal Revenue Code”). If the Fund maintains its qualification as a regulated investment company and meets certain minimum distribution requirements, then the Fund is generally not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, if the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company or to meet minimum distribution requirements it would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and consequently a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

 

Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions, you sell Fund shares and you purchase or redeem Creation Units (Authorized Participants only).

 

Tax Status of Distributions

 

The Fund intends to distribute for each year substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains income.

 

Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares.

 

The income dividends you receive from the Fund may be taxed as either ordinary income or “qualified dividend income.” Dividends that are reported by the Fund as qualified dividend income are generally taxable to non-corporate shareholders at a maximum tax rate currently set at 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). Qualified dividend income generally is income derived from dividends paid to the Fund by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that the Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. For such dividends to be taxed as qualified dividend income to a non-corporate shareholder, the Fund must satisfy certain holding period requirements with respect to the underlying stock and the non-corporate shareholder must satisfy holding period requirements with respect to his or her ownership of the Fund’s shares. Holding periods may be suspended for these purposes for stock that is hedged. The Fund's investment strategies will significantly limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income.

 

25

 

 

Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned its shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from the Fund’s short-term capital gains are generally taxable as ordinary income. Distributions from the Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) are taxable as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your shares. For non-corporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally taxable at a maximum tax rate currently set at 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets).

 

The Fund’s investments may make return of capital distributions to the Fund, which in turn may cause shareholders to receive distributions from the Fund that would generally be treated as a return of capital for tax purposes. This may occur if the Fund makes total distributions during a given calendar year in an amount that exceeds the Fund’s net investment income and net capital gain for that calendar year; the excess would generally be treated by shareholders as a return of capital for tax purposes.  A return of capital reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in such shareholder’s Fund shares, which could result in an increased tax liability or decreased loss when the shareholder sells his or her shares. This may cause the shareholder to pay taxes even if he or she sells shares for less than the original price.

 

Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. The Fund’s trading strategies will significantly limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations.

 

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. However, distributions paid in January but declared by the Fund in October, November or December of the previous year payable to shareholders of record in such a month may be taxable to you in the previous year.

 

Under recently issued final Treasury Regulations, a RIC that receives business interest income may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Internal Revenue Code. A RIC’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. A RIC may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j). This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j). In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in the Fund for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by the Fund, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”).

 

26

 

 

You should note that if you purchase shares just before a distribution, the purchase price would reflect the amount of the upcoming distribution. In this case, you would be taxed on the entire amount of the distribution received, even though, as an economic matter, the distribution simply constitutes a return of your investment. This is known as “buying a dividend” and should be avoided by taxable investors.

 

The Fund (or your broker) will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income, and net capital gain distributions shortly after the close of each calendar year.

 

Tax Status of Share Transactions

 

Each sale of Fund shares or redemption of Creation Units will generally be a taxable event to you. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than twelve months. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for twelve months or less is generally treated as short-term gain or loss. Any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent distributions of long-term capital gain were paid (or treated as paid) with respect to such shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent shares of the Fund are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.

 

An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize gain or loss from the exchange. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between (i) the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange plus any cash received in the exchange and (ii) the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash paid for the Creation Units. An Authorized Participant who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and (ii) the aggregate market value of the securities and the amount of cash received. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for a person who does not mark-to-market their holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sales rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

 

The Fund may include cash when paying the redemption price for Creation Units in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities. The Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

 

27

 

 

Foreign Taxes

 

To the extent the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund receives from sources in foreign countries. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund consist of foreign securities, the Fund will be eligible to elect to treat some of those taxes as a distribution to shareholders, which would allow shareholders to offset some of their U.S. federal income tax. The Fund (or your broker) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.

 

Net Investment Income Tax

 

U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (including certain capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of shares of the Fund). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.

 

Non-U.S. Investors

 

If you are a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation, trust or estate, (i) the Fund’s ordinary income dividends will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies, but (ii) gains from the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless you are a nonresident alien individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Non-U.S. shareholders who fail to provide an IRS form may be subject to backup withholding on certain payments from the Fund. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that are subject to the 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) withholding tax described in this paragraph. Different tax consequences may result if you are a foreign shareholder engaged in a trade or business within the United States or if you are a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty.

 

Backup Withholding

 

The Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which shareholders own Fund shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal income tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Fund under all applicable tax laws.

 

28

 

 

More information about taxes is in the SAI.

 

Additional Information

 

Investments by Other Registered Investment Companies

 

For purposes of the 1940 Act, the Fund is treated as a registered investment company. Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Fund. The SEC has issued an exemptive order on which the Trust relies permitting registered investment companies to invest in exchange-traded funds offered by the Trust, including the Fund, beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such registered investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust. The SEC recently adopted changes to the regulatory framework for fund of funds arrangements and, as a result, the Trust’s exemptive order will be rescinded by the SEC on January 19, 2022. However, effective January 19, 2021, new Rule 12d1-4 permits other investment companies to invest in the Fund beyond the limits in Section 12(d)(1), subject to similar conditions.

 

Continuous Offering

 

The method by which Creation Units are purchased and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the Prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.

 

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Fund’s distributor, breaks them down into individual shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares of the Fund. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to categorization as an underwriter.

