ck0001137360-20211231
VANECK®
Africa
Index ETF AFK®
Brazil
Small-Cap ETF BRF®
Egypt
Index ETF EGPT®
India
Growth Leaders ETF GLIN
Indonesia
Index ETF IDX®
Israel
ETF ISRA™
Russia
ETF RSX®
Russia
Small-Cap ETF RSXJ®
Vietnam
ETF VNM®
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Principal
U.S. Listing Exchange for AFK, BRF, EGPT, GLIN, IDX and ISRA: NYSE
Arca, Inc. |
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Principal
U.S. Listing Exchange for RSX, RSXJ and VNM: Cboe BZX Exchange,
Inc. |
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The
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or
disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of
this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense. |
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800.826.2333 vaneck.com
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TABLE
OF CONTENTS |
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Summary
Information |
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SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck®
Africa Index ETF1
(the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and
expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS®
GDP Africa Index (the “Africa Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe
the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the
Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage
commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected
in the tables and examples below.
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Shareholder
Fees (fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
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Management
Fee |
0.50 |
% |
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Other
Expenses |
0.27 |
% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
0.77 |
% |
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Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
0.00 |
% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.77 |
% |
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(a)
Van Eck Associates
Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to
the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding
acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and
extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.78% of the Fund’s average daily net
assets per year until at least May 1,
2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage
commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example assumes that you invest
$10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of
your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain
the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waivers and/or expense
reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs
may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would
be:
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YEAR |
EXPENSES |
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1 |
$79 |
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3 |
$246 |
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5 |
$428 |
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10 |
$954 |
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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns
over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur
additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During
the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
37% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at
least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark
index. The Africa Index includes securities of African companies. African
companies generally include local listings of companies that are incorporated in
Africa and listings of companies incorporated outside of Africa but that have at
least 50% of their revenues/related assets in Africa.
________________________________________
1Prior
to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors®
Africa Index ETF.
Such
companies may include small- and medium-capitalization companies. Subject to
country and issuer limitations, the country weightings in the Africa Index are
based on their relative gross domestic product (“GDP”) weights as compared to
all other countries represented in the Africa Index. As of December 31, 2021,
the Africa Index included 76 securities of companies with a market
capitalization range of between approximately $1.12 billion and $67.5 billion
and a weighted average market capitalization of $12.56 billion. These amounts
are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and
may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice
to shareholders.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Africa Index by investing in a portfolio of
securities that generally replicates the Africa Index. Unlike many investment
companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does
not try to “beat” the Africa Index and does not seek temporary defensive
positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to
replicate the Africa Index.
The Fund may concentrate its
investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that
the Africa Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of
December 31, 2021, each of the financials, basic materials and communication
services sectors represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a
deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in African Issuers.
Investments in securities of African issuers, including issuers outside of
Africa that generate significant revenues from Africa, involve risks and special
considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities
markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or
nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in
international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including
authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed
conflict, terrorism, infectious disease outbreak, strained international
relations related to border disputes, the impact on the economy as a result of
civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or
socioeconomic unrest and, in certain countries, genocidal warfare. Unanticipated
political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment
losses. Additionally, Africa is located in a part of the world that has
historically been prone to natural disasters, such as droughts, and is
economically sensitive to environmental events.
The
securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are often considered to be
less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more
developed countries or geographic regions. A subset of African emerging market
countries are considered to be “frontier markets.” Frontier market countries
generally have smaller economies and less developed capital markets than
traditional emerging markets, and, as a result, the risks of investing in
emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries. As a
result, securities markets in Africa are subject to greater risks associated
with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume,
illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the
existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor
and industry. There may also be a high concentration of trading volume in a
small number of issuers, investors and financial intermediaries representing a
limited number of sectors or industries. Moreover, trading on securities markets
may be suspended altogether.
Certain
economies in African countries depend to a significant degree upon exports of
primary commodities such as agricultural products, gold, silver, copper,
diamonds and oil. These economies therefore are vulnerable to changes in
commodity prices, which in turn may be affected by a variety of
factors.
Certain
governments in Africa may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability of
foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in
those countries. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or
prevent foreign investment in securities of issuers located or operating in
countries in Africa. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require
governmental approval or special licenses prior to investments by foreign
investors and may limit the amount of investments by foreign investors in a
particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such foreign investment to a
certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights
than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of those countries
and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among
others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa
significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more
developed countries, and any one of them could cause a decline in the value of
the Fund’s Shares.
There
may be a risk of loss due to the imposition of restrictions on repatriation of
capital invested. In addition, certain African countries have currencies pegged
to the U.S. dollar. If such currency pegs are abandoned, such abandonment could
cause sudden and significant currency adjustments, which could impact the Fund’s
investment returns in those countries. There may be limitations or delays in the
convertibility or repatriation of certain African currencies, which would
adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of the Fund’s
investments denominated in such African currencies, may impair the Fund’s
ability to achieve its investment objective and/or may impede the Fund’s ability
to satisfy redemption requests in a timely manner. For these or other reasons,
the Fund could seek to suspend redemptions of Creation Units (defined herein),
including in the event that an emergency
exists
in which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of its
securities or to determine its net asset value (“NAV”). The Fund could also,
among other things, limit or suspend creations of Creation Units. During the
period that creations or redemptions are affected, the Fund’s shares could trade
at a significant premium or discount to their NAV. In the case of a period
during which creations are suspended, the Fund could experience substantial
redemptions, which may exacerbate the discount to NAV at which the Fund’s shares
trade, cause the Fund to experience increased transaction costs, and cause the
Fund to make greater taxable distributions to shareholders of the Fund. When the
Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to
value.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in South African Issuers. Investments
in securities of South African issuers involve risks and special considerations
not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. South
Africa’s economy exhibits characteristics of both a developed country and a
developing country and has historically experienced extremely uneven
distribution of wealth and income and high rates of unemployment. The securities
markets in South Africa are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity,
inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of
trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and
industry. In addition, South Africa’s currency has at times been at risk of
devaluation due to inadequate foreign currency reserve. While economic reforms
have been enacted in recent periods, there can be no assurance that these
reforms will achieve the intended results. Furthermore, adverse social and
economic conditions in a neighboring country may have a significant adverse
effect on South Africa. Additionally, the agriculture and mining sectors of
South Africa’s economy account for a large portion of its exports, and thus the
South African economy is susceptible to fluctuations in these commodity markets.
South Africa is located in a part of the world that has historically been prone
to natural disasters, such as droughts, and is economically sensitive to
environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact South Africa’s economy
or business operations of companies in South Africa, causing an adverse impact
on the value of the Fund.
Risk
of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments
in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with
investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market
volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher
transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased
market liquidity and political instability. Because certain foreign securities
markets may be limited in size, the activity of large traders may have an undue
influence on the prices of securities that trade in such markets. The Fund
invests in securities of issuers located in countries whose economies are
heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading
may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments.
Risk
of Investing in Emerging and Frontier Market Issuers.
Most African countries are considered to be emerging and/or “frontier” markets.
Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies and less developed
capital markets than traditional emerging markets, and, as a result, the risks
of investing in frontier market countries are magnified. Investments in
securities of emerging and frontier market issuers are exposed to a number of
risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade.
Emerging and/or frontier markets are more likely than developed markets to
experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the
holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Political risks
may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign
ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country
and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the
United States. Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only
a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors,
liquidity issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the
possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who
have inside information.
Foreign
Currency Risk. Because
all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from its investments and/or
the revenues received by the underlying issuer will generally be denominated in
foreign currencies, the Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the
value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns
for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a
high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection
with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Risk
of Investing in Depositary Receipts.
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those
associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are
receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies
that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on
the underlying foreign shares. Investments
in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their
primary trading market and, if not included in the Africa Index, may negatively
affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Africa Index. The
issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts
and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs
and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may
negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to
replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk
of Investing in the Financials Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. Companies in the
financials sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects
the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of
capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financials
sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates, by loan losses,
which usually increase in economic downturns, and by credit rating downgrades.
In addition, the financials sector is undergoing numerous changes, including
continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and
changes to its
regulatory
framework. Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as
benefitting from government intervention in the past may be subject to future
government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government
involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the
financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in
financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in
financial institutions.
Risk
of Investing in the Basic Materials Sector. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the basic materials sector. Companies engaged in
the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by
changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation,
environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates,
imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and
labor relations.
Risk
of Investing in the Communication Services Sector. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the communication services sector. Companies in the
communication services sector may be affected by industry competition,
substantial capital requirements, government regulations and obsolescence of
communications products and services due to technological advancement.
Risk
of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies.
Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely
than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer
financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive
strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility,
lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies.
Returns on investments in securities of small- and medium-capitalization
companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of
large-capitalization companies.
Risk
of Cash Transactions.
Unlike other exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), the Fund expects to effect its
creations and redemptions at least partially for cash, rather than wholly for
in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities
and subsequently incur brokerage costs and/or recognize gains or losses on such
sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio
securities in kind. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient
than an investment in a conventional ETF.
Equity
Securities Risk.
The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general
market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the
issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated
to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect
to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns,
although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have
comparable or greater price volatility.
Market
Risk.
The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated
with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions,
sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and
closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain
social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural
disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest)
adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such
events or developments might affect companies world-wide. An investment in the Fund may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors,
errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties,
failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index
Tracking Risk.
The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Africa Index for a number of
reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including
taxes, not applicable to the Africa Index and incurs costs associated with
buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities
holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Africa Index, or (to the
extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet
redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units,
which are not factored into the return of the Africa Index. Transaction costs,
including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s NAV to the extent not offset
by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (“AP”). Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Africa Index. Errors in the Africa Index data, the Africa Index computations
and/or the construction of the Africa Index in accordance with its methodology
may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the
Africa Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse
impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any
gains from the Africa Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Africa Index provider's
errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Africa Index is
rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase
the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Africa Index, any
transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing
will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be
fully invested at times either as
a
result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and
redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions
or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Africa Index provider or
its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Africa Index.
Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Africa
Index provider or its agents to the Africa Index may increase the costs to and
the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to
invest in certain securities included in the Africa Index, or invest in them in
the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Africa Index. The
Fund’s performance may also deviate from the return of the Africa Index due to
legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain
countries, certain listing standards of the Fund’s listing exchange (the
“Exchange”), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities
trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal
restrictions or limitations (such as diversification requirements).
