GRANITESHARES FUNDS

 

Prospectus

October 28, 2022

 

GRANITESHARES FUNDS   NYSE ARCA, INC. TICKER SYMBOL
GraniteShares Bloomberg Commodity Broad Strategy No K-1 ETF   COMB
GraniteShares HIPS US High Income ETF   HIPS
GraniteShares XOUT U.S. Large Cap ETF   XOUT

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission have not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

GraniteShares Funds are advised by GraniteShares Advisors LLC.

 

 
 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

  Page
   
GraniteShares Bloomberg Commodity Broad Strategy No K-1 ETF – Summary 1
   
GraniteShares HIPS US High Income ETF – Summary 13
   
GraniteShares XOUT U.S. Large Cap ETF – Summary 24
   
Additional Information about the Funds’ Investment Objectives, Strategies and Risks 29
   
Fund Website and Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings 59
   
Fund Management 60
   
Buying and Selling Shares 61
   
Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes 62
   
Distribution of Fund Shares 65
   
Premium/Discount Information 65
   
Fund Service Providers 66
   
Financial Highlights 66

 
 

 

GraniteShares Bloomberg Commodity Broad Strategy No K-1 ETF – Summary

 

Investment Objective

 

The GraniteShares Bloomberg Commodity Broad Strategy No K-1 ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation, primarily through exposure to commodity futures markets.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund(“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors 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     1
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fee     0.25 %
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees     None
Other Expenses     0.00 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1)     0.25 %

  

 
  (1) The investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) between the Fund and GraniteShares Advisors LLC (“GraniteShares” or the “Adviser”) provides that, for the duration of the Advisory Agreement, GraniteShares will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except for the Management Fee, payments made under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if or when such fees are imposed), brokerage commissions and other expenses connected to the execution of portfolio transactions, interest expense, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.

 

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. The figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.

 

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

1 Year     3 Years     5 Years     10 Years  
$ 26     $ 80     $ 141     $ 318  

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it, directly or indirectly through a subsidiary, buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 0% of the average value of its portfolio, since the Fund invested only in instruments that are excluded from portfolio turnover rate calculations. However, if the Fund’s use of derivatives were reflected, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate would be higher.

 

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Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation, primarily through exposure to commodity futures markets. The Fund’s investment strategy is based in part on the Bloomberg Commodity Index (the “COMB Benchmark”), which is designed to be a highly liquid and broad benchmark for commodities futures investments. The COMB Benchmark provides broad-based exposure to commodities as an asset class, since no single commodity or commodity sector dominates the COMB Benchmark. The weightings of the components of the COMB Benchmark are based on (1) liquidity data, which is the relative amount of trading activity of a particular commodity; (2) production data, which measures the importance of a commodity to the world economy; and (3) diversification rules that attempt to reduce disproportionate weightings of any single commodity. Rather than being driven by micro-economic events affecting one commodity market or sector, the COMB Benchmark is comprised of futures contracts on a broad basket of underlying commodities, which potentially reduces volatility in comparison with narrower commodity baskets.

 

Currently, the COMB Benchmark consists of 23 commodities futures contracts with respect to 21 commodities: aluminum, coffee, copper, corn, cotton, crude oil (West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude oil futures), gold, Ultra-Low Sulphur (ULS) Diesel, lean hogs, live cattle, low sulfur gas oil, natural gas, nickel, silver, soybean meal, soybean oil, soybeans, sugar, unleaded gas, wheat (Chicago Soft Red Winter (SRW) and Kansas City Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat futures), and zinc. The COMB Benchmark reflects the return from these commodity futures contracts.

 

While the Fund generally will seek exposure to the commodity futures markets included in the COMB Benchmark, the Fund is not an index tracking ETF and will seek to enhance its performance, in part through a cash management strategy consisting of investments in investment grade fixed income securities issued by various U.S. public-sector or corporate entities (collectively, “Fixed Income Securities”). The Adviser will use Fixed Income Securities to generate a total return for investors and exercise its discretion in the use of such instruments to seek to optimize the investment performance of the Fund. In addition, the Fund at times may actively select investments with differing maturities from the underlying components of the COMB Benchmark, may not invest in all of the COMB Benchmark’s components or in the same proportion as the COMB Benchmark, may invest in commodity-linked derivative instruments and other commodity-linked instruments outside the COMB Benchmark, and may emphasize certain commodity sectors more than others.

 

The Fund is called “No K-1” because it is designed to operate differently than commodity-based exchange traded funds that distribute a “Schedule K-1” to shareholders. Schedule K-1 is a tax document that contains information regarding a fund’s income and expenses. Schedule K-1 is a complex form and shareholders may find that preparing tax returns requires additional time or the assistance of a professional tax adviser, at additional expense to the shareholder. In contrast, the Fund is designed to be taxed like a conventional mutual fund and therefore will deliver a Form 1099 to investors, from which income, gains, and losses can be reported on the investor’s tax return. To deliver Form 1099 consistent with applicable tax law, the Fund currently invests in an underlying subsidiary, as discussed below.

 

The Fund currently gains exposure to the commodity futures markets by investing in commodity futures contracts (“Commodity Futures”). The Fund does not expect to invest directly in Commodity Futures. The Fund gains exposure to these investments by investing a portion of its assets in the GraniteShares COMB Cayman Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary is advised by the Adviser, and the Adviser complies with the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), relating to advisory contracts. Unlike the Fund, the Subsidiary is not an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary is intended to provide the Fund with exposure to commodity futures markets consistent with current U.S. federal income tax laws applicable to investment companies such as the Fund, which limit the ability of investment companies to invest directly in Commodity Futures. The Subsidiary has the same investment objective and will follow the same general investment policies and restrictions as the Fund. The Fund will invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. The Fund complies with the provisions of the 1940 Act governing capital structure and leverage on an aggregate basis with the Subsidiary. Except as otherwise noted, references to the Fund’s investment strategies and risks include those of the Subsidiary.

 

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The Fund’s principal investments are described below.

 

Commodity-linked derivative instruments. Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, metals, and agricultural products. A commodity-linked instrument is a financial instrument whose value is linked to the price movement of an underlying commodity or commodity index. The value of commodity-linked instruments may be affected by overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes, or political and regulatory developments.

 

  Commodity Futures: The Fund currently gains exposure to the commodity futures markets by investing in Commodity Futures through the Subsidiary. A Commodity Futures is a standardized contract traded on, or subject to the rules of, an exchange that calls for the future delivery of a specified quantity and type of underlying commodity at a specified time and place or, alternatively, may call for cash settlement.
     
  Swap Agreements: Commodity-linked swap agreements (“Commodity Swaps” or “Swaps”) are contractual agreements whereby the cash flows agreed upon between the parties to the agreement are dependent upon the price of the underlying commodity or commodity index over the life of the swap. The Fund may enter into certain Commodity Swaps in the “over the counter” (“OTC”) market, that is, by negotiating directly with a third party called a “counterparty.” Other Commodity Swaps are cleared through a central counterparty and executed through a futures commission merchant. The Fund will invest in cleared Commodity Swaps through the Subsidiary and OTC Swaps directly or through the Subsidiary. The Fund may invest in Commodity Swaps as its assets grow.

 

Other commodity-linked instruments. The Fund may invest in other instruments whose value goes up or down based on price movements of underlying physical commodities, such as commodity-linked notes, exchange-traded products providing exposure to commodities (including exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) and other ETFs) and other investment companies. An ETN is an unsecured debt security that trades on an established exchange. Its underlying value is based on the value of an index, commodity, interest rate or other objectively determined reference. A commodity-linked note is an instrument that has characteristics of both a debt security and a commodity-linked derivative instrument. It typically makes interest payments like a debt security, and at maturity, the principal payment is linked to the price movement of a commodity, commodity index, or Commodity Futures contract.

 

Fixed Income Securities. The Fund will invest in Fixed Income Securities. The Fixed Income Securities in which the Fund may invest include U.S. government securities, U.S. government agency securities, corporate bonds, debentures and notes, mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, event-linked bonds, bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper and other short-term fixed income securities with maturities of up to two years. The Fund’s Fixed Income Securities earn interest income for the Fund and can be used as collateral (also referred to as “margin”) for the Fund’s investments in Commodity Futures. The Fund does not target a specific duration or maturity for the Fixed Income Securities in which it invests. The average duration of the portfolio of Fixed Income Securities will vary based on interest rates.

 

The Fund is “non-diversified,” meaning that a relatively high percentage of its assets may be invested in a limited number of issuers of securities.

 

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Concentration Policy

 

The Fund may not concentrate its investments (i.e., invest more than 25% of the value of its total assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries. This restriction will not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or securities of other investment companies.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You Could Lose Money by Investing in the Fund.

 

Principal risk factors for the Fund are discussed below. The Fund may be subject to other risks in addition to those identified as principal risks. Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. The investment program of the Fund is speculative, entails substantial risks and includes asset classes and investment techniques not employed by more traditional mutual funds and ETFs. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.

 

Investments in the Fund are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

 

Agricultural Sector Investment Risk

The performance of the Fund in part is linked to the daily performance of the spot price of certain agricultural commodities, including soybeans, corn, soybean meal, soybean oil, wheat, coffee, sugar, cocoa and cotton. Investments in the agriculture sector may be highly volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably due to a number of factors, including the supply of, and demand of, each agricultural commodity, legislative or regulatory developments relating to food safety, political, legal, financial, accounting and tax matters and other events that the Fund cannot control. In addition, increased competition caused by economic recession, labor difficulties and changing consumer tastes and spending can affect the demand for agricultural products, and consequently the value of investments in that sector. As a result, the price of an agricultural commodity could decline, which would materially affect an investment in the Fund if it held or had exposure to that commodity.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk

 

Only an authorized participant that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor (an “Authorized Participant”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and none of those Authorized Participants is obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to net asset value (“NAV”) and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Cash Transaction Risk

 

Creation and redemption transactions are expected to generally settle through payments of cash and/or Fixed Income Securities, which will cause the Fund to incur certain costs, such as brokerage costs, that it would not incur if it made in-kind redemptions. Other ETFs generally are able to make in-kind redemptions and avoid realized gains in connection with transactions designed to meet redemption requests. Because the Fund may effect redemptions principally for cash, rather than in-kind distributions, it may be required to sell financial instruments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute the redemption proceeds. Such cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities or commodities markets are relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees. These brokerage fees, which will be higher than if the Fund redeemed its Shares in-kind, will be passed on to redeemers of creation units in the form of redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and the offered prices of the Fund’s Shares than for more conventional ETFs (for example, those that track an index of corporate equity securities). In addition, an investment in the Fund’s Shares may be less tax efficient than investments in shares of conventional ETFs, and there may be a substantial difference in the after-tax rate of return between the Fund and conventional ETFs.

 

Clearing Broker Risk

 

The failure or bankruptcy of the Fund’s clearing broker could result in a substantial loss of Fund assets. Under current Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) regulations, a clearing broker maintains customers’ assets in a bulk-segregated account. If a clearing broker fails to do so, or is unable to satisfy a substantial deficit in a customer account, its other customers may be subject to risk of loss of their funds in the event of that clearing broker’s bankruptcy. In that event, the clearing broker’s customers, such as the Fund, are entitled to recover, even in respect of property specifically traceable to them, only a proportional share of all property available for distribution to all of that clearing broker’s customers.

 

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Commodity and Commodity-Linked Derivative Risk

 

Commodities. The Fund’s exposure to investments in physical commodities presents unique risks. Investing in physical commodities, including through commodity-linked derivative instruments such as Commodity Futures, Commodity Swaps, as well as other commodity-linked instruments, is speculative and can be extremely volatile. Market prices of commodities may fluctuate rapidly based on numerous factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships (whether actual, perceived, anticipated, unanticipated or unrealized); weather; agriculture; trade; domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies; diseases; pestilence; technological developments; currency exchange rate fluctuations; and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction.

 

Commodity-Linked Derivative Instruments. The use of commodity-linked derivative instruments by the Fund involves risks that are different from, and in many cases greater than, the risk associated with investing in other financial instruments. The value of a commodity-linked derivative instrument generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, minerals, or agricultural products), a futures contract, swap or commodity index, or other economic variables linked to changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets. The commodities-linked derivative instruments in which the Fund invests tend to be more volatile than many other types of financial instruments and may subject the Fund to special risks that do not apply to all derivatives transactions. Also, a liquid secondary market may not exist for the types of commodity-linked derivative instruments the Fund buys, which may make it difficult for the Fund to sell them at an acceptable price. The Fund’s ability to gain exposure to commodity-linked investments and achieve its investment objective may be limited by its intention to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”).

 

Commodity Futures. Risks of Commodity Futures include: (i) an imperfect correlation between the value of the futures contract and the underlying commodity or commodity index; (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market; (iii) the inability to close a futures contract when desired; (iv) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which may be unlimited; and (v) an obligation for the Fund to make daily cash payments to maintain its required collateral, or margin, particularly at times when the Fund may have insufficient cash or must sell securities to meet those margin requirements. Although the counterparty to an exchange-traded futures contract is often backed by a futures commission merchant (“FCM”) or clearing organization that is further backed by a group of financial institutions, there may be instances in which the FCM or the clearing organization could fail to perform its obligations, causing significant losses to the Fund. For example, the Fund could lose margin payments it has deposited with a clearing organization as well as any gains owed but not paid to the Fund, if the clearing organization becomes insolvent or otherwise fails to perform its obligations.

 

Commodity Swaps. If a counterparty to a Commodity Swap agreement becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations under the Commodity Swap due to financial difficulties, the Fund could suffer losses. Central clearing is designed to reduce counterparty credit risk compared to uncleared Commodity Swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant’s swap, but it does not eliminate those risks completely. Credit risk of cleared Commodity Swap participants is concentrated in a few clearinghouses and the consequences of insolvency of a clearinghouse are not clear. Under certain market conditions, the Fund may invest in a single Commodity Swap, and a bankruptcy or other performance failure by the counterparty to the Commodity Swap could cause the Fund to lose the assets held by the swap provider. Commodity Swaps are subject to pricing risk (i.e., Commodity Swaps may be hard to value) and may be considered illiquid.

 

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Commodity-Linked Note Risk

 

Commodity-linked notes have characteristics of both a debt security and a derivative. Typically, they are issued by a bank at a specified face value and pay a fixed or floating rate linked to the performance of an underlying asset, such as commodity indices, particular commodities or commodity futures contracts. As such, the Fund faces the economic risk of movements in commodity prices by investing in such notes. These notes also are subject to credit, market and interest rate risks that in general affect the values of debt securities.

 

Commodity Pool Risk

 

Under regulations promulgated by the CFTC, the Fund and the Subsidiary are considered commodity pools, and therefore are subject to regulation under the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC rules. The Adviser is registered as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”), and it will manage the Fund and the Subsidiary in accordance with applicable CFTC rules, as well as the rules that apply to registered investment companies. Registration as a CPO subjects the registrant to additional laws, regulations and enforcement policies, all of which may affect the operations of the Fund. Additionally, the Subsidiary’s positions in Commodity Futures may have to be liquidated at disadvantageous times or prices to prevent the Fund from exceeding any applicable position limits established by the CFTC. Such actions may subject the Fund to substantial losses.

 

Credit Risk

 

Credit risk is the risk that the value of debt instruments may decline if the issuer thereof defaults or otherwise becomes unable or unwilling, or is perceived to be unable or unwilling, to honor its financial obligations, such as making payments to the Fund when due.

 

Cyber Security Risk

 

Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Adviser, and the Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Energy Sector Investment Risk

The performance of the Fund in part is linked to the daily performance of the spot price of certain energy-related commodities, including WTI crude oil, Brent Crude Oil, gas oil, heating oil, low sulfur gas oil, RBOB gasoline, ULS diesel and natural gas. The market values of such commodities are strongly affected by the supply of, and demand for, those commodities, as well as, among other factors, capital expenditures on exploration and production, energy conservation efforts, domestic and foreign government regulation and subsidization, international politics, policies of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), taxation, tariffs, world events, technological advances and general economic conditions. Therefore, energy commodities are subject to swift price fluctuations, and investments in such commodities can be cyclical and/or highly volatile. Additionally, significant declines in the price of oil may contribute to significant market volatility, which may materially impact the Fund’s performance. For example, in the spring of 2020, oil and natural gas prices collapsed amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic slowdown. OPEC and its allies agreed to historic production cuts to stabilize prices, but prices dropped to 20-year lows and certain futures contract prices became negative for a short period of time. This development demonstrates that the oil market, and the energy sector more broadly, may be subject to particularly severe market swings.

 

Exchange-Traded Note Risk

 

ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities of an issuer that are listed and traded on a U.S. stock exchange. An ETN’s returns generally are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy minus applicable fees. ETNs do not provide principal protection and may or may not make periodic coupon payments. ETNs have a maturity date and generally are backed only by the creditworthiness of the issuer. As a result, ETNs are subject to credit risk, which is the risk that the issuer cannot pay interest or repay principal when it is due. The value of an ETN also may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset.

 

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Fixed Income Securities Risk

 

The market value of Fixed Income Securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed Income Securities are also subject to credit risk.

 

Investments in Fixed Income Securities may also involve the following risks, depending on the instrument involved:

 

  Asset-Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk – The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments.
     
  Credit Risk – An investment in the Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a Fixed Income Security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return.
     
  Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly.
     
  Extension Risk – Payment on the loans underlying Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may be made more slowly when interest rates are rising.
     
  Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets.
     
  Prepayment Risk – When interest rates are declining, issuers of Fixed Income Securities held by the Fund may prepay principal earlier than scheduled.

 

Gap Risk

 

The Fund is subject to the risk that a commodity price will change from one level to another with no trading in between. Usually such movements occur when there are adverse news announcements while commodity markets are closed, which can cause the price of a commodity to drop substantially from the previous day’s closing price.

 

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Increased Competition Risk

 

The Adviser believes that there has been, over time, a general increase in interest in commodity investing. As the Adviser’s assets under management invested directly or indirectly in the commodities markets increases, an increasing number of traders may attempt to initiate or liquidate substantial positions at or about the same time as the Adviser, or otherwise alter historical trading patterns or affect the execution of trades, to the detriment of the Fund.

