Exchange Listed Funds Trust
Prospectus
Principal Listing Exchange for the Fund: Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
About This Prospectus
This Prospectus has been arranged into different sections so that you can easily review this important information. For detailed information about the Fund, please see:
Fund Summary
The Cabana Target Beta ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term growth.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | |
| Management Fee | |
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | |
| Other Expenses | |
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses1 | |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |
| Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement2 | - |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Waiver/Reimbursement | |
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2 Effective January 8, 2024,
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 (including one year of capped expenses each period) remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your cost would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
| $ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
The
Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when shares of
the Fund are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in
annual fund operating expenses or in the Example above, affect the Fund’s
performance. For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023, the Fund’s portfolio
turnover rate was
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective with limited volatility and reduced correlation to the overall performance of the equity markets by allocating its assets among the following five major asset classes – equities, fixed income securities, real estate, currencies, and commodities. The Fund operates in a manner that is commonly referred to as a “fund of funds,” meaning that it obtains investment exposure to an asset class primarily by investing in one or more ETFs designed to track the performance of the asset class. The ETFs in which the Fund invests may invest in a broad range of securities, including equity securities of any market capitalization of US and foreign (including emerging markets) issuers and fixed income securities of any duration, maturity, and quality (including high yield or non-investment grade securities, commonly referred to as “junk bonds”). In addition, the Fund may invest directly in securities and other instruments that provide the desired exposure to the asset class.
Cabana Asset Management (the “Sub-Adviser”) selects investments for the Fund pursuant to an asset allocation strategy designed to manage portfolio volatility and reduce exposure to down markets. The Sub-Adviser utilizes its Cyclical Asset Reallocation Algorithm (“CARA”), a proprietary algorithm developed by the Sub-Adviser that monitors market conditions to identify assets that are particularly attractive at a given time in the business cycle. CARA incorporates various fundamental economic and technical price data, including public information concerning the yield curve (i.e., the spread between short- and long-term interest rates), earnings of a broad spectrum of U.S. companies, and equity price trends. CARA also uses this information to identify significant market deteriorations and provide corresponding signals, when appropriate, to move to a more conservative allocation (e.g., short term treasuries). The Sub-Adviser, through CARA, monitors the Fund’s investments daily and allocates or reallocates assets among less correlated and inversely-correlated asset classes in an effort to reduce exposure to potential market declines.
The Fund’s portfolio construction process generally seeks to maintain an aggregate one-year rolling target beta relative to the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index (the “Reference Index”) of 0.35, although the beta exposure is not a fixed amount and will vary based on CARA’s output in response to market conditions. The Sub-Adviser believes a target beta of approximately 0.35 relative to the Reference Index will provide the potential for long-term capital appreciation while maintaining lower volatility than the Reference Index. Beta is intended to measure the volatility of an asset class relative to the applicable overall market. For example, an asset class that has a beta of 1 has the same volatility as the applicable overall market, an asset class that has a beta less than 1 has less volatility than the applicable overall market, and an asset class that has a beta greater than 1 has more volatility than the applicable overall market. The Sub-Adviser strives to emphasize stability throughout the economic cycle and protection of capital, as well as accumulation of bond interest and equity dividends. Although the Sub-Adviser anticipates that it will purchase or sell securities based on the signals provided by CARA, the Sub-Adviser maintains full decision-making power and may override CARA if it determines that a breakdown or systemic change has occurred in the methods for which capital is deployed within the worldwide economic system or if it believes that CARA does not signal appropriate changes to risk assets as the economic cycle evolves. The Sub-Adviser expects the Fund, during normal market conditions, to be fully invested at all times.
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* The performance information shown above is based on a calendar year. The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2023 was -1.39%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)
| Return | Quarter/Year | |
| - |
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| Cabana Target Beta ETF | 1 Year | Since Inception ( |
| - |
- | |
| - |
- | |
| - |
- | |
| - |
- |
Investment Advisers
Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Cabana Asset Management serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
G. Chadd Mason, CEO of the Sub-Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2020.
Andrew Serowik, Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2020.
Gabriel Tan, Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2020.
Todd Alberico, Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2020.
Brian Cooper, Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, has served as a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2022.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund issues shares to, and redeems shares from, certain institutional investors known as “Authorized Participants” (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions for the Fund are generally conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a portfolio of in-kind securities designated by the Fund and a specified cash payment.
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Individual shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at a market price. The Fund’s shares are listed on the Exchange. You can purchase and sell individual shares of the Fund throughout the trading day like any publicly traded security. The price of the Fund’s shares is based on a market price and, because exchange-traded fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).When buying or selling shares of the Fund in the secondary market, you may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at https://www.cabanaetfs.com/.
Tax Information
Distributions made by the Fund may be taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or long-term capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. In that case, you may be taxed when you take a distribution from such account, depending on the type of account, the circumstances of your distribution, and other factors.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Additional Principal Investment Strategies Information
The Fund is an actively managed ETF and uses an active investment strategy to seek to meet its investment objective. The Fund’s investment objective to provide long-term growth is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
The Fund seeks to maintain a target “beta” relative to the Reference Index. Beta refers to the measure of volatility of an asset class relative to the applicable overall market and the target beta is the target amount of expected volatility of the Fund’s portfolio as compared to the Reference Index. “Beta” is used to describe this aspect of the Fund’s strategy and is not a guarantee, nor should it be construed to suggest safety or protection from loss. There is no guarantee that portfolio performance will remain consistent with the targeted beta.
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The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers. Securities lending involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process), “gap” risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees the Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. In the event a borrower does not return the Fund’s securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities.