Additionally, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the
Africa Index due to limitations or delays in the convertibility or repatriation
of local currencies. The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying
securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value
prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and
the value of the Africa Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local
foreign markets (i.e.,
the value of the Africa Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s
ability to track the Africa Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index
tracking risk. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to
currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and
repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets are
volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely
impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index
tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions,
which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may
sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and
deviate from the performance of the Africa Index. In light of the factors
discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of
the Africa Index. Changes to the composition of the Africa Index in connection
with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Africa Index may cause the Fund to
experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking
risk may be heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk.
The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as APs,
none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption
transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to
or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is
able to step forward to create and redeem, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a greater discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or
de-listing. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in scenarios where APs
have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post
collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market.
While Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an
active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing
creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the
Fund’s market price from its NAV.
Trading
Issues.
Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit
breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any
fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However,
because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is
removed from the Africa Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security
because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual
market conditions may cause the Africa Index provider to postpone a scheduled
rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Africa Index to vary from its
normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower
than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of
market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in
the value of one or more issuers.
Fund
Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares.
The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the
intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The
Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most
recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market
volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including
through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading
at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the
Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price
is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or
receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were
bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The
securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different
time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the
applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open
but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask
spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV
may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the
Fund’s Shares may
become
less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s
underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can
purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial
intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
Concentration
Risk.
The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or
industry or group of industries to the extent the Africa Index concentrates in a
particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent
that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or
group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic,
political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors
and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the
Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or
industries.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad measure of market performance. Prior to June 24, 2013, the
Fund sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the
price and yield performance of the Dow Jones Titans IndexSM
(the “Prior Index”). Therefore, performance information prior to June 24, 2013
reflects the performance of the Fund while seeking to track the Prior Index. All
returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar
Years
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|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Quarter: |
28.52% |
2Q
2020 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-37.33% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods
Ended December 31, 2021
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
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Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Past Ten
Years |
|
|
VanEck Africa Index ETF (return before
taxes) |
3.69% |
3.60% |
0.54% |
|
|
VanEck Africa Index ETF (return after
taxes on distributions) |
2.45% |
2.57% |
-0.35% |
|
|
VanEck Africa Index ETF (return after
taxes on distributions and sale of Fund
Shares) |
2.64% |
2.59% |
0.26% |
|
|
MVIS GDP Africa Index (reflects no
deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding
taxes)* |
4.63% |
4.83% |
1.83% |
|
|
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
28.71% |
18.47% |
16.55% |
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|
|
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|
|
*Prior to June 24, 2013,
the Fund sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses,
the price and yield performance of the Prior Index. Therefore, performance
information prior to June 24, 2013 reflects the performance of the Fund while
seeking to track the Prior Index. Prior to June 24, 2013, index data reflects
that of the Prior Index. From June 24, 2013, the index data reflects that of the
Africa Index.
See “License Agreements
and Disclaimers” for important information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser. Van
Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
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Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
July
2008 |
|
|
Guo
Hua (Jason) Jin |
Portfolio
Manager |
March
2018 |
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|
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
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VANECK®
BRAZIL SMALL-CAP ETF |
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck®
Brazil Small-Cap ETF1
(the
“Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the
price and yield performance of the MVIS®
Brazil Small-Cap Index (the “Brazil Small-Cap
Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
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Shareholder
Fees (fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
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Management
Fee |
0.50 |
% |
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Other
Expenses |
0.34 |
% |
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|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
0.84 |
% |
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|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
-0.25 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.59 |
% |
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|
(a) Van Eck Associates
Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to
the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding
acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and
extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.59% of the Fund’s average daily net
assets per year until at least May 1,
2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage
commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example assumes that you invest
$10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of
your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain
the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waivers and/or expense
reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs
may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would
be:
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|
YEAR |
EXPENSES |
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1 |
$60 |
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3 |
$243 |
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5 |
$441 |
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|
10 |
$1,014 |
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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns
over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur
additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During
the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
56% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at
least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark
index. The Brazil Small-Cap Index includes securities of Brazilian
small-capitalization companies. A company is generally considered to be a
Brazilian company if it is incorporated in Brazil or is incorporated outside of
Brazil but has at least 50% of its revenues/related
________________________________________
1Prior
to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors®
Brazil Small-Cap ETF.
assets
in Brazil. As of December 31, 2021, the Brazil Small-Cap Index included 99
securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between
approximately $0.23 billion and $2.19 billion and a weighted average market
capitalization of $0.96 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s
80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder
approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Brazil Small-Cap Index by investing in a
portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Brazil Small-Cap Index.
Unlike many investment companies that try to “beat” the performance of a
benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the Brazil Small-Cap Index and
does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its
investment objective of seeking to replicate the Brazil Small-Cap
Index.
The Fund may concentrate its
investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that
the Brazil Small-Cap Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries.
As of December 31, 2021, each of the consumer discretionary, industrials,
consumer staples and utilities sectors represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a
deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in Brazilian Issuers.
Investments in securities of Brazilian issuers, including issuers located
outside of Brazil that generate significant revenues from Brazil, involve risks
and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S.
securities markets. The Brazilian economy has been characterized by frequent,
and occasionally drastic, interventions by the Brazilian government, including
the imposition of wage and price controls, exchange controls, limiting imports,
blocking access to bank accounts and other measures. The Brazilian government
has often changed monetary, taxation, credit, trade and other policies to
influence the core of Brazil’s economy. Actions taken by the Brazilian
government concerning the economy may have significant effects on Brazilian
companies and on market conditions and prices of Brazilian securities. Such
governmental actions to control inflation and affect other economic policies
have involved, among others, setting of wage and price controls, blocking access
to bank accounts, adjusting of the base interest rates, imposing exchange
controls and limiting imports into Brazil. Brazil’s economy may be subject to
sluggish economic growth due to, among other things, weak consumer spending,
political turmoil, high rates of inflation and low commodity prices. Brazil
suffers from chronic structural public sector deficits. The Brazilian government
has privatized certain entities, which have suffered losses due to, among other
things, the inability to adjust to a competitive environment.
The
market for Brazilian securities is directly influenced by the flow of
international capital, and economic and market conditions of certain countries,
especially emerging market countries. As a result, adverse economic conditions
or developments in other emerging market countries have at times significantly
affected the availability of credit in the Brazilian economy and resulted in
considerable outflows of funds and declines in the amount of foreign currency
invested in Brazil.
Investments
in Brazilian securities may be subject to certain restrictions on foreign
investment. Brazilian law provides that whenever a serious imbalance in Brazil’s
balance of payments exists or is anticipated, the Brazilian government may
impose temporary restrictions on the remittance to foreign investors of the
proceeds of their investment in Brazil and on the conversion of the Brazilian
real into foreign currency.
Brazil
has historically experienced high rates of inflation and a high level of debt,
each of which may constrain economic growth. Brazil suffers from high levels of
corruption, crime and income disparity. The Brazilian economy is also heavily
dependent upon commodity prices and international trade. Unanticipated political
or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.
An increase in prices for commodities, such as petroleum, the depreciation of
the Brazilian real and future governmental measures seeking to maintain the
value of the Brazilian real in relation to the U.S. dollar, may trigger
increases in inflation in Brazil and may slow the rate of growth of the
Brazilian economy. Conversely, appreciation of the Brazilian real relative to
the U.S. dollar may lead to the deterioration of Brazil’s current account and
balance of payments as well as limit the growth of exports.
Risk
of Investing in Foreign Securities.
Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those
associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include
greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial
information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign
governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because
certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity of large
traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in
such markets. The Fund invests in securities of issuers located in countries
whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any
reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments.
Risk
of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments
in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that
may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging
markets are more likely than
developed
markets to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well
as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Political
risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign
ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country
and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the
United States. Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only
a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors,
liquidity issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the
possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who
have inside information. The frequency, availability and quality of financial
information about investments in emerging markets varies. The Fund has limited
rights and few practical remedies in emerging markets and the ability of U.S.
authorities to bring enforcement actions in emerging markets may be limited, and
the Fund's passive investment approach does not take account of these risks. All
of these factors can make emerging market securities more volatile and
potentially less liquid than securities issued in more developed
markets.
Foreign
Currency Risk. Because
all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from its investments and/or
the revenues received by the underlying issuer will generally be denominated in
foreign currencies, the Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the
value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns
for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a
high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection
with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Risk
of Investing in Depositary Receipts.
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those
associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are
receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies
that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on
the underlying foreign shares. Investments
in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their
primary trading market and, if not included in the Brazil Small-Cap Index, may
negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Brazil
Small-Cap Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new
depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which
may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to
the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability
to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk
of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector.
The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the consumer discretionary sector. The consumer
discretionary sector comprises companies whose businesses are sensitive to
economic cycles, such as manufacturers of high-end apparel and automobile and
leisure companies. Companies engaged in the consumer discretionary sector are
subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be
adversely affected by changes in consumer spending as a result of world events,
political and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in
exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion
of resources and labor relations.
Risk
of Investing in the Industrials Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. The industrials
sector comprises companies who produce capital goods used in construction and
manufacturing, such as companies that make and sell machinery, equipment and
supplies that are used to produce other goods. Companies in the industrials
sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world
events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector
may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and
exchange rates.
Risk
of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the consumer staples sector. The consumer
staples sector comprises companies whose businesses are less sensitive to
economic cycles, such as manufacturers and distributors of food and beverages
and producers of non-durable household goods and personal products. Companies in
the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the
worldwide economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer
preferences, exploration and production spending. Companies in this sector are
also affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic
conditions.
Risk
of Investing in the Utilities Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the utilities sector. Companies in the
utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates,
domestic and international competition, difficulty in raising adequate amounts
of capital and governmental limitation on rates charged to
customers.
Risk
of Investing in Micro-Capitalization Companies. Micro-capitalization
companies are subject to substantially greater risks of loss and price
fluctuations because their earnings and revenues tend to be less predictable
(and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share
prices tend to be more volatile and their markets less liquid than companies
with larger market capitalizations. The shares of micro-capitalization companies
tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies,
which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the future
ability to sell those securities.
Risk
of Investing in Small-Capitalization Companies.
Small-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than medium-
and large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer
financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive
strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility,
lower trading
volume
and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on
investments in securities of small-capitalization companies could trail the
returns on investments in securities of medium-capitalization and
large-capitalization companies.
Risk
of Cash Transactions.
Unlike other exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), the Fund expects to effect its
creations and redemptions at least partially for cash, rather than wholly for
in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities
and subsequently incur brokerage costs and/or recognize gains or losses on such
sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio
securities in kind. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient
than an investment in a conventional ETF.
Equity
Securities Risk.