 

Index-Related Risk

 

Errors in COMB Benchmark data, COMB Benchmark computations and/or the construction of the COMB Benchmark in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by Bloomberg Finance L.P., the index provider, for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the COMB Benchmark, and, therefore, any changes to the COMB Benchmark’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the Fund’s rebalance schedule.

 

Investment Company Risk

 

An investment in other investment companies (including other ETFs) is subject to the risks associated with those investment companies, which include, but are not limited to, the risk that such fund’s investment strategy may not produce the intended results; the risk that securities in such fund may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes; and the risk that the fund will be concentrated in a particular issuer, market, industry or sector, and therefore will be especially susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, market, industry or sector. Moreover, the Fund will incur duplicative expenses from such investments, bearing its share of that underlying fund’s expenses while also paying its own advisory and administrative fees.

 

Leverage Risk

 

While the Fund does not seek leveraged returns, the Fund’s use of certain derivatives may create investment leverage. This means that the derivative position may provide the Fund with investment exposure greater than the value of the Fund’s investment in the derivative. As a result, these derivatives may magnify losses to the Fund, and even a small market movement may result in significant losses to the Fund.

 

Liquidity Risk

 

The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Illiquid investments may be more difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. In addition, a lack of liquidity in the market for the Shares may lead to differences between the market price of the Fund’s Shares and their underlying value.

 

A potential rise in interest rates may result in periods of volatility and reduced liquidity with respect to the Fund’s investments in Fixed Income Securities. A reduction in dealer market-making capacity in fixed income markets that has occurred in recent years also has the potential to decrease liquidity.

 

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Management Risk

 

The Fund is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s portfolio holdings, the Adviser applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund. There can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. In addition, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the Adviser in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective.

 

Market Risk

 

The Fund’s holdings are subject to market fluctuations. It is important to understand that the value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, in response to changes in the market, and you could lose money. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry, economic sector, or the market as a whole. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or other events may adversely impact the value of the Fund’s investments and/or result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Metals Sector Investment Risk

The performance of the Fund in part is linked to the daily performance of the spot price of certain industrial and precious metals, including aluminum, copper, nickel, zinc, gold and silver. Investments in metals may be highly volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably due to a number of factors, including the supply and demand of each metal, environmental or labor costs, political, legal, financial, accounting and tax matters and other events that the Fund cannot control. In addition, changes in international monetary policies or economic and political conditions can affect the supply of metals, and consequently the value of metal investments. The United States or foreign governments may pass laws or regulations limiting metal investments for strategic or other policy reasons. Further, the principal supplies of metal industries may be concentrated in a small number of countries and regions. Consequently, the price of a metal held by the Fund could decline, which would materially impact the Fund’s performance.

 

Non-Diversification Risk

 

The Fund is non-diversified, meaning that it is permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds. Thus, the Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.

 

Operational Risk

 

The Fund is exposed to various operational risks, including human error, information technology failures and failure to comply with formal procedures intended to mitigate these risks, and is particularly dependent on electronic means of communicating, record-keeping and otherwise conducting business.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk

 

The Fund may engage in frequent trading of derivatives. Active and frequent trading may lead to the realization and distribution to shareholders of higher short-term capital gains, which would increase their tax liability. Frequent trading also increases transaction costs, which could detract from the Fund’s performance.

 

Regulatory Risk

 

The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.

 

Roll Yield Risk

 

As the futures contracts held by the Fund near expiration, they may be replaced by contracts that have a later expiration. During situations where the cost of futures contracts for delivery on dates further in the future is higher than those for delivery closer in time, the Fund may experience losses.

 

Secondary Market Trading Risk

 

An investment in the Fund faces risks from its Shares being traded in the secondary market, including the potential lack of an active market for Shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s Shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.

 

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Trading Issues. Although the Fund’s Shares are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”), there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all.

 

In times of market stress, market makers or Authorized Participants may step away from their respective roles in making a market in the Fund’s Shares and in executing purchase or redemption orders. This could lead to variances between the market price of the Fund’s Shares and their underlying value.

 

Fluctuation of NAV. The NAV of the Fund’s Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of Shares on the Exchange. The market price of Shares may deviate from the value of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares bought or sold. This may be reflected as a spread between the bid and ask prices for Shares quoted during a trading day or a premium or discount in the closing price of Shares from the Fund’s NAV. It cannot be predicted whether the Fund’s Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling the Fund’s Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by each 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 Shares.

 

Subsidiary Investment Risk

 

By investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act; therefore, the Fund will not receive all of the protections offered to shareholders of registered investment companies. In addition, changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as intended, which may negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Tax Risk

 

In order to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment accorded to a RIC, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from certain categories of income (“qualifying income”) and must satisfy certain asset diversification requirements. The Fund intends to hold certain commodity-related investments indirectly, through its Subsidiary. The Fund expects its income with respect to the Subsidiary will be qualifying income. However, there is a risk that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) could issue regulations or other guidance holding, or could assert, that the Fund’s income with respect to the Subsidiary is not qualifying income for purposes of the Fund remaining qualified as a RIC. In such circumstances, the Fund may fail to qualify as a RIC or be required to make changes to its operations, which may affect the Fund’s ability to gain investment exposure to commodities. Fund shareholders may also experience adverse tax consequences in such circumstances. The Adviser will carefully monitor the Fund’s investments in the Subsidiary to ensure that no more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets are invested in the Subsidiary to comply with the asset diversification test for qualifying as a RIC as described in more detail in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

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U.S. Government Securities Risk

 

Obligations of U.S. government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so.

 

Valuation Risk

 

During periods of reduced market liquidity or readily available market quotations, the Fund’s ability to obtain reliable, objective pricing data and to value its holdings becomes more difficult. Consequently, while valuation determinations made by the Adviser (using fair value procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the GraniteShares ETF Trust) may be done in good faith, it may be difficult for the Fund to accurately assign a daily value to its holdings.

 

Performance

 

The following performance information indicates some of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the Fund’s performance from year to year. The table illustrates how the Fund’s average annual total returns for 1 year and since inception periods compare with those of the Index and another broad measure of commodity market performance. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Updated performance is also available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com or by calling the Fund toll free at 844-476-8747.

Annual Total Returns as of December 31

 

Year

 

During the periods shown in the bar chart above, the Fund’s highest quarterly return was 13.22% (quarter ended June 30, 2021) and the Fund’s lowest quarterly return was -23.25% (quarter ended March 31, 2020). The calendar year-to-date total return of the Fund as of September 30, 2022 was 13.57%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2021

 

    1 Year     Since
Inception
(5/19/17)
 
Return Before Taxes     26.81 %     4.35 %
Return After Taxes on Distributions     19.73 %     2.82 %
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares     15.88 %     2.71 %
Bloomberg Commodity Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)     27.11 %     4.64 %
S&P GSCI Total Return Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)     40.35     4.26 %

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as a 401(k) plan, an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account.

 

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Portfolio Management

 

Investment Adviser: GraniteShares Advisors LLC

 

Portfolio Managers: Benoit Autier has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since May 2017. Jeff Klearman has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since June 2017. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares 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. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions will be taxable to you, generally as ordinary income unless you are invested through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan, IRA or other tax-advantaged account; in such cases, you may be subject to tax when assets are withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.

 

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) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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GraniteShares Hips Us High Income Etf – Summary

 

Investment Objective

 

The GraniteShares HIPS US High Income ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the TFMS HIPS Index (the “Index”).

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors 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     1
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fee     0.70 %
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees     None  
Other Expenses     0.00 %
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (1)     1.71 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     2.41 %

 

 
  (1) Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses reflect Fund expenses paid indirectly and do not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s Financial Highlights because the Financial Highlights include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund and exclude Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.

 

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. The figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.

 

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  
$ 244     $ 751     $ 1,285     $ 2,746  

  

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities and derivative instruments (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 74% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

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Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund employs a “passive management”—or indexing—investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The rules-based Index measures the performance of up to 60 high income U.S.-listed securities that typically have “pass-through” structures that require them to distribute substantially all of their earnings to shareholders as cash distributions. This “high income, pass-through” strategy is known as HIPS.

 

The Index

 

The Index is constructed to capture up to 60 high income securities, typically with pass-through structures, across the following sectors: (i) closed-end funds (“CEFs”), (ii) real estate investment trusts (“REITS”), (iii) asset management and business development companies (“BDCs”), and (iv) energy production and energy transportation and processing companies. Energy-related companies included in the Index are primarily structured as master limited partnerships (“MLPs”).

The Index applies a quantitative screen to the securities in such sectors for minimum market capitalizations and minimum liquidity thresholds. The Index then selects up to 15 securities with the highest yield and lowest volatility over a prescribed time period for each sector with all securities equally weighted. Finally, the Index adjusts the weights of each sector to minimize the Index volatility and maximize the Index return, as measured over a prescribed time period, subject to a minimum sector weight of 15% and a maximum MLP sector weight of 25%. The Index may include small-, mid-, and large-capitalization companies meeting the screening criteria.

The Index is reconstituted annually and rebalanced only if the MLP sector weight exceeds 25% at the end of a quarter.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the securities that make up the Index. The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in all of the component securities of the Index, but may, when the adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics are expected to closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole.

 

Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in the component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities. GraniteShares Advisors LLC (“GraniteShares” or the “Adviser”), the Fund’s investment adviser, expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better.

 

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Concentration Policy

 

To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You Could Lose Money by Investing in the Fund.

 

Principal risk factors for the Fund are discussed below. The Fund may be subject to other risks in addition to those identified as principal risks. Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.

 

Investments in the Fund are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk

 

Only an authorized participant that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor (an “Authorized Participant”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and none of those Authorized Participants is obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, the Fund’s Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to net asset value (“NAV”) and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Bank Debt Risk

 

The Fund may invest in CEFs that primarily invest in bank loans and participations. Risks associated with these obligations include, but are not limited to, risks involving the enforceability of security interests and loan transactions, inadequate collateral, liabilities relating to collateral securing obligations, and the liquidity of these loans. The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. The corporate loans in which such CEFs invest may be rated below investment grade.

 

BDC Risk

 

BDCs may carry risks similar to those of a private equity or venture capital fund. BDC securities are not redeemable at the option of the shareholder and they may trade in the market at a discount to their NAV. BDCs usually trade at a discount to their NAV because they invest in unlisted securities and have limited access to capital markets. BDCs are subject to management fees and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund.

 

Below Investment-Grade Instruments Risk

 

The Fund may invest in CEFs that primarily invest in below-investment grade debt (also known as “junk bonds”). Although junk bonds generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade bonds, junk bonds are speculative, high-risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for such CEFs and consequently, negatively affect the value of the Fund’s investment in such CEFs.

 

Cash Redemption Risk

 

The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem its Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

 

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Concentration Risk

 

The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class.

 

Cyber Security Risk

 

Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Adviser, and the Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Equity Market Risk

 

Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from specific issuers. In addition, the equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests.

 

Fixed Income Securities Risk

 

The Fund may invest in CEFs that invest primarily in fixed income securities. Fixed income securities, such as bonds and certain asset-backed securities, involve certain risks, which include:

 

  Credit Risk – Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer.
     
  Event Risk – Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly.
     
  Extension Risk – When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall.
     
  Interest Rate Risk – Generally, the value of fixed income securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of fixed income securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of fixed income securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets.

 

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  Prepayment Risk – When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the proceeds may have to be invested in securities with lower yields.
     
  Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk – The absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult to dispose of them if the issuer defaults.

 

Foreign Securities Risk

 

The Fund may invest in CEFs that invest primarily in foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. These risks may be even greater for securities of companies organized in emerging market nations.

 

Index-Related Risk

 

Errors in index data, index computations and/or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Index, and therefore, any changes to the Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the Fund’s rebalancing schedule.

 

Investment Company Risk

 

The risks of investment in investment companies, such as CEFs and BDCs, typically reflect the risks of the types of instruments in which the investment companies invest. By investing in another investment company, the Fund becomes a shareholder of that investment company and bears its proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the other investment company. The Fund may be subject to statutory limits with respect to the amount it can invest in other investment companies, which may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. Investments in exchange-listed investment companies (“exchange-traded products” or “ETPs”) are also subject to the following risks: (i) the market price of an ETP’s shares may trade above or below their NAV; (ii) an active trading market for an ETP’s shares may not develop or be maintained; and (iii) trading of an ETP’s shares may be halted for a number of reasons.

 

Large-Sized Company Risk

 

Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. Many larger companies also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk

 

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

 

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Market Risk

 

The Fund’s holdings are subject to market fluctuations. It is important to understand that the value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, in response to changes in the market, and you could lose money. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry, economic sector, or the market as a whole. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or other events may adversely impact the value of the Fund’s investments and/or result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

MLP Risk

 

MLP investment returns are enhanced during periods of declining or low interest rates and tend to be negatively influenced when interest rates are rising. In addition, most MLPs are leveraged and typically carry a portion of a “floating” rate debt. As such, a significant upward swing in interest rates would also drive interest expense higher. Furthermore, most MLPs grow by acquisitions partly financed by debt, and higher interest rates could make it more difficult to make acquisitions. MLP investments also entail many of the general tax risks of investing in a partnership. Limited partners in an MLP typically have limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the partnership. Additionally, there is the risk that an MLP will fail to qualify for favorable tax treatment.

 

Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk

 

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks (see “Fixed Income Securities Risk” above). These securities also are subject to risk of default on the underlying mortgage or asset, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Small movements in interest rates may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities.

 

Operational Risk

 

The Fund is exposed to various operational risks, including human error, information technology failures and failure to comply with formal procedures intended to mitigate these risks, and is particularly dependent on electronic means of communicating, record-keeping and otherwise conducting business.

 

Passive Investment Risk

 

The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index.

 

Regulatory Risk

 

The Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.

 

REIT Investment Risk

 

Investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, and may be more volatile than other securities. The risks of investing in REITs include certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate and the real estate industry in general. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. Additionally, there is the risk that a REIT will fail to qualify for favorable tax treatment.

 

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Secondary Market Trading Risk

 

An investment in the Fund faces risks from its Shares being traded in the secondary market, including the potential lack of an active market for Shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s Shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Trading Issues. Although the Fund’s Shares are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”), there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that the Shares will trade with any volume, or at all.

 

In times of market stress, market makers or Authorized Participants may step away from their respective roles in making a market in the Fund’s Shares and in executing purchase or redemption orders. This could lead to variances between the market price of the Fund’s Shares and their underlying value.

 

Fluctuation of NAV. The NAV of the Fund’s Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of Shares on the Exchange. The market price of Shares may deviate from the value of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares bought or sold. This may be reflected as a spread between the bid and ask prices for Shares quoted during a trading day or a premium or discount in the closing price of Shares from the Fund’s NAV. It cannot be predicted whether the Fund’s Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling the Fund’s Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by each 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 Shares.

 

Sector Risk

 

To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Energy Sector Risk. The Fund will invest significantly in securities, particularly MLPs, tied to the energy sector and energy infrastructure. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to significant governmental regulation and may be affected by fluctuations in the prices of energy commodities, the depletion of natural resources, and changes in the supply or demand for energy commodities. Rising interest rates can also adversely impact the financial performance of these companies by increasing their costs of capital. Extreme weather or other natural disasters, threats of or actual attacks by terrorists, and significant accidents or similar events may adversely affect the securities issued by the company. Recently, global oil prices have declined significantly and experienced significant volatility, including a period where an oil-price futures contract fell into negative territory for the first time in history, as demand for oil slowed and oil storage facilities reached their storage capacities. This development demonstrates that the oil market, and the energy sector more broadly, may be subject to particularly severe market swings.

 

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Finance and Insurance Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the finance and insurance sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. This sector can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and government debt, the availability and cost of capital, and fallout from the housing and sub-prime mortgage crisis. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyber attacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have caused significant losses.

 

Real Estate Sector Risk. Securities in the real estate sector are subject to the risk that the value of their underlying real estate may go down. Many factors may affect real estate values, including the general and local economies, the amount of new construction in a particular area, the laws and regulations (including zoning and tax laws) affecting real estate, and the costs of owning, maintaining and improving real estate. The availability of mortgages and changes in interest rates may also affect real estate values.

 

Small and Mid-Sized Company Risk

 

Small to mid-sized company stocks have historically been subject to greater investment risk than large company stocks. The prices of small- to mid-sized company stocks tend to be more volatile and less liquid than large company stocks.

 

Tax Risk

 

The Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a “regulated investment company” (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), by meeting certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. RICs are generally subject to favorable tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code. To meet the diversification requirements, the Fund must limit its investments in qualified publicly traded partnerships, which generally includes MLPs, to no more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets. If the Fund fails to qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund may be subject to tax on its income at corporate rates, distributions from the Fund may be taxable to shareholders, and shareholders’ returns on their investments in the Fund could be significantly reduced.

 

Depreciation or other cost recovery deductions passed through to the Fund from investments in MLPs in a given year will generally reduce the Fund’s taxable income, but those deductions may be recaptured in the Fund’s income in one or more subsequent years. When recognized and distributed, recapture income will generally be taxable to shareholders at the time of the distribution at ordinary income tax rates, even though those shareholders might not have held shares in the Fund at the time the deductions were taken by the Fund, and even though those shareholders will not have corresponding economic gain on their shares at the time of the recapture. To distribute recapture income or to fund redemption requests, the Fund may need to liquidate investments.

 

MLPs taxed as partnerships have historically made cash distributions to limited partners that exceed the amount of taxable income allocable to limited partners or members, due to a variety of factors, including significant non-cash deductions such as depreciation and depletion. These excess cash distributions would not be treated as income to the Fund but rather would be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the Fund’s basis in the MLP. As a consequence, the Fund may make distributions that exceed its earnings and profits, which would be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in shares and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the shares are sold. After a shareholder’s basis in shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits in respect of those shares will be treated as gain from the sale of the shares.

 

20
 

 

Tracking Error Risk

 

As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.

