(STRATEGY SHARES LOGO)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report
 
 
Strategy Shares Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF (FIVR)
Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GLDB)
Strategy Shares Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF (HNDL)
Strategy Shares Halt Climate Change ETF (NZRO)
Strategy Shares Newfound/Resolve Robust Momentum ETF (ROMO)
 
 
 
OCTOBER 31, 2022
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You may elect to receive shareholder reports in paper free of charge. You can contact your financial intermediary to request that you receive paper copies of your reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with your financial intermediary.

 

 

(STRATEGY SHARES LOGO)

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
   
Expense Examples 1
   
Portfolios of Investments  
Strategy Shares Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF (FIVR) 2
Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GLDB) 3
Strategy Shares Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF (HNDL) 5
Strategy Shares Halt Climate Change ETF (NZRO) 6
Strategy Shares Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF (ROMO) 8
   
Statements of Assets and Liabilities 9
   
Statements of Operations 11
   
Statements of Changes in Net Assets 13
   
Financial Highlights 16
   
Notes to Financial Statements 17
   
Additional Information 25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Expense Examples (Unaudited) October 31, 2022
   

As a Fund shareholder, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including commissions on trading, as applicable; and (2) ongoing costs, including advisory fees and other Fund expenses, as applicable. These examples are intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in a Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

 

The expense examples below are based on an investment of $1,000 invested at May 1, 2022 and held through the period ended October 31, 2022.

 

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

The Hypothetical Expense figures in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on each Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not each Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in your Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

 

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs. Therefore, the examples are useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total cost of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.



  Beginning Actual Ending Hypothetical Actual Hypothetical Annualized
  Account Account Ending Expenses Expenses Net Expense
  Value Value Account Value Paid During Paid During Ratio During
Fund 5/1/22 10/31/22 10/31/22(1) the Period(2) the Period(1)(2) the Period
Strategy Shares Nasdaq 5 HANDL™ Index ETF (FIVR) $1,000.00 $941.40 $1,021.63 $3.47 $3.62 0.71%
Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GLDB)   1,000.00   777.90   1,021.22   3.54   4.02 0.79%
Strategy Shares Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF (HNDL)   1,000.00   916.50   1,021.32   3.72   3.92 0.77%
Strategy Shares Halt Climate Change (NZRO)   1,000.00   995.70   1,020.42   4.78   4.84 0.95%
Strategy Shares Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF (ROMO)   1,000.00   937.10   1,021.42   3.66   3.82 0.75%
             
(1) Represents the hypothetical 5% annual return before expenses.

 

(2) Expenses are equal to the average account value over the period multiplied by the Fund’s annualized expense ratio, multiplied by 184/365 (to number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year divided by the number of days in the fiscal year).

 

Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 1

 

 

Strategy Shares Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF (FIVR)
   
Portfolio of Investments Summary Table October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

  Percentage of Value
Exchange-Traded Funds 100.0%
Total 100.0%
   

Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. As of October 31, 2022, percentages in the table above are based on total investments. Such total investments may differ from the percentages set forth in the following Portfolio of Investments which are computed using the Fund’s total net assets.

 

Portfolio of Investments

 

Shares         Value  
Exchange-Traded Funds — 100.0%        
  5,240     Alerian MLP ETF   $ 219,608  
  1,435     Fidelity Total Bond ETF     62,997  
  5,450     Global X U.S. Preferred ETF     106,984  
  695     Invesco QQQ Trust     193,175  
  3,110     Invesco Taxable Municipal Bond ETF     77,221  
  1,420     iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF     48,976  
  170     iShares Core S&P 500 ETF     65,924  
  3,015     iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF     286,124  
  1,870     JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF     102,046  
  1,470     Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF     67,135  
  6,835     Schwab U.S. REIT ETF     131,984  
  11,640     SPDR Portfolio Aggregate Bond ETF     286,344  
  2,680     Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF     178,970  
  1,180     Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF     175,372  
  420     Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF     31,567  
  350     Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF     15,523  
  185     Vanguard S&P 500 ETF     65,666  
  4,075     Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF     286,675  
  4,695     WisdomTree U.S. Efficient Core Fund     153,151  
Total Exchange-Traded Funds (Cost $2,828,364)   $ 2,555,442  
Total Investments — 100.0% (Cost $2,828,364)   $ 2,555,442  
Liabilities less Other Assets — (a)     (619 )
Net Assets — 100.0%   $ 2,554,823  

 

(a) Amount is less than 0.1%

 

ETF — Exchange-Traded Fund

 

MLP — Master Limited Partnership

 

REIT — Real Estate Investment Trust

 

S&P — Standard and Poor’s

 

SPDR — Standard and Poor’s Depositary Receipts

 

USD — United States Dollar

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

2 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GLDB)
   
Portfolio of Investments* Summary Table October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

  Percentage of Value
Communication Services 11.1%
Consumer Discretionary 6.2%
Consumer Staples 12.8%
Energy 8.2%
Financials 20.0%
Health Care 8.9%
Industrials 8.7%
Information Technology 11.3%
Materials 2.9%
Real Estate 3.8%
Utilities 6.1%
Total 100.0%
   

Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. As of October 31, 2022, percentages in the table above are based on total investments. Such total investments may differ from the percentages set forth in the following Portfolio of Investments which are computed using the Fund’s total net assets.

 

Portfolio of Investments*

 

Principal Amount   Value  
Corporate Bonds — 80.0%      
Communication Services — 6.7%        
$ 476,000     Verizon Communications, Inc., 4.52%, 9/15/48   $ 380,647  
  476,000     Walt Disney Co. (The), 2.65%, 1/13/31     394,325  
              774,972  
Consumer Discretionary — 5.3%        
  420,000     Amazon.com, Inc., 1.50%, 6/03/30     327,869  
  280,000     Home Depot, Inc. (The), 5.88%, 12/16/36     287,949  
              615,818  
Consumer Staples — 10.9%      
  448,000     Anheuser-Busch Companies LLC / Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide, Inc., 4.70%, 2/01/36     404,927  
  364,000     BAT Capital Corp., 3.56%, 8/15/27     316,900  
  364,000     Coca-Cola Co. (The), 1.38%, 3/15/31     277,015  
  336,000     Costco Wholesale Corp., 1.60%, 4/20/30     268,183  
              1,267,025  
Energy — 4.5%        
  336,000     Chevron Corp., 2.24%, 5/11/30     278,592  
  308,000     MPLX LP, 2.65%, 8/15/30     242,474  
              521,066  
Financials — 17.2%        
  140,000     Capital One Financial Corp., 3.80%, 1/31/28     125,089  
  420,000     Citigroup, Inc., 4.41%, 3/31/31     374,794  
  448,000     Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The), 1.99%, 1/27/32     326,893  
  392,000     JPMorgan Chase & Co., 4.49%, 3/24/31     354,233  
  336,000     MetLife, Inc., 4.55%, 3/23/30     319,017  
  140,000     Northern Trust Corp., 1.95%, 5/01/30     109,562  
  420,000     Wells Fargo & Co., 3.00%, 10/23/26     380,068  
              1,989,656  

 

 

Principal Amount Value  
Corporate Bonds — (Continued)        
Health Care — 7.6%        
$ 364,000     AbbVie, Inc., 3.20%, 11/21/29   $ 318,158  
  280,000     Amgen, Inc., 2.20%, 2/21/27     248,579  
  336,000     CVS Health Corp., 4.30%, 3/25/28     315,277  
              882,014  
Industrials — 7.3%        
  364,000     Boeing Co. (The), 5.15%, 5/01/30     336,330  
  252,000     General Electric Co., 5.88%, 1/14/38     248,361  
  280,000     Southwest Airlines Co., 5.13%, 6/15/27     273,203  
              857,894  
Information Technology — 9.6%        
  308,000     Apple, Inc., 3.35%, 2/09/27     292,094  
  308,000     Broadcom Corp. / Broadcom Cayman Finance, Ltd., 3.88%, 1/15/27     283,043  
  308,000     Fiserv, Inc., 3.50%, 7/01/29     267,227  
  336,000     Oracle Corp., 5.38%, 7/15/40     279,909  
              1,122,273  
Materials — 2.5%        
  224,000     Dow Chemical Co. (The), 3.60%, 11/15/50     145,819  
  168,000     Sherwin-Williams Co. (The), 2.95%, 8/15/29     142,357  
              288,176  
Real Estate — 3.2%        
  448,000     Equinix, Inc., 3.20%, 11/18/29     375,237  
Utilities — 5.2%        
  392,000     NextEra Energy Capital Holdings, Inc., 2.25%, 6/01/30     311,164  
  336,000     Pacific Gas and Electric Co., 4.55%, 7/01/30     294,289  
              605,453  
Total Corporate Bonds (Cost $10,575,496)   $ 9,299,584  


(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 3

 

 

Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GLDB) (Continued) October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

Principal Amount   Value  
Yankee Dollars — 5.4%      
Communication Services — 2.9%        
$ 280,000     Orange SA, 9.00%, 3/01/31   $ 334,508  
Energy — 2.5%        
  280,000     Shell International Finance BV, 6.38%, 12/15/38     295,366  
Total Yankee Dollars (Cost $737,517)   $ 629,874  
Total Investments — 85.4% (Cost $11,313,013)   $ 9,929,458  
Other Assets less Liabilities — 14.6%     1,703,688  
Net Assets — 100.0%   $ 11,633,146  

 

* Portfolio of Investments is presented on a consolidated basis. See Note 2.A. in the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

LLC — Limited Liability Corporation

 

LP — Limited Partnership

 

Total Return Swap Agreements

 

                              Value and  
                              Unrealized  
Pay/   Financing           Payment   Expiration   Notional     Appreciation/  
Receive   Rate   Description   Counterparty   Frequency   Date   Amount     (Depreciation)  
Receive   Effective Federal Funds Rate(a) + 85 bps   iShares Gold Trust   BNP Paribas SA   Monthly   5/23/23   $ 11,796,818     $ 5,908  
Receive   Effective Federal Funds Rate(a) + 85 bps   iShares IBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond   BNP Paribas SA   Monthly   5/23/23     2,395,985       27,186  
                                $ 33,094  
                                     
(a) The Effective Federal Funds Rate at October 31, 2022 was 3.08%.