Additional Principal Risk Information
The following section provides additional information regarding the principal risks of the Fund.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk. The Fund will invest in ETFs. Through its positions in ETFs, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with such vehicles, including the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by an ETF could decrease. Lack of liquidity in an ETF can result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio investment. In addition, by investing in the Fund, shareholders indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the ETFs in addition to the Fund’s direct fees and expenses. The shares of an ETF may trade at a premium or discount to their intrinsic value (i.e., the market value may differ from the net asset value of an ETF’s shares) for a number of reasons. For example, supply and demand for shares of an ETF or market disruptions may cause the market price of the ETF to deviate from the value of the ETF’s investments, which may be exacerbated in less liquid markets.
Commodity Investing Risk. Investing in commodity-related companies may subject an ETF to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets have experienced periods of extreme volatility. Similar future market conditions may result in rapid and substantial valuation increases or decreases in an ETF’s holdings. The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors. Movements in commodity investment prices are outside of an ETF’s control and may not be anticipated. Price movements may be influenced by, among other things: governmental, agricultural, trade, fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs and policies; changing market and economic conditions; market liquidity; weather and climate conditions; changing supply and demand relationships and levels of domestic production and imported commodities; the availability of local, intrastate and interstate transportation systems; energy conservation; the success of exploration projects; changes in international balances of payments and trade; domestic and foreign rates of inflation; currency devaluations and revaluations; domestic and foreign political and economic events; domestic and foreign interest rates and/or investor expectations concerning interest rates; foreign currency/exchange rates; domestic and foreign governmental regulation and taxation; war, acts of terrorism and other political upheaval and conflicts; governmental expropriation; investment and trading activities of investment companies, hedge funds and commodities funds; and changes in philosophies and emotions of market participants. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an ETF could lose money if an issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument becomes unwilling or unable to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise meet its obligations. An investment in an ETF that invests in a debt instrument could decline because of concerns about the issuer’s credit quality or perceived financial condition. Fixed income securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are sometimes reflected in credit ratings.
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Equity Securities Risk. The prices of equity securities in which the ETFs invest may rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. Individual companies may report better than expected results or be positively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may increase in response. In addition, the equity market tends to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to rise over short or extended periods of time.
Emerging Markets Securities Risk. Emerging markets are subject to greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets and more governmental limitations on foreign investment than more developed markets. In addition, securities in emerging markets may be subject to greater price fluctuations than securities in more developed markets. Investments in debt securities of foreign governments present special risks, including the fact that issuers may be unable or unwilling to repay principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt, or may be unable to make such repayments when due in the currency required under the terms of the debt. Political, economic and social events also may have a greater impact on the price of debt securities issued by foreign governments than on the price of U.S. securities. In addition, brokerage and other transaction costs on foreign securities exchanges are often higher than in the United States and there is generally less government supervision and regulation of exchanges, brokers and issuers in foreign countries. Differences in regulatory, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting and recordkeeping standards could impede the Sub-Adviser’s ability to evaluate local companies and impact the Fund’s performance. Investments in securities of issuers in emerging markets may also be exposed to risks related to a lack of liquidity, greater potential for market manipulation, issuers’ limited reliable access to capital, and foreign investment structures. Additionally, the Fund may have limited rights and remedies available to it to pursue claims against issuers in emerging markets.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. Fixed income securities are debt obligations issued by corporations, municipalities and other borrowers. Coupons may be fixed or adjustable, based on a pre-set formula. The market value of fixed income investments may change in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Fixed income securities are subject to the risk that the securities may be paid off earlier or later than expected. Either situation could cause an ETF to hold securities paying lower-than market rates of interest, which could adversely affect an ETF’s yield or share price. In addition, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of certain fixed income securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, an ETF may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as extension risk. When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their fixed income securities sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of an ETF because that ETF will have to reinvest that money at lower prevailing interest rates. This is known as prepayment risk. The prices of high-yield bonds, unlike those of investment-grade bonds, may fluctuate unpredictably and not necessarily inversely with changes in interest rates. Changes by recognized agencies in the rating of any fixed income security and in the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and principal will also affect the value of these investments.
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Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in 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. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. With respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries. Because foreign exchanges may be open on days when an ETF does not price its shares, the value of the securities in an ETF’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the ETF’s shares. Conversely, shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are closed. Each of these factors can make investments in an ETF more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
The opportunity for offshore investors, such as the Fund, to access certain markets can be limited due to a variety of factors including government regulations, adverse tax treatment, and currency convertibility issues. These limitations and restrictions may impact the availability, liquidity and pricing of securities designed to provide offshore investors with exposure to such markets. As a result, returns achieved by offshore investors, such as the Fund, could differ from those available to domestic investors in the selected countries.
High Yield or Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk. High yield or non-investment grade securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) and unrated securities of comparable credit quality are subject to the increased risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations and are generally considered to be speculative. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific corporate developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the non-investment grade securities markets generally, real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions and less secondary market liquidity. If the issuer of non-investment grade securities defaults, an ETF may incur additional expenses to seek recovery.
Issuer-Specific Risk. Changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of security or issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can affect a security’s or instrument’s value. The value of securities of smaller, less well-known issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers. Issuer-specific events can have a negative impact on the value of the ETFs.
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Large-Capitalization Risk. The performance of an ETF that invests in large-capitalization securities may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform (or in the case of short positions, outperform) securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Real Estate Investments Risk. An ETF may be subject to the risks related to investments in real estate, including declines in the real estate market, decreases in property revenues, increases in interest rates, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, legal and regulatory changes, a lack of credit or capital, defaults by borrowers or tenants, environmental problems and natural disasters.