 

Valuation Risk

 

During periods of reduced market liquidity or readily available market quotations, the Fund’s ability to obtain reliable, objective pricing data and to value its holdings becomes more difficult. Consequently, while valuation determinations made by the Adviser (using fair value procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the GraniteShares ETF Trust) may be done in good faith, it may be difficult for the Fund to accurately assign a daily value to its holdings.

 

When all or a portion of the Fund’s underlying investments trade in a market that is closed when the market for the Fund’s shares is open, there may be changes between the last quote from a closed foreign market and the value of the applicable investment during the Fund’s domestic trading day. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors.

 

Performance

 

The following performance information indicates some of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the Fund’s performance from year to year. The table illustrates how the Fund’s average annual returns for the 1-year, 5-year and since inception periods compare with those of the Index and a broad measure of market performance. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is also available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com or by calling the Fund toll free at 844-476-8747.

 

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Annual Total Returns as of December 31

 

 

Year
Annual Return 2016 21.12

 

During the period of time shown in the bar chart above, the Fund’s highest quarterly return was 26.11% (quarter ended June 30, 2020), and the Fund’s lowest quarterly return was -41.64% (quarter ended March 31, 2020). The calendar year-to-date total return of the Fund as of September 30, 2022 was -23.87%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns for the Period Ended December 31, 2021 

    1 Year     5 Year     Since Inception (1/6/2015)  
Return Before Taxes     22.29 %     5.26 %     4.14 %
Return After Taxes on Distributions     19.26 %     2.04 %     0.95 %
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares     13.16 %     2.55 %     1.64 %
TFMS HIPS Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)     23.45 %     6.03 %     4.84 %
S&P 500 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)     28.71 %     18.47 %     15.43 %

  

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax-advantaged arrangements such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account.

 

Portfolio Management

 

Investment Adviser: GraniteShares Advisors LLC became the investment adviser on December 18, 2017.

 

Portfolio Managers: Benoit Autier and Jeff Klearman have been the Fund’s portfolio managers since inception. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares 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. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.

 

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Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-advantaged arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts. A portion of the Fund’s distributions is also expected to be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Return of capital distributions generally are not taxable to you, to the extent of your basis in your Shares, but reduce your tax basis in your Shares. To the extent a return of capital distribution exceeds your basis in your Shares, the distribution will be taxable as a capital gain if you hold your Shares as a capital asset. Distributions by the Fund may be significantly higher than those of other exchange-traded funds.

 

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) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Graniteshares XOUT U.S. Large Cap ETF – Summary

 

Investment Objective

 

The GraniteShares XOUT U.S. Large Cap ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of the XOUT U.S. Large Cap Index (the “Index”).

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Investors 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     1  
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fee     0.60 %
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees     None  
Other Expenses(1)     0.00 %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1)     0.60 %

 

(1) The investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) between the Fund and GraniteShares Advisors LLC (“GraniteShares” or the “Adviser”) provides that, for the duration of the Advisory Agreement, GraniteShares will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except for the Management Fee, payments made under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if or when such fees are imposed), brokerage commissions and other expenses connected to the execution of portfolio transactions, interest expense, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses. 

 

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 each period. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The figures shown would be the same whether or not you sold your Shares at the end of each period.

 

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your approximate costs would be:

 

1 Year     3 Years     5 Years     10 Years  
$ 61     $ 192     $ 335     $ 750  

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example above, may affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 45% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

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Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in the securities included in the Index. The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

The Index. The Index utilizes a proprietary, quantitative methodology developed by XOUT Capital, LLC (the “Index Provider”), designed to identify companies that have a risk of being disrupted and as a result could underperform their relevant sector. The companies identified are then excluded from the Index selection.

 

In order to identify the companies to be excluded, each eligible company receives a score, the XOUT score, based on the following 7 quantitative factors:

 

  - Revenue growth
     
  - Hiring growth
     
  - Capital deployment
     
  - Share repurchases
     
  - Profitability and deposit growth (for banks)
     
  - Earning sentiment
     
  - Management performance

 

Each quantitative factor receives a quintile score from 1 to 5, 5 being the best. The quintile scores are weighted to achieve an aggregate quintile score for each company. Companies scoring below the median quintile are excluded from the Index selection.

 

The Index is market capitalization weighted and reconstituted on a quarterly basis.

 

The Index universe is composed of the 500 largest (by market capitalization) publicly traded companies listed on a U.S. national securities exchange and headquartered in the United States and that meet the following requirements:

 

  - a free-float percentage equal to or exceeding 50% of total shares outstanding,
     
  - a share price of less than $10,000 per share (USD),
     
  -

positive earnings per share for each quarter over the last trailing 12-month period for companies below median in market capitalization,

     
  - minimum market capitalization of $5 billion at time of Index reconstitution, and
     
  - minimum liquidity of a quarter million shares average daily volume traded over the last six-month period.

 

Initial public offerings become eligible for inclusion in the Index six months after trading.

 

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The Index Provider is affiliated with the Adviser. The Index Provider publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

 

Investment Approach and Strategies. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. Rather, the Adviser employs a “passive management” – or indexing – investment approach to seek to achieve the Fund’s investment objective.

 

The Fund generally will use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the securities in the Index in the approximate Index weight. Some examples include if and when a stock becomes illiquid and is therefore difficult to trade, the price of a stock becomes extremely high or a stock is subject to a market disruption event. In these circumstances, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may purchase a subset of the securities in the Index in an effort to hold a portfolio of securities with generally the same risk and return characteristics as the Index.

 

The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. A correlation percentage of 100% would indicate perfect correlation. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

Futures, Options on Futures and Securities Options. Futures contracts, options on futures and securities options may be used by the Fund to simulate investment in its Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund may enter into futures contracts and options on futures that are traded on a U.S. or non-U.S. futures exchange. The Fund will not use futures, options on futures or securities options for speculative purposes.

 

The Fund intends to be diversified in approximately the same proportion as the Index is diversified. The Fund may become “non-diversified,” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. Shareholder approval will not be sought if the Fund becomes non-diversified due solely to a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index.

 

Concentration Policy. The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., invest more than 25% of the value of its total assets) in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is so concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You Could Lose Money by Investing in the Fund.

 

As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objective will be achieved. Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is neither a bank deposit nor insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Cyber Security Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Adviser, and the Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Index Risk. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble, and the Fund does not take defensive positions in declining markets. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of such third party data, and there is also no guarantee with respect to the accuracy, availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. The Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with its Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the Fund’s rebalancing schedule.

 

26
 

 

Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated in securities of issuers located in a single industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group of industries.

 

Investment Style Risk. The Index is intended to provide exposure to large cap U.S. equity markets, with certain securities excluded from the Index in accordance with the Index Provider’s proprietary methodology. The Index Provider’s methodology is relatively new, and there can be no assurance that such methodology will result in positive investment performance. The Index Provider’s methodology may result in the Index being more volatile than a more conventional index. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.

 

Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or other events may adversely impact the value of the Fund’s investments and/or result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”).

 

Market Trading Risk. The NAV of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for the Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for the Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may result in the Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund may, from time to time, become non-diversified due solely to a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. To the extent that the Fund becomes non-diversified as necessary to approximate the composition of the Index, it may invest in the securities of relatively fewer issuers. In such circumstances, a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence may have a more significant effect on the Fund’s investments, and the Fund may experience increased volatility. For example, poor performance by a single large holding of the Fund would adversely affect the Fund’s performance more than if the Fund were invested in a larger number of issuers.

 

Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.

 

Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. The Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the 1940 Act, to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, applicable to regulated investment companies, or as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates.

 

Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise. NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.

 

27
 

 

Performance

 

The following performance information indicates some of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the Fund’s performance from year to year. The table illustrates how the Fund’s average annual returns for the 1-year and since inception periods compare with those of the Index and a broad measure of market performance. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is also available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com or by calling the Fund toll free at 844-476-8747.

 

Annual Total Returns as of December 31

 

 

  

During the period of time shown in the bar chart above, the Fund’s highest quarterly return was 24.15% (quarter ended June 30, 2020), and the Fund’s lowest quarterly return was -16.24% (quarter ended March 31, 2020). The calendar year-to-date total return of the Fund as of September 30, 2022 was -29.57%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2021

    1 Year     Since
Inception
(10/04/2019)
 
Return Before Taxes     26.29 %     30.19 %
Return After Taxes on Distributions     26.20 %     30.02 %
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares     15.62 %     23.77 %
XOUT U.S. Large Cap Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)     27.05 %     31.03 %
S&P 500 Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)     28.71 %     25.90 %

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax-advantaged arrangements such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account.

 

Fund Management

 

Investment Adviser: GraniteShares Advisors LLC

 

Portfolio Managers: The professionals jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are Benoit Autier and Jeff Klearman. Each of these professionals has served in such capacity since the Fund’s inception. Each portfolio manager is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Benoit Autier is the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product for the Adviser. He joined the Adviser in 2017.

 

Jeff Klearman is a Portfolio Manager for the Adviser. He joined the Adviser in 2017.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker-dealer at a market price. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). The bid-ask spread varies over time for Shares 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. Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.graniteshares.com.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund’s distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions may be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from such tax-advantaged arrangement.

 

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) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser and/or its related companies may pay the Intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Additional Information about the
Funds’ Investment Objectives, Strategies and Risks

 

Investment Objectives

 

The GraniteShares Bloomberg Commodity Broad Strategy No. K-1 ETF (the “COMB Fund”) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation, primarily through exposure to commodity futures markets. The GraniteShares HIPS US High Income ETF (the “HIPS Fund”) is a passively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the TFMS HIPS Index. The GraniteShares XOUT U.S. Large Cap ETF (the “XOUT Fund”) is a passively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of the XOUT U.S. Large Cap Index. The COMB Fund, HIPS Fund and XOUT Fund are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Funds.”

 

Each Fund’s investment objective can be changed by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of GraniteShares ETF Trust (the “GraniteShares Trust”) without shareholder approval.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

GraniteShares Bloomberg Commodity Broad Strategy No K-1 ETF

 

The COMB Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation, primarily through exposure to commodity futures markets. To pursue this goal, it invests in a combination of commodity-linked derivative instruments, which provides exposure to the investment returns of the commodities markets without investing directly in physical commodities, and fixed income securities.

 

The COMB Fund’s investment strategy is based in part on the Bloomberg Commodity Index (the “COMB Benchmark”), which is designed to be a highly liquid and broad benchmark for commodities futures investments.

 

While the COMB Fund generally will seek exposure to the commodities futures markets included in the COMB Benchmark, the COMB Fund is not an index tracking ETF and will seek to enhance its performance, in part through a cash management strategy consisting of investments in investment grade fixed income securities issued by various U.S. public-sector or corporate entities (“Fixed Income Securities”). GraniteShares Advisors LLC (the “Adviser”) will use Fixed Income Securities to generate a total return for investors and exercise its discretion in the use of such instruments to seek to optimize the investment performance of the COMB Fund. In addition, the COMB Fund at times may actively select investments with differing maturities from the underlying components of the COMB Benchmark, may not invest in all of the COMB Benchmark’s components or in the same proportion as the COMB Benchmark, may invest in commodity-linked derivative instruments and other commodity-linked instruments outside the COMB Benchmark, and may emphasize certain commodity sectors more than others.

 

The COMB Benchmark provides broad-based exposure to commodities as an asset class, since no single commodity or commodity sector dominates the COMB Benchmark. Rather than being driven by micro-economic events affecting one commodity market or sector, the COMB Benchmark is comprised of futures contracts on a broad basket of underlying commodities, which potentially reduces volatility in comparison with narrower commodity baskets.

 

Currently, the COMB Benchmark consists of 23 commodities futures contracts with respect to 21 commodities: aluminum, coffee, copper, corn, cotton, crude oil (West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude oil futures), gold, Ultra-Low Sulphur (ULS) Diesel, lean hogs, live cattle, low sulfur gas oil, natural gas, nickel, silver, soybean meal, soybean oil, soybeans, sugar, unleaded gas, wheat (Chicago Soft Red Winter (SRW) and Kansas City Hard Red Winter (HRW) wheat futures), and zinc. The COMB Benchmark reflects the return from these commodity futures contracts.

 

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The COMB Benchmark, which is published by Bloomberg Finance L.P. (“Bloomberg”), is an index that uses trading volume data in addition to production value data in determining the selection and relative weightings of represented commodity futures contracts. Commodity futures contracts are selected by the Bloomberg Index Oversight Committee (the “Oversight Committee”) for representation in the COMB Benchmark when the underlying commodities are believed to be sufficiently significant to the world economy to merit consideration. These designated futures contracts are then weighted according to a proprietary methodology for liquidity and production, and contracts with insufficient liquidity and/or production are eliminated.

 

Because it does not take delivery of the underlying commodities, the COMB Benchmark is a “rolling index.” The composition of the COMB Benchmark is rebalanced by Bloomberg each year pursuant to its methodology by index managers operating under the supervision of the Oversight Committee. Once approved, the new composition of the COMB Benchmark is publicly announced and takes effect in the month of January immediately following the announcement.

 

The COMB Fund is called “No K-1” because it is designed to operate differently than commodity-based exchange traded funds that distribute to shareholders a “Schedule K-1.” Schedule K-1 is a tax document that contains information regarding a fund’s income and expenses. Schedule K-1 is a complex form and shareholders may find that preparing tax returns requires additional time or the assistance of a professional tax adviser, at additional expense to the shareholder. In contrast, the COMB Fund is designed to be taxed like a conventional mutual fund and therefore, will deliver a Form 1099 to investors, from which income, gains, and losses can be reported on the investor’s tax return. To deliver Form 1099 consistent with applicable tax law, the COMB Fund currently invests in an underlying subsidiary, as discussed below.

 

The COMB Fund currently gains exposure to the commodity futures markets by investing in commodity futures contracts (“Commodity Futures”). The COMB Fund does not expect to invest directly in Commodity Futures. The COMB Fund gains exposure to these investments by investing a portion of its assets in the GraniteShares COMB Cayman Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary is advised by the Adviser, and the Adviser complies with the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), relating to advisory contracts. Unlike the COMB Fund, the Subsidiary is not an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The COMB Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary is intended to provide the COMB Fund with exposure to commodity futures markets in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. The Subsidiary has the same investment objective and will follow the same general investment policies and restrictions as the COMB Fund. The COMB Fund will invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. The COMB Fund complies with the provisions of the 1940 Act governing capital structure and leverage on an aggregate basis with the Subsidiary. Except as otherwise noted, references to the COMB Fund’s investment strategies and risks include the investment strategies and risks of the Subsidiary.

 

The COMB Fund’s principal investments are described below.

 

Commodity-linked derivative instruments. Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, metals, and agricultural products. A commodity-linked instrument is a financial instrument whose value is linked to the movement of a commodity, commodity index, or commodity futures contract. The value of commodity-linked instruments may be affected by overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes, or political and regulatory developments.

 

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  Commodity Futures: The COMB Fund currently gains exposure to the commodity futures markets by investing in Commodity Futures through the Subsidiary. A Commodity Futures is a standardized contract traded on, or subject to the rules of, an exchange that calls for the future delivery of a specified quantity and type of underlying commodity at a specified time and place or, alternatively, may call for cash settlement.
     
  As the Commodity Futures approach expiration, they will be sold prior to their expiration date, and similar contracts that have a later expiration date may be purchased. Thus, for example, a Commodity Futures purchased and held in August may specify an October expiration date. As time passes, the Commodity Futures expiring in October may be replaced by a contract for delivery in November. Any difference between the price for the nearer delivery month contract and the price for distant month contract is known as a “roll yield,” and this can be either a positive amount or a negative amount.
     
    When establishing positions in Commodity Futures, the Adviser estimates as of the date of this prospectus that the COMB Fund will be required to deposit initial margin, or collateral, with a value of approximately 3% to 10% of the value of each Commodity Futures position at the time it is established. These margin requirements are subject to change from time to time by the relevant futures exchange or the clearing futures commission merchant. Margin requirements established by the clearing futures commission merchant may exceed minimum levels established by the futures exchange. On a daily basis, the COMB Fund is obligated to pay, or entitled to receive, variation margin, or collateral, in an amount equal to the change in the daily settlement level of its Commodity Futures positions. If the daily settlement level causes the value of the COMB Fund’s Commodity Futures positions to decrease, the COMB Fund will be required to post variation margin with the clearing futures commission merchant. Conversely, if the daily settlement level causes the value of the COMB Fund’s Commodity Futures positions to increase, the COMB Fund’s account with the clearing futures commission merchant will receive variation margin in an amount equal to the increase.
     
  Swap Agreements: Commodity-linked swap agreements (“Commodity Swaps” or “Swaps”) are derivative instruments whereby the cash flows agreed upon between counterparties are dependent upon the price of the underlying commodity or commodity index over the life of the swap. The COMB Fund may enter into some Commodity Swaps in the “over the counter” (“OTC”) market, that is, by negotiating directly with a third party called a “counterparty.” Other Commodity Swaps are cleared through a central counterparty and executed through a futures commission merchant. The COMB Fund will invest in cleared Commodity Swaps through the Subsidiary and OTC Swaps directly or through the Subsidiary. The COMB Fund may invest in Commodity Swaps as its assets grow.

 

Other commodity-linked instruments. The COMB Fund may invest in other instruments whose value goes up or down based on price movements of underlying physical commodities, such as commodity-linked notes, exchange-traded products providing exposure to commodities (including exchange-traded notes (“ETNs”) and other ETFs), and other investment companies. An ETN is an unsecured debt security that trades on an established exchange. Its underlying value is based on the value of an index, commodity, interest rate or other objectively determined reference. A commodity-linked note is an instrument that has characteristics of both a debt security and a commodity-linked derivative. It typically makes interest payments like a debt security, and at maturity, the principal payment is linked to the price movement of a commodity, commodity index, or commodity futures contract. Commodity-linked notes are typically issued by a bank, other financial institution or a commodity producer. Commodity-linked notes may be principal-protected, partially-protected, or offer no principal protection. A principal-protected commodity-linked note means that the issuer will pay, at a minimum, the par value of the note at maturity. With a partially-protected or no-principal-protection commodity-linked note, the COMB Fund may receive at maturity an amount less than the note’s par value if the commodity, index or other economic variable value to which the note is linked declines over the term of the note.