 

SA — Societe Anonyme (French public limited company)

 

The derivative instruments outstanding as of October 31, 2022, as disclosed in the Portfolio of Investments and the amounts of realized and changes in unrealized gains and losses on swaps during the period as disclosed in the Statements of Operations serve as indicators of the volume of derivative activity for the Fund.

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

4 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Strategy Shares Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF (HNDL)
   
Portfolio of Investments Summary Table October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

  Percentage of Value
Exchange-Traded Funds 100.0%
Total 100.0%
   

Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. As of October 31, 2022, percentages in the table above are based on total investments. Such total investments may differ from the percentages set forth in the following Portfolio of Investments which are computed using the Fund’s total net assets.

 

Portfolio of Investments

 

Shares         Value  
Exchange-Traded Funds — 89.3%        
  2,166,905     Alerian MLP ETF   $ 90,814,989  
  594,035     Fidelity Total Bond ETF     26,078,137  
  2,253,485     Global X U.S. Preferred ETF     44,235,911  
  288,600     Invesco QQQ Trust     80,216,370  
  1,286,675     Invesco Taxable Municipal Bond ETF     31,948,140  
  589,225     iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF     20,322,370  
  69,745     iShares Core S&P 500 ETF     27,046,414  
  1,248,195     iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF     118,453,705  
  772,005     JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF     42,128,313  
  608,465     Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF     27,788,597  
  2,828,280     Schwab U.S. REIT ETF     54,614,087  
  4,817,215     SPDR Portfolio Aggregate Bond ETF     118,503,488  
  1,108,705     Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF     74,039,320  
  488,215     Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF     72,558,513  
  173,160     Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF     13,014,706  
  144,300     Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF     6,399,705  
  76,960     Vanguard S&P 500 ETF     27,316,952  
  1,685,905     Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF     118,603,416  
  1,943,240     WisdomTree U.S. Efficient Core Fund     63,388,489  
Total Exchange-Traded Funds (Cost $1,203,872,092)   $ 1,057,471,622  
Total Investments — 89.3% (Cost $1,203,872,092)   $ 1,057,471,622  
Other Assets less Liabilities — 10.7%     126,058,822  
Net Assets — 100.0%   $ 1,183,530,444  

 

ETF — Exchange-Traded Fund

 

MLP — Master Limited Partnership

 

REIT — Real Estate Investment Trust

 

S&P — Standard and Poor’s

 

SPDR — Standard and Poor’s Depositary Receipts

 

USD — United States Dollar

 

Total Return Swap Agreements

 

                              Value and  
                              Unrealized  
Pay/   Financing           Payment   Expiration   Notional     Appreciation/  
Receive   Rate   Description   Counterparty   Frequency   Date   Amount     (Depreciation)  
Receive   Effective Federal Funds Rate(a) +85 bps   Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index   BNP Paribas SA   Monthly   1/11/23   $ 466,081,027     $ 11,867,588  
                                     
(a) The Effective Federal Funds Rate at October 31, 2022 was 3.08%.

 

SA — Societe Anonyme (French public limited company)

 

The derivative instruments outstanding as of October 31, 2022, as disclosed in the Portfolio of Investments and the amounts of realized and changes in unrealized gains and losses on swaps during the period as disclosed in the Statements of Operations serve as indicators of the volume of derivative activity for the Fund.

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 5

 

 

Strategy Shares Halt Climate Change ETF (NZRO)
   
Portfolio of Investments Summary Table October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

  Percentage of Value
Communication Services 4.1%
Consumer Discretionary 3.1%
Consumer Staples 4.1%
Energy 1.4%
Financials 0.5%
Health Care 25.3%
Industrials 17.1%
Information Technology 31.3%
Materials 2.0%
Real Estate 0.6%
Utilities 10.5%
Total 100.0%
   

Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. As of October 31, 2022, percentages in the table above are based on total investments. Such total investments may differ from the percentages set forth in the following Portfolio of Investments which are computed using the Fund’s total net assets.

 

Portfolio of Investments

 

Shares         Value  
Common Stocks — 95.9%      
Communication Services — 4.0%        
  200     Alphabet, Inc., Class C   $ 18,932  
  98     Meta Platforms, Inc., Class A     9,130  
  46     Netflix, Inc.     13,426  
              41,488  
Consumer Discretionary — 3.0%        
  104     Arcimoto, Inc.     77  
  1,366     Canoo, Inc.     1,871  
  590     Fisker, Inc.     4,809  
  96     Tesla, Inc.     21,844  
  910     Workhorse Group, Inc.     2,457  
              31,058  
Consumer Staples — 3.9%        
  126     Beyond Meat, Inc.     1,978  
  88     Ingredion, Inc.     7,842  
  90     McCormick & Co., Inc.     7,078  
  1,092     Oatly Group AB ADR     2,402  
  476     Unilever PLC ADR     21,662  
              40,962  
Energy — 1.3%        
  278     Aemetis, Inc.     2,057  
  120     Enviva, Inc.     7,181  
  2,110     Gevo, Inc.     4,748  
              13,986  
Financials — 0.5%        
  180     Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc.     4,892  
Health Care — 24.2%        
  188     Abbott Laboratories     18,601  
  188     AbbVie, Inc.     27,523  
  112     Amgen, Inc.     30,279  
  102     Baxter International, Inc.     5,544  
  126     Beam Therapeutics, Inc.     5,552  
  404     Boston Scientific Corp.     17,416  
  72     CIGNA Corp.     23,260  

 

 

Shares         Value  
Common Stocks — (Continued)      
Health Care — (Continued)        
  140     Edwards Lifesciences Corp.   $ 10,140  
  240     Gilead Sciences, Inc.     18,830  
  66     IQVIA Holdings, Inc.     13,839  
  118     Moderna, Inc.     17,739  
  460     Pfizer, Inc.     21,413  
  56     UnitedHealth Group, Inc.     31,089  
  26     Waters Corp.     7,778  
  22     West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.     5,062  
              254,065  
Industrials — 16.4%        
  128     Ameresco, Inc., Class A     7,741  
  254     Aris Water Solution, Inc., Class A     4,326  
  618     Array Technologies, Inc.     11,185  
  748     Ballard Power Systems, Inc.     4,241  
  370     Blink Charging Co.     5,476  
  458     Bloom Energy Corp., Class A     8,569  
  108     Casella Waste Systems, Inc.     8,835  
  518     Chargepoint Holdings, Inc.     7,242  
  22     Cintas Corp.     9,406  
  112     EnerSys     7,424  
  318     Fluence Energy, Inc.     4,748  
  910     Freyr Battery SA     12,112  
  1,696     FuelCell Energy, Inc.     5,292  
  386     GreenPower Motor Co., Inc.     988  
  98     Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc.     2,692  
  216     Johnson Controls International PLC     12,493  
  86     ManpowerGroup, Inc.     6,737  
  860     Nikola Corp.     3,259  
  348     Plug Power, Inc.     5,561  
  478     ReneSola, Ltd. ADR     2,161  
  408     Shoals Technologies Group, Inc., Class A     9,429  
  152     Stericycle, Inc.     6,776  
  276     Sunrun, Inc.     6,213  
  1,076     Sunworks, Inc.     2,432  


(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

6 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Strategy Shares Halt Climate Change ETF (NZRO) (Continued) October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