Sector Focus Risk. An ETF may invest a significant portion of its assets in one or more sectors and thus will be more susceptible to the risks affecting those sectors.
Small- and Mid-Capitalization Risk. The small- and mid-capitalization companies in which an ETF invests may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies, and may underperform other segments of the market or the equity market as a whole. Securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes, are often more vulnerable to market volatility, and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some small- and mid-capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources, and management personnel and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to large-capitalization companies. Also, there is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. Small-capitalization companies also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. Obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies, authorities and instrumentalities and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States only guarantee principal and interest will be timely paid to holders of the securities. The entities do not guarantee that the value of the securities will increase and, in fact, the market values of such obligations may fluctuate. In addition, not all U.S. government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States; some are the obligation solely of the entity through which they are issued. There is no guarantee that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies and instrumentalities if not required to do so by law.
Market Risk. Market risk, including political, regulatory, market, and economic or other developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, can affect the value of the Fund’s shares. The market price of an investment could decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. The market value of an investment also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries such as labor shortages, increased production costs, and competitive conditions. Different types of investments may go through cycles of out-performance and under-performance in comparison to the general financial markets. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates generally do not have the same impact on all types of investments. Local, regional, or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the market generally and on specific investments. For example, in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic, the large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the rise of inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the global economy and in global financial markets. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. As a result, whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic and financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected.
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Asset Allocation Risk. The Fund’s investment performance depends upon the successful allocation of the Fund’s assets among asset classes. There is no guarantee that the Sub-Adviser’s allocation techniques and decisions will produce the desired results. It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund as a result of these allocation decisions.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk. An exchange or market may close early or issue trading halts on specific securities or financial instruments. The ability to trade certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may disrupt the Fund’s creation and redemption process, potentially affect the price at which the Fund’s shares trade in the secondary market, and/or result in the Fund being unable to trade certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
Limited Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. Authorized Participants, market makers, or liquidity providers may exit the business, reduce their business activities, or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, and there is a possibility that no other entities will step forward to perform these services. This may result in a significantly diminished trading market for the Fund’s shares, differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those shares, delisting of the shares, and wider bid-ask spreads.
Management Risk. The Sub-Adviser continuously evaluates the Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. However, the achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed. The Sub-Adviser’s judgments about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these judgments may affect the return on your investment. In fact, no matter how good a job the sub-advisers do, you could lose money on your investment in the Fund, just as you could with other investments. If the Sub-Adviser is incorrect in its assessment of the income, growth or price realization potential of the Fund’s holdings or incorrect in its assessment of general market or economic conditions, then the value of the Fund’s shares may decline.
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Model and Data Risk. The Fund relies heavily on CARA, a proprietary model developed by the Sub-Adviser, as well as data and information supplied by third parties that are utilized by such model. There are limitations inherent in every quantitative model. To the extent the model does not perform as designed or as intended, the Fund’s strategy may not be successfully implemented and the Fund may lose value. If the model or data are incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities that would have been excluded or included had the model or data been correct and complete. The strategies and techniques employed by quantitative models cannot fully match the complexity of the financial markets and, therefore, sudden unanticipated changes in underlying market conditions can significantly impact their performance. The effectiveness of the given strategy or technique may deteriorate in an unpredictable fashion for any number of reasons including, but not limited to, an increase in the amount of assets managed or the use of similar strategies or techniques by other market participants and/or market dynamic shifts over time. In addition, factors that affect a security’s value can change over time, and these changes may not be reflected in the quantitative model. Any model may contain flaws the existence and effect of which may be discovered only after the fact or not at all.
New/Smaller Fund Risk. A new or smaller fund’s performance may not represent how the fund is expected to or may perform in the long term if and when it becomes larger and has fully implemented its investment strategies. Investment positions may have a disproportionate impact (negative or positive) on performance in new and smaller funds. New and smaller funds may also require a period of time before they are fully invested in securities that meet their investment objectives and policies and achieve a representative portfolio composition. Fund performance may be lower or higher during this “ramp-up” period, and may also be more volatile, than would be the case after the fund is fully invested. Similarly, a new or smaller fund’s investment strategy may require a longer period of time to show returns that are representative of the strategy. New funds have limited performance histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies. If a new or smaller fund were to fail to successfully implement its investment strategies or achieve its investment objective, performance may be negatively impacted. Further, when a fund’s size is small, the fund may experience low trading volumes and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, a fund may face the risk of being delisted if the fund does not meet certain conditions of the listing exchange. If a fund were to be required to delist from the listing exchange, the value of the fund may rapidly decline and performance may be negatively impacted. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve an economically viable size. Any of the foregoing may result in the Fund being liquidated. The Fund may be liquidated by the Board without a shareholder vote. In a liquidation, shareholders of the Fund will receive an amount equal to the Fund’s NAV, after deducting the costs of liquidation, including the transaction costs of disposing of the Fund’s portfolio investments. Receipt of a liquidation distribution may have negative tax consequences for shareholders. Additionally, during a fund’s liquidation all or a portion of the fund’s portfolio may be invested in a manner not consistent with its investment objective and investment policies.
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Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund’s investment strategies may result in relatively high portfolio turnover, which may result in increased transaction costs and may lower Fund performance. The relatively high portfolio turnover may also result in a substantial amount of distributions from the Fund to be characterized as short-term capital gain distributions. Short-term capital gain distributions from the Fund are subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates and are to be reported by shareholders as ordinary income on their U.S. federal income tax returns.