 

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Fixed Income Securities. The COMB Fund will invest in Fixed Income Securities. The Fixed Income Securities in which the COMB Fund may invest include U.S. government securities, U.S. government agency securities, corporate bonds, debentures and notes, mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, event-linked bonds, bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper and other short-term fixed income securities with maturities of up to two years. The COMB Fund’s Fixed Income Securities earn interest income for the COMB Fund and can be used as collateral (also referred to as “margin”) for the COMB Fund’s investments in Commodity Futures.

 

The COMB Fund does not target a specific duration or maturity for the Fixed Income Securities in which it invests. The average duration of the portfolio of Fixed Income Securities will vary based on interest rates. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Similarly, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration.

 

The COMB Fund is “non-diversified,” meaning that a relatively high percentage of its assets may be invested in a limited number of issuers of securities.

 

GraniteShares HIPS US High Income ETF

 

The HIPS Fund seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the TFMS HIPS Index (the “HIPS Index”).

 

The HIPS Fund employs a “passive management”—or indexing—investment approach designed to track the performance of the HIPS Index. The rules-based HIPS Index measures the performance of up to 60 high income U.S.-listed securities that typically have “pass-through” structures that require them to distribute substantially all of their earnings to shareholders as cash distributions. This “high income, pass-through” strategy is known as HIPS.

 

The HIPS Index

The HIPS Index is constructed to capture up to 60 high income securities, typically with pass-through structures, across the following sectors: (i) closed-end funds (“CEFs”), (ii) real estate investment trusts (“REITS”), (iii) asset management and business development companies (“BDCs”), and (iv) energy production and energy transportation and processing companies. Energy-related companies included in the HIPS Index are primarily structured as master limited partnerships (“MLPs”).

The HIPS Index applies a quantitative screen to the securities in such sectors for minimum market capitalizations and minimum liquidity thresholds. The HIPS Index then selects up to 15 securities with the highest yield and lowest volatility over a prescribed time period for each sector with all securities equally weighted. Finally, the HIPS Index adjusts the weights of each sector to minimize the HIPS Index volatility and maximize the HIPS Index return, as measured over a prescribed time period, subject to a minimum sector weight of 15% and a maximum MLP sector weight of 25%. The HIPS Index may include small-, mid-, and large-capitalization companies meeting the screening criteria.

The HIPS Index is reconstituted annually and rebalanced only if the MLP sector weight exceeds 25% at the end of a quarter.

 

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The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The HIPS Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the securities that make up the HIPS Index. The HIPS Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in all of the component securities of the HIPS Index, but may, when the Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the HIPS Fund, use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the HIPS Index whose risk, return and other characteristics are expected to closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the HIPS Index as a whole.

 

Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the HIPS Fund total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) will be invested in the component securities of the HIPS Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities. The Adviser, expects that, over time, the correlation between the HIPS Fund’s performance and that of the HIPS Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better.

 

GraniteShares XOUT U.S. Large Cap ETF

 

The XOUT Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in the securities included in the XOUT U.S. Large Cap Index (the “XOUT Index”). The XOUT Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the XOUT Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

The XOUT Index. The XOUT Index utilizes a proprietary, quantitative methodology developed by XOUT Capital, LLC (the “XOUT Index Provider”), designed to identify companies that have a risk of being disrupted and as a result could underperform their relevant sector. The companies identified are then excluded from the XOUT Index selection.

 

In order to identify the companies to be excluded, each eligible company receives a score, the XOUT score, based on the following 7 quantitative factors:

 

  - Revenue growth
     
  - Hiring growth
     
  - Capital deployment
     
  - Share repurchases
     
  - Profitability and deposit growth (for banks)
     
  - Earning sentiment
     
  - Management performance

 

Each quantitative factor receives a quintile score from 1 to 5, 5 being the best. The quintile scores are weighted to achieve an aggregate quintile score for each company. Companies scoring below the median quintile are excluded from the XOUT Index selection.

 

The XOUT Index is market capitalization weighted and reconstituted on a quarterly basis.

 

The XOUT Index universe is composed of the 500 largest (by market capitalization) publicly traded companies listed on a U.S. national securities exchange and headquartered in the United States and that meet the following requirements:

 

  - a free-float percentage equal to or exceeding 50% of total shares outstanding,
     
  - a share price of less than $10,000 per share (USD),
     
  -

positive earnings per share for each quarter over the last trailing 12-month period for companies below median

in market capitalization,

     
  - minimum market capitalization of $5 billion at time of XOUT Index reconstitution, and
     
  - minimum liquidity of a quarter million shares average daily volume traded over the last six-month period.

 

Initial public offerings become eligible for inclusion, six months after trading.

 

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The XOUT Index Provider is affiliated with the Adviser. The XOUT Index Provider publishes information regarding the market value of the XOUT Index. The quantitative requirements employed in the XOUT Index methodology to determine the index composition are implemented by EQM Indexes LLC, the XOUT Index administrator. The XOUT Index is calculated and published by Solactive AG, the XOUT Index calculation agent.

 

Investment Approach and Strategies. Given the XOUT Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the XOUT Index, the XOUT Fund does not follow traditional methods of active management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. Rather, the Adviser employs a “passive management” – or indexing – investment approach to seek to achieve the XOUT Fund’s investment objective.

 

The XOUT Fund generally will use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in the XOUT Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the XOUT Index at the applicable time. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the XOUT Index securities in the approximate Index weight. Some examples include if and when a stock becomes illiquid and is therefore difficult to trade, the price of a stock becomes extremely high or a stock is subject to a market disruption event. In these circumstances, the XOUT Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may purchase a subset of the securities in the XOUT Index in an effort to hold a portfolio of securities with generally the same risk and return characteristics as the XOUT Index.

 

The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the XOUT Fund’s performance and that of the XOUT Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. A correlation percentage of 100% would indicate perfect correlation. If the XOUT Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the XOUT Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

Futures, Options on Futures and Securities Options. Futures contracts, options on futures and securities options may be used by the XOUT Fund to simulate investment in the XOUT Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The XOUT Fund may enter into futures contracts and options on futures that are traded on a U.S. or non-U.S. futures exchange. The XOUT Fund will not use futures, options on futures or securities options for speculative purposes.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds

 

Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Funds. The principal risks of the Funds are discussed in the summary sections of this prospectus. The following section provides additional information on the risks that apply to each Fund, which may result in a loss of your investment. Each Fund may be subject to other risks in addition to those identified as principal risks. An investment in a Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. Investors should carefully consider these risks before investing. None of the Funds should be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

The investment programs of the Funds are speculative, entail substantial risks and include alternative investment techniques not employed by traditional mutual funds. A Fund’s investment techniques (if they do not perform as designed) may increase the volatility of performance and the risk of investment loss, including the loss of the entire amount that is invested. Moreover, certain investment techniques which a Fund may employ in its investment program can substantially increase the adverse impact to which the Fund’s investments may be subject. There is no assurance that the investment processes of a Fund will be successful, or that the techniques utilized therein will be implemented successfully or that they are adequate for their intended uses.

 

Absence of Active Market Risk

 

Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of each Fund are “created” at net asset value (“NAV”) by “Authorized Participants” which are market markers, broker dealers and/or large institutional investors that have entered into an agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc., the distributor of each Fund’s shares (the “Distributor”). There can be no assurance that active trading markets for the shares will develop or be maintained by Authorized Participants, and there are no obligations of market makers to make a market in the Fund’s shares or of Authorized Participants to submit purchase or redemption orders for creation units. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in the shares.

 

Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the trading price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. Decisions by market makers or Authorized Participants to reduce their role or “step away” from market making or creation/redemption activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying value of a Fund’s portfolio securities and such Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intraday bid/ask spreads for shares.

 

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Authorized Participant Concentration Risk

 

As indicated above, for each Fund only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with a Fund. A Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to a Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Bank Debt Risk

 

The HIPS Fund may invest in CEFs that primarily invest in bank loans and participations. Risks associated with these obligations include, but are not limited to: inadequate perfection of the security interest granted under the loan documents; inadequate collateral; the possible invalidation or compromise of a loan transaction as a fraudulent conveyance or preference under relevant creditors’ rights laws; the validity and seniority of bank claims and guarantees; environmental liability that may arise with respect to collateral securing the obligations; adverse consequences resulting from participating in such instruments with other institutions with lower credit quality; long and less certain settlement periods; limitations on the ability of the CEF to directly enforce its rights with respect to participations and illiquidity in the market for the resale of such loans. Leading financial institutions often act as agent for a broader group of lenders, generally referred to as a syndicate. The syndicate’s agent arranges the loan, holds collateral and accepts payments of principal and interest. If the agent develops financial problems, the CEF may not recover its investment or recovery may be delayed. By investing in a loan, the CEF may become a member of the syndicate. If a loan is acquired through an assignment, the CEF may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. If a loan is acquired through a participation, the CEF generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower, and the CEF may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the CEF (and to the extent the HIPS Fund invests in such CEF, the HIPS Fund) will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation.

 

BDC Risk

 

The HIPS Fund may invest in BDCs. BDCs may carry risks similar to those of a private equity or venture capital fund. BDC securities are not redeemable at the option of the shareholder and they may trade in the market at a discount to their NAV. A BDC is a form of investment company that is required to invest at least 70% of its total assets in securities (typically debt) of private companies, thinly traded U.S. public companies, or short-term high-quality debt securities. BDCs usually trade at a discount to their NAV because they invest in unlisted securities and have limited access to capital markets. The BDCs held by the HIPS Fund may leverage their portfolios through borrowings or the issuance of preferred stock. While leverage often serves to increase the yield of a BDC, this leverage also subjects a BDC to increased risks, including the likelihood of increased volatility and the possibility that a BDC’s common share income will fall if the dividend rate of the preferred shares or the interest rate on any borrowings rises. BDCs are subject to management fees and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the HIPS Fund.

 

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Below Investment-Grade Instruments Risk

 

The HIPS Fund may invest and transact in CEFs that primarily invest in unrated or lower-rated fixed income securities and other instruments, sometimes referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds. Lower-rated securities may include securities that have the lowest rating or are in default. Investing in lower-rated or unrated securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities, including a high degree of credit risk. Lower-rated or unrated securities may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers/issues of lower-rated or unrated securities may be more complex than for issuers/issues of higher quality debt securities. Lower-rated or unrated securities may be more susceptible to losses and real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-grade securities. Securities that are in the lowest rating category are considered to have extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing, to have a current identifiable vulnerability to default, and to be unlikely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The secondary markets on which lower-rated or unrated securities are traded may be less liquid than the market for higher-grade securities. Less liquidity in the secondary trading markets could adversely affect and cause large fluctuations in the value of such investments. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of lower-rated or unrated securities, especially in a thinly traded market. It is possible that a major economic recession could disrupt severely the market for such securities and may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it is possible that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default of such securities. Furthermore, with respect to certain residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, it is difficult to obtain current reliable information regarding delinquency rates, prepayment rates, servicing records, as well as updated cash flows. The use of credit ratings as the sole method of evaluating lower-rated or unrated securities can involve certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of lower-rated securities. In addition, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was rated.

 

Cash Transaction Risk

 

For the COMB Fund, creation and redemption transactions are expected to generally settle through payments of cash and/or Fixed Income Securities, which will cause such Fund to incur certain costs, such as brokerage costs, that it would not incur if it made in-kind redemptions. Other ETFs generally are able to make in-kind redemptions and avoid realized gains in connection with transactions designed to meet redemption requests. Because the COMB Fund may effect redemptions principally for cash, rather than in-kind distributions, such Fund may be required to sell financial instruments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute the redemption proceeds. Such cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities or commodities markets are relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees. These brokerage fees, which will be higher than if the COMB Fund redeemed its shares in kind, will be passed on to redeemers of creation units in the form of redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and the offered prices of the COMB Fund’s shares than for more conventional ETFs (for example, those that track an index of corporate equity securities). In addition, an investment in COMB Fund shares may be less tax efficient than investments in shares of conventional ETFs, and there may be a substantial difference in the after-tax rate of return between the COMB Fund and conventional ETFs.

 

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For the HIPS and XOUT Funds, when the Fund’s investment strategy requires it to redeem shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds, it may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the HIPS Fund or XOUT Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind (i.e., distribute securities as payment of redemption proceeds). As a result, the HIPS Fund or XOUT Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

 

Clearing Broker Risk

 

The failure or bankruptcy of the COMB Fund’s clearing broker could result in a substantial loss of Fund assets. Under current Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) regulations, a clearing broker maintains customers’ assets in a bulk segregated account. If a clearing broker fails to do so, or is unable to satisfy a substantial deficit in a customer account, its other customers may be subject to risk of loss of their funds in the event of that clearing broker’s bankruptcy. In that event, the clearing broker’s customers, such as the COMB Fund, are entitled to recover, even in respect of property specifically traceable to them, only a proportional share of all property available for distribution to all of that clearing broker’s customers.

 

Commodity and Commodity-Linked Derivative Risk

 

Commodities. The COMB Fund’s exposure to investments in physical commodities presents unique risks. Investing in physical commodities, including through commodity-linked derivative instruments such as commodity-linked swaps, commodity futures, and commodity index futures, as well as other commodity-linked investments, is speculative and can be extremely volatile. Market prices of commodities may fluctuate rapidly based on numerous factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships (whether actual, perceived, anticipated, unanticipated or unrealized); weather; agriculture; trade; domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies; diseases; pestilence; technological developments; currency exchange rate fluctuations; and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. For example, the energy sector can be significantly affected by changes in the prices and supplies of oil and other energy fuels, energy conservation, investment speculation, the success of exploration projects, and tax and other government regulations, policies of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and relationships among OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations. The metals sector can be affected by sharp price volatility over short periods caused by global economic, financial and political factors, resource availability, government regulation, economic cycles, changes in inflation or expectations about inflation in various countries, interest rates, currency fluctuations, metal sales by governments, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation and fluctuations in industrial and commercial supply and demand. The current or “spot” prices of physical commodities may also affect, in a volatile and inconsistent manner, the prices of futures contracts in respect of the relevant commodity. Certain commodities are used primarily in one industry, and fluctuations in levels of activity in (or the availability of alternative resources to) one industry may have a disproportionate effect on global demand for a particular commodity. Moreover, recent growth in industrial production and gross domestic product has made China and other developing nations oversized users of commodities and has increased the extent to which certain commodities prices are influenced by those markets.

 

Commodity-Linked Derivative Instruments. The use of derivative instruments by the COMB Fund involves risks that are different from, and in many cases greater than, the risk associated with investing in other financial instruments. The value of a commodity-linked derivative instrument generally is based upon the price movements of a physical commodity (such as energy, minerals, or agricultural products), a futures contract, swap or commodity index, or other economic variables linked to changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, changes in storage costs, embargoes, tariffs, policies of commodity cartels and international economic, and political and regulatory developments. For these reasons, the commodities-linked derivative instruments in which the COMB Fund invests tend to be more volatile than many other types of financial instruments and may subject the COMB Fund to special risks that do not apply to all derivatives transactions. Also, a liquid secondary market may not exist for the types of commodity-linked derivative instruments the COMB Fund buys, which may make it difficult for the COMB Fund to sell them at an acceptable price. The COMB Fund’s ability to gain exposure to commodity-linked investments and achieve its investment objective may be limited by its intention to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”).

 

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Even a small investment in derivative contracts can have a significant impact on the COMB Fund’s commodity exposure. Therefore, using derivatives can disproportionately increase losses and reduce opportunities for gains when market prices are changing. The COMB Fund may not fully benefit from or may lose money on derivatives if changes in their value do not correspond accurately to changes in the value of the underlying reference asset. The other parties to certain derivative contracts present the same types of default and credit risk as issuers of fixed income securities. Derivatives can also make the COMB Fund less liquid and harder to value, especially in declining markets. Use of derivatives may increase the amount and affect the timing and character of taxes payable by shareholders. In addition, future regulatory changes could significantly limit or impact the COMB Fund’s ability to invest in derivatives and other instruments and adversely affect the COMB Fund’s performance and ability to pursue its investment objectives.

 

Commodity Futures. The use of commodity futures contracts by the COMB Fund may present risks. Risks of commodity futures contracts include: (i) an imperfect correlation between the value of the futures contract and the underlying commodity or commodity index; (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market; (iii) the inability to close a futures contract when desired; (iv) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which may be unlimited; and (v) an obligation for the COMB Fund to make daily cash payments to maintain its required collateral, or margin, particularly at times when the COMB Fund may have insufficient cash or must sell securities to meet those margin requirements. Although the counterparty to an exchange-traded futures contract is often backed by a futures commission merchant (“FCM”) or clearing organization that is further backed by a group of financial institutions, there may be instances in which the FCM or the clearing organization could fail to perform its obligations, causing significant losses to the COMB Fund. For example, the COMB Fund could lose margin payments it has deposited with a clearing organization as well as any gains owned but not paid to the COMB Fund, if the clearing organization becomes insolvent or otherwise fails to perform its obligations.

 

The following events, among others, would generally result in a decline in the price of the futures contracts or commodities underlying the COMB Fund’s benchmark index, and therefore of the price of COMB Fund shares:

 

  A significant increase in hedging activity by producers of the underlying commodities. Should producers of the commodities underlying the COMB Fund’s benchmark index increase their hedging of their future production through forward sales or other short positions, this increased selling pressure could depress the price of one or more of the underlying commodities, which could adversely affect the price of the COMB Fund’s shares.
     
  A significant change in the attitude of speculators and investors toward the futures contracts or commodities underlying the COMB Fund’s benchmark index. Should the speculative community take a negative view towards one or more of the underlying futures contracts or commodities, it could cause a decline in the price of the commodity futures contracts reflected in the COMB Fund’s benchmark index, which may reduce the price of the COMB Fund’s shares.