Shares         Value  
Common Stocks — (Continued)        
Industrials — (Continued)        
  218     TPI Composites, Inc.   $ 2,171  
  46     Watts Water Technologies, Inc.     6,733  
  76     Xylem, Inc.     7,785  
              172,027  
Information Technology — 30.1%        
  50     Adobe, Inc.     15,925  
  188     Apple, Inc.     28,828  
  64     Autodesk, Inc.     13,715  
  296     Canadian Solar, Inc.     10,035  
  418     Cisco Systems, Inc.     18,990  
  60     Enphase Energy, Inc.     18,421  
  104     First Solar, Inc.     15,139  
  30     Gartner, Inc.     9,058  
  44     Intuit, Inc.     18,810  
  46     Keysight Technologies, Inc.     8,011  
  68     Mastercard, Inc., Class A     22,316  
  242     Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd.     4,182  
  104     Microsoft Corp.     24,143  
  94     NetApp, Inc.     6,511  
  290     Oracle Corp.     22,640  
  112     Salesforce, Inc.     18,210  
  44     ServiceNow, Inc.     18,513  
  36     SolarEdge Technologies, Inc.     8,281  
  456     SunPower Corp.     8,431  
  116     Visa, Inc., Class A     24,030  
              314,189  
Materials — 1.9%        
  74     Ecolab, Inc.     11,624  
  1,016     PureCycle Technologies, Inc.     8,402  
              20,026  
Real Estate — 0.6%        
  82     CBRE Group, Inc., Class A     5,817  
Utilities — 10.0%        
  52     American Water Works Co., Inc.     7,558  
  260     Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure PLC     7,205  
  262     Brookfield Renewable Corp., Class A     8,130  
  130     California Water Service Group     8,067  
  262     Clearway Energy, Inc., Class C     9,102  
  188     Global Water Resources, Inc.     2,399  
  902     Montauk Renewables, Inc.     13,503  
  114     NextEra Energy Partners LP     8,444  
  298     NextEra Energy, Inc.     23,095  
  116     Ormat Technologies, Inc.     10,492  
  374     Sunnova Energy International, Inc.     6,934  
              104,929  
Total Common Stocks (Cost $1,207,324) $ 1,003,439  
Total Investments — 95.9% (Cost $1,207,324) $ 1,003,439  
Other Assets less Liabilities — 4.1%     43,222  
         
Net Assets — 100.0%   $ 1,046,661  

 

ADR — American Depositary Receipt

 

LP — Limited Partnership

 

PLC — Public Liability Company

 

Non-income producing security

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 7

 

 

Strategy Shares Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF (ROMO)
 
Portfolio of Investments Summary Table October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

 

  Percentage of Value
Exchange-Traded Funds 100.0%
Total 100.0%
   

Portfolio holdings and allocations are subject to change. As of October 31, 2022, percentages in the table above are based on total investments. Such total investments may differ from the percentages set forth in the following Portfolio of Investments which are computed using the Fund’s total net assets.

 

Portfolio of Investments

 

Shares         Value  
Exchange-Traded Funds — 99.8%        
  470,904     iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF   $ 38,143,224  
  137,088     iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF     12,942,478  
  252     iShares Core S&P 500 ETF     97,723  
Total Exchange-Traded Funds (Cost $53,303,875)   $ 51,183,425  
Total Investments — 99.8% (Cost $53,303,875)   $ 51,183,425  
Other Assets less Liabilities — 0.2%     124,390  
         
Net Assets — 100.0%   $ 51,307,815  

 

ETF — Exchange-Traded Fund

 

S&P — Standard and Poor’s

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

8 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Statements of Assets and Liabilities October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

    Strategy Shares     Strategy Shares     Strategy Shares  
    Nasdaq 5HANDL™     Gold-Hedged Bond     Nasdaq 7HANDL™  
    Index ETF (FIVR)     ETF (GLDB)(a)     Index ETF (HNDL)  
Assets:                        
Investments, at value (Cost $2,828,364, $11,313,013 and $1,203,872,092)   $ 2,555,442     $ 9,929,458     $ 1,057,471,622  
Cash and Cash Equivalents     9,522       555,479       60,444,085  
Segregated cash balances for swap agreements with custodian           1,010,000       55,000,000  
Dividends and interest receivable     169       113,093       87,577  
Unrealized appreciation on swap agreements           33,094       11,867,588  
Receivable from Advisor     8,144              
Prepaid expenses     5,589             11,078  
Deferred offering Costs     968              
Total Assets     2,579,834       11,641,124       1,184,881,950  
Liabilities:                        
Payable for capital shares redeemed                 212,317  
Payable to counterparties for swap agreements                 275,693  
Accrued expenses:                        
Advisory           7,978       595,507  
Administration     2,285             35,936  
Related parties     2,633             38,909  
Compliance services     36             979  
Custodian     938             7,663  
Fund accounting     35             34  
Other     19,084             184,468  
Total Liabilities     25,011       7,978       1,351,506  
Net Assets   $ 2,554,823     $ 11,633,146     $ 1,183,530,444  
Net Assets consist of:                        
Paid in Capital   $ 2,982,815     $ 16,691,202     $ 1,562,078,368  
Total Distributable Earnings / (Loss)     (427,992 )     (5,058,056 )     (378,547,924 )
Net Assets   $ 2,554,823     $ 11,633,146     $ 1,183,530,444  
                         
Net Assets:   $ 2,554,823     $ 11,633,146     $ 1,183,530,444  
Shares of Beneficial Interest Outstanding (unlimited number of shares authorized, no par value):     125,000       700,000       60,125,000  
Net Asset Value (offering and redemption price per share):   $ 20.44     $ 16.62     $ 19.68  

 

(a) Statement has been consolidated. See Note 2.A. in the Notes to Financial Statements for basis of consolidation.

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 9

 

 

Statements of Assets and Liabilities October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

          Strategy Shares  
    Strategy Shares     Newfound/ReSolve  
    Halt Climate Change     Robust Momentum  
    (NZRO)     ETF (ROMO)  
Assets:                
Investments, at value (Cost $1,207,324 and $53,303,875)   $ 1,003,439     $ 51,183,425  
Cash and Cash Equivalents     43,642       153,963  
Dividends and interest receivable     387        
Prepaid expenses           4,629  
Total Assets     1,047,468       51,342,017  
Liabilities:                
Accrued expenses:                
Advisory     807       19,446  
Administration           5,505  
Related parties           2,606  
Compliance services           40  
Custodian           171  
Fund accounting           6  
Other           6,428  
Total Liabilities     807       34,202  
Net Assets   $ 1,046,661     $ 51,307,815  
Net Assets consist of:                
Paid in Capital   $ 1,278,241     $ 56,070,842  
Total Distributable Earnings / (Loss)     (231,580 )     (4,763,027 )
Net Assets   $ 1,046,661     $ 51,307,815  
                 
Net Assets:   $ 1,046,661     $ 51,307,815  
Shares of Beneficial Interest Outstanding (unlimited number of shares authorized, no par value):     50,000       2,100,000  
Net Asset Value (offering and redemption price per share):   $ 20.93     $ 24.43  

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

10 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Statements of Operations For the six months ended October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

    Strategy Shares     Strategy Shares     Strategy Shares  
    Nasdaq 5HANDL™     Gold-Hedged Bond     Nasdaq 7HANDL™  
    Index ETF (FIVR)     ETF (GLDB)(a)     Index ETF (HNDL)  
Investment Income:                        
Dividend income   $ 39,894     $     $ 19,626,766  
Interest income           232,897       4,929  
Total Investment Income     39,894       232,897       19,631,695  
Expenses:                        
Advisory     5,677       54,027       4,024,989  
Administration     12,564             229,693  
Related parties     15,133             189,682  
Fund accounting     175             167  
Custodian     752             34,575  
Trustee     7,149             7,159  
Compliance services     3,907             21,811  
Legal and audit     14,528             9,197  
Printing     708             249,514  
Nasdaq licensing     1,348             399,637  
Other fees     5,638             4,028  
Offering costs     3,113              
Total Expenses before fee reductions     70,692       54,027       5,170,452  
Expenses contractually waived or reimbursed by the Advisor     (61,934 )            
Total Net Expenses     8,758       54,027       5,170,452  
Net Investment Income     31,136       178,870       14,461,243  
Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses):                        
Net realized gains (losses) from investment transactions     (63,402 )     (357,303 )     (41,419,593 )
Net realized gains (losses) from in-kind transactions     901             (3,313,707 )
Net realized gains (losses) from swap agreements           (3,358,049 )     (82,638,231 )
Change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments     (89,606 )     (582,404 )     (47,440,742 )
Change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on swaps           776,753       41,732,269  
Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses)     (152,107 )     (3,521,003 )     (133,080,004 )
Change in Net Assets Resulting From Operations   $ (120,971 )   $ (3,342,133 )   $ (118,618,761 )

 

(a) Statement has been consolidated. See Note 2.A. in the Notes to Financial Statements for the basis of consolidation.