The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general
market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the
issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated
to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect
to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns,
although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have
comparable or greater price volatility.
Market
Risk.
The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated
with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions,
sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and
closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain
social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural
disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest)
adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such
events or developments might affect companies world-wide. An investment in the Fund may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors,
errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties,
failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index
Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Brazil Small-Cap Index for a
number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses,
including taxes, not applicable to the Brazil Small-Cap Index and incurs costs
associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the
Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Brazil
Small-Cap Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions
for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with
newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the
Brazil Small-Cap Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will
decrease the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV’) to the extent not offset by the
transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (“AP”). Market disruptions
and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability
to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Brazil
Small-Cap Index. Errors in the Brazil Small-Cap Index data, the Brazil Small-Cap
Index computations and/or the construction of the Brazil Small-Cap Index in
accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be
identified and corrected by the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider for a period of
time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its
shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Brazil
Small-Cap Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders
and any losses or costs resulting from the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider's
errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Brazil Small-Cap
Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to
increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Brazil Small-Cap
Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio
rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund
may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the
Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of
cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled
rebalances, the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider or its agents may carry out
additional ad hoc rebalances to the Brazil Small-Cap Index. Therefore, errors
and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Brazil Small-Cap Index
provider or its agents to the Brazil Small-Cap Index may increase the costs to
and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able
to invest in certain securities included in the Brazil Small-Cap Index, or
invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the
Brazil Small-Cap Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the return
of the Brazil Small-Cap Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed
by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund’s
listing exchange (the “Exchange”), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in
which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other
regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations (such as diversification
requirements). The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying
securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value
prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and
the value of the Brazil Small-Cap Index is based on securities' closing prices
on local foreign markets (i.e.,
the value of the Brazil Small-Cap Index is not based on fair value prices), the
Fund’s ability to track the Brazil Small-Cap Index may be adversely affected. In
addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility
(including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also
increase the index tracking risk. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters
with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds,
if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets
are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be
adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or increase
the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to
rely
on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax
efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may
cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Brazil
Small-Cap Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may
deviate significantly from the return of the Brazil Small-Cap Index. Changes to
the composition of the Brazil Small-Cap Index in connection with a rebalancing
or reconstitution of the Brazil Small-Cap Index may cause the Fund to experience
increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk.
The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as APs,
none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption
transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to
or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is
able to step forward to create and redeem, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a greater discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or
de-listing. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in scenarios where APs
have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post
collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market.
While Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an
active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing
creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the
Fund’s market price from its NAV.
Trading
Issues.
Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit
breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any
fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However,
because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is
removed from the Brazil Small-Cap Index, the Fund generally would not sell a
security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally,
unusual market conditions may cause the Brazil Small-Cap Index provider to
postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Brazil
Small-Cap Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the
Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their
portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the
impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more
issuers.
Fund
Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares.
The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the
intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The
Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most
recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market
volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including
through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading
at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the
Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price
is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or
receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were
bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The
securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different
time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the
applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open
but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask
spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV
may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the
Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in
the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. There are various
methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should
consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of
the Fund.
Concentration
Risk.
The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or
industry or group of industries to the extent the Brazil Small-Cap Index
concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of
industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector
or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the
risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on
those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater
extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or
industries.
PERFORMANCE
The bar chart that follows
shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the
bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns (before and after taxes).
The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad measure of market performance. All returns assume
reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar
Years
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Best
Quarter: |
30.76% |
4Q
2020 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-52.13% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods
Ended December 31, 2021
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
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Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Past Ten
Years |
|
|
VanEck Brazil Small-Cap ETF (return
before taxes) |
-21.38% |
3.29% |
-4.85% |
|
|
VanEck Brazil Small-Cap ETF (return
after taxes on distributions) |
-22.22% |
2.18% |
-5.98% |
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|
VanEck Brazil Small-Cap ETF (return
after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares)
|
-12.56% |
2.24% |
-3.83% |
|
|
MVIS Brazil Small-Cap Index (reflects
no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding
taxes) |
-20.47% |
4.03% |
-4.17% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
28.71% |
18.47% |
16.55% |
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See “License Agreements
and Disclaimers” for important information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser. Van
Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
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Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
May
2009 |
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|
Guo
Hua (Jason) Jin |
Portfolio
Manager |
March
2018 |
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PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck®
Egypt Index ETF1
(the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and
expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS®
Egypt Index (the “Egypt Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
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Shareholder
Fees (fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
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Management
Fee |
0.50 |
% |
|
|
Other
Expenses |
0.60 |
% |
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|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
1.10 |
% |
|
|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
-0.08 |
% |
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|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
1.02 |
% |
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(a) Van Eck Associates
Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to
the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding
acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and
extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.94% of the Fund’s average daily net
assets per year until May 1,
2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage
commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example assumes that you invest
$10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of
your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain
the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waivers and/or expense
reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs
may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would
be:
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YEAR |
EXPENSES |
|
|
1 |
$104 |
|
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|
3 |
$342 |
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|
5 |
$598 |
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|
10 |
$1,333 |
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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns
over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur
additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During
the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
73% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The Fund will normally invest at
least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark
index. The Egypt Index includes securities of Egyptian companies. A company is
generally considered to be an Egyptian company if it is incorporated in Egypt or
is incorporated outside Egypt but has at least 50% of its revenues/related
assets in Egypt. Such companies may include small- and medium-capitalization
companies. As of December 31, 2021, the Egypt Index included 25
________________________________________
1Prior
to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors®
Egypt Index ETF.
securities
of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $0.18
billion and $6.5 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $1.34
billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy
is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’
prior written notice to shareholders.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Egypt Index by investing in a portfolio of
securities that generally replicates the Egypt Index. Unlike many investment
companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does
not try to “beat” the Egypt Index and does not seek temporary defensive
positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to
replicate the Egypt Index.
The
Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and, therefore, may invest a greater
percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its
investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that
the Egypt Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of
December 31, 2021, each of the real estate, basic materials, financials and
consumer staples sectors represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a
deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in Egyptian Issuers.
Investments in securities of Egyptian issuers, including issuers located outside
of Egypt that generate significant revenues from Egypt, involve risks and
special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S.
securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, the imposition
of capital controls, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets,
confiscatory taxation, regional conflict, political instability, including
authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed
conflict, the impact on the economy as a result of civil unrest and social
instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest. Poor
living standards, disparities of wealth and limitations on political freedom
have contributed to the unstable environment. Unanticipated or sudden political
or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.
Issuers in Egypt are subject to less stringent requirements regarding
accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping than are issuers in
more developed markets, and therefore, all material information may not be
available or reliable. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers
located or operating in Egypt significantly riskier than investing in issuers
located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of them could
cause a decline in the value of the Fund’s Shares.
The
securities markets in Egypt are underdeveloped and may be less correlated to
global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries.
Securities markets in Egypt are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity,
inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of
trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and
industry. These risks could cause the Fund’s shares to trade at a significant
premium or discount to its net asset value (“NAV”). Moreover, trading on
securities markets may be suspended altogether, including the possibility that
securities markets may be closed for an extended period of time due to political
and civil unrest.
The
government in Egypt may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability of
foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in
Egypt. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign
investment in securities of issuers located or operating in Egypt. For example,
there may be prohibitions or substantial restrictions on foreign investing in
Egypt’s capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. Moreover, Egypt may
require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investments by
foreign investors and may limit the amount of investments by foreign investors
in a particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such foreign investment to
a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous
rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of Egypt and/or
impose additional taxes on foreign investors. There may be a risk of loss due to
the imposition of restrictions on repatriation of capital invested.
In
addition, there may be limitations or delays in the convertibility or
repatriation of the Egyptian pound which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar
value and/or liquidity of the Fund’s investments denominated in the Egyptian
pound, may impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective and/or
may impede the Fund’s ability to satisfy redemption requests in a timely manner.
For these or other reasons, the Fund could seek to suspend redemptions of
Creation Units (defined herein), including in the event that an emergency exists
in which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of its
securities or to determine its NAV. The Fund could also, among other things,
limit or suspend creations of Creation Units. During the period that creations
or redemptions are affected, the Fund’s shares could trade at a significant
premium or discount to their NAV. In the case of a period during which creations
are suspended, the Fund could experience substantial redemptions, which may
exacerbate the discount to NAV at which the Fund’s shares trade, cause the Fund
to experience increased transaction costs, and cause the Fund to make greater
taxable distributions to shareholders of the Fund. When the Fund holds illiquid
investments, its portfolio may be harder to value.
In
Egypt, the marketability of quoted shares is limited due to the restricted
opening hours of stock exchanges, a narrow range of investors and a relatively
high proportion of market value being concentrated in the hands of a relatively
small number of shareholders. In addition, because Egyptian stock exchanges on
which the Fund’s portfolio securities may trade are open when the Exchange is
closed, the Fund may be subject to heightened risk associated with market
movements.
Risk
of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments
in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with
investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market
volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher
transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased
market liquidity and political instability. Because certain foreign securities
markets may be limited in size, the activity of large traders may have an undue
influence on the prices of securities that trade in such markets. The Fund
invests in securities of issuers located in countries whose economies are
heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading
may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments.
Risk
of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments
in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that
may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging
markets are more likely than developed markets to experience problems with the
clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local
banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable
governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that
prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems
that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States.
Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only a few
industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity
issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that
markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside
information. The frequency, availability and quality of financial information
about investments in emerging markets varies. The Fund has limited rights and
few practical remedies in emerging markets and the ability of U.S. authorities
to bring enforcement actions in emerging markets may be limited, and the Fund's
passive investment approach does not take account of these risks. All of these
factors can make emerging market securities more volatile and potentially less
liquid than securities issued in more developed markets.
Foreign
Currency Risk. Because
all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from its investments and/or
the revenues received by the underlying issuer will generally be denominated in
foreign currencies, the Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the
value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns
for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a
high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection
with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Risk
of Investing in Depositary Receipts.
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those
associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are
receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies
that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on
the underlying foreign shares. Investments
in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their
primary trading market and, if not included in the Egypt Index, may negatively
affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Egypt Index. The
issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts
and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs
and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may
negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to
replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk
of Investing in the Real Estate Sector.
Companies in the real estate sector include companies that invest in real
estate, such as REITs and real estate management and development companies. The
Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance will depend to a
greater extent on, the overall condition of the real estate sector. Companies
that invest in real estate are subject to the risks of owning real estate
directly as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way that such
companies operate, including management risk (such companies are dependent upon
the management skills of a few key individuals and may have limited financial
resources). Adverse economic, business or political developments affecting real
estate could have a major effect on the values of the Fund’s investments.