 

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  Significant reductions in the size of positions permitted to be owned by the COMB Fund or others in derivatives with respect to the COMB Fund’s benchmark index or in the futures contracts and/or commodities underlying the benchmark index, for example, as a result of more restrictive position limits or position limit exemptions or more expansive position aggregation requirements, could reduce liquidity and depress the price of the COMB Fund’s benchmark index and/or the underlying futures contracts, adversely affecting the value of your COMB Fund shares.

 

Conversely, several factors could trigger a temporary increase in the price of the futures contracts or commodities underlying the COMB Fund’s benchmark index. In that case, you could buy COMB Fund shares at prices affected by the temporarily high commodity prices, and you could subsequently incur losses when the causes for the temporary increase disappear. Moreover, because the COMB Fund must pay certain ongoing fees and expenses, the value of the shares may decrease even in periods where commodity prices are otherwise stationary.

 

By definition, futures contracts project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation, and therefore market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the commodity future and the movement in the underlying commodity. In the event of adverse price movements, the COMB Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if the COMB Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio holdings to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. There is a risk of loss by the COMB Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the COMB Fund has an open position in the futures contract. Certain futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount by which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a different price. It is possible that futures contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting a Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, the COMB Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.

 

Commodity Swaps. The COMB Fund may invest in swap agreements to seek to enable the COMB Fund to gain exposure to commodities or the COMB Fund’s benchmark index without investing in specific commodities futures contracts or other derivative instruments. Swaps are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks, bonds, and other traditional investments. The use of swap agreements entails certain risks that may be different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the reference instrument that underlies the swap agreement. The use of swap agreements can lead to losses, including those magnified by leverage, particularly when derivatives are used to enhance return rather than mitigate risk.

 

Swaps can involve greater risks than a direct investment in an underlying asset, such as a commodity, because swaps typically include a certain amount of embedded leverage and, as such, are subject to leveraging risk. Swaps are subject to liquidity risk and counterparty risk and also may be difficult to value. A swap agreement can increase or decrease the volatility of a fund’s investments and its net asset value. The value of swaps, like many other derivatives, may move in unexpected ways and may result in losses for the COMB Fund. Adverse changes in the value or level of an underlying commodity can result in gains or losses that are substantially greater than the amount invested in the swap itself. Certain swaps have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. Under certain market conditions, the COMB Fund may invest in a single swap, and a bankruptcy or other performance failure by the counterparty to the swap could cause the COMB Fund to lose the assets held by the swap provider.

 

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Cleared Swaps. In a cleared swap, the COMB Fund’s ultimate counterparty is a central clearinghouse rather than a brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution. Cleared swaps are submitted for clearing through each party’s FCM, which must be a member of the clearinghouse that serves as the central counterparty. Transactions executed on a swap execution facility (“SEF”) may increase market transparency and liquidity but may require the COMB Fund to incur increased expenses. When the COMB Fund enters into a cleared swap, it must deliver to the central counterparty (via the FCM) an amount of collateral referred to as “initial margin.” Initial margin requirements are determined by the central counterparty, and are typically calculated as an amount equal to the volatility in market value of the cleared swap over a fixed period, but an FCM may require additional initial margin above the amount required by the central counterparty. During the term of the swap agreement, a “variation margin” amount of collateral may also be required to be paid by the COMB Fund or may be received by the COMB Fund in accordance with margin controls set for such accounts. If the value of the COMB Fund’s cleared swap declines, the COMB Fund will be required to make additional “variation margin” payments to the FCM to settle the change in value. Conversely, if the market value of the COMB Fund’s position increases, the FCM will post additional “variation margin” to the COMB Fund’s account. At the conclusion of the term of the swap agreement, if the COMB Fund has a loss equal to or greater than the margin amount, the margin amount is paid to the FCM along with any loss in excess of the margin amount. If the COMB Fund has a loss of less than the margin amount, the excess margin is returned to the COMB Fund. If the COMB Fund has a gain, the full margin amount and the amount of the gain is paid to the COMB Fund.

 

Although the counterparty to a cleared swap contract is often backed by an FCM or clearing organization that is further backed by a group of financial institution, there may be instances in which the FCM or the clearing organization could fail to perform its obligations, causing significant losses to the COMB Fund. For example, the COMB Fund could lose margin payments it has deposited with a clearing organization as well as any gains owned but not paid to the COMB Fund, if the clearing organization becomes insolvent or otherwise fails to perform.

 

Commodity-Linked Note Risk

 

Commodity-linked notes have characteristics of both a debt security and a commodity-linked derivative. Typically, they are issued by a bank at a specified face value and pay a fixed or floating rate linked to the performance of an underlying asset, such as commodity indices, particular commodities or commodity futures contracts. As such, the COMB Fund faces the economic risk of movements in commodity prices by investing in such notes. These notes also are subject to credit, market and interest rate risks that in general affect the values of debt securities. In addition, these notes may be leveraged, increasing the volatility of each note’s market value relative to changes in the underlying commodity, commodity futures contract or commodity index; as a result, at the maturity of the note, the COMB Fund may receive more or less principal than it originally invested.

 

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Commodity Pool Risk

 

Under regulations promulgated by the CFTC, the COMB Fund and the Subsidiary are considered commodity pools, and therefore are subject to regulation under the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC rules. The Adviser is registered as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”), and it will manage the COMB Fund and the Subsidiary in accordance with applicable CFTC rules, as well as the rules that apply to registered investment companies. Registration as a CPO subjects the registrant to additional laws, regulations and enforcement policies, all of which may affect the operations of the COMB Fund. Additionally, the Subsidiary’s positions in futures contracts may have to be liquidated at disadvantageous times or prices to prevent the COMB Fund from exceeding any applicable position limits established by the CFTC. Such actions may subject the COMB Fund to substantial losses.

 

Credit Risk

 

For the COMB and HIPS Funds, there is a risk that issuers will not make payments on financial instruments held by a Fund, resulting in losses to such Fund. In addition, the credit quality of securities held by a Fund may be lowered if an issuer’s financial condition changes. Because the issuers of high-yield debt securities or junk bonds (debt securities rated below the fourth highest category) may be in uncertain financial health, the prices of their debt securities can be more vulnerable to bad economic news or even the expectation of bad news, than investment-grade debt securities. Lower credit quality may lead to greater volatility in the price of a security and in shares of a Fund. Lower credit quality also may affect liquidity and make it difficult for a Fund to sell the security. Default, or the market’s perception that an issuer is likely to default, could reduce the value and liquidity of securities held by a Fund, thereby reducing the value of your investment in Fund shares. In addition, default may cause a Fund to incur expenses in seeking recovery of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings. Credit risk also exists whenever a Fund enters into a derivative contract, because the counterparty may not be able or may choose not to perform under the contract. When a Fund invests in over-the-counter derivative instruments, it is assuming a credit risk with regard to the party with which it trades and also bears the risk of settlement default. These risks may differ materially from risks associated with transactions effected on an exchange, which generally are backed by clearing organization guarantees, daily mark-to-market and settlement, segregation and minimum capital requirements applicable to intermediaries.

 

Transactions entered into directly between two counterparties generally do not benefit from such protections. Relying on a counterparty exposes a Fund to the risk that a counterparty will not settle a transaction in accordance with its terms and conditions because of a dispute over the terms of the contract (whether or not bona fide) or because of a credit or liquidity problem, thus causing a Fund to suffer a loss. If a counterparty defaults on its payment obligations to a Fund, this default will cause the value of an investment in such Fund to decrease. In addition, to the extent a Fund deals with a limited number of counterparties, it will be more susceptible to the credit risks associated with those counterparties. A Fund is neither restricted from dealing with any particular counterparty nor from concentrating any or all of its transactions with one counterparty. The ability of a Fund to transact business with any one or number of counterparties and the absence of a regulated market to facilitate settlement may increase the potential for losses by such Fund.

 

Concentration Risk

 

The HIPS and XOUT Funds may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the HIPS or XOUT Funds’ investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the HIPS or XOUT Funds’ investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The HIPS and XOUT Funds may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.

 

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Cyber Security Risk

 

Each of the Funds is subject to cyber security risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the internet to conduct business, a Fund, Authorized Participants, service providers and the relevant listing exchange are susceptible to operational, information security and related “cyber” risks both directly and through their service providers. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issuers of securities in which a Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause a Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose value. Unlike many other types of risks faced by a Fund, these risks typically are not covered by insurance. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber incidents include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber security failures by or breaches of the systems of a Fund’s adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which a Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in: financial losses, interference with a Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, disclosure of confidential trading information, impediments to trading, submission of erroneous trades or erroneous creation or redemption orders, the inability of a Fund or its service providers to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, cyber attacks may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to the functioning of a Fund inaccessible or inaccurate or incomplete. While a Fund has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified and that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful. Furthermore, a Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to a Fund, issuers in which a Fund invests, the index provider, market makers or Authorized Participants. A Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

Derivatives Risk

 

The Adviser may from time to time engage in certain derivatives transactions in seeking to achieve a Fund’s investment objective. The use of derivative instruments may result in losses. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other instruments, may be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to a Fund. Certain derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations, liquidity risk and risks arising from margin requirements, which include the risk that a Fund will be required to pay additional margin or set aside additional collateral to maintain open derivative positions.

 

The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments, and there is no guarantee that the use of derivatives will achieve their intended result. If the Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of the timing or level of fluctuation in securities prices, interest rates, currency prices or other variables, the use of derivatives could result in losses, which in some cases may be significant. A lack of correlation between changes in the value of derivatives and the value of the portfolio assets (if any) being hedged could also result in losses. In addition, there is a risk that the performance of the derivatives or other instruments used by the Adviser to replicate the performance of a particular asset class may not accurately track the performance of that asset class. In addition, a Fund’s use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders.

 

As an investment company registered with the SEC, each Fund must identify on its books (often referred to as “asset segregation”) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC- or SEC staff-approved or other appropriate measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivative instruments.

 

Equity Market Risk

 

The HIPS Fund and the XOUT Fund may invest in common stocks. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors including: expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic and banking crises. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the issuer because common stockholders, or holders of equivalent interests, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from issuers in comparison with the rights of preferred stockholders, bondholders, and other creditors of such issuers.

 

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Exchange-Traded Note Risk

 

The COMB Fund may invest in ETNs. ETNs are a type of unsecured, unsubordinated debt security that have characteristics and risks similar to those of fixed income securities of an issuer and trade on a major exchange similar to shares of ETFs. This type of debt security differs, however, from other types of bonds and notes because an ETN’s returns generally are linked to the performance of a particular market benchmark or strategy, minus applicable fees. The purpose of ETNs is to create a type of security that combines the aspects of both bonds and ETFs. ETNs do not provide principal protection and may or may not make periodic coupon payments. ETNs are subject to credit risk, and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer’s credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying commodities markets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer’s credit rating and other economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the commodities markets. If the COMB Fund must sell some or all of its ETN holdings and the secondary market is weak, it may have to sell such holdings at a discount. If the COMB Fund holds its investment in an ETN until maturity, the issuer will give the COMB Fund a cash amount that would be equal to principal amount (subject to the day’s index factor). ETNs also are subject to credit risk, whereby the COMB Fund could lose money if the issuer of a note is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due.

 

Fixed Income Securities Risk

 

The COMB Fund may invest in Fixed Income Securities. The HIPS Fund may invest in closed-end funds (or “CEFs”) that invest primarily in debt securities. The market value of Fixed Income Securities and debt investments will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding Fixed Income Securities and debt securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Interest rates in the United States are at, or near, historic lows, which may increase a Fund’s exposure to risks associated with rising rates because interest rates are expected to start increasing in the foreseeable future, with unpredictable impacts on the markets and a Fund’s investments.

 

Fixed Income Securities and debt securities, such as bonds and certain asset-backed securities, involve certain risks, which include:

 

Asset Backed/Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. The market value and yield of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities can vary due to market interest rate fluctuations and early prepayments of underlying instruments. Although these securities may offer yields higher than those available from other types of securities, these securities may be less effective than other types of securities as a means of “locking in” attractive long-term rates because of the prepayment feature. During periods of difficult or frozen credit markets, significant changes in interest rates, or deteriorating economic conditions, such securities may decline in value, face valuation difficulties, become more volatile and/or become illiquid. Mortgage-backed securities may be particularly susceptible to Prepayment Risk.

 

Credit Risk. An investment in a Fund also involves the risk that the issuer of a debt security that the Fund holds will fail to make timely payments of interest or principal, or go bankrupt, or that the value of the securities will decline because of a market perception that the issuer may not make payments on time, thus potentially reducing the Fund’s return. Changes in economic conditions are likely to cause issuers of these debt securities to be unable to meet their obligations. The lower the rating of a debt security, the higher its credit risk. In addition, the securities of many U.S. government agencies, authorities or instrumentalities in which a Fund may invest are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. government, and may be supported only by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the credit of the issuer. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of a Fund’s, or a CEF’s, investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation.

 

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Event Risk. Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly.

 

Extension Risk. When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to future changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than the value of shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Generally, the value of Fixed Income Securities and debt securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the market value of Fixed Income Securities and debt securities tends to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates fall, the market value of Fixed Income Securities and debt securities tends to increase. This risk will be greater for long-term securities than for short-term securities. A Fund, or a CEF, may take steps to attempt to reduce the exposure of its portfolio to interest rate changes; however, there can be no guarantee that a Fund will take such actions or that a Fund will be successful in reducing the impact of interest rate changes on the portfolio. In recent periods, governmental financial regulators, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, have taken steps to maintain historically low interest rates. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changes in government intervention may have adverse effects on investments, volatility, and illiquidity in debt markets.

 

Prepayment Risk. When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and a Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayments tends to increase (as does price fluctuation) as borrowers are motivated to pay off debt and refinance at new lower rates. During such periods, reinvestment of the prepayment proceeds by the management team will generally be at lower rates of return than the return on the assets that were prepaid. Prepayment reduces the yield to maturity and the average life of the security.

 

Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk. For the HIPS Fund, the absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult for a CEF to dispose of them if the issuer defaults.

 

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Gap Risk

 

The COMB Fund is subject to the risk that a commodity price will change from one level to another with no trading in between. Usually such movements occur when there are adverse news announcements, which can cause a commodity price to drop substantially from the previous day’s closing price.

 

Increased Competition Risk

 

The COMB Fund invests in commodities. The Adviser believes that there has been, over time, a general increase in interest in commodity investing. As the Adviser’s assets under management invested directly or indirectly in the commodities markets increases, an increasing number of traders may attempt to initiate or liquidate substantial positions at or about the same time as the Adviser, or otherwise alter historical trading patterns or affect the execution of trades, to the detriment of the COMB Fund.

 

Index Risk

 

The HIPS Fund and XOUT Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in their respective Indexes. In addition, because the Funds are not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the applicable Index, a Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Each Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the applicable Index, and therefore, any changes to such Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to such Fund’s rebalancing schedule. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the applicable Index. The Funds also do not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Therefore, a Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers. The index providers rely on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing each Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of such third party data. Errors in index data, index computation or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified by the index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on a Fund and its shareholders. In addition, neither the Funds, the Adviser nor the index providers can guarantee the accuracy, availability or timeliness of the production of the respective Index.

 

Index Futures Risk

 

The COMB Fund and the XOUT Fund may invest in futures contracts reflecting the performance of such Fund’s benchmark index (“Index Futures”). The value of such Index Futures could be affected by factors that do not directly affect a Fund’s benchmark index, and accordingly, the value of the Index Futures and the level of a Fund’s benchmark index may vary from each other. The activities of market participants in trading Index Futures, or in trading other instruments related to a Fund’s benchmark index, could affect the value of the Index Futures independent of any change in a Fund’s benchmark index and adversely affect the correlation between the value of the Index Futures and the level of a Fund’s benchmark index.

 

The prices of the various Index Futures are expected to reflect supply and demand in the market for such Index Futures, which in turn may reflect market expectations at any given time about prospective changes in the level of a Fund’s benchmark index and other market conditions. In this way, trading in the market for an Index Futures position might cause a divergence between the price of such Index Futures position and the level of a Fund’s benchmark index. Similarly, actions by the applicable futures exchange with respect to Index Futures, such as the imposition of trading or price limits, could adversely affect this correlation. In these circumstances, it is possible that changes in a Fund’s net asset value will not adequately reflect changes in the level of a Fund’s benchmark index. In the event of market disruptions with respect to the Index Futures, such as a suspension of trading by the related futures exchange as a result of market activity, systems or communications failures or other causes, the value of the Index Futures and the level of a Fund’s benchmark index could diverge, which could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s shares.

 

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Although arbitrage activity by market participants is expected to have the effect of reducing or mitigating divergence between the value of the Index Futures and the level of a Fund’s benchmark index, such arbitrage activity may not fully offset any divergence at all times during which a Fund’s shares are outstanding. In the event that any such divergence between the value of the Index Futures and the level of a Fund’s benchmark index exists from time to time, changes in the net asset value of a Fund may not adequately reflect changes in the level of a Fund’s benchmark index, which could adversely affect the value of a Fund’s shares. The impact of certain of these considerations may be heightened in cases where a Fund’s positions are concentrated in a particular Index Futures position or in cases where a Fund represents a substantial portion of the open interest in a particular Index Futures position.

 

In addition, other actions taken by a futures exchange, including rule changes relating to clearing fees, margin requirements, or the minimum price fluctuations applicable to an Index Futures position, may result in economic, tax or other consequences to market participants that trade or hold Index Futures. Such actions may result in consequences that adversely affect Fund shareholders without necessarily affecting the correlation between the settlement price of the Index Futures and the level of a Fund’s benchmark index. Trading in futures transfers the risk of future price movements from one market participant to another. This means that for every gain, there is an equal and offsetting loss. Futures contracts themselves (including Index Futures) are not assets with intrinsic value, and simply reflect, in the case of cash-settled contracts, certain rights to payment or obligations to make payments to the other party to the contract, and in the case of physically-settled contracts, an agreement to make or take delivery of a particular asset at a specified price. Accordingly, market participants taking the opposite side of a Fund’s Index Futures trades may believe that the price of such Index Futures will move against a Fund, and a Fund may be at an informational or other disadvantage relative to such market participants.