Operational Risk. Your ability to transact in shares of the Fund or the valuation of your investment may be negatively impacted because of the operational risks arising from factors such as processing errors and human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology, changes in personnel, and errors caused by third party service providers or trading counterparties. Although the Fund attempts to minimize such failures through controls and oversight, it is not possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls that completely eliminate or mitigate the occurrence of such failures. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
Sector Focus Risk. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in one or more sectors and thus will be more susceptible to the risks affecting those sectors. The Fund’s sector exposure is expected to vary over time.
Communication Services Sector Risk. Communication services companies are particularly vulnerable to the potential obsolescence of products and services due to technological advancement and the innovation of competitors. Companies in the communication services sector may also be affected by other competitive pressures, such as pricing competition, as well as research and development costs, substantial capital requirements and government regulation. Additionally, fluctuating domestic and international demand, shifting demographics and often unpredictable changes in consumer tastes can drastically affect a communication services company's profitability. While all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the communication services sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. Consumer discretionary companies are companies that provide non-essential goods and services, such as retailers, media companies and consumer services. These companies manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, and the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes can also affect the demand for, and success of, consumer discretionary products in the marketplace.
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Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The consumer staples sector consists of, for example, companies whose primary lines of business are food, beverage and other household items. This sector can be affected by, among other things, changes in price and availability of underlying commodities, rising energy prices and global economic conditions. Unlike the consumer discretionary sector, companies in the consumer staples sector have historically been characterized as non-cyclical in nature and therefore less volatile in times of change. Companies in the consumer staples sector are subject to government regulation affecting the permissibility of using various food additives and production methods, which regulations could affect company profitability. Tobacco companies may be adversely affected by the adoption of proposed legislation and/or by litigation. Also, the success of food and soft drinks may be strongly affected by fads, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting supply and demand.
Energy Sector Risk. Issuers in energy-related industries can be significantly affected by fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of energy fuels caused by geopolitical events, energy conservation or use of alternative fuel sources, the success of exploration projects, weather or meteorological events, taxes, increased governmental or environmental regulation, resource depletion, rising interest rates, declines in domestic or foreign production, accidents or catastrophic events, or terrorist threats or attacks, among others. Markets for various energy-related commodities can have significant volatility, and are subject to control or manipulation by large producers or purchasers. Companies in the energy sector may need to make substantial expenditures, and to incur significant amounts of debt, in order to maintain or expand their reserves through exploration of new sources of supply, through the development of existing sources, through acquisitions, or through long-term contracts to acquire reserves. Factors adversely affecting producers, refiners, distributors, or others in the energy sector may affect adversely companies that service or supply those entities, either because demand for those services or products is curtailed, or those services or products come under price pressure.
Financials Sector Risk. Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation, which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. In addition, deterioration of the credit markets generally may cause an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets.
Health Care Sector Risk. The profitability of companies in the health care sector may be affected by extensive government regulations, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection. The expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many health care companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Health care companies are subject to competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the health care sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly and may be ultimately unsuccessful. Companies in the health care sector may be thinly capitalized and may be susceptible to product obsolescence.
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Industrials Sector Risk. The industrials sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, worldwide economy growth, supply and demand for specific products and services and for industrial sector products in general, product obsolescence, rapid technological developments, international political and economic developments, claims for environmental damage or product liability, tax policies, and government regulation. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. As the demand for, or prices of, industrial goods and services increase, the value of the Fund’s investments generally would be expected to also increase. Conversely, declines in the demand for, or prices of, industrials generally would be expected to contribute to declines in the value of such securities. Such declines may occur quickly and without warning and may negatively impact the value of the Fund and your investment.
Information Technology Sector Risk. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, the loss of patent, copyright and trademark protections, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Additionally, companies in the information technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Information technology companies may also be smaller and less experienced companies, with limited product lines, markets or financial resources and fewer experienced management or marketing personnel. Information technology company stocks, especially those which are Internet related, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that are often unrelated to their operating performance. Securities of information technology companies may be subject to greater price volatility than securities of companies in other sectors. These securities may fall in and out of favor with investors rapidly, which may cause sudden selling and dramatically lower market prices.
Materials Sector Risk. The materials sector includes companies in the chemicals, construction materials, containers and packaging, paper products, and mining industry groups. Changes in world events, political, environmental and economic conditions, energy conservation, environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in currency exchange rates, imposition of import and export controls, increased competition, and labor relations may adversely affect companies engaged in the production and distribution of materials. Other risks may include liabilities for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control. Companies in the chemicals industry may be subject to risks associated with the production, handling and disposal of hazardous components. Mining could be affected by supply and demand and operational costs. The materials sector may also be affected by economic cycles, technical progress, labor relations, and government regulations.
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Real Estate Sector Risk. There are special risks associated with investment in securities of companies engaged in real property markets, including without limitation real estate investment trusts and real estate operating companies. An investment in a real property company may be subject to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including, by way of example, the possibility of declines in the value of real estate, losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, environmental liability, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes, and operating expenses. An investment in a real property company is subject to additional risks, such as poor performance by the manager of the real property company, adverse changes in tax laws, difficulties in valuing and disposing of real estate, and the effect of general declines in stock prices. Some real property companies have limited diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Also, the organizational documents of a real property company may contain provisions that make changes in control of the company difficult and time-consuming. As a shareholder in a real property company, the Fund, and indirectly the Fund’s shareholders, would bear their ratable shares of the real property company's expenses and would at the same time continue to pay their own fees and expenses.