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 11

 

 

Statements of Operations For the six months ended October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)

 

          Strategy Shares  
    Strategy Shares     Newfound/ReSolve  
    Halt Climate Change     Robust Momentum  
    (NZRO)     ETF (ROMO)  
Investment Income:                
Dividend income   $ 6,792     $ 360,631  
Interest income           9  
Foreign tax withholding     (31 )      
Total Investment Income     6,761       360,640  
Expenses:                
Advisory     5,498       126,728  
Administration           31,422  
Related parties           15,106  
Fund accounting           34  
Custodian           1,724  
Trustee           7,159  
Compliance services           4,518  
Legal and audit           13,337  
Printing           1,529  
Other fees           1,017  
Total Expenses before fee reductions     5,498       202,574  
Expenses contractually waived or reimbursed by the Advisor           (8,577 )
Total Net Expenses     5,498       193,997  
Net Investment Income     1,263       166,643  
Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses):                
Net realized gains (losses) from investment transactions     (1,726 )     (1,733,530 )
Net realized gains (losses) from in-kind transactions     (26,957 )     61,481  
Change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments     25,027       (1,849,601 )
Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses)     (3,656 )     (3,521,650 )
Change in Net Assets Resulting From Operations   $ (2,393 )   $ (3,355,007 )

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

12 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

    Strategy Shares     Strategy Shares  
    Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF (FIVR)     Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GLDB)(a)  
          For the period           For the period  
    Six Months Ended     December 28, 2021(b)     Six Months Ended     May 17, 2021(b)  
    October 31, 2022     through     October 31, 2022     through  
    (Unaudited)     April 30, 2022     (Unaudited)     April 30, 2022  
From Investment Activities:                                
Operations:                                
Net investment income   $ 31,136     $ 12,118     $ 178,870     $ 43,162  
Net realized gains (losses) from investment and in-kind transactions and swap agreements     (62,501 )     (38,341 )     (3,715,352 )     153,896  
Change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and swaps     (89,606 )     (183,316 )     194,349       (1,544,810 )
Change in net assets resulting from operations     (120,971 )     (209,539 )     (3,342,133 )     (1,347,752 )
Distributions to Shareholders:                                
Total distributions     (60,479 )     (37,003 )     (153,918 )     (59,219 )
Change in net assets from distributions     (60,479 )     (37,003 )     (153,918 )     (59,219 )
Capital Transactions:                                
Proceeds from shares issued     507,390       3,030,509             17,160,835  
Cost of shares redeemed     (555,084 )                 (624,667 )
Change in net assets from capital transactions     (47,694 )     3,030,509             16,536,168  
Change in net assets     (229,144 )     2,783,967       (3,496,051 )     15,129,197  
Net Assets:                                
Beginning of period     2,783,967             15,129,197        
End of period   $ 2,554,823     $ 2,783,967     $ 11,633,146     $ 15,129,197  
Share Transactions:                                
Issued     25,000       125,000             725,000  
Redeemed     (25,000 )                 (25,000 )
Change in shares           125,000             700,000  

 

(a) Statement has been consolidated. See Note 2.A. in the Notes to Financial Statements for basis of consolidation.

 

(b) Commencement of operations.

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 13

 

 

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

    Strategy Shares     Strategy Shares  
    Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF (HNDL)     Halt Climate Change (NZRO)  
                      For the period  
    Six Months Ended           Six Months Ended     January 10, 2022(a)  
    October 31, 2022     Year Ended     October 31, 2022     through  
    (Unaudited)     April 30, 2022     (Unaudited)     April 30, 2022  
From Investment Activities:                                
Operations:                                
Net investment income (loss)   $ 14,461,243     $ 21,536,618     $ 1,263     $ (183 )
Net realized losses from investment and in-kind transactions and swap agreements     (127,371,531 )     (13,904,953 )     (28,683 )     (275 )
Change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments and swaps     (5,708,473 )     (138,964,528 )     25,027       (228,912 )
Change in net assets resulting from operations     (118,618,761 )     (131,332,863 )     (2,393 )     (229,370 )
Distributions to Shareholders:                                
Total distributions     (46,949,880 )     (80,924,668 )            
Return of capital           (3,551,942 )            
Change in net assets from distributions     (46,949,880 )     (84,476,610 )            
Capital Transactions:                                
Proceeds from shares issued     5,479,290       1,511,516,935             1,806,023  
Cost of shares redeemed     (144,328,346 )     (273,483,325 )     (527,599 )      
Change in net assets from capital transactions     (138,849,056 )     1,238,033,610       (527,599 )     1,806,023  
Change in net assets     (304,417,697 )     1,022,224,137       (529,992 )     1,576,653  
Net Assets:                                
Beginning of period     1,487,948,141       465,724,004       1,576,653        
End of period   $ 1,183,530,444     $ 1,487,948,141     $ 1,046,661     $ 1,576,653  
Share Transactions:                                
Issued     250,000       59,425,000             75,000  
Redeemed     (7,000,000 )     (11,000,000 )     (25,000 )      
Change in shares     (6,750,000 )     48,425,000       (25,000 )     75,000  

 

(a) Commencement of operations.

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

14 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

    Strategy Shares Newfound/ReSolve  
    Robust Momentum ETF (ROMO)  
    Six Months Ended        
    October 31, 2022     Year Ended  
    (Unaudited)     April 30, 2022  
From Investment Activities:                
Operations:                
Net investment income   $ 166,643     $ 288,185  
Net realized gains (losses) from investment and in-kind transactions     (1,672,049 )     2,039,556  
Change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments     (1,849,601 )     (4,691,545 )
Change in net assets resulting from operations     (3,355,007 )     (2,363,804 )
Distributions to Shareholders:                
Total distributions           (286,753 )
Change in net assets from distributions           (286,753 )
Capital Transactions:                
Proceeds from shares issued     6,419,456       20,128,765  
Cost of shares redeemed     (1,944,683 )     (9,611,292 )
Change in net assets from capital transactions     4,474,773       10,517,473  
Change in net assets     1,119,766       7,866,916  
Net Assets:                
Beginning of period     50,188,049       42,321,133  
End of period   $ 51,307,815     $ 50,188,049  
Share Transactions:                
Issued     250,000       700,000  
Redeemed     (75,000 )     (325,000 )
Change in shares     175,000       375,000  

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 15

 

 

Financial Highlights Strategy Shares

 

                                                                            Ratio of Net              
    Net Asset     Net                 Distributions                 Net Asset     Total           Ratio of Net     Ratio of Gross     Investment              
    Value,     investment     Net realized     Total from     from net     Distributions           Value,     return at     Total     Expenses to     Expenses to     Income (Loss)     Net Assets at        
    beginning     income     and unrealized     investment     investment     from Return     Total     end of     Net Asset     return at     Average     Average     to Average     end of period     Portfolio  
    of period     (loss)(a)     gains (losses)     activities     income     of Capital     distributions     period     Value(b)(c)     market(b)(d)     Net Assets(e)     Net Assets(e)(f)     Net Assets(e)     (000’s)     turnover(b)(g)  
Strategy Shares Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF (FIVR)                                                                                                                        
Six Months ended October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)   $ 22.27       0.27       (1.56 )     (1.29 )     (0.54 )           (0.54 )   $ 20.44       (5.86 )%     (5.77 )%     0.71 %(h)     5.73 %(h)     2.52 %   $ 2,555       18 %
December 28, 2021(i) through April 30, 2022   $ 25.01       0.13       (2.47 )     (2.34 )     (0.40 )           (0.40 )   $ 22.27       (9.45 )%     (9.33 )%     0.71 %(h)     6.61 %(h)     1.57 %   $ 2,784       58 %
                                                                                                                         
Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GLDB)(j)                                                                                                                        
Six Months ended October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)   $ 21.61       0.26       (5.03 )     (4.77 )     (0.22 )           (0.22 )   $ 16.62       (22.21 )%     (22.94 )%     0.79 %     0.79 %     2.62 %   $ 11,633       %
May 17, 2021(i) through April 30, 2022   $ 25.00       0.28       (3.22 )     (2.94 )     (0.33 )           (0.33 )   $ 21.61       (11.94 )%     (11.17 )%     0.79 %     0.79 %     1.24 %   $ 15,129       %
                                                                                                                         
Strategy Shares Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF (HNDL)                                                                                                                        
Six Months ended October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)   $ 22.25       0.23       (2.06 )     (1.83 )     (0.74 )           (0.74 )   $ 19.68       (8.35 )%     (8.92 )%     0.77 %(h)     0.77 %(h)     2.16 %   $ 1,183,530       20 %
Year Ended April 30, 2022   $ 25.24       0.45       (1.68 )     (1.23 )     (1.69 )     (0.07 )     (1.76 )   $ 22.25       (5.46 )%     (5.36 )%     0.78 %(h)     0.78 %(h)     1.81 %   $ 1,487,948       119 %
Year Ended April 30, 2021   $ 23.40       0.45       3.13       3.58       (1.74 )           (1.74 )   $ 25.24       15.74 %     15.86 %     0.95 %(h)     0.95 %(h)     1.82 %   $ 465,724       68 %
Year Ended April 30, 2020   $ 23.70       0.59       0.79       1.38       (1.40 )     (0.28 )     (1.68 )   $ 23.40       5.98 %     5.71 %     0.95 %(h)     1.40 %(h)     2.47 %   $ 19,891       83 %
Year Ended April 30, 2019   $ 23.84       0.56       0.95       1.51       (0.92 )     (0.73 )     (1.65 )   $ 23.70       6.65 %     6.68 %     0.95 %(h)     2.30 %(h)     2.41 %   $ 12,442       118 %
January 16, 2018(i) through April 30, 2018   $ 25.00       0.13       (0.87 )     (0.74 )           (0.42 )     (0.42 )   $ 23.84       (2.96 )%     (2.76 )%     0.95 %(h)     6.33 %(h)     2.00 %   $ 3,576       18 %
                                                                                                                         
Strategy Shares Halt Climate Change (NZRO)                                                                                                                        
Six Months ended October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)   $ 21.02       0.02       (0.11 )     (0.09 )                     $ 20.93       (0.43 )%     (4.16 )%     0.95 %     0.95 %     0.22 %   $ 1,047       4 %
January 10, 2022(i) through April 30, 2022   $ 24.88       (0.00 )(k)     (3.86 )     (3.86 )                     $ 21.02       (15.51 )%     (13.02 )%     0.95 %     0.95 %     (0.05 )%   $ 1,577       0 %(l)
                                                                                                                         