 

In order for a Fund to achieve its investment objective on an ongoing basis, it is anticipated that existing positions in Index Futures will need to be closed out and new positions in Index Futures will need to be established from time to time. A Fund may further close out of existing positions and establish new positions in Index Futures from time to time, including new positions in earlier expiring Index Futures, which may allow it to reduce its concentration in any particular Index Futures position or to benefit from more liquid markets or otherwise beneficial market activity in Index Futures listed with different expirations or on different futures exchanges. This activity is expected to cause a Fund to incur transaction costs, such as brokerage fees and commissions, and may cause a Fund’s shares to under-perform a Fund’s benchmark index. In particular, the prices obtained in connection with rolling Index Futures positions may be adversely affected by market conditions (including the possibility of market disruptions) and by the trading activities of other market participants, which may reflect market awareness of a Fund’s position in its Index Futures. For example, if other market participants are able to anticipate the timing of a Fund’s transactions, they may be able to execute transactions in advance of a Fund, which would allow these market participants to benefit from the transactions executed by a Fund but adversely affect the prices obtained by a Fund. In addition, if a Fund’s Index Futures positions represent a significant part of the open long interest in such Index Futures, other market participants may take this into account, with a potential adverse impact on the prices at which a Fund is able to execute such transactions. There can be no assurance that a Fund will be able to effect its transactions in a manner that will allow it to avoid these risks. The applicable futures exchange may cease to list other Index Futures that a Fund will be able to roll its positions into, and any Index Futures listed by a futures exchange in the future may have terms that differ from those currently held by a Fund.

 

If a Fund liquidates positions in Index Futures in order to satisfy redemption requests or to pay expenses and liabilities, it does so by entering sell orders with its clearing futures commission merchant for execution on the applicable futures exchange. The resulting sales serve to offset a portion of a Fund’s long positions in Index Futures. However, in entering sell orders, a Fund is subject to the risk that temporary aberrations or distortions will occur in the market at the time these sales are effected and that the prices received by a Fund on its sales could be adversely affected, thereby adversely affecting the value of a Fund’s shares. Such aberrations or distortions could occur as a result of trading activities by other market participants or actions taken by the clearing futures commission merchant, a futures exchange, other self-regulatory organizations or regulatory authorities, including the liquidation of a Fund’s Index Futures to satisfy applicable margin requirements.

 

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If a Fund’s Index Futures are liquidated at inopportune times or in a manner that causes a temporary market distortion, this may adversely affect a Fund’s net asset value and the value of your shares.

 

Index-Related Risk

 

For each Fund, errors in index data, index computations and/or the construction of a Fund’s benchmark index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Changes in the composition and valuation of a Fund’s benchmark index may adversely affect a Fund’s shares. The composition of a Fund’s benchmark index may change over time as additional instruments satisfy the eligibility criteria or instruments currently included in a Fund’s benchmark index fail to satisfy those criteria. In addition, the index provider may modify the method for determining the composition and weighting of the index and for calculating its value. Each Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the applicable benchmark index, and, therefore, any changes to the index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the Fund’s rebalancing schedule.

 

The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by an index provider. The index provider makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Fund shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in a Fund particularly or the ability of a Fund’s benchmark index, including, without limitation, all sub-indices, to track the appropriate market performance. The index provider’s only relationship to a Fund or the Adviser is the licensing of certain trademarks, trade names of the index provider and a Fund’s benchmark index and other intellectual property. A Fund’s benchmark index is composed by the index provider and calculated by the index provider or its agents without regard to a Fund or the Adviser. The index provider has no obligation to take the needs of a Fund or the Adviser or a Fund’s shareholders into consideration in determining, composing or calculating a Fund’s benchmark index. The index provider is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and the number of Fund shares or the timing of the issuance or sale of shares.

 

The index provider does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of a Fund’s benchmark index or any data included therein, and the index provider disclaims any and all liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions therein. The index provider makes no warranty, express or implied, as to the results to be obtained by a Fund, its shareholders or any other person or entity from use of a Fund’s benchmark index or any data included therein. The index provider makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Fund’s benchmark index or any data included therein.

 

Industry Concentration Risk

 

For each of the HIPS Fund and the XOUT Fund, the applicable Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or group of industries. To the extent that the applicable Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, a Fund also may concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or group of industries, a Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of industries. If the applicable Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group of industries, a Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group of industries

 

Infectious Illness Risk

 

An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus has resulted in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare systems, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, layoffs, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic impacts. Certain markets have experienced temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. These events will have an impact on each Fund and its investments and could impact a Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error (to the extent applicable) and increased premiums or discounts to a Fund’s NAV. Other infectious illness outbreaks in the future may result in similar impacts.

 

Investment Company Risk

 

Each Fund may invest in other investment companies (including other ETFs). An investment in other investment companies (including other ETFs) is subject to the risks associated with those investment companies, which include, but are not limited to, the risk that such fund’s investment strategy may not produce the intended results; the risks of the types of instruments in which the fund invests; the risk that securities in such fund may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes; and the risk that the fund will be concentrated in a particular issuer, market, industry or sector, and therefore will be especially susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, market, industry or sector. Moreover, a Fund will incur duplicative expenses from such investments, bearing its share of that fund’s expenses while also paying its own advisory and administrative fees, which could cause a Fund’s operating expenses (taking into account indirect expenses such as the fees and expenses of the fund) to be higher and, in turn, performance to be lower than if it were to invest directly in the instruments underlying the fund. Additionally, there may not be an active trading market available for shares of some CEFs in which the HIPS Fund invests. Shares of such CEFs may also trade in the market at a premium or discount to their net asset value.

 

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Investment Style Risk

 

For the XOUT Fund, the XOUT Index is intended to provide exposure to large cap U.S. equity markets, with certain securities excluded from the XOUT Index in accordance with the XOUT Index Provider’s proprietary methodology. The XOUT Index Provider’s methodology is relatively new, and there can be no assurance that such methodology will result in positive investment performance. The XOUT Index Provider’s methodology may result in the XOUT Index being more volatile than a more conventional index. The XOUT Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.

 

Large-Sized Company Risk

 

The HIPS Fund and the XOUT Fund may invest in the securities of large-sized companies. Larger, more established companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in technology and consumer tastes. Many larger companies also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods of economic expansion. Investing more heavily in one market capitalization category (large, medium or small) carries the risk that due to market conditions that category may be out of favor with investors.

 

Leverage Risk

 

While each Fund does not seek leveraged returns, a Fund’s use of certain derivatives may create investment leverage. This means that the derivative position may provide a Fund with investment exposure greater than the value of a Fund’s investment in the derivative. As a result, these derivatives may magnify losses to a Fund, and even a small market movement may result in significant losses to a Fund.

 

Liquidity Risk

 

Each Fund may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities. Illiquid investments may be more difficult to value and more difficult or costly to buy or to sell as compared to more actively traded investments. Liquidity risk is a factor in the trading volume of a particular investment, as well as the size and liquidity of the market for such an investment. This could have a negative effect on a Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective and may result in losses to Fund shareholders.

 

In addition, a lack of liquidity in the market for a Fund’s shares may lead to differences between the market price of a Fund’s shares and their underlying value.

 

A potential rise in interest rates may result in periods of volatility and reduced liquidity with respect to a Fund’s investments in fixed income securities. A reduction in dealer market-making capacity in fixed income markets that has occurred in recent years also has the potential to decrease liquidity.

 

Market Risk

 

Each Fund is subject to market risks that can affect the value of its shares. These risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market.

 

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Turbulence in the financial markets and reduced liquidity may negatively affect issuers, which could have an adverse effect on a Fund. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. government, Federal Reserve, or other government actors, which could include increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in financial markets and lead to higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on a Fund. A Fund’s net asset value could decline over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.

 

Natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or other events may adversely impact the value of a Fund’s investments and/or result in increased premiums or discounts to a Fund’s NAV.

 

For example, the outbreak of COVID-19, a novel coronavirus disease, has negatively affected economies, markets and individual companies throughout the world. The effects of this pandemic to public health and business and market conditions, including exchange trading suspensions and closures may have a significant negative impact on the performance of a Fund’s investments, increase a Fund’s volatility, negatively impact the Fund’s arbitrage and pricing mechanisms, exacerbate pre-existing political, social and economic risks to a Fund, and negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations. A Fund’s operations may be interrupted as a result, which may contribute to the negative impact on investment performance. In addition, governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions in response to the pandemic that affect the securities in which a Fund invests, or the issuers of such securities, in ways that could have a significant negative impact on a Fund’s investment performance. The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, or other future epidemics or pandemics, is currently unknown.

 

Management Risk

 

The COMB Fund is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the COMB Fund’s portfolio holdings, the Adviser applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the COMB Fund. There can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results.

 

Market Trading Risk

 

For each Fund, the NAV of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses. The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities of the Fund’s Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s Shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund’s NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances, perception of unreliability of disclosed NAV, and other factors. Any of these factors, among others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. During such periods, you may be unable to sell your Shares or may incur significant losses if you sell your Shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings.

 

An investor that buys or sells Shares through a broker will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charge imposed by the broker. In addition, the market price of Shares, like other exchange-traded securities, includes a “bid-ask spread” (the difference between the price at which investors are willing to buy Shares and the price at which investors are willing to sell Shares). The bid-ask spread will vary over time based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity and may increase as a result of a decrease in the Fund’s trading volume, the spread of the Fund’s underlying securities, or market liquidity. The bid-ask spread may increase significantly in times of market disruption, meaning that Shares may trade at a discount to the Fund’s NAV and that discount is likely to be greatest during significant market volatility.

 

Shares of each Fund, like other publicly-traded securities, may be sold short. Shares are therefore subject to the risk of price decreases and increased volatility associated with being sold short.

 

MLP Risk

 

The HIPS Fund may invest in the securities of MLPs. MLPs involve risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP’s general partner, and cash flow risks. MLP common units and other equity securities can be affected by macroeconomic and other factors affecting the stock market in general, expectations of interest rates, investor sentiment towards MLPs or the energy sector, changes in a particular issuer’s financial condition or unfavorable or unanticipated poor performance of a particular issuer (in the case of MLPs, generally measured in terms of distributable cash flow). Prices of common units of individual MLPs and other equity securities also can be affected by fundamentals unique to the partnership or company, including earnings power and coverage ratios.

 

MLPs typically do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Instead, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in such MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP. Thus, if any MLP owned by the HIPS Fund were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the result could be a reduction of the value of your investment in the HIPS Fund and lower income, as compared to if the MLP were not taxed as a corporation.

 

Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk

 

The HIPS Fund may be subject to the risk posed by mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities (residential and commercial) and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Although asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) generally experience less prepayment risk than residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”), each of RMBS, CMBS and asset-backed securities, like traditional fixed-income securities, are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. See “Fixed Income Securities Risk” above.

 

Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities. The HIPS Fund’s investments in asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. These securities also are subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgage or assets, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Certain CMBS are issued in several classes with different levels of yield and credit protection. The HIPS Fund’s investments in CMBS with several classes may be in the lower classes that have greater risks than the higher classes, including greater interest rate, credit and prepayment risks.

 

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Mortgage-backed securities may be either pass-through securities or collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). Pass-through securities represent a right to receive principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages, which are passed through to security holders. CMOs are created by dividing the principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages into several revenue streams (tranches) with different priority rights to portions of the underlying mortgage payments. Certain CMO tranches may represent a right to receive interest only (“IOs”), principal only (“POs”), or an amount that remains after floating-rate tranches are paid (an inverse floater). These securities are frequently referred to as “mortgage derivatives” and would include agency derivative indices, such as Markit IOs, and may be extremely sensitive to changes in interest rates. Interest rates on inverse floaters, for example, vary inversely with a short-term floating rate (which may be reset periodically). Interest rates on inverse floaters will decrease when short-term rates increase, and will increase when short-term rates decrease. These securities have the effect of providing a degree of investment leverage. In response to changes in market interest rates or other market conditions, the value of an inverse floater may increase or decrease at a multiple of the increase or decrease in the value of the underlying securities. If the HIPS Fund invests in CMO tranches (including CMO tranches issued by government agencies) and interest rates move in a manner not anticipated by the Adviser, it is possible that the HIPS Fund could lose all or substantially all of its investment.

 

The mortgage market in the United States recently has experienced difficulties that may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of the HIPS Fund’s mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and losses on mortgage loans (including sub-prime and second-lien mortgage loans) generally have increased recently and may continue to increase, and a decline in or flattening of real-estate values (as has recently been experienced and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Also, a number of mortgage loan originators have recently experienced serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen.

 

Asset-backed securities entail certain risks not presented by mortgage-backed securities, including the risk that in certain states it may be difficult to perfect the liens securing the collateral backing certain asset-backed securities. In addition, certain asset-backed securities are based on loans that are unsecured, which means that there is no collateral to seize if the underlying borrower defaults. Certain mortgage-backed securities in which the HIPS Fund may invest may also provide a degree of investment leverage, which could cause the HIPS Fund to lose all or substantially all of its investment.

 

Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. The HIPS Fund may invest in RMBS. Holders of RMBS bear various risks, including credit, market, interest rate, structural, and legal risks. RMBS represent interests in pools of residential mortgage loans secured by one to four family residential mortgage loans. RMBS are particularly susceptible to prepayment risks, as they generally do not contain prepayment penalties and a reduction in interest rates will increase the prepayments on the RMBS.

 

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The rate of defaults and losses on residential mortgage loans will be affected by a number of factors, including general economic conditions and those in the geographic area where the mortgaged property is located, the terms of the mortgage loan, the borrower’s equity in the mortgaged property, and the financial circumstances of the borrower. Certain mortgage loans may be of sub-prime credit quality (i.e., do not meet the customary credit standards of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac). Delinquencies and liquidation proceedings are more likely with sub-prime mortgage loans than with mortgage loans that satisfy customary credit standards. If a portfolio of RMBS is backed by loans with disproportionately large aggregate principal amounts secured by properties in only a few states or regions in the United States, residential mortgage loans may be more susceptible to geographic risks relating to such areas. Violation of laws, public policies, and principles designed to protect consumers may limit the servicer’s ability to collect all or part of the principal or interest on a residential mortgage loan, entitle the borrower to a refund of amounts previously paid by it, or subject the servicer to damages and administrative enforcement. Any such violation could also result in cash flow delays and losses on the related issue of RMBS. It is not expected that RMBS will be guaranteed or insured by any U.S. governmental agency or instrumentality or by any other person. Distributions on RMBS will depend solely upon the amount and timing of payments and other collections on the related underlying mortgage loans.

 

Non-Investment-Grade RMBS Risk. The HIPS Fund may invest in RMBS that are non-investment grade, which means that major rating agencies rate them below the top four investment-grade rating categories (i.e., “AAA” through “BBB”). Non-investment grade RMBS tend to be less liquid, may have a higher risk of default, and may be more difficult to value than investment grade bonds. Recessions or poor economic or pricing conditions in the markets associated with RMBS may cause defaults or losses on loans underlying such securities. Non-investment grade securities are considered speculative, and their capacity to pay principal and interest in accordance with the terms of their issue is not certain, which may impair the HIPS Fund’s performance and reduce the return on its investments.

 

Non-Diversification Risk

 

The COMB Fund is non-diversified, meaning that it is permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds. Thus, the COMB Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments. The XOUT Fund may become “non-diversified,” as defined under the 1940 Act, solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index that the Fund aims to track. In such circumstances, the XOUT Fund would similarly be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer. For example, poor performance by a single large holding of the XOUT Fund would adversely affect the XOUT Fund’s performance more than if the XOUT Fund were invested in a larger number of issuers.

 

Operational Risk

 

Each Fund is exposed to various operational risks, including human error, information technology failures and failure to comply with formal procedures intended to mitigate these risks, and is particularly dependent on electronic means of communicating, record-keeping and otherwise conducting business.

 

In addition, a Fund generally exculpates, and in some cases indemnifies, its service providers and agents with respect to losses arising from unforeseen circumstances and events, which may include the interruption, suspension or restriction of trading on or the closure of the exchange on which Fund shares trade, a futures exchange, power or other mechanical or technological failures or interruptions, computer viruses, communications disruptions, work stoppages, natural disasters, fire, war, terrorism, riots, rebellions or other circumstances beyond the control of a Fund or its service providers and agents. Accordingly, a Fund generally bears the risk of loss with respect to these unforeseen circumstances and events to the extent relating to a Fund, which may limit or prevent a Fund achieving its investment objective or otherwise expose it to loss.

 

Although it is generally expected that a Fund’s direct service providers and agents will have disaster recovery or similar programs or safeguards in place to mitigate the effect of such unforeseen circumstances and events, there can be no assurance that these safeguards are in place for all parties whose activities may affect the performance of a Fund, or that these safeguards, even if implemented, will be successful in preventing losses associated with such unforeseen circumstances and events. Nor can there be any assurance that the systems and applications on which a Fund relies will continue to operate as intended. In addition to potentially causing performance failures at or direct losses to, a Fund, any such unforeseen circumstances and events or operational failures may further distract the service providers, agents or personnel on which a Fund relies, reducing their ability to conduct the activities on which a Fund is dependent. These risks cannot be fully mitigated or prevented, and further efforts or expenditures to do so may not be cost effective, whether due to reduced benefits from implementing additional or redundant safeguards or due to increases in associated maintenance requirements and other expenses that may make it more costly for a Fund to operate in more typical circumstances.

 

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Passive Investment Risk

 

The HIPS Fund and the XOUT Fund invest in the securities included in, or representative of, its index regardless of their investment merit. Neither the HIPS Fund nor the XOUT Fund attempt to outperform its index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the HIPS Fund’s and the XOUT Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its index. The returns from the types of securities in which the HIPS Fund and the XOUT Fund invests may underperform returns from the various general securities markets or different asset classes. This may cause the HIPS Fund and the XOUT Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes. Different types of securities (for example, large-, mid- and small-capitalization stocks) tend to go through cycles of doing better–or worse–than the general securities markets. In the past, these periods have lasted for as long as several years.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk

 

The COMB Fund may engage in frequent trading of derivatives, particularly during periods of volatile market movements. Active and frequent trading may lead to the realization and distribution to shareholders of higher short-term capital gains, which would increase their tax liability. Frequent trading also increases transaction costs, which could detract from the COMB Fund’s performance. High portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses to the COMB Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities, although such expenses are not reflected in the COMB Fund’s Fees and Expenses table. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the COMB Fund’s performance.