Investing in real estate is subject to such risks as decreases in real estate
values, overbuilding, increased competition and other risks related to local or
general economic conditions, increases in operating costs and property taxes,
changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, possible environmental
liabilities, regulatory limitations on rent, possible lack of availability of
mortgage financing, market saturation, fluctuations in rental income and the
value of underlying properties and extended vacancies of properties. Certain
real estate securities have a relatively small market capitalization, which may
tend to increase the volatility of the market price of these securities. Real
estate securities have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to
risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of projects. Real
estate securities are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by
borrowers or tenants.
Risk
of Investing in the Basic Materials Sector. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the basic materials sector. Companies engaged in
the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by
changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation,
environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates,
imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and
labor relations.
Risk
of Investing in the Financials Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. Companies in the
financials sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects
the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of
capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financials
sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates, by loan losses,
which usually increase in economic downturns, and by credit rating downgrades.
In addition, the financials sector is undergoing numerous changes, including
continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and
changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, some companies in the
financials sector perceived as benefitting from government intervention in the
past may be subject to future government-imposed restrictions on their
businesses or face increased government involvement in their operations.
Increased government involvement in the financials sector, including measures
such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a
dilution of the Fund’s investments in financial institutions.
Risk
of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the consumer staples sector. The consumer
staples sector comprises companies whose businesses are less sensitive to
economic cycles, such as manufacturers and distributors of food and beverages
and producers of non-durable household goods and personal products. Companies in
the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the
worldwide economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer
preferences, exploration and production spending. Companies in this sector are
also affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic
conditions.
Risk
of Investing in Micro-Capitalization Companies. Micro-capitalization
companies are subject to substantially greater risks of loss and price
fluctuations because their earnings and revenues tend to be less predictable
(and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share
prices tend to be more volatile and their markets less liquid than companies
with larger market capitalizations. The shares of micro-capitalization companies
tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies,
which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the future
ability to sell those securities.
Risk
of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies.
Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely
than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer
financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive
strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility,
lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies.
Returns on investments in securities of small- and medium-capitalization
companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of
large-capitalization companies.
Risk
of Cash Transactions.
Unlike other exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), the Fund expects to effect its
creations and redemptions at least partially for cash, rather than wholly for
in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities
and subsequently incur brokerage costs and/or recognize gains or losses on such
sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio
securities in kind. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient
than an investment in a conventional ETF.
Equity
Securities Risk.
The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general
market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the
issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated
to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect
to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns,
although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have
comparable or greater price volatility.
Market
Risk.
The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated
with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions,
sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and
closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain
social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural
disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest)
adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such
events or developments might affect companies world-wide. An investment in the Fund may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors,
errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties,
failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index
Tracking Risk.
The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Egypt Index for a number of
reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including
taxes, not applicable to the Egypt Index and incurs costs associated with buying
and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities
holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Egypt Index, or (to the
extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet
redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units,
which are not factored into the return of the Egypt Index. Transaction costs,
including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s NAV to the extent not offset
by the transaction fee payable
by
an Authorized Participant (“AP”). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions
could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the
required levels in order to track the Egypt Index. Errors in the Egypt Index
data, the Egypt Index computations and/or the construction of the Egypt Index in
accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be
identified and corrected by the Egypt Index provider for a period of time or at
all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Shareholders should understand that any gains from the Egypt Index provider's
errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs
resulting from the Egypt Index provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and
its shareholders. When the Egypt Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn
rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the
Fund’s portfolio and the Egypt Index, any transaction costs and market exposure
arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and
its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result
of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for
cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Egypt Index provider or its agents may
carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Egypt Index. Therefore, errors and
additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Egypt Index provider or its
agents to the Egypt Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk
of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain
securities included in the Egypt Index, or invest in them in the exact
proportions in which they are represented in the Egypt Index. The Fund’s
performance may also deviate from the return of the Egypt Index due to legal
restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries,
certain listing standards of the Fund’s listing exchange (the “Exchange”), a
lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential
adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or
limitations (such as diversification requirements). Additionally, the Fund may
not invest in certain securities included in the Egypt Index due to limitations
or delays in the convertibility or repatriation of the Egyptian pound. The Fund
may value certain of its investments, underlying securities, underlying
currencies and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the
Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Egypt
Index is based on securities' closing prices on local foreign markets
(i.e.,
the value of the Egypt Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s
ability to track the Egypt Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index
tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair
value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading
costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on
borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax
efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may
cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Egypt
Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate
significantly from the return of the Egypt Index. Changes to the composition of
the Egypt Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Egypt
Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time
the Fund’s index tracking risk may be heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk.
The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as APs,
none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption
transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to
or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is
able to step forward to create and redeem, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a greater discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or
de-listing. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in scenarios where APs
have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market.
While Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an
active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing
creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the
Fund’s market price from its NAV.
Trading
Issues.
Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit
breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any
fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However,
because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is
removed from the Egypt Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security
because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual
market conditions may cause the Egypt Index provider to postpone a scheduled
rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Egypt Index to vary from its
normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower
than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of
market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in
the value of one or more issuers.
Fund
Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares.
The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the
intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The
Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most
recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market
volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including
through a trading
halt),
as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium
or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings. If a
shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to
the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the
NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or receive significantly less
than the underlying value of the Shares that were bought or sold or the
shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The securities held by the
Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange.
Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the Exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV may widen. Additionally, in
stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares may become less
liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s
underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can
purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial
intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
Issuer-Specific
Changes Risk. The
value of individual securities or particular types of securities in the Fund’s
portfolio can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform
differently from the value of the market as a whole, which may have a greater
impact if the Fund’s portfolio is concentrated in a country, group of countries,
region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The value
of securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than that of larger
issuers.
Non-Diversified
Risk.
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified”
fund under the 1940 Act. Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high
percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger
proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a
single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the
Fund more volatile than more diversified funds. The Fund may be particularly
vulnerable to this risk because the Egypt Index is comprised of a limited number
of companies.
Concentration
Risk.
The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or
industry or group of industries to the extent the Egypt Index concentrates in a
particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent
that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or
group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic,
political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors
and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the
Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or
industries.
PERFORMANCE
The bar chart that follows
shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the
bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns (before and after taxes).
The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad measure of market performance. All returns assume
reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar
Years
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Best
Quarter: |
33.71% |
1Q
2012 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-30.39% |
4Q
2016 |
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods
Ended December 31, 2021
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
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Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Past Ten
Years |
|
|
VanEck Egypt Index ETF (return before
taxes) |
8.36% |
2.73% |
-1.08% |
|
|
VanEck Egypt Index ETF (return after
taxes on distributions) |
7.89% |
2.52% |
-1.58% |
|
|
VanEck Egypt Index ETF (return after
taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) |
5.54% |
2.35% |
-0.60% |
|
|
MVIS Egypt Index (reflects no deduction
for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding
taxes) |
10.80% |
4.49% |
1.91% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
28.71% |
18.47% |
16.55% |
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|
See “License Agreements
and Disclaimers” for important information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
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Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
February
2010 |
|
|
Guo
Hua (Jason) Jin |
Portfolio
Manager |
March
2018 |
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PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
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VANECK®
INDIA GROWTH LEADERS ETF |
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck®
India Growth Leaders ETF1
(the
“Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the
price and yield performance of the MarketGrader India All-Cap Growth Leaders
Index (the “India Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
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Shareholder
Fees (fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
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Management
Fee |
0.50 |
% |
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|
Other
Expenses(a) |
0.50 |
% |
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|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b) |
1.00 |
% |
|
|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(b)(c) |
-0.18 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(b)(c) |
0.82 |
% |
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|
(a)
“Other Expenses” reflects
the expenses of both the Fund and the Fund’s wholly-owned subsidiary (the
“Subsidiary”).
(b) Van Eck Associates
Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund and
Subsidiary expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of
the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading
expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses of the Fund and the Subsidiary) from
exceeding 0.75% of the Fund’s average daily net assets per year until at least
May 1,
2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
(c)
“Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement” have been restated to reflect the current expense
limitation.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage
commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example assumes that you invest
$10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of
your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain
the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waivers and/or expense
reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs
may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would
be:
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|
YEAR |
EXPENSES |
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1 |
$84 |
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3 |
$300 |
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|
5 |
$535 |
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|
10 |
$1,208 |
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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns
over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur
additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During
the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
67% of the average value of its
portfolio.
________________________________________
1Prior
to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors®
India Growth Leaders ETF.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund currently intends to achieve its investment objective by investing
substantially all of its assets in the Subsidiary, a wholly-owned subsidiary
located in the Republic of Mauritius (“Mauritius”). The Subsidiary in turn will
normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the
Fund’s benchmark index, and depositary receipts based on the securities in the
Fund’s benchmark index. The India Index is comprised of equity securities which
are generally considered by MarketGrader.com Corp. (the “Index Provider”) to
exhibit favorable fundamental characteristics according to the Index Provider’s
proprietary scoring methodology. For each company eligible for the India Index,
the Index Provider creates a numerical score based on indicators measuring four
fundamental characteristics, derived from public company filings and stock
prices. The four fundamental characteristics are growth, value, profitability
and cash flow. The resulting score is a weighted average of these indicators. To
be initially eligible for inclusion in the India Index, companies must be
domiciled in India and listed on an eligible stock exchange, as determined by
the Index Provider. From this universe of companies, the top-ranked names
according to the Index Provider’s proprietary score are included, and then
weighted according to their free-float market capitalization.
As
of December 31, 2021, the India Index included 78 securities of companies with a
market capitalization range of between approximately $0.3 billion and $183.5
billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $26.7 billion. These
amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is
non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’
prior written notice to shareholders.
The
Adviser serves as investment adviser to both the Fund and the Subsidiary. Except
where otherwise indicated, the term “Fund,” as used throughout this Summary
Section, refers to the Fund and/or the Subsidiary, as applicable.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the India Index by investing in a portfolio of
securities that generally replicates the India Index. Unlike many investment
companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does
not try to “beat” the India Index and does not seek temporary defensive
positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to
replicate the India Index.
The
Fund may become “non-diversified” as defined under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), solely as a result of a change in relative
market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the
India Index. This means that the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its
assets in a limited number of issuers than would be the case if the Fund were
always managed as a diversified management investment company. The Fund intends
to be diversified in approximately the same proportion as the India Index.