Utilities Sector Risk. Utility companies are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. Although rate changes of a regulated utility usually fluctuate in approximate correlation with financing costs, due to political and regulatory factors, rate changes ordinarily occur only following a delay after the changes in financing costs. This factor will tend to favorably affect a regulated utility company's earnings and dividends in times of decreasing costs, but conversely, will tend to adversely affect earnings and dividends when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility equity securities may tend to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. These opportunities may permit certain utility companies to earn more than their traditional regulated rates of return. Some companies, however, may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company's equipment unusable or obsolete and negatively impact profitability.
Among the risks that may affect utility companies are the following: risks of increases in fuel and other operating costs; the high cost of borrowing to finance capital construction during inflationary periods; restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays associated with compliance with environmental and nuclear safety regulations; and the difficulties involved in obtaining natural gas for resale or fuel for generating electricity at reasonable prices. Other risks include those related to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, the effects of energy conservation and the effects of regulatory changes.
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Tax Risk. In order to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment accorded to a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, the Fund must, amongst other requirements, derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from certain categories of income (“qualifying income”). Certain of the Fund’s commodity-related investments will not generate income that is qualifying income. The Fund will seek to restrict its income from such investments that do not generate qualifying income to a maximum of 10% of its gross income (when combined with its other investments that produce non-qualifying income) to comply with the qualifying income test (as described in detail in the SAI) necessary for the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. However, the 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. Accordingly, the extent to which the Fund invests in commodities or commodity-linked derivatives directly may be limited by the qualifying income test, which the Fund must continue to satisfy to maintain its status as a regulated investment company. As such, the Fund could be required to reduce its exposure to such investments, which may result in difficulty in implementing the Fund’s investment strategy. If the Fund was to fail to meet the qualifying income test and fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. The failure by the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company would have significant negative tax consequences to Fund shareholders and would affect a shareholder’s return on its investment in the Fund. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be able to cure a failure to meet the qualifying income test if such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, but in order to do so the Fund may incur significant fund-level taxes, which would effectively reduce (and could eliminate) the Fund’s returns. To the extent the Fund invests in an underlying fund that is taxable as a regulated investment company and that directly makes certain commodity-related investments, the tax rules related to such investments and associated risks described above with respect to the Fund will also apply to the underlying fund that makes such commodity-related investments.
Trading Risk. Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Fund’s shares will develop or be maintained. Secondary market trading in the Fund’s shares may be halted by the Exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in the Fund’s shares is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund’s shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund may trade at, above or below their most recent NAV. The per share NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings since the prior most recent calculation. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply and demand. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from the value of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay more or receive less than the underlying value of the Fund shares bought or sold. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid and ask prices for the Fund’s shares quoted during the day or a premium or discount in the closing price from the Fund’s NAV. In stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. These factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV. However, given that shares can be created and redeemed only in Creation Units at NAV (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs), the Adviser does not believe that large discounts or premiums to NAV will exist for extended periods of time. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that the shares of the Fund normally will trade close to its NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund’s NAV due to timing reasons as well as market supply and demand factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions or the existence of extreme volatility may result in trading prices that differ significantly from NAV.
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As with all ETFs, the Fund’s shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the Fund’s shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. If a shareholder purchases at a time when the market price of the Fund is at a premium to its NAV or sells at time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.
Investors buying or selling shares of the Fund in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Fund shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price that an investor is willing to pay for shares of the Fund (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell shares of the Fund (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for shares of the Fund based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of such shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in the Fund’s shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”).
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Fund Management
Adviser
Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC, an Oklahoma limited liability company, is located at 10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120, its primary place of business, and 295 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10017. The Adviser was formed in 2009 and provides investment advisory services to exchange-traded funds.
Under an investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Adviser, the Adviser provides investment advisory services to the Fund. The Adviser is responsible for, among other things, overseeing the Sub-Adviser, including regular review of the Sub-Adviser’s performance, trading portfolio securities on behalf of the Fund, and selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions, subject to the oversight of the Board. For the services it provides to the Fund, the Adviser is entitled to a fee calculated daily and paid monthly at an annual rate of 0.80% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.
Through August 31, 2023, the Adviser contractually agreed to waive its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep total annual operating expenses of the Fund (excluding amounts payable pursuant to any plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1, interest expense, taxes, brokerage commissions, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.69% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. For the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023, the Fund paid the Adviser a fee of 0.55% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.
Effective September 1, 2023, the Adviser contractually agreed to waive its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep total annual operating expenses of the Fund (excluding amounts payable pursuant to any plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1, interest expense, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.69% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Effective January 8, 2024, when the combined net assets of the Fund, Cabana Target Drawdown 10 ETF, and Cabana Target Leading Sector Moderate ETF are less than or equal to $750 million, and 0.64% when the combined net assets exceed $750 million. Cabana Target Drawdown 10 ETF and Cabana Target Leading Sector Moderate ETF are both advised by the Adviser and sub-advised by the Sub-Adviser. The expense limitation agreement will remain in effect at least through August 31, 2025 and may be terminated, without payment of any penalty by the Trust for any reason and at any time.
ETC Platform Services, LLC (“ETC Platform Services”), a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, administers the Fund’s business affairs and provides office facilities and equipment, certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services, paying agent services under the Fund’s unitary fee arrangement (as described below), and its officers and employees to serve as officers or Trustees of the Trust. ETC Platform Services also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration and accounting, and other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate. For the services it provides to the Fund, ETC Platform Services is paid a fee calculated daily and paid monthly based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets.