 

Regulatory Risk

 

Each Fund is subject to the risk that a change in U.S. law and related regulations will impact the way the Fund operates, increase the particular costs of the Fund’s operations and/or change the competitive landscape.

 

Each Fund and the Adviser are generally subject to extensive government regulation and intervention. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences. Moreover, government regulation may have unpredictable and unintended effects. For example, many of the changes required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act could materially impact the profitability of a Fund and the value of assets it holds, expose a Fund to additional costs, require changes to investment practices, and adversely affect a Fund’s ability to pay dividends.

 

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Additional legislative or regulatory actions may alter or impair a Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objectives or utilize certain investment strategies and techniques. While there continues to be uncertainty about the full impact of these and other regulatory changes, it is likely that a Fund will be subject to a more complex regulatory framework, and may incur additional costs to comply with new requirements as well as to monitor for compliance in the future.

 

REIT Investment Risk

 

The HIPS Fund may invest in REITs. Investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, and may be more volatile than other securities. In addition, to the extent the HIPS Fund holds interests in REITs, it is expected that investors in the HIPS Fund will bear two layers of asset-based management fees and expenses (directly at the Fund level and indirectly at the REIT level). The risks of investing in REITs include certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate and the real estate industry in general. These include risks related to general, regional and local economic conditions; fluctuations in interest rates and property tax rates; shifts in zoning laws, environmental regulations and other governmental action such as the exercise of eminent domain; cash flow dependency; increased operating expenses; lack of availability of mortgage funds; losses due to natural disasters; overbuilding; losses due to casualty or condemnation; changes in property values and rental rates; and other factors.

 

In addition to these risks, residential/diversified REITs and commercial equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The HIPS Fund expects that dividends received from a REIT and distributed to Fund shareholders generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting investments.

 

Roll Yield Risk

 

The COMB Fund currently invests in futures contracts that, as they near expiration, need to be replaced with later dated contracts in a process known as “rolling.” As the exchange-traded futures contracts approach expiration, they will be sold prior to their expiration date, and similar contracts that have a later expiration date may be purchased. Thus, for example, a futures contract purchased and held in August may specify an October expiration. As time passes, the contract expiring in October may be replaced by a contract for delivery in November. Any difference between the price for the nearer delivery month contract and the price for distant month contract is known as a “roll yield,” and this can be either a positive amount or a negative amount. If the market for these contracts is (putting aside other considerations) in “backwardation,” which means that the prices are lower in the distant delivery months than in the nearer delivery months, the sale of the October contract would take place at a price that is higher than the price of the November contract, thereby creating a “roll yield.” While some of the contracts the COMB Fund may hold have historically exhibited consistent periods of backwardation, backwardation may not exist at all times. Moreover, certain commodities, such as gold, have historically traded in “contango” markets. Contango markets are those in which the prices of contracts are higher in the distant delivery months than in the nearer delivery months. The absence of backwardation in a particular commodity market could result in negative “roll yields,” which could adversely affect the value of the COMB Fund.

 

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Secondary Market Trading Risk

 

An investment in each Fund faces risks from its shares being traded in the secondary market, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to a Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to net asset value.

 

Sector Risk

 

Each Fund’s investing approach may dictate an emphasis on certain sectors, industries, or sub-sectors of the market at any given time. To the extent a Fund invests more heavily in one sector, industry, or sub-sector of the market, it thereby presents a more concentrated risk and its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, industries, or sub-sectors. In addition, the value of a Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors and industries. An individual sector, industry, or sub-sector of the market may have above-average performance during particular periods, but may also move up and down more than the broader market. The several industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political or regulatory events. A Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, industries, or sub-sectors do not perform as expected. Alternatively, the lack of exposure to one or more sectors or industries may adversely affect performance.

 

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Energy Sector Risk. One or more of the Funds may invest significantly in securities, particularly MLPs, tied to the energy sector and energy infrastructure. Energy infrastructure companies are engaged in the (i) gathering, transporting, processing, treating, terminalling, storing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products or coal, (ii) the acquisition, exploitation and development of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, (iii) processing, treating, and refining of natural gas liquids and crude oil, (iv) owning, managing and transporting alternative fuels such as ethanol, hydrogen and biodiesel. The energy sector is highly regulated. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of virtually every aspect of their operations by federal, state and local governmental agencies, including how facilities are constructed, maintained and operated, environmental and safety controls, and the prices they may change for the products and services they provide. Companies in the energy sector may be affected by fluctuations in the prices of energy commodities, including natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and coal. Companies engaged in the exploration, development, management or production of energy commodities are at risk of the natural resources depleting over time, which may cause the market value of the company to decline over time. Companies operating in the energy sector may be adversely affected by reductions in the supply or demand for energy commodities. Companies in the energy sector may be subject to various operational risks, such as disruption of operations, inability to timely and effectively integrate newly acquired assets, unanticipated operation and maintenance expenses, underestimated cost projections, and other risks arising from specific business strategies. Rising interest rates which could adversely impact the financial performance of these companies by increasing their costs of capital, which may reduce a company’s ability to execute acquisitions or expansion products in a cost-effective manner. Extreme weather or other natural disasters could adversely impact the value of the debt and equity securities of the companies operating in the energy sector in which a Fund invests. Threats of attacks by terrorists on energy assets could impact the market for companies operating in the energy sector. If a significant accident or event occurs and a company is not fully insured, it could adversely affect a company’s operations and financial condition and the securities issued by the company. Recently, global oil prices have declined significantly and experienced significant volatility, including a period where an oil-price futures contract fell into negative territory for the first time in history, as demand for oil slowed and oil storage facilities reached their storage capacities. This development demonstrates that the oil market, and the energy sector more broadly, may be subject to particularly severe market swings.

 

Finance and Insurance Sector Risk. Companies in the financial sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financial sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.

 

Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financial sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financial sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets.

 

Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. Insurance companies are subject to extensive government regulation in some countries and can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, price and marketing competition, the imposition of premium rate caps, or other changes in government regulation or tax law. Different segments of the insurance industry can be significantly affected by mortality and morbidity rates, environmental clean-up costs and catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist acts.

 

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During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value.

 

The financial sector is also a target for cyber attacks and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyber attacks and technology failures have become increasingly frequent and have caused significant losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact a Fund. The extent to which a Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law.

 

Real Estate Sector Risk. Securities of issuers that are principally engaged in the real estate sector are subject to certain risks associated with the ownership of real estate and with the real estate industry in general. These risks include, among others: possible declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds or other limitations on access to capital; overbuilding; risks associated with leverage; market illiquidity; extended vacancies of properties; increase in competition, property taxes, capital expenditures and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws or other governmental regulation; costs resulting from the clean-up of, and liability to third parties for damages resulting from, environmental problems; tenant bankruptcies or other credit problems; casualty or condemnation losses; uninsured damages from floods, earthquakes or other natural disasters; limitations on and variations in rents, including decreases in market rates for rents; investment in developments that are not completed or that are subject to delays in completion; and changes in interest rates. Investments in real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry are also subject to risks associated with the management skill, insurance coverage, and credit worthiness of the issuer. Real estate companies tend to have micro-, small- or mid-capitalization, making their securities more volatile and less liquid than those of companies with larger capitalizations. In addition, the real estate industry has historically been cyclical and particularly sensitive to economic downturns and other events that limit demand for real estate, which would adversely impact the value of real estate investments. Real estate income and values also may be greatly affected by demographic trends, such as population shifts, changing tastes and values, or increasing vacancies or declining rents resulting from legal, cultural, technological, global or local economic developments. To the extent that assets underlying a Fund’s investments are concentrated geographically, by property type, or in certain other respects, such Fund may be subject to certain of the foregoing risks to a greater extent.

 

Small and Mid-Sized Company Risk

 

Each Fund may invest in the securities of small and mid-sized companies. Small and mid-sized companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of small-and mid-sized capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some smaller capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization companies. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. Smaller-capitalization companies also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings.

 

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Stock Risk

 

Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future. Stock prices may fluctuate from time to time in response to the activities of individual companies and in response to general market and economic conditions. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments, and the stock prices of such companies may suffer a decline in response.

 

Subsidiary Investment Risk

 

The COMB Fund has a Subsidiary. The Subsidiary’s principal investment strategies, investment objective and principal risks are substantially the same as the COMB Fund. By investing in the Subsidiary, the COMB Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. The commodity futures contracts held by the Subsidiary are similar to those that are permitted to be held by the COMB Fund and thus are subject to the same risks whether or not they are held by the COMB Fund or the Subsidiary.

 

There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, is not subject to the regulatory protections of the 1940 Act. The Board of the GraniteShares Trust has oversight responsibility for the investment activities of the COMB Fund, including its investment in the Subsidiary, and the COMB Fund’s role as sole shareholder of the Subsidiary. In adhering to the COMB Fund’s investment restrictions and limitations, the Adviser will treat the assets of the Subsidiary generally in the same manner as assets that are held directly by the COMB Fund.

 

Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the COMB Fund and the Subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the COMB Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as intended and could adversely affect the COMB Fund and its shareholders. For example, the Cayman Islands currently does not impose any income, corporate or capital gains tax, estate duty, inheritance tax, gift tax or withholding tax on the Subsidiary. If this were to change and the Subsidiary was required to pay Cayman Island taxes, the investment returns of the COMB Fund would likely decrease.

 

Tax Risk

 

Each Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. RICs are generally subject to favorable tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, a Fund must meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. Under the diversification requirements, a Fund must generally limit its investments in MLPs to no more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets.

 

In order to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment accorded to a RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, a Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from certain categories of income (“qualifying income”). The COMB Fund intends to hold certain commodity-related investments indirectly, through its Subsidiary. The COMB Fund expects its income with respect to the Subsidiary will be qualifying income. However, there is a risk that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) could issue regulations or other guidance holding, or could assert, that the COMB Fund’s income with respect to the Subsidiary is not qualifying income for purposes of the COMB Fund remaining qualified as a RIC. In such circumstances, the COMB Fund may fail to qualify as a RIC or be required to make changes to its operations, which may affect the COMB Fund’s ability to gain investment exposure to commodities. COMB Fund shareholders may also experience adverse tax consequences in such circumstances. The Adviser will carefully monitor the COMB Fund’s investments in the Subsidiary to ensure that no more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets are invested in the Subsidiary to ensure compliance with the asset diversification test for qualifying as a RIC, as described in more detail in the SAI with respect to the COMB Fund.

 

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A Fund might generate more non-qualifying income than anticipated, might not be able to generate qualifying income in a particular taxable year at levels sufficient to meet the qualifying income test, or might not be able to determine the percentage of qualifying income it derives for a taxable year until after year-end. If a Fund were to fail to meet the qualifying income test or the asset diversification test and fail to qualify as a RIC, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by a Fund in computing its taxable income. The failure by the Fund to qualify as a RIC would have significant negative tax consequences to Fund shareholders and would affect a shareholder’s return on its investment in a Fund. Under certain circumstances, a Fund may be able to cure a failure to meet the qualifying income test or the asset diversification test if such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, but in order to do so a Fund may incur significant fund-level taxes, which would effectively reduce (and could eliminate) the Fund’s returns.

 

Depreciation or other cost recovery deductions passed through to the HIPS Fund from investments in MLPs in a given year will generally reduce the HIPS Fund’s taxable income, but those deductions may be recaptured in the HIPS Fund’s income in one or more subsequent years. When recognized and distributed, recapture income will generally be taxable to shareholders at the time of the distribution at ordinary income tax rates, even though those shareholders might not have held shares in the HIPS Fund at the time the deductions were taken by the HIPS Fund, and even though those shareholders will not have corresponding economic gain on their shares at the time of the recapture. To distribute recapture income or to fund redemption requests, the HIPS Fund may need to liquidate investments.

 

MLPs taxed as partnerships have historically made cash distributions to limited partners that exceed the amount of taxable income allocable to limited partners or members, due to a variety of factors, including significant non-cash deductions such as depreciation and depletion. These excess cash distributions would not be treated as income to the HIPS Fund but rather would be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the HIPS Fund’s basis in the MLP. As a consequence, the HIPS Fund may make distributions that exceed its earnings and profits, which would be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes, but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in the HIPS Fund’s shares and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the shares are sold. After a shareholder’s basis in shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits in respect of those shares will be treated as gain from the sale of the shares.

 

Tracking Error Risk

 

Tracking error is the divergence of a Fund’s performance from that of its Index. As with all index funds, the performance of the HIPS Fund and its index may vary somewhat for a variety of reasons. For example, the HIPS Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by its index. In addition, the HIPS Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of its index at all times or may hold securities not included in its index. The use of sampling techniques may affect the HIPS Fund’s ability to achieve close correlation with its index. The HIPS Fund may use a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, if the Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the HIPS Fund, which generally can be expected to produce a greater non-correlation risk. The performance of the XOUT Fund may diverge from that of the XOUT Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the XOUT Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the XOUT Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the XOUT Fund, the returns of the XOUT Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. The frequency at which the XOUT Index is rebalanced may result in higher trading costs for the XOUT Fund and, as a result, greater tracking error. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. To the extent that the XOUT Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the XOUT Index is based on securities’ closing prices (i.e., the value of the XOUT Index is not based on fair value prices), the XOUT Fund’s ability to track the XOUT Index may be adversely affected. Because the XOUT Index, unlike the XOUT Fund, is not required to comply with requirements of the 1940 Act, the XOUT Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the component securities of the XOUT Index in order to comply with the 1940 Act. In addition, the XOUT Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the XOUT Index to comply with the 1940 Act, to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to RICs, or as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons. The XOUT Fund’s investments may also vary from the securities of the XOUT Index due to the XOUT Fund’s inability to invest in certain securities as a result of legal and compliance restrictions applicable to the XOUT Fund and/or the Adviser and regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Adviser and its affiliates. For tax efficiency purposes, the XOUT Fund may sell certain securities to realize losses, which will result in a deviation from the XOUT Index.

 

Trading Issues Risk

 

For each Fund, trading in shares on NYSE may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of NYSE, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in shares on NYSE is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to NYSE’s “circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell shares. There can be no assurance that the requirements of NYSE necessary to maintain the listing of a Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.

 

U.S. Government Securities Risk

 

Each Fund may invest in securities of the U.S. government. Different types of U.S. government securities have different relative levels of credit risk depending on the nature of the particular government support for that security. U.S. government securities may be supported by: (i) the full faith and credit of the United States government; (ii) the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (iii) the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored entity (“GSE”); (iv) pools of assets (e.g., mortgage-backed securities); or (v) the United States in some other way. The U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities, which may fluctuate in value and are subject to investment risks, and certain U.S. government securities may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. The value of U.S. government obligations may be adversely affected by changes in interest rates. It is possible that the issuers of some U.S. government securities will not have the funds to timely meet their payment obligations in the future and there is a risk of default. For certain agency and GSE issued securities, there is no guarantee the U.S. government will support the agency or GSE if it is unable to meet its obligations.

 

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Valuation Risk

 

Each Fund is subject to valuation risk. The sale price a Fund receives for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Fund’s Index, as applicable, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Each Fund may rely on various sources to calculate its NAV. However, during periods of reduced market liquidity or readily available market quotations, a Fund’s ability to obtain reliable, objective pricing data and to value its holdings becomes more difficult. Consequently, while valuation determinations made by the Adviser (using fair value procedures adopted by the Board of the GraniteShares Trust) may be done in good faith, it may be difficult for a Fund to accurately assign a daily value to its holdings. When all or a portion of a Fund’s underlying investments trade in a market that is closed when the market for a Fund’s shares is open, there may be changes between the last quote from a closed foreign market and the value of the applicable investment during a Fund’s domestic trading day. NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.

 

The trading prices of a Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from a Fund’s daily net asset value and are affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors.

 

FUND WEBSITE AND DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

 

The GraniteShares Trust maintains a website for the Funds at www.graniteshares.com. Among other things, this website includes each Fund’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), and includes the Funds’ holdings, the Funds’ last annual and semi-annual reports, pricing information about shares trading on the Exchange, updated performance information, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads. The Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports contain complete listings of each Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of the Funds’ second and fourth fiscal quarters. Each Fund prepares a report on Form N-PORT of its portfolio holdings as of the end of each month. The Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports are filed with the SEC within 60 days of the end of the reporting period and the Fund’s monthly portfolio holdings are filed with the SEC within 60 days after the end of each fiscal quarter. You can find the SEC filings on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. A summarized description of the GraniteShares Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings is available in each Fund’s SAI. Information on how to obtain the SAI is listed on the inside back cover of this prospectus.

 

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Fund Management

 

Adviser

 

GraniteShares Advisors LLC, the investment adviser to Funds, is a Delaware limited liability company located at 205 Hudson Street, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10013. The Adviser provides investment advisory services to exchange-traded funds. The Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Funds with overall responsibility for the portfolio management of the Funds, subject to the supervision of the Board of the GraniteShares Trust. For its services, the Adviser receives a fee that is equal to 0.25% per annum of the average daily net assets of the GraniteShares Bloomberg Commodity Broad Strategy No K-1 ETF, 0.70% of the GraniteShares HIP US High Income Fund, and 0.60% per annum of the average daily net assets of the GraniteShares XOUT U.S. Large-Cap ETF, in each case calculated daily and paid monthly.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the investment advisory agreement with respect to the Funds, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of the Funds, subject to certain exceptions. For a detailed description of the investment advisory agreement with respect to the Funds, please see the “Investment Advisory and Other Services” section of the SAI.