 

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares of the Fund, whether or not participating in the distribution of such shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available with respect to such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker dealer-firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with shares of the Fund that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that under Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the Fund’s Prospectus is available on the SEC’s electronic filing system. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.

 

Premium/Discount Information

 

Information regarding how often the shares of the Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund for various time periods can be found at www.hyldetf.com.

 

29

 

 

Financial Highlights

 

On June 22, 2018, the Fund acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the Predecessor Fund in exchange for shares of beneficial interest of the Fund. As a result of the Reorganization, the Fund adopted the financial and performance history of the Predecessor Fund.

 

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the past five years. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions).

 

The information for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 has been derived from the financial statements audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, are included in the Fund’s Annual Report, which is available upon request. The information for the fiscal years June 30, 2017 and prior were audited by the independent registered public accounting firm for the Predecessor Fund (“Predecessor Accounting Firm”). The reports of the Predecessor Accounting Firm, along with the Predecessor Fund’s financial statements (which have been adopted by the Fund), are included in the annual reports of the Predecessor Fund, which are available upon request.

 

30

 

 

Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the years indicated.

        Investment Activities   Distribution to
Shareholders From
              Ratios to Average Net Assets   Supplemental Data
    Net Asset
Value,
Beginning
of Year
  Net
Investment
Income(1)
  Net
Realized and Unrealized
Gain
(Loss) on
Investments
  Distributions
of Net
Realized
Gains
by other
Investment
Companies
  Total from
Investment
Activities(2)
  Net
Investment
Income
  Return of
Capital
  Total
Distributions
  Net
Asset
Value,
End of
Year
  Total
Return(3)
  Total
Return
at
Market
Price(4)
  Expenses, net
of expense
waivers and
reimbursements
  Expenses, prior
to expense
waivers and
reimbursements
  Net
Investment
Income
  Net
Assets at
End of Period (000’s)
  Portfolio
Turnover(6)
High Yield ETF                                                                
Year Ended
June 30, 2021
  $29.42   $1.65   $ 3.66   $   —   $ 5.31   $(1.72)   $(0.58)   $(2.30)   $32.43   18.58%   19.23%   1.25%   1.25%   5.23%   $131,360   90%
Year Ended
June 30, 2020
  $34.58   $2.17   $(4.92)   $   —   $(2.75)   $(2.27)   $(0.14)   $(2.41)   $29.42   (8.27)%   (7.68)%   1.25%   1.25%   6.67%   $   98,542   101%
Year Ended
June 30, 2019
  $36.72   $2.66   $(2.16)   $   —   $ 0.50   $(2.64)   $   —   $(2.64)   $34.58   1.47%   1.26%   1.25%(8)   1.25%(8)   7.51%   $141,785   74%
Year Ended
June 30, 2018
  $36.52   $2.66   $ 0.23   $   —   $ 2.89   $(2.69)   $   —   $(2.69)   $36.72   8.19%   9.34%   1.28%(5)   1.28%(5)   7.23%   $176,253   133%
Year Ended
June 30, 2017
  $33.88   $2.71   $ 2.49   $0.00(7)   $ 5.20   $(2.56)   $   —   $(2.56)   $36.52   15.72%   14.33%   1.24%   1.24%   7.55%   $169,810   147%

 

(1) Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
(2) The amount shown for a share distribution throughout the period may not correlate with the Statement of Operations for the period due to the timing of sales and repurchases of Fund Shares in relation to income earned and/or fluctuating fair value of the investments of the Fund.
(3) Net asset value total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions on ex-date, if any, at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period.
(4) Market value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at market value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market value during the period, if any, and redemption on the last day of the period at market value. Market value is determined by the composite closing price. Composite closing security price is defined as the last reported sale price on the NYSE Arca, Inc., regardless of volume, and not an average price, and may have occurred on a date prior to the close of the reporting period. Market value may be greater or less than net asset value, depending on the Fund’s closing price on the NYSE Arca, Inc.
(5) The expense ratio includes expense for Dividend Payable on Securities Sold Short which was less than 0.005% for the year ended June 30, 2018.
(6) Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized and excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s Shares.
(7) Amount represents less than $0.005 or 0.005%.
(8) Effective July 1, 2018, the Fund changed its expenses to a unitary fee and waivers and reimbursements have been discontinued.

 

31

 

 

Exchange Listed Funds Trust

10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120

 

ANNUAL/SEMI-ANNUAL REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS

 

Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.

 

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SAI)

 

The SAI provides more detailed information about the Fund. The SAI is incorporated by reference into, and is thus legally a part of, this Prospectus.

 

HOUSEHOLDING

 

Householding is an option available to certain Fund investors. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.

 

HOW TO OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND

 

To request a free copy of the latest annual or semi-annual report or the SAI, or to request additional information about the Fund or to make other inquiries, please contact us as follows:

 

Call:

1-844-880-3837

Monday through Friday

8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)

Write:  

Exchange Listed Funds Trust

10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120

       
Visit: www.hyldetf.com    

 

The SAI and other information are also available from a financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) through which the Fund’s shares may be purchased or sold.

 

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

 

Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of this information also may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by emailing the SEC at [email protected].

 

The Trust’s Investment Company Act file number: 811-22700