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The Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Fund (including the fee charged by ETC Platform Services) except for the advisory fee, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (“Excluded Expenses”). As part of an arrangement between the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, the Sub-Adviser has agreed to assume the Adviser’s obligation to pay all expenses of the Fund (except Excluded Expenses) and, to the extent applicable, pay the Adviser a minimum fee.
Pursuant to an SEC exemptive order and subject to the conditions of that order, the Adviser may, with Board approval but without shareholder approval, change or select new sub-advisers, materially amend the terms of an agreement with a sub-adviser (including an increase in its fee), or continue the employment of a sub-adviser after an event that would otherwise cause the automatic termination of services. Shareholders will be notified of any such changes.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s renewal of the investment advisory agreement with the Adviser is available in the Fund’s semi-annual shareholder report for the fiscal period ended October 31, 2023.
Sub-Adviser
Cabana Asset Management is a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Arkansas. The Sub-Adviser is located at 220 S. School Avenue, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701. The Sub-Adviser has provided investment advisory services since 2008. The Sub-Adviser makes investment decisions for the Fund and continuously reviews, supervises, and administers the investment program of the Fund, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the oversight of the Board. Under a sub-advisory agreement, with respect to the Fund, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser a fee calculated daily and paid monthly out of the fee the Adviser receives from the Fund.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s renewal of the sub-advisory agreement with the Sub-Adviser is available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Shareholder report for the fiscal period ended October 31, 2023.
Portfolio Managers
G. Chadd Mason, Andrew Serowik, Gabriel Tan, Todd Alberico, and Brian Cooper are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
G. Chadd Mason is the CEO and founder of The Cabana Group, which was founded in 2008. He has spent more than 25 years as an attorney in the state of Arkansas and has 15 years of investment and portfolio management experience. In 2005, he and a small team developed a proprietary algorithm designed to help shelter investors from risk by striving to limit losses during down markets, while still participating in up markets. This algorithm is known today as Cabana’s Cyclical Asset Reallocation Algorithm (“CARA”). Chadd graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in Psychology and went on to earn a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver. In 2013, he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Laws degree in Financial Services and Wealth Management from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. He is also accredited as a Chartered Wealth Manager by the American Academy of Financial Management.
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Andrew Serowik joined the Adviser from Goldman Sachs in May 2018. He began his career at Spear, Leeds & Kellogg (“SLK”), continuing with Goldman after its acquisition of SLK in September 2000. During his career of more than 18 years at the combined companies, he held various roles, including managing the global Quant ETF Strats team and One Delta ETF Strats. He designed and developed systems for portfolio risk calculation, algorithmic ETF trading, and execution monitoring, with experience across all asset classes. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance.
Gabriel Tan joined the Adviser in May 2019 as an Associate Portfolio Manager and was promoted to Portfolio Manager in December 2020. He began his career at UBS and BBR Partners where he worked as a financial planning analyst and a portfolio strategist for over four years. During his time there, he developed comprehensive wealth management solutions focused on portfolio optimization, trust and estate planning, and tax planning.
Mr. Alberico joined the Adviser in November 2020 as a Portfolio Manager. From 2005 to 2011, he worked on the ETF trading and portfolio risk management team at Goldman Sachs. He subsequently held roles at Cantor Fitzgerald (from 2011 to 2013) and Virtu Financial (from 2013 to 2020). Mr. Alberico has worked on several different facets of ETF trading, from lead market-making and electronic trading to customer facing institutional business developing models for block trading as well as transitional trades. Mr. Alberico graduated from St. John’s University in NY with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.
Mr. Cooper joined the Adviser in November 2021. Previously, Mr. Cooper had roles in trade operations for Constellation Advisers from March 2017 until April 2018 and for QFR Capital Management from April 2018 until July 2020 and in the middle office derivatives group of Elliot Capital Management from September 2020 until November 2021. Prior to these roles, he spent 14 years working in various operational roles for Falcon Management Corporation, a global macro family office, gaining exposure to a variety of asset classes with a focus on operations, accounting, and technology. Mr. Cooper graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a minor in Business Law.
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 Fund Shares
General
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange. When you buy or sell the Fund’s shares on the secondary market, you will pay or receive the market price. You may incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. The shares of the Fund will trade on the Exchange at prices that may differ to varying degrees from the daily NAV of such shares. A business day with respect to the Fund is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. The Exchange is generally open Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
NAV per share for the Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by its total number of shares outstanding. Expenses and fees, including management and distribution fees, if any, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. NAV is determined each business day, normally as of the close of regular trading of the New York Stock Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time).
When determining NAV, the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments is determined pursuant to the Trust’s valuation policy and the Adviser’s fair valuation policy and procedures. In general, the value of the Fund’s investments is based on market prices of the investments, 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. Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Adviser has been designated by the Board as the valuation designee with responsibility for fair valuation subject to oversight by the Board. If an investment’s market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of the investment, pursuant to the Trust’s valuation policy, the investment will be fair valued in accordance with the Adviser’s fair valuation policy and procedures, which were approved by the Board. An investment may be fair valued in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, situations when the value of a security in the Fund’s portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which the security is principally traded but prior to the close of the Exchange (such as in the case of a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of a security) or trading in a security has been suspended or halted. Accordingly, the Fund’s NAV may reflect certain portfolio securities’ fair values rather than their market prices.
Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security will materially differ from the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares
The Fund does not impose any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Creation Units; however, the Fund reserves the right to reject or limit purchases at any time as described in the SAI. When considering that no restriction or policy was necessary, the Board evaluated the risks posed by arbitrage and market timing activities, such as whether frequent purchases and redemptions would interfere with the efficient implementation of the Fund’s investment strategy, or whether they would cause the Fund to experience increased transaction costs. The Board considered that, unlike traditional mutual funds, shares of the Fund are issued and redeemed only in large quantities of shares known as Creation Units available only from the Fund directly to Authorized Participants, and that most trading in the Fund occurs on the Exchange at prevailing market prices and does not involve the Fund directly. Given this structure, the Board determined that it is unlikely that trading due to arbitrage opportunities or market timing by shareholders would result in negative impact to the Fund or its shareholders. In addition, frequent trading of the Fund’s shares by Authorized Participants and arbitrageurs is critical to ensuring that the market price remains at or close to NAV.
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Distribution and Service Plan
The Fund has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act pursuant to which payments of up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets may be made for the sale and distribution of its shares. No payments pursuant to the Distribution and Service Plan will be made during the twelve (12) month period from the date of this Prospectus. Thereafter, 12b-1 fees may only be imposed after approval by the Board. Because these fees, if imposed, would be paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, if payments are made in the future, these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes
Fund Distributions
The Fund pays out dividends from its net investment income quarterly and distributes its net capital gains, if any, to investors at least annually.
Dividend Reinvestment Service
Brokers may make available to their customers who own shares of the Fund the Depository Trust Company book-entry dividend reinvestment service. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased on the secondary market. Without this service, investors would receive their distributions in cash. To determine whether the dividend reinvestment service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using this service, consult your broker. Brokers may require the Fund’s shareholders to adhere to specific procedures and timetables.
Tax Information
The following is a summary of certain important U.S. federal income tax issues that affect the Fund and its shareholders. The summary is based on current tax laws, which may be changed by legislative, judicial or administrative action. You should not consider this summary to be a comprehensive explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund, or the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund. More information about taxes is located in the SAI. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding specific questions as to federal, state and local income taxes.
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Tax Status of the Fund
The Fund has elected and intends to qualify each year for the special tax treatment afforded to a RIC under the Internal Revenue Code. As long as the Fund maintains its qualification for treatment as a RIC and meets certain minimum distribution requirements, then it generally is not subject to federal income tax on the earnings it timely distributes to its shareholders. However, if the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements it would result in fund level taxation (if certain relief provisions were not available) and consequently a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.
Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions, you sell Fund shares, and you purchase or redeem Creation Units (Authorized Participants only).
Tax Status of Distributions
| ● | The Fund intends to distribute for each year substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains income. |
| ● | Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares of the Fund. |
| ● | The income dividends you receive from the Fund will be taxed as either ordinary income or “qualified dividend income.” Dividends that are reported by the Fund as qualified dividend income are generally taxable to non-corporate shareholders at tax rates of up to 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). Qualified dividend income generally is income derived from dividends paid to the Fund by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that the Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. For such dividends to be taxed as qualified dividend income to a non-corporate shareholder, the Fund must satisfy certain holding period requirements with respect to the underlying stock and the non-corporate shareholder must satisfy holding period requirements with respect to his or her ownership of the Fund’s shares. Holding periods may be suspended for these purposes for stock that is hedged. Certain of the Fund’s investment strategies may limit its ability to make distributions eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income. |
| ● | Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned their shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from the Fund’s short-term capital gains are generally taxable as ordinary income. Distributions from the Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) are taxable as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your shares of the Fund. For non-corporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally taxable at tax rates of up to 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). |
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| ● | Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. Certain of the Fund’s investment strategies may limit its ability to make distributions eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders. |
| ● | If the Fund receives business interest income it may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Fund’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the Fund’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. The Fund may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j). This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j). In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in the Fund for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by the Fund, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). |
| ● | In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. However, distributions paid in January but declared by the Fund in October, November or December of the previous year payable to shareholders of record in such a month may be taxable to you in the previous year. |
| ● | You should note that if you purchase shares of the Fund just before a distribution, the purchase price would reflect the amount of the upcoming distribution. In this case, you would be taxed on the entire amount of the distribution received, even though, as an economic matter, the distribution simply constitutes a return of your investment. This is known as “buying a dividend” and should be avoided by taxable investors. |
| ● | The Fund (or your broker) will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income, and net capital gain distributions shortly after the close of each calendar year. |
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Tax Status of Share Transactions
Each sale of Fund shares or redemption of Creation Units will generally be a taxable event. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares by a shareholder will be treated as capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months, and short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for 12 months or less. Any capital loss on the sale of shares of the Fund held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent distributions of long-term capital gain were paid (or treated as paid) with respect to such shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent shares of the Fund are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the sale of Fund shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize gain or loss from the exchange. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between (i) the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange plus any cash received in the exchange and (ii) the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash paid for the Creation Units. An Authorized Participant who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and (ii) the aggregate market value of the securities and the amount of cash received. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for a person who does not mark-to-market their holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sales rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
The Fund may include cash when paying the redemption price for Creation Units in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities. The Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Foreign Taxes
To the extent the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund receives from sources in foreign countries. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund consist of foreign securities, the Fund will be eligible to elect to treat some of those taxes as a distribution to shareholders, which would allow shareholders to offset some of their U.S. federal income tax. The Fund (or your broker) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.
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Foreign tax credits, if any, received by the Fund as a result of an investment in another RIC (including an ETF which is taxable as a RIC) will not be passed through to you unless the Fund qualifies as a “qualified fund-of-funds” under the Internal Revenue Code. If the Fund is a “qualified fund-of-funds” it will be eligible to file an election with the IRS that will enable the Fund to pass along these foreign tax credits to its shareholders. The Fund will be treated as a “qualified fund-of-funds” under the Internal Revenue Code if at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s taxable year) is represented by interests in other RICs.