Strategy Shares Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF (ROMO)                                                                                                                        
Six Months ended October 31, 2022 (Unaudited)   $ 26.07       0.08       (1.72 )     (1.64 )                     $ 24.43       (6.29 )%     (6.63 )%     0.75 %(h)     0.78 %(h)     0.64 %   $ 51,308       105 %
Year Ended April 30, 2022   $ 27.30       0.17       (1.23 )     (1.06 )     (0.17 )           (0.17 )   $ 26.07       (3.97 )%     (3.79 )%     0.75 %(h)     0.82 %(h)     0.61 %   $ 50,188       221 %
Year Ended April 30, 2021   $ 21.55       0.21       5.78       5.99       (0.24 )     (0.00 )(k)     (0.24 )   $ 27.30       27.91 %     27.64 %     0.75 %(h)     0.90 %(h)     0.88 %   $ 42,321       309 %
November 1, 2019(i) through April 30, 2020   $ 25.15       0.11       (3.56 )     (3.45 )     (0.15 )           (0.15 )   $ 21.55       (13.82 )%     (13.70 )%     0.75 %(h)     1.56 %(h)     0.94 %   $ 20,472       145 %
                                                                                                                         
(a) Calculated using the average shares method.

 

(b) Not annualized for periods less than one year.

 

(c) Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions, including dividends and return of capital, at net asset value during the period, if any, and redemption on the last day of the period at net asset value. This percentage is not an indication of the performance of a shareholder’s investment in the Fund based on market value due to differences between the market price of the shares and the net asset value per share of the Fund.

 

(d) Market value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions, including dividends and return of capital, at net asset value during the period, if any, and redemption on the last day of the period at market value. Market value is determined by the composite closing price. Composite closing security price is defined as the last reported sale price from any primary listing market (e.g., Nasdaq) or participating regional exchanges or markets. The composite closing price is the last reported sale price from any of the eligible sources, regardless of volume and not an average price and may have occurred on a date prior to the close of the reporting period. Market value may be greater or less than net asset value, depending on the Fund’s closing price on the listing market.

 

(e) Annualized for periods less than one year.

 

(f) Certain fees were waived and/or reimbursed. If such waivers/reimbursements had not occurred, the ratios would have been as indicated.

 

(g) Portfolio turnover increases/decreases due to change within the portfolio holdings during the period.

 

(h) The Fund invests in other funds and indirectly bears its proportionate share of fees and expenses incurred by the underlying funds in which the Fund is invested. The ratio does not include these indirect fees and expenses.

 

(i) Commencement of operations.

 

(j) Statement has been consolidated. See Note 2.A. in the Notes to Financial Statements for basis of consolidation.

 

(k) Amount is less than ($0.005).

 

(l) Amount is less than 0.5%

 

(See notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements)

 

16 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements October 31, 2022

 

(1) Organization

 

Strategy Shares (the “Trust”) was organized on September 7, 2010 as a Delaware statutory trust. The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Declaration of Trust permits the Trust to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) in one or more series representing interests in separate portfolios of securities. Currently, the Trust offers its Shares in eight separate series. The accompanying Financial Statements relate to the following series: Strategy Shares Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF (FIVR) (“Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF”), Strategy Shares Gold-Hedged Bond ETF (GLDB) (“Gold-Hedged Bond ETF”), Strategy Shares Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF (HNDL) (“Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF”), Strategy Shares Halt Climate Change ETF (NZRO) (“Halt Climate Change ETF”), and Strategy Shares Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF (ROMO) (“Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF”), (individually referred to as a “Fund,” or collectively as the “Funds”). Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF, Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF, and Newfound/ ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF are classified as diversified under the 1940 Act, while Gold-Hedged Bond ETF and Halt Climate Change ETF are classified as non-diversified under the 1940 Act. The Funds are passively-managed exchange -traded funds, except for Halt Climate Change ETF, which is actively managed. The investment objective of the Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF is to seek investment results that correlate generally, before fees and expenses, to the price and yield performance of the Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index. The investment objective of the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF is to seek investment results that correlate, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Solactive Gold-Backed Bond Index. The investment objective of the Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF is to seek investment results that correlate generally, before fees and expenses, to the price and yield performance of the Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index. The investment objective of the Halt Climate Change ETF is to seek long-term capital appreciation. The investment objective of the Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF is to seek to provide investment returns that correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Newfound/ReSolve Robust Equity Momentum Index. The Funds’ prospectuses provide a description of each Fund’s investment objectives, policies, and strategies. The assets of each Fund are segregated and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the Fund in which shares are held.

 

The Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF commenced operations on January 16, 2018, the Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF commenced operations on November 1, 2019, the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF commenced operations on May 17, 2021, the Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF commenced operations on December 28, 2021, and the Halt Climate Change ETF commenced operations on January 10, 2022.

 

Shares of the Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF, Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF and the Halt Climate Change ETF are listed and traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”). Shares of the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF and Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF are listed and traded on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. Market prices for the Shares may be different from their net asset value (“NAV”). Each Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis at NAV only in large blocks, currently 25,000 Shares, called “Creation Units.” Creation Units are issued and redeemed principally in-kind for securities included in a specified universe. Once created, Shares generally trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day in amounts less than a Creation Unit.

Under the Trust’s organizational documents, its officers and Board of Trustees (“the Board”) are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Funds. In addition, in the normal course of business, the Trust may enter into contracts with vendors and others that provide for general indemnifications. The Trust’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Trust. However, based on experience, the Trust expects that risk of loss to be remote.

 

(2) Significant Accounting Policies

 

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by each Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. These policies are in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Each Fund is an investment company and accordingly follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 Financial Services – Investment Companies. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets, liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

A. Basis of Consolidation

 

The accompanying Consolidated Portfolio of Investments, Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Consolidated Statement of Operations, Consolidated Statement of Changes in Net Assets, and Consolidated Financial Highlights of the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF include the accounts of its wholly owned subsidiary, SSGBI Fund Limited (the “Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary is organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and primarily invests in gold futures contracts and total return swaps as well as cash and cash equivalents such as treasury securities which serve as collateral for the Subsidiary’s investment in gold futures contracts and total return swap investments. The Fund will invest up to 25% of its total assets in its Subsidiary. As of October 31, 2022, the net assets of the Subsidiary was 9.9% of the total net assets of the Fund. The Subsidiary is subject to the same investment restrictions as the Fund, when viewed on a consolidated basis.

 

B. Investment in a Subsidiary

 

By investing in the Subsidiary, the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF is indirectly exposed to the commodities risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments in commodity-related instruments. There can be no assurance that the Subsidiary’s investments will contribute to the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF’s returns. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. The Board, however, has oversight responsibility for the investment activities of the Gold- Hedged Bond ETF, including its investment in its Subsidiary, and the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF’s role as the sole shareholder of the Subsidiary. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in the prospectus and could adversely affect the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF, such as by reducing the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF’s investment returns. The financial statements of the Subsidiary have been consolidated with the Gold Hedged Bond ETF’s financial statements in this report.



Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 17

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued) 

 

C. Investment Valuations

 

The Funds hold investments at fair value. Fair value is defined as the price that would be expected to be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The valuation techniques used to determine fair value are further described below.

 

Security values are ordinarily obtained through the use of independent pricing services in accordance with procedures approved by the Trust’s Board. Pursuant to these procedures, the Funds may use a pricing service, bank, or broker-dealer experienced in such matters to value the Funds’ securities. When reliable market quotations are not readily available for any security, the fair value of that security will be determined in accordance with procedures approved by the Board. The fair valuation process is designed to value the subject security at the price the Funds would reasonably expect to receive upon its current sale. Additional consideration is given to securities that have experienced a decrease in the volume or level of activity or to circumstances that indicate that a transaction is not orderly.

 

The Trust has a three-tier fair value hierarchy that is dependent upon the various “inputs” used to determine the value of the Funds’ investments. The valuation techniques described below maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs in determining fair value. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:

 

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets.

 

Level 2 – Other observable pricing inputs at the measurement date (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).

 

Level 3 – Significant unobservable pricing inputs at the measurement date (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).

 

The inputs or methodology used for valuing investments are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those investments.

 

Equity securities (including foreign equity securities) traded on a securities exchange are valued at the last reported sales price on the principal exchange, except that equity securities traded on Nasdaq are valued at the Nasdaq official closing price. If there is no reported sale on the principal exchange, and in the case of over the counter securities, equity securities are valued at the mean of the quoted bid and asked prices. In each of these situations, valuations are typically categorized as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy.

 

Debt securities traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter market are valued at the last reported sales price on the principal exchange. If there is no reported sale on the principal exchange, and for all other debt securities, debt securities are valued at a price supplied by a security pricing service. In each of these situations, valuations are typically categorized as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

 

Swaps generally are valued at the last quoted sales price of the swap (if exchange-listed) or of the underlying security (if such security is exchange-listed), or in the absence of a sale, fair valued at the mean between the current bid and ask prices, and are typically categorized as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Other types of swaps may be fair valued by a pricing agent covering the specific type of swap.