Shareholder approval will not be sought when the Fund crosses from diversified
to non-diversified status due solely to a change in the relative market
capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the India
Index.
The Fund may concentrate its
investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that
the India Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of
December 31, 2021, each of the information technology, basic materials and
health care sectors represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a
deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in Indian Issuers.
Investments in securities of Indian issuers involve risks and special
considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities
markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, greater government control
over the economy, including the risk that the Indian government may decide not
to continue to support economic reform programs, political and legal
uncertainty, competition from low-cost issuers of other emerging economies in
Asia, currency fluctuations or blockage of foreign currency exchanges and the
risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets. Issuers in India are subject
to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial
reporting and record keeping than are issuers in more developed markets, and
therefore, all material information may not be available or reliable. India is
also located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural
disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Any such natural disaster could
cause a significant impact on the Indian economy and could impact operations of
the Subsidiary, causing an adverse impact on the Fund. In addition, religious
and border disputes persist in India. Moreover, India has experienced civil
unrest and hostilities with neighboring countries, including Pakistan, and the
Indian government has confronted separatist movements in several Indian states.
India has experienced acts of terrorism that has targeted foreigners. Such acts
of terrorism have had a negative impact on tourism, an important sector of the
Indian economy.
The
securities market of India is considered an emerging market characterized by a
small number of listed companies with significantly smaller market
capitalizations, greater price volatility and substantially less liquidity than
developed markets, such as the United States. These factors, coupled with
restrictions on foreign investment and other factors, limit the supply of
securities available for investment by the Fund. This will affect the rate at
which the Fund is able to invest in India, the purchase and sale prices for such
securities and the timing of purchases and sales. Emerging markets can
experience high rates of inflation, deflation
and
currency devaluation. Certain restrictions on foreign investment may decrease
the liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio or inhibit the Fund’s ability to track the
India Index. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”), the Indian
counterpart of the Federal Reserve Bank in the United States, imposes certain
limits on the foreign ownership of Indian securities. These restrictions and/or
controls may at times limit or prevent foreign investment in securities of
issuers located or operating in India and may inhibit the Fund’s ability to
track the India Index.
Risk
of Investing in Foreign Securities.
Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those
associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include
greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial
information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign
governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because
certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity of large
traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in
such markets. The Fund invests in securities of issuers located in countries
whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any
reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments.
Risk
of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments
in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that
may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging
markets are more likely than developed markets to experience problems with the
clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local
banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable
governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that
prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems
that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States.
Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only a few
industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity
issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that
markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside
information. The frequency, availability and quality of financial information
about investments in emerging markets varies. The Fund has limited rights and
few practical remedies in emerging markets and the ability of U.S. authorities
to bring enforcement actions in emerging markets may be limited, and the Fund's
passive investment approach does not take account of these risks. All of these
factors can make emerging market securities more volatile and potentially less
liquid than securities issued in more developed markets.
Foreign
Currency Risk. Because
all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from its investments and/or
the revenues received by the underlying issuer will generally be denominated in
foreign currencies, the Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the
value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns
for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a
high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection
with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Risk
of Investing in Depositary Receipts.
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those
associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are
receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies
that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on
the underlying foreign shares. Investments
in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their
primary trading market and, if not included in the India Index, may negatively
affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the India Index. The
issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts
and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs
and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may
negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to
replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk
of Investing in the Information Technology Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector.
Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Information
technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial
resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may
face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent
new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition
for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology
sector are heavily dependent on patent protection and the expiration of patents
may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Risk
of Investing in the Basic Materials Sector. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the basic materials sector. Companies engaged in
the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by
changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation,
environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates,
imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and
labor relations.
Risk
of Investing in the Health Care Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the health care sector. Companies in the
health care sector may be affected by extensive government regulation,
restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of
medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on
outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in
technologies and other market developments. Many health care companies are
heavily dependent on patent protection and are subject to extensive litigation
based on product liability and similar claims.
Risk
of Investing in Micro-Capitalization Companies. Micro-capitalization
companies are subject to substantially greater risks of loss and price
fluctuations because their earnings and revenues tend to be less predictable
(and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share
prices tend to be more volatile and their markets less liquid than companies
with larger market capitalizations. The shares of micro-capitalization companies
tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies,
which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the future
ability to sell those securities.
Risk
of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies.
Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely
than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer
financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive
strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility,
lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies.
Returns on investments in securities of small- and medium-capitalization
companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of
large-capitalization companies.
Risk
of Cash Transactions.
Unlike other exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), the Fund expects to effect its
creations and redemptions at least partially for cash, rather than wholly for
in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities
and subsequently incur brokerage costs and/or recognize gains or losses on such
sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio
securities in kind. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient
than an investment in a conventional ETF.
Equity
Securities Risk.
The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general
market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the
issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated
to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect
to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns,
although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have
comparable or greater price volatility.
Market
Risk.
The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated
with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions,
sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and
closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain
social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural
disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest)
adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such
events or developments might affect companies world-wide. An investment in the Fund may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors,
errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties,
failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index
Tracking Risk.
The Fund’s return may not match the return of the India Index for a number of
reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including
taxes, not applicable to the India Index and incurs costs associated with buying
and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities
holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the India Index, or (to the
extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet
redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units,
which are not factored into the return of the India Index. Transaction costs,
including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) to
the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized
Participant (“AP”). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an
adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required
levels in order to track the India Index. Errors in the India Index data, the
India Index computations and/or the construction of the India Index in
accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be
identified and corrected by the India Index provider for a period of time or at
all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.
Shareholders should understand that any gains from the India Index provider's
errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs
resulting from the India Index provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and
its shareholders. When the India Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn
rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the
Fund’s portfolio and the India Index, any transaction costs and market exposure
arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and
its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result
of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for
cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the India Index provider or its agents may
carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the India Index. Therefore, errors and
additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the India Index provider or its
agents to the India Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk
of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain
securities included in the India Index, or invest in them in the exact
proportions in which they are represented in the India Index. The Fund’s
performance may also deviate from the return of the India Index due to legal
restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries,
certain listing standards of the Fund’s listing exchange (the “Exchange”), a
lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential
adverse
tax
consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations
(such as diversification requirements). The Fund may value certain of its
investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets
based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on
fair value prices and the value of the India Index is based on securities’
closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e.,
the
value of the India Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability
to track the India Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the
Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of
borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking
risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value
prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs
and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on
borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax
efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may
cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the India
Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate
significantly from the return of the India Index. Changes to the composition of
the India Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the India
Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time
the Fund’s index tracking risk may be heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk.
The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as APs,
none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption
transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to
or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is
able to step forward to create and redeem, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a greater discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or
de-listing. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in scenarios where APs
have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market.
While Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an
active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing
creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the
Fund’s market price from its NAV.
Trading
Issues.
Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit
breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any
fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However,
because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is
removed from the India Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security
because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual
market conditions may cause the India Index provider to postpone a scheduled
rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the India Index to vary from its
normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower
than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of
market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in
the value of one or more issuers.
Fund
Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares.
The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the
intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The
Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most
recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market
volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including
through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading
at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the
Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price
is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or
receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were
bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The
securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different
time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the
applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open
but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask
spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV
may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the
Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in
the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. There are various
methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should
consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of
the Fund.
Non-Diversification
Risk.
The Fund may become classified as
non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, solely as
a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one
or more constituents of the India Index. If the Fund becomes non-diversified, it
may invest a greater portion of assets in securities of a smaller number of
individual issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market
value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in share price
than would occur in a more diversified
fund.
Concentration
Risk.
The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or
industry or group of industries to the extent the India Index concentrates in a
particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent
that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or
group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic,
political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors
and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the
Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or
industries.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing
the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average
annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since inception
periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a broad
measure of market performance. Prior to May 1, 2020, the Fund
sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price
and yield performance of the MVIS® India
Small-Cap Index (the “Prior Index”). Therefore, performance information prior to
May 1, 2020 reflects the performance of the Fund while seeking to track the
Prior Index. As a result, the Fund’s future performance may differ
substantially from the performance information shown below. All returns assume
reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after income taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund
will perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar
Years
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Best
Quarter: |
43.41% |
2Q
2014 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-38.49% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods
Ended December 31, 2021
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
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Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Past Ten
Years |
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|
VanEck India Growth Leaders ETF (return
before taxes) |
29.15% |
1.08% |
2.68% |
|
|
VanEck India Growth Leaders ETF (return
after taxes on distributions) |
29.15% |
1.01% |
2.45% |
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VanEck India Growth Leaders ETF (return
after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund
Shares) |
17.26% |
0.83% |
2.05% |
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MarketGrader India All-Cap Growth
Leaders Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except
withholding taxes)* |
31.20% |
2.08% |
3.46% |
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S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
28.71% |
18.47% |
16.55% |
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*Prior to May 1, 2020, the
Fund sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the
price and yield performance of the Prior Index. Therefore, the performance
information prior to May 1, 2020 reflects the performance of the Fund while
seeking to track the Prior Index. Prior to May 1, 2020, the index data included
in this table reflects that of the Prior Index. From May 1, 2020, the index data
reflects that of the India Index.
See “License Agreements
and Disclaimers” for important information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
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Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
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Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
August
2010 |
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Guo
Hua (Jason) Jin |
Portfolio
Manager |
March
2018 |
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PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
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VANECK®
INDONESIA INDEX ETF |
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck®
Indonesia Index ETF1
(the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and
expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS®
Indonesia Index (the “Indonesia Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe
the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the
Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage
commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected
in the tables and examples below.
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Shareholder
Fees (fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
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Management
Fee |
0.50 |
% |
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Other
Expenses |
0.32 |
% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
0.82 |
% |
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Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
-0.25 |
% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.57 |
% |
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(a) Van Eck Associates
Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to
the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding
acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and
extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.57% of the Fund’s average daily net
assets per year until at least May 1,
2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage
commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example assumes that you invest
$10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of
your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain
the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waivers and/or expense
reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs
may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would
be:
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YEAR |
EXPENSES |
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1 |
$58 |
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3 |
$237 |
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5 |
$430 |
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10 |
$990 |
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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns
over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur
additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During
the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
36% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at
least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark
index. The Indonesia Index includes securities of Indonesian companies. A
company is generally considered to be an Indonesian company if it is
incorporated in Indonesia or is incorporated outside of Indonesia but has at
least 50% of its revenues/related assets in Indonesia. Such companies may
include small- and medium-capitalization companies. As of December 31, 2021, the
Indonesia Index
________________________________________
1Prior
to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors®
Indonesia Index ETF.
included
53 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between
approximately $0.7 billion and $63.14 billion and a weighted average market
capitalization of $16.5 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s
80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder
approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Indonesia Index by investing in a portfolio of
securities that generally replicates the Indonesia Index. Unlike many investment
companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does
not try to “beat” the Indonesia Index and does not seek temporary defensive
positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to
replicate the Indonesia Index.