Net Investment Income Tax
U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (including certain capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of shares of the Fund). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
Non-U.S. Investors
If you are a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation, trust or estate, (i) the Fund’s ordinary income dividends will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies but (ii) gains from the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless you are a nonresident alien individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Non-U.S. shareholders who fail to provide an applicable IRS form may be subject to backup withholding on certain payments from the Fund. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that are subject to the 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) withholding tax described in this paragraph. Different tax consequences may result if you are a foreign shareholder engaged in a trade or business within the United States or if you are a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty.
Backup Withholding
The Fund (or financial intermediaries, such as brokers, through which shareholders own Fund shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and the sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s ultimate U.S. tax liability.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal income tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
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More information about taxes is in the SAI.
Additional Information
Investments by Other Registered Investment Companies
For purposes of the 1940 Act, the Fund is treated as a registered investment company. Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Fund. Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act permits registered investment companies to invest in exchange-traded funds offered by the Trust, including the Fund, beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such registered investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust. However, if the Fund were to invest in securities of other investment companies beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) by relying on Rule 12d1-4, other registered investment companies would not be permitted to rely on that rule to invest in the Fund in excess of the Section 12(d)(1)(A) limits.
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units are purchased and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the Prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Fund’s distributor, breaks them down into individual shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares of the Fund. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares of the Fund, whether or not participating in the distribution of such shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available with respect to such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker dealer-firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with shares of the Fund that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that under Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the Fund’s Prospectus is available on the SEC’s electronic filing system. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Premium/Discount Information
Information regarding how often the shares of the Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund for various time periods can be found at www.cabanaetfs.com.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance since the Fund commenced operations. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been derived from the financial statements audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, are included in the Fund’s Annual Report, which is available upon request.
| Cabana Target Drawdown 7 ETF | For the Six Months Ended October 31, 2023 |
Years
Ended April 30, |
For
the period September 17, 2020(1) through |
|||||||||||||
| Selected Per Share Data | (Unaudited) | 2023 | 2022 | April 30, 2021 | ||||||||||||
| Net Asset Value, beginning of period | $ | 21.11 | $ | 22.66 | $ | 25.23 | $ | 24.98 | ||||||||
| Investment Activities | ||||||||||||||||
| Net investment income (loss)(2) | 0.29 | 0.29 | 0.38 | 0.25 | ||||||||||||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.32 | ) | (1.48 | ) | (2.47 | ) | 0.11 | |||||||||
| Total from investment activities | (0.03 | ) | (1.19 | ) | (2.09 | ) | 0.36 | |||||||||
| Distributions to shareholders from: | ||||||||||||||||
| Net investment income | (0.32 | ) | (0.36 | ) | (0.48 | ) | (0.11 | ) | ||||||||
| Total distributions | (0.32 | ) | (0.36 | ) | (0.48 | ) | (0.11 | ) | ||||||||
| Net Asset Value, end of period | $ | 20.76 | $ | 21.11 | $ | 22.66 | $ | 25.23 | ||||||||
| Total Return (%) | (0.16 | )(4) | (5.31 | ) | (8.48 | ) | 1.45 | (4) | ||||||||
| Total Return at Market Price (%) | (0.11 | )(4) | (5.29 | ) | (8.62 | ) | 1.51 | (4) | ||||||||
| Ratios to Average Net Assets | ||||||||||||||||
| Expenses before fee waiver (%)(5) | 0.80 | (6) | 0.80 | 0.80 | 0.80 | (6) | ||||||||||
| Expenses after fee waiver (%)(5) | 0.62 | (6) | 0.55 | 0.57 | 0.54 | (6) | ||||||||||
| Net investment income (loss) (%) | 2.72 | (6) | 1.35 | 1.49 | 1.69 | (6) | ||||||||||
| Supplemental Data | ||||||||||||||||
| Net Assets at end of period (000’s) | $ | 98,082 | $ | 155,147 | $ | 256,088 | $ | 349,383 | ||||||||
| Portfolio turnover (%)(7) | 179 | (4) | 1,048 | 338 | 416 | (4) | ||||||||||
1 Commencement of operations.
2 Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
3 Per share net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments is a balancing amount and may not correspond with the realized and change in aggregate unrealized gains and losses in the Fund’s securities because of the timing of sales and repurchases of the Fund’s shares in relation to fluctuating market values for the Fund.
4 Not annualized for periods less than one year.
5 The Fund invests in other funds and indirectly bears its proportionate shares of fees and expenses incurred by the underlying funds in which the Fund is invested. This ratio does not include these indirect fees and expenses.
6 Annualized for periods less than one year.
7 Excludes the impact of in-kind transactions related to the processing of capital share transactions in Creation Units.
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Exchange Listed Funds Trust
10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120
ANNUAL/SEMI-ANNUAL REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SAI)
The SAI provides more detailed information about the Fund. The SAI is incorporated by reference into, and is thus legally a part of, this Prospectus.
HOUSEHOLDING
Householding is an option available to certain Fund investors. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
HOW TO OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND
To request a free copy of the latest annual or semi-annual report or the SAI, or to request additional information about the Fund or to make other inquiries, please contact us as follows:
|
Call: |
866-239-9536 Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
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Write: |
Exchange Listed Funds Trust 10900 Hefner Pointe Drive, Suite 400 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120
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|
Visit: www.cabanaetfs.com |
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The SAI and other information are also available from a financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) through which the Fund’s shares may be purchased or sold.
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database at http://www.sec.gov and copies of this information also may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by emailing the SEC at [email protected].
The Trust’s Investment Company Act file number: 811-22700
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