The following table provides the fair value measurement as of October 31, 2022.

 

                Total  
Fund   Level 1     Level 2     Investments  
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF                        
Exchange-Traded Funds   $ 2,555,442     $     $ 2,555,442  
Total Investments   $ 2,555,442     $     $ 2,555,442  
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF                        
Corporate Bonds   $     $ 9,299,584     $ 9,299,584  
Yankee Dollars           629,874       629,874  
Other Financial Instruments(1)                        
Total Return Swap Agreements           33,094       33,094  
Total Investments   $     $ 9,962,552     $ 9,962,552  
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF                        
Exchange-Traded Funds   $ 1,057,471,622     $     $ 1,057,471,622  
Other Financial Instruments(1)                        
Total Return Swap Agreements           11,867,588       11,867,588  
Total Investments   $ 1,057,471,622     $ 11,867,588     $ 1,069,339,210  
Halt Climate Change ETF                        
Common Stocks   $ 1,003,439     $     $ 1,003,439  
Total Investments   $ 1,003,439     $     $ 1,003,439  
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF                        
Exchange-Traded Funds   $ 51,183,425     $     $ 51,183,425  
Total Investments   $ 51,183,425     $     $ 51,183,425  
                         

 

(1) Other Financial Instruments are derivative instruments not reflected in the total investments, such as swap agreements, which are valued at fair value.

 

For the period ended October 31, 2022, there were no Level 3 investments for which significant unobservable inputs were used to determine fair value.

 

D. Security Transactions and Related Income

 

Investment transactions are accounted for no later than the first calculation of the NAV on the business day following the trade date. For financial reporting purposes, however, security transactions are accounted for on the trade date on the last business day of the reporting period. Discounts and premiums on securities purchased are amortized over the lives of the respective securities using the effective interest method. Securities gains and losses are calculated on the identified cost basis. Interest income and expenses are accrued daily. Dividends, less foreign tax withholding, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Investment income from non-U.S. sources received by a Fund is generally subject to non-U.S. withholding taxes at rates ranging up to 30%. Such withholding taxes may be reduced or eliminated under the terms of applicable U.S. income tax treaties. The Funds may be subject to foreign taxes on gains in investments or currency repatriation. The Funds accrue such taxes, as applicable, based on their current interpretation of tax rules in the foreign markets in which they invest.

 

E. Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

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



18 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

 

F. Derivative Instruments

 

Swap Agreements: The Funds may enter into swap agreements (“swaps”) in an attempt to obtain a particular desired return at a lower cost to the Fund than if it had been invested directly in an instrument that yielded that desired return. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of returns) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index. The “notional amount” of the swap agreement is only a fictive basis on which to calculate the obligations the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange. A Fund’s obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”).

 

Total Return Swaps: The Funds may enter into total return swaps to gain or mitigate exposure to the underlying securities or indices. In “long” total return swaps, the counterparty will generally agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the swaps would have increased in value had it been invested in the particular instruments, plus an amount equal to any dividends or interest that would have been received on those instruments. The Fund will agree to pay to the counterparty an amount equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the swaps plus the amount, if any, by which the notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such instruments plus, in certain instances, commissions or trading spreads on the notional amount. Total return swaps do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying instruments. Until a total return swap is settled in cash, the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends or interest on the instruments less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount is recorded as “unrealized appreciation or depreciation on swap agreements” and, when cash is exchanged, the gain or loss realized is recorded as “realized gains or losses on swap agreements.” A Fund may enter into total return swaps that provide the opposite return of its benchmark index or security (“short” the index or security). Its operations are similar to those swaps disclosed above except that the counterparty pays interest to the Fund on the notional amount outstanding and that dividends or interest on the underlying instruments reduce the value of the swaps plus, in certain instances, the Fund will agree to pay to the counterparty commissions or trading spreads on the notional amount. These amounts are netted against any unrealized appreciation or depreciation to determine the value of the swaps.

 

The primary risks associated with the use of swaps are an imperfect correlation between the prices of financial instruments and movements in the prices of the underlying investments and the inability of counterparties to perform under the agreement. The counterparty to any swap agreement will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker-dealer. The Fund will bear the counterparty risk (i.e., the risk of loss of the net amount), if any, expected to be received under a swap in the event of the default or bankruptcy of the swap counterparty. As of October 31, 2022, the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF and the Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF invested in total return swaps. The unrealized appreciation/ (depreciation) as of October 31, 2022 is disclosed in the Total Return Swap Agreement tables found earlier in this report.

Summary of Derivative Instruments

 

The following table summarizes the fair values of derivative instruments on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities, categorized by risk exposure, as of October 31, 2022.

 

    Assets     Liabilities  
    Unrealized Appreciation     Unrealized Depreciation  
Fund   on Swap Agreements     on Swap Agreements  
Equity Risk Exposure:                
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF   $ 33,094     $  
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF     11,867,588        

 

The following table presents the effect of derivative instruments on the Statements of Operations, categorized by risk exposure, for the periodended October 31, 2022.

 

    Net Realized        
    Gains (Losses) from     Change in Unrealized  
    Swap Agreements     Appreciation/Depreciation  
    Recognized as a     on Swaps Recognized  
Fund   Result from Operations     from Operations  
Equity Risk Exposure:                
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF   $ (3,358,049 )   $ 776,753  
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF     (82,638,231 )     41,732,269  

 

G. Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders

 

Dividends to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. For the Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF, Gold-Hedged Bond ETF and the Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid monthly. For the Halt Climate Change ETF and Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually. Net realized capital gains, if any, are distributed at least annually.

 

The amount of dividends from net investment income and net realized gains are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP. These “book/tax” differences are considered either temporary or permanent in nature. To the extent these differences are permanent in nature (e.g., distributions and income received from pass-through investments, differing treatment of income relating to swap agreements), such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their nature for federal income tax purposes; temporary differences do not require reclassification. Temporary differences are primarily due to wash sales and differing treatment on certain investments. To the extent dividends and distributions exceed net investment income and net realized gains for tax purposes, they are reported as distribution of capital.

 

The Funds may own shares of real estate investments trusts (“REITs”), which report information on the source of their distributions annually. Distributions received from investments in REITs in excess of income from underlying investments are recorded as realized gain and/or as a reduction to the cost of the individual REIT.

 

H. Allocation of Expenses

 

Expenses directly attributable to a Fund are charged to that Fund. Expenses not directly attributable to a Fund are allocated proportionally among all series of the Trust in relation to the net assets of each series or on another reasonable basis. Those expenses that are shared are allocated proportionally among each of the trusts or on another reasonable basis.



Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 19

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

 

(3) Investment Advisory and Other Contractual Services

 

A. Investment Advisory Fees

 

Rational Advisors, Inc. (the “Advisor”) is the investment advisor of the Funds. The Advisor is under common control with Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC and AlphaCentric Advisors LLC, the investment advisors of other funds in the same group of investment companies also known as a “fund complex.” The Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF, the Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF and the Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF pay 0.46%, 0.60% and 0.49%, respectively, of each Fund’s average daily net assets, computed daily and paid monthly, for the advisory services it receives from the Advisor.

 

The Gold-Hedged Bond ETF and the Halt Climate Change ETF pay 0.79% and 0.95%, respectively, of the Fund’s average daily net assets, computed daily and paid monthly, for advisory services it receives from the Advisor. These fees are each structured as a “Unified Fee,” pursuant to which the Advisor is obligated to pay or arrange for the payment of substantially all expenses of the Funds (including, without limitation, transfer agent fees, administrative fees and expenses, custodian fees, legal fees, accounting fees, any other expenses (including clerical expenses) of issue, sale, repurchase or redemption of shares, expenses of registering or qualifying shares for sale, transfer taxes, all expenses of preparing the Trust’s registration statements and prospectuses for the Funds, and the cost of printing and delivering to shareholders prospectuses and reports), except the Funds’ management fee; taxes; brokerage commissions and trading costs; interest (including borrowing costs and overdraft charges); short sale dividends and interest expenses; acquired fund fees and expenses; and non-routine or extraordinary expenses of the Funds (such as litigation or reorganizational costs), each of which is paid by the Funds. The Advisor’s Unified Fee is designed to cause substantially all of each Fund’s expenses to be paid and to compensate the Advisor for providing services for the Funds.

 

The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive all or a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse certain operating expenses of the Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF, the Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF and the Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF (exclusive of acquired fund fees and expenses; brokerage commissions and trading costs; interest (including borrowing costs and overdraft charges), taxes, short sale dividends and interest expenses, and non-routine or extraordinary expenses (such as litigation or reorganizational costs)) in order to limit total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers and expense reimbursement to 0.71%, 0.80% and 0.75%, respectively, of the Fund’s average annual daily net assets (“Expense Cap”). The Expense Cap will remain in effect until at least August 31, 2023 for the Nasdaq 5HNDL™ Index ETF, the Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF and the Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF. The Expense Cap may be terminated earlier only upon the approval of the Board. The Advisor may recoup management fees that it waived or Fund expenses that it paid under this agreement for a period of three years after the fees were waived or expenses paid, if the recoupment can be achieved without causing the expense ratio (after the recoupment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of (i) the expense limit in effect at the time the fees were waived or expenses paid, or (ii) the expense limit in place at the time of recoupment.