The
Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and, therefore, may invest a greater
percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its
investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that
the Indonesia Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of
December 31, 2021, each of the financials, basic materials, communication
services and consumer staples sectors represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a
deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in Indonesian Issuers.
Investments in securities of Indonesian issuers, including issuers located
outside of Indonesia that generate significant revenues from Indonesia, involve
risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in
the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others,
expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government
intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, currency
devaluations, high rates of inflation, corruption, political instability,
including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision
making, sectarian and separatist violence, armed conflict, acts of terrorism,
the impact on the economy as a result of civil war, and social instability as a
result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest. In addition, the
Indonesian economy is dependent upon trade with other nations, including China,
Japan, Singapore and the United States. Adverse conditions or changes in
relationships with Indonesia’s major trading partners may significantly impact
the Indonesian economy. Indonesia has experienced acts of terrorism that have
targeted foreigners. Such acts of terrorism have had a negative impact on
tourism, an important sector of the Indonesian economy.
The
securities markets of Indonesia are characterized by a small number of company
listings and are underdeveloped and often considered to be less correlated to
global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries.
As a result, securities markets in Indonesia are subject to greater risks
associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading
volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty
regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy
regulation of labor and industry. Moreover, trading on securities markets may be
suspended altogether.
The
government in Indonesia may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability
of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in
Indonesia. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent
foreign investment in securities of issuers located or operating in Indonesia.
Moreover, governmental approval or special licenses may be required prior to
investments by foreign investors and may limit the amount of investments by
foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such
foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have
less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by
domiciliaries of Indonesia and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors.
Indonesia’s securities laws are unsettled and judicial enforcement of contracts
with foreign entities is inconsistent and, as a result of pervasive corruption,
is subject to the risk that cases will not be judged impartially. These factors,
among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in Indonesia
significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more
developed countries, and any one of them could cause a decline in the value of
the Fund’s Shares.
Risk
of Investing in Foreign Securities.
Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those
associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include
greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial
information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign
governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because
certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity of large
traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in
such markets. The Fund invests in securities of issuers located in countries
whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any
reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments.
Risk
of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments
in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that
may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging
markets are more likely than developed markets to experience problems with the
clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local
banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable
governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign
ownership,
laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal
systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United
States. Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only a few
industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity
issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that
markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside
information. The frequency, availability and quality of financial information
about investments in emerging markets varies. The Fund has limited rights and
few practical remedies in emerging markets and the ability of U.S. authorities
to bring enforcement actions in emerging markets may be limited, and the Fund's
passive investment approach does not take account of these risks. All of these
factors can make emerging market securities more volatile and potentially less
liquid than securities issued in more developed markets.
Foreign
Currency Risk. Because
all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from its investments and/or
the revenues received by the underlying issuer will generally be denominated in
foreign currencies, the Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the
value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns
for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a
high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection
with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Risk
of Investing in Depositary Receipts.
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those
associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are
receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies
that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on
the underlying foreign shares. Investments
in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their
primary trading market and, if not included in the Indonesia Index, may
negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the
Indonesia Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new
depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which
may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to
the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability
to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk
of Investing in the Financials Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. Companies in the
financials sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects
the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of
capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financials
sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates, by loan losses,
which usually increase in economic downturns, and by credit rating downgrades.
In addition, the financials sector is undergoing numerous changes, including
continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and
changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, some companies in the
financials sector perceived as benefitting from government intervention in the
past may be subject to future government-imposed restrictions on their
businesses or face increased government involvement in their operations.
Increased government involvement in the financials sector, including measures
such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a
dilution of the Fund’s investments in financial institutions.
Risk
of Investing in the Basic Materials Sector. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the basic materials sector. Companies engaged in
the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by
changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation,
environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates,
imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and
labor relations.
Risk
of Investing in the Communication Services Sector. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the communication services sector. Companies in the
communication services sector may be affected by industry competition,
substantial capital requirements, government regulations and obsolescence of
communications products and services due to technological advancement.
Risk
of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the consumer staples sector. The consumer
staples sector comprises companies whose businesses are less sensitive to
economic cycles, such as manufacturers and distributors of food and beverages
and producers of non-durable household goods and personal products. Companies in
the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the
worldwide economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer
preferences, exploration and production spending. Companies in this sector are
also affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic
conditions.
Risk
of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies.
Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely
than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer
financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive
strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility,
lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies.
Returns on investments in securities of small- and medium-capitalization
companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of
large-capitalization companies.
Equity
Securities Risk.
The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general
market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the
issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific
issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to
preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to
priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject
to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In
addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns,
although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have
comparable or greater price volatility.
Market
Risk.
The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated
with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions,
sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and
closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain
social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural
disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest)
adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such
events or developments might affect companies world-wide. An investment in the Fund may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors,
errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties,
failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index
Tracking Risk.
The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Indonesia Index for a number
of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses,
including taxes, not applicable to the Indonesia Index and incurs costs
associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the
Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the
Indonesia Index, or (to the extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions
for cash) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with
newly created Creation Units, which are not factored into the return of the
Indonesia Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the
Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) to the extent not offset by the transaction fee
payable by an Authorized Participant (“AP”). Market disruptions and regulatory
restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its
exposure to the required levels in order to track the Indonesia Index. Errors in
the Indonesia Index data, the Indonesia Index computations and/or the
construction of the Indonesia Index in accordance with its methodology may occur
from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Indonesia Index
provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the
Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from
the Indonesia Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Indonesia Index
provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the
Indonesia Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to
attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the
Indonesia Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such
portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders.
The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows
into the Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or
reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart
from scheduled rebalances, the Indonesia Index provider or its agents may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Indonesia Index. Therefore, errors and
additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Indonesia Index provider or its
agents to the Indonesia Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error
risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain
securities included in the Indonesia Index, or invest in them in the exact
proportions in which they are represented in the Indonesia Index. The Fund’s
performance may also deviate from the return of the Indonesia Index due to legal
restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries,
certain listing standards of the Fund’s listing exchange (the “Exchange”), a
lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential
adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or
limitations (such as diversification requirements). The Fund may value certain
of its investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies and/or other
assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV
based on fair value prices and the value of the Indonesia Index is based on
securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e.,
the
value of the Indonesia Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s
ability to track the Indonesia Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index
tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair
value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading
costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on
borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax
efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may
cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the
Indonesia Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may
deviate significantly from the return of the Indonesia Index. Changes to the
composition of the Indonesia Index in connection with a rebalancing or
reconstitution of the Indonesia Index may cause the Fund to experience increased
volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk.
The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as APs,
none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption
transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to
or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is
able to step forward to create and redeem, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a greater discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or
de-listing. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in scenarios where APs
have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market.
While Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an
active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing
creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the
Fund’s market price from its NAV.
Trading
Issues.
Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit
breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any
fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However,
because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is
removed from the Indonesia Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security
because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual
market conditions may cause the Indonesia Index provider to postpone a scheduled
rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Indonesia Index to vary from
its normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be
lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take
advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or
a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Fund
Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares.
The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the
intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The
Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most
recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market
volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including
through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading
at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the
Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price
is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or
receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were
bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The
securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different
time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the
applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open
but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask
spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV
may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the
Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in
the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. There are various
methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should
consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of
the Fund.
Non-Diversified
Risk.
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified”
fund under the 1940 Act. Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high
percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger
proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a
single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the
Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Concentration
Risk.
The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or
industry or group of industries to the extent the Indonesia Index concentrates
in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the
extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or
industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that
economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those
sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent
than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or
industries.
PERFORMANCE
The bar chart that follows
shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the
bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns (before and after taxes).
The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad measure of market performance. All returns assume
reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar
Years
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Best
Quarter: |
30.40% |
4Q
2020 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-43.35% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods
Ended December 31, 2021
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
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Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Past Ten
Years |
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VanEck Indonesia Index ETF (return
before taxes) |
-1.65% |
0.43% |
-1.59% |
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VanEck Indonesia Index ETF (return
after taxes on distributions) |
-1.70% |
0.32% |
-1.89% |
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VanEck Indonesia Index ETF (return
after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund
Shares) |
-0.60% |
0.66% |
-1.04% |
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MVIS Indonesia Index (reflects no
deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding
taxes) |
-1.66% |
0.67% |
-1.11% |
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S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
28.71% |
18.47% |
16.55% |
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See “License Agreements
and Disclaimers” for important information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
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Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
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Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
January
2009 |
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Guo
Hua (Jason) Jin |
Portfolio
Manager |
March
2018 |
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PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck®
Israel ETF1
(the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and
expenses, the price and yield performance of the BlueStar Israel Global
Index®
(the “Israel Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe
the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the
Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage
commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected
in the tables and examples below.
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Shareholder
Fees (fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
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Management
Fee |
0.50 |
% |
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Other
Expenses |
0.21 |
% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
0.71 |
% |
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Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
-0.12 |
% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.59 |
% |
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(a) Van Eck Associates
Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to
the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding
acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and
extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.59% of the Fund’s average daily net
assets per year until at least May 1,
2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage
commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example assumes that you invest
$10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of
your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain
the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waivers and/or expense
reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs
may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would
be:
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YEAR |
EXPENSES |
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1 |
$60 |
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3 |
$215 |
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|
5 |
$383 |
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10 |
$871 |
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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns
over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur
additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During
the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
32% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at
least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark
index. The Israel Index is comprised of equity securities, which may include
depositary receipts, of publicly traded companies that are generally considered
by MV Index Solutions GmbH (“MVIS” or the “Index Provider”) to be Israeli
companies. The Index Provider considers a range of factors such as domicile,
country of company formation/founding, primary location of management,
operations and/or
________________________________________
1Prior
to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors®
Israel ETF.
research
and development facilities, tax status, location of revenues and employees,
among others, when determining whether a company will be included in the Israel
Index. The Israel Index generally only includes the largest and most liquid
companies as well as medium-capitalization and small-capitalization companies
that display sufficient liquidity for global investors, as determined by the
Index Provider. The Fund may also utilize depositary receipts to seek
performance that corresponds to the Fund’s benchmark index. Investments in
depositary receipts of Israeli companies whose securities are represented in the
Israel Index will count towards satisfaction of the Fund’s 80% investment
policy. As of December 31, 2021, the Israel Index included 111 securities of
companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $0.36
billion and $19.16 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $8.27
billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy
is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’
prior written notice to shareholders.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Israel Index by investing in a portfolio of
securities that generally replicates the Israel Index. Unlike many investment
companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does
not try to “beat” the Israel Index and does not seek temporary defensive
positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to
replicate the Israel Index.