 

The Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GraniteShares, Inc., a Delaware corporation. The Adviser has been a registered investment adviser since 2017. As of September 30, 2022, the Adviser had $422,316,761 in total assets under management.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the investment advisory agreement with respect to each Fund and its respective Subsidiary is available in the Trust’s annual report to shareholders for the period ending June 30, 2022.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Benoit Autier has been Chief Operating Officer & Head of Product at GraniteShares since 2017. Prior to joining GraniteShares, Mr. Autier started his career in 1999 at KPMG Audit in Paris before moving in 2003 to Ricol & Lasteyrie (member of the Ernst and Young Corporate Finance network). He joined ETF Securities in 2005, where he worked for over 10 years in London and New York. While at ETF Securities, Mr. Autier was Head of Product Management, overseeing the operation of more than 300 exchange-traded products. Between 2015 and 2016, Mr. Autier worked at the World Gold Council in New York, where he helped structure the SPDR® Long Dollar Gold Trust. Mr. Autier received a Master in Finance from the London Business School in 2005.

 

Jeff Klearman has been Portfolio Manager at GraniteShares since 2017. Mr. Klearman has over 20 years of experience working as a trader, structurer, marketer and researcher. Most recently, Mr. Klearman was the Chief Investment Officer for Rich Investment Services, a company which created, listed and managed ETFs. Prior to Rich Investment Services, Mr. Klearman headed the New York Commodities Structuring desk at Deutsche Bank AG. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Klearman headed the marketing and structuring effort for rates-based structured products at BNP Paribas in New York. Mr. Klearman worked at AIG Financial Products from 1994 to 2004 trading rates-based volatility products as well as marketing and structuring. Mr. Klearman received his MBA in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business and his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University.

 

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

 

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Buying and Selling Shares

 

The Funds issue and redeem shares at net asset value only in a large specified number of shares each called a “Creation Unit,” or multiples thereof. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 shares and are acquired by “Authorized Participants” which are market markers, broker dealers and/or large institutional investors that have entered into an agreement with ALPS Distributors, Inc., the distributor of each Fund’s shares (“ADI” or the “Distributor”). Only Authorized Participants may acquire shares (aggregated in Creation Units) directly from a Fund, and only Authorized Participants may tender their shares for redemption directly to a Fund. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price. Fund shares are listed for secondary trading on the NYSE and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities. The NYSE is generally open Monday through Friday and is closed 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.

 

Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV or less than NAV (at a discount). Market prices of Fund shares may deviate significantly from the value of a Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings (as reflected in the NAV per share) during periods of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares bought or sold. It cannot be predicted whether Fund shares will trade below, at, or above their NAV. An investor may also incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). In addition, when buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges.

 

NAV per share for each 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 NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time).

 

When determining NAV, the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities or other instruments is based on market prices of the securities or other instruments, 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 or other instrument’s market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of the security or other instrument, the security or other instrument will be valued by another method that the Board believes will better reflect fair value in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies and procedures. Fair value pricing may be used in a variety of circumstances, including, but not limited to, situations when the value of a security or other instrument in a Fund’s portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which the security or other instrument is principally traded but prior to the close of the NYSE (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 or other instrument has been suspended or halted. Accordingly, a 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 or other instrument will materially differ from the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security or other instrument. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the underlying benchmark index. This may result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the underlying benchmark index.

 

Book Entry

 

Shares of the Funds are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the Funds.

 

Investors owning shares of a Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares of the Funds. Participants include DTC, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form. Your broker will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information.

 

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Frequent Redemptions and Purchases of Fund Shares

 

Unlike frequent trading of shares of a traditional open-end mutual fund’s (i.e., not exchange-traded) shares, frequent trading of shares of a Fund on the secondary market does not disrupt portfolio management, increase the Fund’s trading costs, lead to realization of capitalization gains, or otherwise harm the Fund’s shareholders because these trades do not involve the Fund directly. Certain institutional investors are authorized to purchase and redeem each Fund’s shares directly with the Fund. To the extent these trades are effected in-kind (i.e., for securities, and not for cash), they do not cause any of the harmful effects noted above that may result from frequent cash trades. Moreover, each Fund imposes transaction fees on in-kind purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting in-kind trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for Creation Units, reflecting the fact that the Fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances. For these reasons, the Board has determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter frequent trading and market-timing in shares of the Funds.

 

Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes

 

Fund Distributions

 

Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the COMB Fund, monthly by the HIPS Fund and quarterly by the XOUT Fund. Each Fund also intends to distribute net realized capital gains, if any, to its shareholders at least annually. Dividends and other distributions may be declared and paid more frequently to comply with the distribution requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, and to avoid a federal excise tax imposed on RICs.

 

The HIPS Fund seeks to make cash distributions of equal amounts once per month throughout a calendar year based on a rate determined at the beginning of the year. This rate may be adjusted at any time during a given year. Consequently, there can be no assurance or guarantee that the HIPS Fund will be able to make equal monthly distributions. The HIPS Fund monitors its distributions, the expected cash flow from its investments and other metrics in determining whether to adjust the distribution rate during the course of a year. Further, the distribution rate will vary from year to year. A portion of the distributions made by the HIPS Fund may be treated as return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes. One or more additional distributions may be made generally in December or after the HIPS Fund’s fiscal year-end to comply with applicable law.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service

 

Brokers may make available to their customers who own a Fund’s shares the DTC 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. Without this service, investors would receive their distributions in cash. In order to achieve the maximum total return on their investments, investors are encouraged to use the dividend reinvestment service. 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 a Fund’s shareholders to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the applicable Fund purchased in the secondary market.

 

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Federal Income Tax Information

 

The following is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax issues that affect each Fund and its shareholders. The summary is based on current U.S. federal income tax laws, which may be changed by legislative, judicial or administrative action. You should not consider this summary to be a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of a Fund, or the tax consequences of an investment in a Fund’s shares. The summary is very general, and does not address investors subject to special rules, such as investors who hold shares through an IRA, a 401(k) or other tax-advantaged account. More information about U.S. federal income 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.

 

Federal Income Tax Status of the Funds. Each Fund is treated as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and intends to qualify for the special tax treatment afforded to RICs under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. As long as a Fund qualifies as a RIC, it pays no U.S. federal income tax on the earnings it distributes to shareholders.

 

Federal Income Tax Status of Distributions:

 

  Each Fund will, for each year, distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains.
     
  Distributions reported by a Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to noncorporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided certain holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid 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 a Fund received 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. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive that are attributable to dividends received by a Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations.
     
  A Fund’s strategies may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible for qualified dividend income treatment for noncorporate shareholders and the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.
     
  Any distributions of net capital gain (the excess of a Fund’s net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) that you receive from a Fund are taxable as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your shares. Long-term capital gains are currently taxed to noncorporate shareholders at reduced maximum rates.
     
  If a Fund’s distributions exceed its current and accumulated earnings and profits, the excess will be treated for federal income tax purposes as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your basis in your shares and thereafter as a capital gain if you hold your shares as a capital asset. Because a return of capital distribution reduces the basis of your shares, a return of capital distribution may result in a higher capital gain or a lower capital loss when you sell your shares held in a taxable account.
     
  Taxable dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or in additional shares through a broker’s dividend reinvestment service. If you receive dividends or distributions in the form of additional shares through a broker’s dividend reinvestment service, you will be required to pay applicable federal, state or local taxes on the reinvested dividends but you will not receive a corresponding cash distribution with which to pay any applicable tax.

 

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  A Fund may be able to pass through to you foreign tax credits for certain taxes paid by the Fund, provided the Fund meets certain requirements.
     
  Distributions paid in January but declared by a Fund in October, November or December of the previous year to shareholders of record in one of those months may be taxable to you in the previous year.
     
  A Fund will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income, return of capital, foreign tax credits and net capital gain distributions received from the Fund shortly after the close of each calendar year.

 

Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of amounts treated as distributions of net capital gain to the shareholder with respect to such shares.

 

Medicare Tax. U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on their “net investment income,” including interest, dividends, and capital gains (including capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of shares). 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 not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, a Fund’s ordinary income dividends will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies or unless such income is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. This 30% withholding tax generally will not apply to distributions of net capital gain.

 

Distributions, sale proceeds and certain capital gain dividends paid to a shareholder that is a “foreign financial institution” as defined in Section 1471 of the Internal Revenue Code and that does not meet the requirements imposed on foreign financial institutions by Section 1471 will generally be subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate. Distributions, sale proceeds and certain capital gain dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder that is not a foreign financial institution will generally be subject to such withholding tax if the shareholder fails to make certain required certifications. Recently issued proposed Treasury Regulations, however, generally eliminate such withholding on gross proceeds, which include certain capital gains distributions and sale proceeds from a sale or disposition of Fund shares. Taxpayers generally may rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

 

Backup Withholding. A Fund or your broker will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup withholding”) on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) has provided either an incorrect taxpayer identification number or no number at all, (2) is subject to backup withholding by the Internal Revenue Service for failure to properly report payments of interest or dividends, (3) has failed to certify that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding, or (4) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding will not, however, be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax applicable to shareholders who are neither citizens nor residents of the United States.

 

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Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units. An authorized purchaser having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging authorized purchaser’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered, plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An authorized purchaser who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging authorized purchaser’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service may assert, however, that an authorized purchaser who does not mark-to-market its holdings may not be permitted to currently deduct losses upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

 

Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less.

 

A Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. A Fund may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause a 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, a Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal income tax law of an investment in a Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state, local and foreign tax on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.

 

Distribution of Fund Shares

 

ALPS Distributors, Inc. (previously defined as “ADI” or the “Distributor”) is a broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by a Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203.

 

The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by a Fund, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of the applicable Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.

 

Premium/Discount Information

 

Information on the daily NAV per share of each Fund can be found at www.graniteshares.com. Additionally, information regarding how often the shares of each 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 is available at www.graniteshares.com. Any such information represents past performance and cannot be used to predict future results.

 

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Fund Service Providers

 

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH”) is the custodian and transfer agent for the Funds. BBH is located at 50 Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02110-1548.

 

ALPS Fund Services, Inc., located at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203, is the administrator for the Funds.

 

ALPS Distributors, Inc., located at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, CO 80203, is the distributor for the Funds.

 

Thompson Hine LLP., located at 41 South High Street, Suite 1700, Columbus, OH 43215, serves a legal counsel to the Adviser and the Trust.

 

Tait Weller, located at Two Liberty Place, Philadelphia, PA 19102, serves as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm. Tait Weller has been appointed by the Funds’ trustees to audit the annual financial statements of the Funds.

 

Financial Highlights

 

Highlights are intended to help you understand the financial history for the past five years (or, if shorter, the period of operations). Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The annual information for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2020 and June 30, 2021 have been audited by Tait Weller, independent registered public accounting firm, whose reports, along with the Funds’ financial statements, are included in the annual report. The annual information for prior fiscal years was audited by KPMG LLP, the Funds’ previous independent registered public accounting firm. Annual reports are available free upon request.

 

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GraniteShares ETF Trust

 

Consolidated Financial Highlights

 

GraniteShares Bloomberg Commodity Broad Strategy No K-1 ETF

 

    For the Year Ended     For the Year Ended     For the Year Ended     For the Year Ended     For the Year Ended  
    June 30, 2022     June 30, 2021     June 30, 2020     June 30, 2019     June 30, 2018  
NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF YEAR   $ 28.26     $ 19.49     $ 23.99     $ 26.09     $ 24.39  

INCOME FROM OPERATIONS:

Net investment income/(loss)(a)

    (0.01 )     (0.05 )     0.30       0.48       0.32  
Net realized and unrealized gain/(loss)(b)     6.00       8.84       (4.44 )     (2.36 )     1.43  
Total from investment operations     5.99       8.79       (4.14 )     (1.88 )     1.75  
DISTRIBUTIONS:                                        
From net investment income     (4.06 )     (0.02 )     (0.36 )     (0.22 )     (0.05 )
Total distributions     (4.06 )     (0.02 )     (0.36 )     (0.22 )     (0.05 )
NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) IN NET ASSET VALUE     1.93       8.77       (4.50 )     (2.10 )     1.70  
NET ASSET VALUE, END OF YEAR   $ 30.19     $ 28.26     $ 19.49     $ 23.99     $ 26.09  
TOTAL RETURN(c)     23.74 %     45.10 %     (17.55 )%     (7.16 )%(d)     7.19 %(d)
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:                                        
Net assets, end of period (in 000s)   $ 336,569     $ 221,823     $ 39,993     $ 67,216     $ 30,052  
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS                                        
Ratio of expenses to average net assets     0.25 %     0.25 %     0.25 %     0.26 %     0.52 %
Ratio of expenses including waiver/reimbursement to average net assets     0.25 %     0.25 %     0.25 %     0.25 %     0.27 %
Ratio of net investment income/(loss) to average net assets     (0.03 )%     (0.19 )%     1.36 %     1.99 %     1.21 %
Portfolio turnover rate     0 %     0 %     0 %     0 %     0 %

 

  (a) Based on daily average shares outstanding during the year.
(b) Calculation of the net gain (loss) per share (both realized and unrealized) may not correlate to the aggregate realized and unrealized gains (losses) presented in the Statement of Operations due to the timing of sales and repurchases of Fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values of the investments of the Fund.
(c) Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period and redemption at the net asset value on the last day of the period and assuming all distributions are reinvested at the reinvestment prices.
  (d) Total return would have been lower if certain fund expenses had not been reimbursed by the Advisor.

 

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GraniteShares HIPS U.S. HIgh Income ETF

 

    For the Year Ended     For the Year Ended     For the Year Ended     For the Year Ended     For the Period Ended  
    June 30, 2022     June 30, 2021     June 30, 2020     June 30, 2019     June 30, 2018(a)  
NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD INCOME FROM OPERATIONS:   $ 15.74     $ 11.80     $ 16.82     $ 17.30     $ 17.49  
                                         
Net investment income(b)     0.84       0.87       0.97       0.56       0.29  
Distributions of net realized gains from investments in other investment companies.                       0.00 (c)     0.00 (c)
Net realized and unrealized gain/(loss)(d)     (2.92 )     4.36       (4.70 )     0.25       0.27  
Total from investment operations     (2.08 )     5.23       (3.73 )     0.81       0.56  
                                         
DISTRIBUTIONS:                                        
From net investment income     (0.64 )     (0.71 )     (0.82 )     (0.32 )     (0.58 )
From tax return of capital     (0.65 )     (0.58 )     (0.47 )     (0.97 )     (0.17 )
Total distributions     (1.29 )     (1.29 )     (1.29 )     (1.29 )     (0.75 )
                                       
NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) IN NET ASSET VALUE     (3.37 )     3.94       (5.02 )     (0.48 )     (0.19 )
NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD   $ 12.37     $ 15.74     $ 11.80     $ 16.82     $ 17.30  
TOTAL RETURN(e)     (14.16 )%     46.75 %     (23.20 )%     4.95 %(f)     3.38 %(f)(g)
                                         
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:                                        
Net assets, end of period (in 000s)   $ 65,574     $ 64,517     $ 6,490     $ 7,569     $ 7,786  
                                         
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS                                        
Ratio of expenses to average net assets     0.70 %     0.70 %     0.70 %     0.73 %     0.98 %(h)
Ratio of expenses including waiver/reimbursement to average net assets     0.70 %     0.70 %     0.70 %     0.70 %     0.70 %(h)
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets     5.74 %     6.07 %     6.65 %     3.33 %     2.92 %(h)
Portfolio turnover rate     74 %     65 %     51 %     112 %     33 %(g)

 

  (a) For the period December 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.
  (b) Based on daily average shares outstanding during the period.
  (c) Less than $(0.005).
  (d) Calculation of the net gain (loss) per share (both realized and unrealized) may not correlate to the aggregate realized and unrealized gains (losses) presented in the Statement of Operations due to the timing of sales and repurchases of Fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values of the investments of the Fund.
  (e) Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period and redemption at the net asset value on the last day of the period and assuming all distributions are reinvested at the reinvestment prices.
  (f) Total return would have been lower if certain fund expenses had not been reimbursed by the Advisor.
  (g) Not Annualized.
  (h) Annualized.

 

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GRANITESHARES XOUT U.S. LARGE CAP ETF

 

    For the Year Ended June 30     For the Period
October 4, 2019 (Commencement of operations) to
 
    2022     2021     June 30, 2020  
NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD INCOME FROM OPERATIONS:   $ 40.74     $ 29.19     $ 25.37  

Net investment income(a)

    0.13       0.15       0.17  
Net realized and unrealized gain/(loss)     (7.72 )     11.55       3.81  
Total from investment operations     (7.59 )     11.70       3.98  
                         
DISTRIBUTIONS:                        
From net investment income     (0.14 )     (0.15 )     (0.15 )
From realized gains                 (0.01 )
Total distributions     (0.14 )     (0.15 )     (0.16 )
                         
NET INCREASE/(DECREASE) IN NET ASSET VALUE     (7.73 )     11.55       3.82  
NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD   $ 33.01     $ 40.74     $ 29.19  
TOTAL RETURN(b)     (18.69 )%     40.16 %     15.78 %
                         
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:                        
Net assets, end of period (in 000s)   $ 87,474     $ 124,262     $ 30,647  
                         
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS                        
Ratio of expenses to average net assets     0.60 %     0.60 %     0.60 %(c)
Ratio of expenses including waiver/reimbursement to average net assets     0.60 %     0.60 %     0.60 %(c)
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets     0.31 %     0.43 %     0.84 %(c)

 

  (a) Based on daily average shares outstanding during the period.
  (b) Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period and redemption at the net asset value on the last day of the period and assuming all distributions are reinvested at the reinvestment prices.
  (c) Annualized.
  (d) Not Annualized.

 


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Annual/Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders

 

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

 

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

 

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

 

For More Information

 

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

 

  Call: 844-GRN-TSHR (844-476-8747)

Monday through Friday
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

  Write: GraniteShares ETF Trust

c/o ALPS Fund Services, Inc.
1290 Broadway, Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80203

 

  Visit: www.graniteshares.com

 

Information Provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission

 

Reports and other information about the Funds are available in the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, or you can receive copies of this information, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].

 

The Trust’s Investment Company Act file number: 811-23214

 

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