As of October 31, 2022, the Advisor may recoup amounts from the Funds as follows:

 

    Expires     Expires     Expires     Expires        
Fund   4/30/23     4/30/24     4/30/25     4/30/26     Total  
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $     $     $ 45,540     $ 61,934     $ 107,474  
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     49,237       54,116       31,186       8,577       143,116  

 

B. Administration, Transfer Agent and Accounting Fees

 

Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. (“Citi”) provides financial administration, transfer agency and portfolio accounting services to the Trust. Citi performs certain services on behalf of the Trust including but not limited to: (1) preparing and filing the Trust’s periodic financial reports on forms prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”); (2) calculating Fund expenses and making required disbursements; (3) calculating Fund performance data; and (4) providing certain portfolio compliance support services. As transfer agent, Citi issues shares of a Fund in Creation Units to fill purchase orders for Fund shares, maintains records of the issuance and redemption of each Fund’s shares, and acts as each Fund’s dividend disbursing agent. As portfolio accountant, Citi maintains certain financial records of the Trust and provides accounting services to each Fund which include the daily calculation of each Fund’s NAV. Citi also performs certain other services on behalf of the Trust including providing financial information for the Trust’s federal and state tax returns and financial reports required to be filed with the SEC.

 

Administration Fees (as well as substantially all other expenses) for the Gold-Hedged Bond ETF and Halt Climate Change ETF are paid by the Advisor from the amounts received from the Unified Fee, as detailed previously.

 

MFund Services LLC (“MFund”), an affiliate of the Advisor, provides the Funds with various management and legal administrative services. For these services, each Fund pays MFund a fee accrued daily and paid monthly based on a percentage of each Fund’s average net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee. The fees are as follows:

 

– 0.030% of the aggregate net assets from $0 to $1 billion; and

 

– 0.020% of the aggregate net assets above $1 billion

 

The asset-based fees are subject to an annual minimum of $30,000 per Fund. In addition, the Funds reimburse MFund for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the performance of its duties.

 

C. Distribution and Shareholder Services Fees

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) is the principal underwriter and distributor of each Fund’s Shares. The Distributor is compensated by the Advisor in accordance with a Distribution Services Agreement between the Advisor and the Distributor. The Trust has adopted but has yet to implement a Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan is designed to compensate or reimburse financial intermediaries (including the Distributor, the Advisor, and their affiliates) for activities principally intended to result in the sale of Fund shares, such as advertising and marketing of shares (including printing and disseminating prospectuses and sales literature to prospective shareholders and financial intermediaries) and providing incentives to financial intermediaries to sell shares. The Plan is also designed to cover the cost of administrative services performed in conjunction with the sale of shares, including, but not limited to, shareholder services, recordkeeping services and educational services, as well as



20 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

 

the costs of implementing and operating the Plan. In accordance with the Plan, the Distributor may enter into agreements with financial intermediaries and dealers relating to distribution and/or marketing services with respect to the Funds. Pursuant to the Plan, the Funds may pay a 12b-1 fee not to exceed 0.25% per year of each Fund’s average daily net assets. No 12b-1 fee is currently paid by the Funds and the Board has not approved any payments under the Plan.

 

D. Custodian Fees

 

Citibank, N.A. (the “Custodian”), an affiliate of Citi, serves as custodian for each Fund and safeguards and holds each Fund’s cash and securities, settles each Fund’s securities transactions, and collects income on Fund investments. The Custodian receives fees based on the level of each Fund’s average daily net assets for the period plus out-of-pocket expenses.

 

E. Compliance Services

 

Pursuant to a Compliance Services Agreement, MFund, an affiliate of the Advisor, provides chief compliance officer services to the Funds. The Funds pay MFund a monthly fee plus an asset-based fee. In addition, the Funds reimburse MFund for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the performance of its duties under the Compliance Services Agreement.

 

F. General

 

The Advisor paid all organizational costs of the Funds. For Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF, certain offering costs are being expensed over the first 12 months of operations. As of October 31, 2022, the balance of offering costs remaining to be expensed is shown on the Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities as “Deferred offering costs”.

 

(4) Investment Transactions

 

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

 

Fund   Purchases     Sales  
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $ 458,907     $ 485,903  
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF           2,036,106  
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF     243,479,101       311,702,325  
Halt Climate Change ETF     45,811       60,499  
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     53,385,177       53,223,138  

 

Purchases and sales of in-kind transactions for the period ended October 31, 2022 were as follows:

 

Fund   Purchases     Sales  
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $ 507,474     $ 553,578  
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF            
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF     3,946,445       129,935,122  
Halt Climate Change ETF           512,241  
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     6,399,899       1,940,432  

 

(5) Capital Share Transactions

 

Shares are issued and redeemed by each Fund only in aggregations of a specified number of shares or multiples thereof at net asset value. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of each Fund are not redeemable. Transactions in shares for each Fund are disclosed in detail on the Statements of Changes in Net Assets.

The consideration for the purchase of Creation Units of a Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated basket of securities, which constitutes an optimized representation of the securities of that Fund’s specified universe, and an amount of cash. Investors purchasing and redeeming Creation Units may be charged a transaction fee to cover the transfer and other transactional costs it incurs to issue or redeem Creation Units. The standard charge and maximum transaction fee for each Fund are $250 and $1,000, respectively.

 

From time to time, settlement of securities related to subscriptions-in-kind or redemptions-in-kind may be delayed. In such cases, securities related to in-kind contributions are reflected as “Due from custodian” and securities related to in-kind redemptions are reflected as “Securities payable related to in-kind transactions” on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities.

 

During the period ended October 31, 2022, the Funds received securities in exchange for subscriptions of capital shares (subscriptions-in-kind) and distributed securities in exchange for redemptions (redemptions-in-kind) as follows:

 

    Fair Value of     Fair Value of  
Fund   Subscriptions-in-Kind     Redemptions-in-Kind  
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $ 507,474     $ 553,578  
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF            
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF     3,946,445       129,935,122  
Halt Climate Change ETF           512,241  
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     6,399,899       1,940,432  

 

(6) Federal Income Taxes

 

It is the policy of each Fund to qualify or continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by complying with the provisions available to certain investment companies, as defined in applicable sections of the Internal Revenue Code, and to make distributions of net investment income and net realized capital gains sufficient to relieve it from all, or substantially all, federal income taxes.

 

The Trust has evaluated tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing each Fund’s tax returns to determine whether it is more-likely-than not (i.e., greater than 50-percent chance) that each tax position will be sustained upon examination by a taxing authority based on the technical merits of the position. A tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is measured to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the financial statements. Differences between tax positions taken in a tax return and amounts recognized in the financial statements will generally result in an increase in a liability for taxes payable (or a reduction of a tax refund receivable), including the recognition of any related interest and penalties as an operating expense. Tax positions taken in tax years remain subject to examination by tax authorities (generally three years plus the interim tax period since then for federal income tax purposes) . The determination has been made that there are not any uncertain tax positions that would require the Funds to record a tax liability and, therefore, there is no impact to the Funds’ financial statements. The Funds recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense on the Statements of Operations. During the period ended October 31, 2022, the Funds did not incur any interest or penalties. The tax year end for the Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF and Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF is December 31 and the tax year end for the Gold -Hedged Bond ETF, Halt Climate Change ETF and Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF is April 30.



Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 21

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

 

As of the most recent tax year end, the tax cost of securities and the breakdown of unrealized appreciation/depreciation for each Fund were as follows:

 

                      Net Unrealized  
    Tax Cost of     Unrealized     Unrealized     Appreciation/  
Fund   Securities     Appreciation     Depreciation     (Depreciation)  
December 31                        
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $ 611,634     $ 1,645     $ 1,806     $ (161 )
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF     1,353,553,061       45,252,946       6,414,707       38,838,239  
April 30                                
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF     13,717,214             801,151       (801,151 )
Halt Climate Change ETF     1,762,936       14,040       242,952       (228,912 )
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     51,051,395             967,825       (967,825 )

 

The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation/depreciation are attributable primarily to basis adjustments for wash sales, mark-to-market on swap agreements, and the character of distributions received from Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

 

The tax character of distributions paid during the most recent tax year end were as follows:

 

    Distributions paid from  
    Ordinary     Net Long Term     Total Taxable     Return of     Total  
Fund   Income     Capital Gains     Distributions     Capital     Distributions Paid  
December 31                                        
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $     $     $     $     $  
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF     49,358,019           $ 874,876       3,551,942       52,909,961  
April 30                                        
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF     59,219             59,219             59,219  
Halt Climate Change ETF                              
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     286,753             286,753             286,753  

 

The tax character of distributions paid during the previous tax year end were as follows:

 

    Distributions paid from  
    Ordinary     Net Long Term     Total Taxable     Return of     Total  
Fund   Income     Capital Gains     Distributions     Capital     Distributions Paid  
December 31                                        
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF   $ 3,188,317     $     $ 3,188,317     $     $ 3,188,317  
April 30                                        
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     381,434             381,434       6,072       387,506  

 

As of the most recent tax year end, the components of accumulated earnings/(deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

    Undistributed     Undistributed           Accumulated     Unrealized     Total  
    Ordinary     Long Term     Accumulated     Capital and     Appreciation     Accumulated  
Fund   Income     Capital Gains     Earnings     Other Losses     (Depreciation)     Earnings (Deficit)  
December 31                                    
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $ 776     $     $ 776     $ (243,245 )   $ (161 )   $ 615  
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF                       (1,401,505 )     38,838,239       37,436,734  
April 30                                                
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF                             (1,544,810 )     (1,544,810 )
Halt Climate Change ETF                       (275 )     (228,912 )     (229,187 )
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF                       (440,195 )     (967,825 )     (1,408,020 )

  

22 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

 

Permanent Tax Differences:

 

As of the most recent tax year end, the following reclassifications relating primarily to redemptions in-kind, Controlled Foreign Corporations, Taxable over-distributions, Return of Capital, and Net Operating Losses have been made to increase (decrease) such accounts with offsetting adjustments as indicated.