The
Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and, therefore, may invest a greater
percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its
investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that
the Israel Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of
December 31, 2021, each of the information technology and financials sectors
represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a
deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in Israeli Issuers.
Investments in securities of Israeli issuers, including issuers located outside
of Israel that generate significant revenues from Israel, involve risks and
special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S.
securities markets. Among other things, Israel’s economy depends on imports of
certain key items, such as crude oil, natural gas, coal, grains, raw materials,
and military equipment. Israel’s relations with the Palestinian Authority and
certain neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Iran, among others,
have at times been strained due to territorial disputes, historical animosities
or security concerns, which may cause uncertainty in the Israeli markets and
adversely affect the overall economy. The Israeli economy is also dependent upon
external trade with other economies, notably the United States, China, Japan,
Canada and European Union (“EU”) countries. Any reduction in these trade flows
may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments.
Israel
has experienced a history of hostile relations with several countries in the
Middle-East region. Israel and its citizens have also been the target of
periodic acts of terrorism that have the potential to disrupt economic activity
in the country, and certain terrorist groups are committed to violence against
Israel. Current hostilities and the potential for future hostilities may
diminish the value of companies whose principal operations or headquarters are
located in Israel. Actual hostilities or the threat of future hostilities may
cause significant volatility in the share price of companies based in or having
significant operations in Israel.
Risk
of Investing in Foreign Securities.
Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those
associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include
greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial
information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign
governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because
certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity of large
traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in
such markets. The Fund invests in securities of issuers located in countries
whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any
reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments.
Foreign
Currency Risk. Because
all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from its investments and/or
the revenues received by the underlying issuer will generally be denominated in
foreign currencies, the Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the
value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns
for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a
high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection
with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Risk
of Investing in Depositary Receipts.
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those
associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are
receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies
that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on
the underlying foreign shares. Investments
in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their
primary trading market and, if not included in the Israel Index, may negatively
affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Israel Index. The
issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts
and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time,
which
may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to
the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability
to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk
of Investing in the Information Technology Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the information technology sector.
Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Information
technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial
resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may
face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent
new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition
for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology
sector are heavily dependent on patent protection and the expiration of patents
may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Risk
of Investing in the Financials Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. Companies in the
financials sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects
the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of
capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financials
sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates, by loan losses,
which usually increase in economic downturns, and by credit rating downgrades.
In addition, the financials sector is undergoing numerous changes, including
continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and
changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, some companies in the
financials sector perceived as benefitting from government intervention in the
past may be subject to future government-imposed restrictions on their
businesses or face increased government involvement in their operations.
Increased government involvement in the financials sector, including measures
such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a
dilution of the Fund’s investments in financial institutions.
Risk
of Investing in Micro-Capitalization Companies.
Micro-capitalization companies are subject to substantially greater risks of
loss and price fluctuations because their earnings and revenues tend to be less
predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and
their share prices tend to be more volatile and their markets less liquid than
companies with larger market capitalizations. The shares of micro-capitalization
companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established
companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the
future ability to sell those securities.
Risk
of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies.
Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely
than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer
financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive
strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility,
lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies.
Returns on investments in securities of small- and medium-capitalization
companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of
large-capitalization companies.
Equity
Securities Risk.
The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general
market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the
issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated
to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect
to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns,
although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have
comparable or greater price volatility.
Market
Risk.
The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated
with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions,
sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and
closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain
social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural
disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest)
adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such
events or developments might affect companies world-wide. An investment in the Fund may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors,
errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties,
failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index
Tracking Risk.
The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Israel Index for a number of
reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including
taxes, not applicable to the Israel Index and incurs costs associated with
buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities
holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Israel Index, or (to the
extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet
redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units,
which are not factored into the return of the Israel Index. Transaction costs,
including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) to
the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized
Participant (“AP”). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an
adverse
effect
on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to
track the Israel Index. Errors in the Israel Index data, the Israel Index
computations and/or the construction of the Israel Index in accordance with its
methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected
by the Israel Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an
adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand
that any gains from the Israel Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund
and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the Israel Index
provider's errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the
Israel Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to
attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Israel
Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio
rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund
may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the
Fund (if the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of
cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled
rebalances, the Israel Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad
hoc rebalances to the Israel Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc
rebalances carried out by the Israel Index provider or its agents to the Israel
Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In
addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in
the Israel Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are
represented in the Israel Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from
the return of the Israel Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed
by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund’s
listing exchange (the “Exchange”), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in
which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other
regulatory reasons or legal restrictions or limitations (such as diversification
requirements). The Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying
securities, underlying currencies and/or other assets based on fair value
prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and
the value of the Israel Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local
foreign markets (i.e.,
the value of the Israel Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s
ability to track the Israel Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index
tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair
value prices may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading
costs and/or increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on
borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax
efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may
cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Israel
Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate
significantly from the return of the Israel Index. Changes to the composition of
the Israel Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the
Israel Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which
time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk.
The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as APs,
none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption
transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to
or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is
able to step forward to create and redeem, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a greater discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or
de-listing. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in scenarios where APs
have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market.
While Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an
active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing
creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the
Fund’s market price from its NAV.
Trading
Issues.
Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit
breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any
fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However,
because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is
removed from the Israel Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security
because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual
market conditions may cause the Israel Index provider to postpone a scheduled
rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Israel Index to vary from its
normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower
than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of
market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in
the value of one or more issuers.
Fund
Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares.
The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the
intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The
Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most
recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market
volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including
through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading
at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the
Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price
is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or
receive
significantly
less than the underlying value of the Shares that were bought or sold or the
shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The securities held by the
Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange.
Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the Exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV may widen. Additionally, in
stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares may become less
liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s
underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can
purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial
intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
Non-Diversified
Risk.
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified”
fund under the 1940 Act. Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high
percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger
proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a
single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the
Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Concentration
Risk.
The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or
industry or group of industries to the extent the Israel Index concentrates in a
particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent
that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or
group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic,
political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors
and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the
Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or
industries.
PERFORMANCE
The bar chart that follows
shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the
bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns (before and after taxes).
The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad measure of market performance. All returns assume
reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar
Years
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Best
Quarter: |
25.66% |
4Q
2020 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-20.04% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods
Ended December 31, 2021
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
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Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Since
Inception (6/25/2013) |
|
|
VanEck Israel ETF (return before
taxes) |
10.20% |
13.85% |
9.42% |
|
|
VanEck Israel ETF (return after taxes
on distributions) |
10.17% |
13.75% |
9.16% |
|
|
VanEck Israel ETF (return after taxes
on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) |
6.57% |
11.26% |
7.64% |
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|
BlueStar
Israel Global Index®
(reflects no deduction for fees,
expenses
or taxes, except withholding taxes) |
10.88% |
14.31% |
9.88% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
28.71% |
18.47% |
16.02% |
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See “License Agreements
and Disclaimers” for important information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser. Van
Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
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Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
June
2013 |
|
|
Guo
Hua (Jason) Jin |
Portfolio
Manager |
March
2018 |
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PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck®
Russia ETF1
(the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and
expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS®
Russia Index (the “Russia Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe
the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the
Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage
commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected
in the tables and examples below.
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Shareholder
Fees (fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
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Management
Fee |
0.50 |
% |
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|
Other
Expenses(b) |
0.47 |
% |
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|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
0.97 |
% |
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|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
-0.27 |
% |
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|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.70 |
% |
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(a) Van Eck Associates
Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to
the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding
acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, depositary receipt fees up to
0.10% of the Fund’s average daily net assets, trading expenses, taxes and
extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.62% of the Fund’s average daily net
assets per year until at least May 1,
2023. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
(b) “Other Expenses” have been
restated to reflect current fees.
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage
commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example assumes that you invest
$10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of
your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain
the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waivers and/or expense
reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs
may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would
be:
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YEAR |
EXPENSES |
|
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1 |
$72 |
|
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3 |
$282 |
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5 |
$510 |
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10 |
$1,165 |
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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns
over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur
additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During
the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was
20% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at
least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark
index. The Russia Index includes securities, which may include depositary
receipts, of Russian companies. A company is generally considered to be a
Russian company if it is incorporated in Russia or is incorporated outside of
Russia but has at least 50% of its revenues/related
________________________________________
1Prior
to September 1, 2021, the Fund's name was VanEck Vectors®
Russia ETF.
assets
in Russia. Such companies may include medium-capitalization companies. The Fund
may utilize depositary receipts to seek performance that corresponds to the
Fund’s benchmark index. Investments in depositary receipts of Russian companies
whose securities are represented in the Russia Index, and investments in
securities of Russian companies for which the Russia Index holds depositary
receipts, will count towards the Fund’s 80% investment policy. As of December
31, 2021, the Russia Index included 28 securities of companies with a market
capitalization range of between approximately $2.64 billion and $109 billion and
a weighted average market capitalization of $39.76 billion. These amounts are
subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may
be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to
shareholders.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Russia Index by investing in a portfolio of
securities that generally replicates the Russia Index. Unlike many investment
companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does
not try to “beat” the Russia Index and does not seek temporary defensive
positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to
replicate the Russia Index.
The
Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and, therefore, may invest a greater
percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its
investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that
the Russia Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of
December 31, 2021, each of the energy, basic materials and financials sectors
represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a
deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in Russian Issuers.
Investments in securities of Russian issuers, including issuers located outside
of Russia that generate significant revenues from Russia, involve risks and
special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S.
securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation
and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in
international trade, confiscatory or punitive taxation, regional conflict,
political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in
governmental decision making, armed conflict, the imposition of economic
sanctions by other nations, the impact on the economy as a result of civil
unrest, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or
socioeconomic unrest.
The
securities markets of Russia are underdeveloped and are often considered to be
less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more
developed countries. As a result, securities markets in Russia are subject to
greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization,
lower trading volume, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty
regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy
regulation of labor and industry. Securities markets in Russia are subject to
additional risks relating to the settlement, clearing and registration of
securities transactions. Additionally, certain investments in Russia may become
less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions,
or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of
market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be
harder to value, especially in changing markets. Moreover, trading on securities
markets in Russia may be suspended altogether.
The
government in Russia may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability of
foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in
Russia. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign
investment in securities of issuers located or operating in Russia. Moreover,
governmental approval or special licenses may be required prior to investments
by foreign investors and may limit the amount of investments by foreign
investors in a particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such foreign
investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less
advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of
Russia and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. Less information may
be available about companies in which the Fund invests because many companies
that are tied economically to Russia are not subject to accounting, auditing and
financial reporting standards or to other regulatory practices required by U.S.
companies. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or
operating in Russia significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or
operating in more developed countries, and any one of them could cause a decline
in the value of the Fund’s Shares.
As
a result of events involving Russia, the United States and the European Union
(“EU”) have imposed sanctions on certain Russian entities and individuals and
certain sectors of Russia’s economy, which may result in, among other things,
the devaluation of Russian currency, a downgrade in the country’s credit rating,
and/or a decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities, property or
interests. Sanctions may also include banning Russia from global payments
systems that facilitate cross-border payments. The United States and other
nations or international organizations may impose additional economic sanctions
or take other actions in the future that may adversely affect Russia-exposed
issuers and companies in various sectors of the Russian economy, including, but
not limited to, the financials, energy, metals and mining, engineering, and
defense and defense-related materials sectors. These sanctions, any future
sanctions or other actions, the threat of further sanctions or other actions or
actions by the United States to modify or ease sanctions may negatively affect
the value and/or liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio, may affect the Fund’s
ability to operate and to qualify for the favorable tax treatment afforded to
regulated investment companies for U.S.
federal
income tax purposes, and may impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment
objective. For example, the Fund may be prohibited from investing in securities
issued by companies subject to such sanctions. In addition, the sanctions may
require the Fund to freeze its existing investments in Russian companies,
prohibit the Fund from buying, selling or otherwise transacting in these
investments, or significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities
transactions. Any retaliatory actions by Russia may further impair the value and
liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio and potentially disrupt its operations.
Uncertainty as to future relations between Russia and the United States or EU
countries may also cause a decline in the value of the Fund’s
Shares.
Current
or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory
actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities.
These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets
held by a Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any Fund assets, including
depositary receipts, a Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order
to satisfy any Fund redemption orders. The liquidation of Fund assets during
this time may also result in a Fund receiving substantially lower prices for its
securities. In addition, Russia is alleged to have participated in
state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign
governments.
For
these or other reasons, the Fund could seek to suspend redemptions of Creation
Units (defined herein), including in the event that an emergency exists in which
it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to
determine its net asset value (“NAV”). The Fund could also, among other things,
limit or suspend creations of Creation Units. During the period that creations
or redemptions are affected, the Fund’s shares could trade at a significant
premium or discount to their NAV. In the case of a period during which creations
are suspended, the Fund could experience substantial redemptions, which may
exacerbate the discount to NAV at which the Fund’s shares trade, cause the Fund
to experience increased transaction costs, and cause the Fund to make greater
taxable distributions to shareholders of the Fund. The Fund may also change its
investment objective by, for example, seeking to track an alternative index, or
the Fund could liquidate all or a portion of its assets, which may be at
unfavorable prices.
The
Russian government continues to control a large share of economic activity in
the region. The Russian government owns shares in corporations in a range of
sectors including banking, energy production and distribution, automotive,
transportation and telecommunications. Additionally, because Russia produces and
exports large volumes of oil and gas, the Russian economy is particularly
sensitive to the price of oil and gas on the world market, and a decline in the
price of oil and gas could have a significant negative impact on the Russian
economy. Political and economic events in Russia may have significant adverse
effects on the Russian ruble and on the value and liquidity of the Fund’s
investments.
Risk
of Investing in Foreign Securities.
Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those
associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include
greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial
information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign
governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because
certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity of large
traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in
such markets. The Fund invests in securities of issuers located in countries
whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any
reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments.
Risk
of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments
in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that
may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging
markets are more likely than developed markets to experience problems with the
clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local
banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable
governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that
prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems
that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States.
Market risks may also include economies that concentrate in only a few
industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity
issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that
markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside
information. The frequency, availability and quality of financial information
about investments in emerging markets varies. The Fund has limited rights and
few practical remedies in emerging markets and the ability of U.S. authorities
to bring enforcement actions in emerging markets may be limited, and the Fund's
passive investment approach does not take account of these risks. All of these
factors can make emerging market securities more volatile and potentially less
liquid than securities issued in more developed markets.
Foreign
Currency Risk. Because
all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from its investments and/or
the revenues received by the underlying issuer will generally be denominated in
foreign currencies, the Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the
value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns
for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a
high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection
with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Risk
of Investing in Depositary Receipts.
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those
associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are
receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies
that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on
the underlying foreign shares. Investments
in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their
primary trading market and, if not included in the Russia Index, may negatively
affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Russia Index. The
issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts
and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any
time,
which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying
assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the
Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.
Risk
of Investing in the Energy Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the energy sector. Companies operating in
the energy sector are subject to risks including, but not limited to, economic
growth, worldwide demand, political instability in the regions that the
companies operate, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities,
interest rate sensitivity, oil price volatility, energy conservation,
environmental policies, depletion of resources, the cost of providing the
specific utility services and other factors that they cannot control. In
addition, these companies are at risk of civil liability from accidents
resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental
damage claims and risk of loss from terrorism and natural disasters. A downturn
in the energy sector of the economy, adverse political, legislative or
regulatory developments or other events could have a larger impact on the Fund
than on an investment company that does not invest a substantial portion of its
assets in the energy sector. At times, the performance of securities of
companies in the energy sector may lag the performance of other sectors or the
broader market as a whole. The price of oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels
may decline and/or experience significant volatility, which could adversely
impact companies operating in the energy sector.
Risk
of Investing in the Basic Materials Sector. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the basic materials sector. Companies engaged in
the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by
changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation,
environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates,
imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and
labor relations.
Risk
of Investing in the Financials Sector.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the financials sector. Companies in the
financials sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects
the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of
capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financials
sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates, by loan losses,
which usually increase in economic downturns, and by credit rating downgrades.
In addition, the financials sector is undergoing numerous changes, including
continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and
changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, some companies in the
financials sector perceived as benefitting from government intervention in the
past may be subject to future government-imposed restrictions on their
businesses or face increased government involvement in their operations.
Increased government involvement in the financials sector, including measures
such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a
dilution of the Fund’s investments in financial institutions.
Risk
of Investing in Medium-Capitalization Companies.
Medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than
large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial
resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength.
In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading
volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on
investments in securities of medium-capitalization companies could trail the
returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization
companies.
Equity
Securities Risk.
The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general
market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the
issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated
to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect
to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns,
although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have
comparable or greater price volatility.
Market
Risk.
The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated
with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions,
sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and
closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain
social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural
disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest)
adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such
events or developments might affect companies world-wide. An investment in the Fund may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors,
errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties,
failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index
Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Russia Index for a number of
reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including
taxes, not applicable to the Russia Index and incurs costs associated with
buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities
holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Russia Index, or (to the
extent the Fund effects creations and redemptions for cash) raising cash to meet
redemptions or
deploying
cash in connection with newly created Creation Units, which are not factored
into the return of the Russia Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage
costs, will decrease the Fund’s NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction
fee payable by an Authorized Participant (“AP”). Market disruptions and
regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to
adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Russia Index.
Errors in the Russia Index data, the Russia Index computations and/or the
construction of the Russia Index in accordance with its methodology may occur
from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Russia Index
provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the
Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from
the Russia Index provider's errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders
and any losses or costs resulting from the Russia Index provider's errors will
be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. When the Russia Index is rebalanced
and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the
correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Russia Index, any transaction
costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne
directly by the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at
times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund (if the Fund effects
creations and redemptions for cash) or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet
redemptions or pay expenses. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Russia Index
provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Russia
Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Russia Index provider or its agents to the Russia Index may increase the costs
to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be
able to invest in certain securities included in the Russia Index, or invest in
them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Russia Index.
The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the return of the Russia Index due
to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain
countries, certain listing standards of the Fund’s listing exchange (the
“Exchange”), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities
trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons or legal
restrictions or limitations (such as diversification requirements). The Fund may
value certain of its investments, underlying securities, underlying currencies
and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund
calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Russia Index
is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e.,
the value of the Russia Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s
ability to track the Russia Index may be adversely affected. In the event
economic sanctions are imposed by the United States against certain Russian
companies, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Russia Index by
investing in the relevant securities, which may lead to increased tracking
error. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency
convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation
may also increase the index tracking risk. When markets are volatile, the
ability to sell securities at fair value prices may be adversely impacted and
may result in additional trading costs and/or increase the index tracking risk.
The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead
to increased expenses. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain
securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from
the performance of the Russia Index. In light of the factors discussed above,
the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Russia Index.
Changes to the composition of the Russia Index in connection with a rebalancing
or reconstitution of the Russia Index may cause the Fund to experience increased
volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk.
The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as APs,
none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption
transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to
or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is
able to step forward to create and redeem, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a greater discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or
de-listing. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in scenarios where APs
have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market.
While Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an
active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing
creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the
Fund’s market price from its NAV.
Trading
Issues.
Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit
breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any
fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However,
because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is
removed from the Russia Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security
because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Additionally, unusual
market conditions may cause the Russia Index provider to postpone a scheduled
rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause the Russia Index to vary from its
normal or expected composition. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower
than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of
market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in
the value of one or more issuers.
Fund
Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares.
The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the
intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The
Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most
recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market
volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including
through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading
at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the
Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price
is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or
receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were
bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The
securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different
time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the
applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open
but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask
spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV
may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the
Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in
the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. There are various
methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should
consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of
the Fund.
Non-Diversified
Risk.
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified”
fund under the 1940 Act. Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high
percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger
proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a
single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the
Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Concentration
Risk. The
Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry
or group of industries to the extent the Russia Index concentrates in a
particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent
that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or
group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic,
political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors
and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the
Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or
industries.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad measure of market performance. Prior to March 19, 2012,
the Fund sought to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses,
the price and yield performance of the DAXglobal® Russia+Index (the “Prior Index”).
Therefore, performance information prior to March 19, 2012 reflects the
performance of the Fund while seeking to track the Prior Index. All returns
assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar
Years