 

    Total Distributable     Paid in  
Fund   Earnings / (Loss)     Capital  
December 31            
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $     $  
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF     (1,393,616 )     1,393,616  
April 30                
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF     (137,839 )     137,839  
Halt Climate Change ETF     183       (183 )
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     (2,978,568 )     2,978,568  

 

Temporary tax differences (e.g. wash sales) do not require a reclassification.

 

Under current tax law, certain ordinary losses arising after December 31 of a Fund’s fiscal year may be deferred and treated as occurring on the first business day of the following fiscal year for tax purposes. The following Funds deferred losses are as follows:

       
    Late Year  
Fund   Ordinary Loss Deferrals  
December 31      
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $  
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF      
April 30        
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF      
Halt Climate Change ETF      
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     43,148  

 

As of the most recent tax year end, no Funds utilized capital loss carryforwards to offset capital gains. The Funds have a net CLCF as summarized in the table below. This CLCF is not subject to expiration:

 

Fund   Short-Term Amount     Long-Term Amount     Total  
December 31                        
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index ETF   $     $     $  
Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index ETF     1,161,317       240,188       1,401,505  
April 30                        
Gold-Hedged Bond ETF                  
Halt Climate Change ETF     275             275  
Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF     397,047             397,047  

 

(7) Investment Risks

 

This section discusses certain common principal risks encountered by the Funds. Each Fund may be subject to other risks in addition to these identified risks. The risks are presented in an order intended to facilitate readability, and their order does not imply that the realization of one risk is likely to occur more frequently than another risk, nor does it imply that the realization of one risk is likely to have a greater adverse impact than another risk.

 

ETF Risk

 

The NAV of a Fund can fluctuate up or down, and you could lose money investing in a Fund if the prices of the securities owned by the Fund decline. In addition, a Fund may be subject to the following risks: (1) the market price of a Fund’s shares may trade above or below its NAV; (2) an active trading market for a Fund’s shares may not develop or be maintained; or (3) trading of a Fund’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are delisted from the exchange, or the activation of market wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.

Market Risk

 

Overall market risks may also affect the value of the Funds. The market values of securities or other investments owned by the Funds will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Factors such as economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels, exchange rates and political events affect the securities markets. Changes in market conditions and interest rates generally do not have the same impact on all types of securities and instruments. Unexpected local, regional or global events and their aftermath, such as war; acts of terrorism; financial, political or social disruptions; natural, environmental or man-made disasters; the spread of infectious illnesses or other public health issues; recessions and depressions; or other tragedies, catastrophes and events could have a significant impact on the Funds and their investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Funds’ net asset values, and may impair market liquidity, thereby increasing liquidity risk. Such events can cause investor fear and panic, which can adversely affect the economies of many companies, sectors, nations, regions and the market in general, in ways that cannot necessarily be



Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 23

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

 

foreseen. The Funds could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. In times of severe market disruptions you could lose your entire investment.

 

The global outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19, has caused adverse effects on many companies, sectors, nations, regions and the markets in general, and may continue for an unpredictable duration. The effects of this pandemic may materially impact the value and performance of the Funds, their ability to buy and sell fund investments at appropriate valuations and their ability to achieve their investment objective(s).

 

Underlying Fund Risk

 

The ETFs in which the Funds invest are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Funds. As a result, the cost of investing in the Funds will be higher than the cost of investing directly in the ETFs and may be higher than other funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Each of the ETFs is subject to its own specific risks.

 

As of October 31, 2022, 74.34% and 25.23% of the Newfound/ReSolve Robust Momentum ETF’s net assets were invested in the iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF and iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF, respectively. The financial statements of the iShares 1- 3 Year Treasury Bond ETF and iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF, including their portfolio of investments, can be found at the SEC’s website www.sec.gov and should be read in conjunction with the Newfound/ Resolve Robust Momentum ETF’s financial statements.

 

(8) Subsequent Events

 

Management of the Funds has evaluated the need for disclosures and/or adjustments resulting from subsequent events through the date these financial statements were issued. Based upon this evaluation, no additional disclosures or adjustments were required to the financial statements as of October 31, 2022.

 



24 | Semi-Annual Shareholder Report

 

 

Additional Information

 

Statement Regarding Liquidity Risk Management Program

 

Strategy Shares (the “Trust”), on behalf of its series (collectively, the “Funds” and individually, a “Fund”), has adopted a written liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) pursuant to Rule 22e-4 (the “Rule”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. As required by the Rule, the Program has been approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”). The Board also approved the designation of a committee composed of appointed Trust officers, to serve as the administrator (“LPA”) for each Fund’s Program.

 

Pursuant to the Rule, the LPA provided a written report to the Board (the “Report”) covering the period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 (the “Review Period”) addressing the operation of the Program and assessing its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation, including, if applicable, the operation of a Fund’s highly liquid investment minimum (“HLIM”) and any material changes to the Program. The LPA also conducted the annual assessment of each Fund’s liquidity risk (defined as the risk that the Fund could not meet requests for redemption without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the Fund), taking into account applicable factors and considerations specified in the Program.

 

During the Review Period, the LPA oversaw implementation of the Program and monitoring of each Fund’s liquidity risk on an ongoing basis as set forth in the Program. In accordance with the Rule, the Program includes policies and procedures that provide for: (1) assessment, management, and review (no less frequently than annually) of each Fund’s liquidity risk; (2) as applicable, classification of each Fund’s portfolio holdings into one of four liquidity categories based on the number of days; (3) as applicable, establishing and maintaining compliance with a Fund’s HLIM; and (4) prohibiting a Fund’s acquisition of illiquid investments that would result in the Fund holding more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. In addition, for Funds that reserve the right to effect redemptions in-kind, the Rule requires the Fund to establish redemption in-kind policies and procedures governing how and when it will engage in such redemptions.

 

Key Conclusions of the Report

 

The Report stated that the Program operated effectively during the Review Period to achieve the goal of assessing and managing each Fund’s liquidity risk during the Review Period, and is reasonably designed to manage each Fund’s liquidity risk. Additionally, the Report stated that there were no material changes to the Program recommended pursuant to the LPA’s review.

 

There were no material liquidity events that impacted the Funds identified in the Report and none of the Funds were required to comply with the HLIM provisions of the Rule during the Review Period.

 

The Report noted that each Fund complied with the 15% limitation on illiquid investments during the Review Period and further stated that there were no redemptions in-kind effected by any of the Funds pursuant to the Program during the Review Period.

  

Semi-Annual Shareholder Report | 25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(LOGO) 

 

 

VOTING PROXIES ON FUND PORTFOLIO SECURITIES

 

A copy of the policies and procedures that the Funds use to determine how to vote proxies relating to securities held in the Funds’ portfolios, as well as a record of how the Funds voted any such proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available without charge and upon request by calling 1-855-HSS-ETFS or 1-855-477-3837 or at www.strategysharesetfs.com. This information is also available from the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

 

QUARTERLY PORTFOLIO SCHEDULE

 

The Funds file with the SEC a complete schedule of their portfolio holdings, as of the close of the first and third quarters of their fiscal year, on Form N-PORT. These filings are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also access this information at www.strategysharesetfs.com by selecting Form N-PORT.

 

Rational Advisors, Inc. is the investment advisor of the Funds. Rational Advisors, Inc. maintains corporate records of the Funds. Foreside Fund Services, LLC is the principal underwriter and distributor of each Fund’s shares.

 

Exchange-traded funds are not bank deposits or obligations, are not guaranteed by any bank, and are not insured or guaranteed by the U..S.. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other government agency.. Investment in exchange-traded funds involves investment risk, including the possible loss of principal..

 

This report is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only when preceded or accompanied by a prospectus which contains facts concerning the Funds’ objectives and policies, management fees, expenses and other information.

  

Strategy Shares Strategy Shares Strategy Shares Strategy Shares Strategy Shares
Nasdaq 5HANDL™ Index Gold-Hedged Bond ETF Nasdaq 7HANDL™ Index Halt Climate Change ETF Newfound/ReSolve Robust
ETF (FIVR) (GLDB) ETF (HNDL) (NZRO) Momentum ETF (ROMO)
Cusip 86280R852 Cusip 86280R878 Cusip 86280R506 Cusip 86280R837 Cusip 86280R886

 

Strategy Shares Shareholder Services: 1-855-477-3837