Gabelli Automation ETF Trust 497

 
 
Filed Pursuant to Rule 497
Securities Act File No. 333-238109
Investment Company Act File No. 811-23568
Gabelli ETFs Trust
Gabelli Equity Income ETF
Gabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETF
(each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”)
One Corporate Center
Rye, New York 10580-1422
800-GABELLI
(800-422-3554)
fax: 914-921-5118
website: www.gabelli.com
e-mail: [email protected]
Questions?
Call 800-GABELLI
or your investment representative.
Table of Contents
Summary of the Funds   
     2  
     8  
Investment Objectives, Investment Strategies, and Related Risks      14  
Management of the Funds      22  
Purchase and Sale of Shares      24  
Payments to Broker/Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries      25  
Pricing of Fund Shares      25  
Dividends and Distributions      26  
Tax Information      26  
Creations and Redemptions      28  
Mailings and E‑Delivery to Shareholders      30  
Financial Highlights      30  
 
 
1

 
 
GABELLI ETFS TRUST
(the “Trust”)
 
Fund    Ticker Symbol
Gabelli Equity Income ETF
       GABE
Gabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETF
       GCAD
Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca
    
PROSPECTUS DATED
March 10, 2023
This Exchange-Traded Fund (“ETF”) is different from traditional ETFs.
Unlike traditional ETFs, these ETFs will not tell the public what assets they hold each day. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example:
 
   
You may have to pay more money to trade an ETF’s shares. These ETFs will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information about the underlying holdings.
 
   
The price you pay to buy ETF shares on an exchange may not match the value of an ETF’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for the ETFs offered pursuant to this Prospectus compared to other ETFs because these ETFs provide less information to traders with respect to the underlying portfolio holdings.
 
   
These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions.
The differences between these ETFs and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about an ETF secret, the ETF may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategy. This may improve an ETF’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict an ETF’s investment strategy, however, this may hurt the ETF’s performance.
For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of the Funds, see the “Non-Transparent Exchange-Traded Fund (“ETF”) Structure Risk”, “Early Close/Trading Halt Risk” and “Authorized Participant and AP Representative Concentration Risk” in the “Principal Risks” section of this Prospectus below.
As permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), paper copies of the Funds’ annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website (https://gabelli.com), and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report. If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. To elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge, please contact your financial intermediary, or, if you invest directly with the Funds, you may call 800‑422‑3554 or send an email request to [email protected]. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Funds held in your account if you invest through your financial intermediary or all Funds held within the Fund complex if you invest directly with the Funds.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved the shares described in this prospectus or determined whether this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
 
 
 
2

 
 
GABELLI EQUITY INCOME ETF
(the “Equity Income Fund” or the “Fund”) (fka the Gabelli Global Small Cap ETF)
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks a high level of total return on its assets with an emphasis on income.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund:
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between Gabelli ETFs Trust (the “Trust”) and Gabelli Funds, LLC (the “Adviser”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that the Adviser will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses, and any extraordinary expenses. You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions and other charges when buying and selling shares that are not reflected in the example.
 
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):
      
Management Fees
         0.90%
Other Expenses(1)
         0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
         0.90%
Less Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)
         (0.90)%  
      
 
 
 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver
         0.00%
      
 
 
 
 
(1)
“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
(2)
Gabelli Funds, LLC, the Fund’s adviser (the “Adviser”), has contractually agreed to waive the Fund’s management fee of 0.90% on the first $25 million in net assets until at least March 12, 2024. As of March 3, 2023, the Fund had not yet launched. The management fee waiver shall not apply to any brokerage costs, acquired Fund fees and expenses, interest, taxes, and extraordinary expenses that the Fund may incur. This agreement may be terminated only by, or with the consent of, the Fund’s Board of Trustees. However, the Fund has agreed, during the three year period following the date of any waiver or reimbursement by the Adviser, to repay such amount to the extent the Fund is able to do so without exceeding the lesser of (1) the expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, as applicable, or (2) the expense limit in effect at the time of recoupment after giving effect to the repayment.
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.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. In addition, the
 
 
 
2

 
 
example assumes that net assets do not exceed $25 million; in the event that net assets would exceed $25 million, the expense ratio would be higher than what is presented in this example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year    3 Years
$0    $197
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the Fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. No portfolio turnover is included for the Fund because the Fund has not yet commenced operations.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (including any assets purchased using borrowings for investment purposes) in income producing equity. The Fund may also invest in foreign securities by investing in American Depositary Receipts. In making stock selections, the Adviser looks for securities that have a better yield than the average of the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index (the “S&P 500 Index”), as well as capital gains potential. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser focuses on issuers that:
  
   
have strong free cash flow and pay regular dividends  
   
have potential for long term earnings per share growth  
   
may be subject to a value catalyst, such as industry developments, regulatory changes, changes in management, sale or spin-off of a division, or the development of a profitable new business  
   
are well managed  
   
will benefit from sustainable long term economic dynamics, such as globalization of an issuer’s industry or an issuer’s increased focus on productivity or enhancement of services  
The Adviser also believes preferred stock of selected companies offer opportunities for capital appreciation as well as periodic income and may invest a portion of the Fund’s assets in such securities. This is particularly true in the case of companies that have performed below expectations. If a company’s performance has been poor enough, its preferred stock will trade more like common stock than like a fixed income security and may result in above average appreciation if performance improves. This leads to the possibility of capital appreciation if the price of the common stock recovers.  
Principal Risks
You may want to invest in the Fund if:
  
   
you are a long term investor  
   
you are seeking income as well as capital appreciation  
 
 
 
3

 
 
The Fund’s share price will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Your investment in the Fund is not a deposit of the bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency; you may lose money by investing in the Fund. When you sell Fund shares, they may be worth more or less than what you paid for them.  
Investing in the Fund involves the following risks:  
 
   
Non-Transparent Exchange-Traded Fund (“ETF”) Structure Risk.    Unlike most actively managed ETFs the Fund does not provide daily disclosure of its portfolio holding. Instead, the Fund provides a verified intraday indicative value (“VIIV”), calculated and disseminated every second throughout the trading day. The VIIV is intended to provide investors and other market participants with a highly correlated per share value of the underlying portfolio that can be compared to the current market price. There is, however, a risk that shares of the Fund may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility, and therefore, may cost investors more to trade. Because the Fund trades on the basis of the VIIV, it may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than traditional ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis. Accordingly, the Adviser or its designee will monitor on an ongoing basis how shares of the Fund trade, including the level of any market price premium or discount to NAV and the bid/ask spreads on market transactions. Should there be extended periods of unusually high bid/ask spreads, the Board will consider the continuing viability of the Fund, whether shareholders are being harmed, and what, if any, action would be appropriate to among other things, narrow the premium/discount or spread, as applicable. Potential actions may include, but are not limited to, changing lead market makers, listing the Fund on a different exchange, changing the size of Creation Units, changing the Fund’s investment objective or strategy, and liquidating the Fund. There is also a risk that the market price may vary significantly from the NAV and, thus, the underlying value of the Fund significantly from the underlying NAV of the Fund. There is also a risk that, despite not disclosing the portfolio holdings each day, some market participants may seek to use publically available information, including the VIIV, to identify the Fund’s investment strategy and engage in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the Fund.  
 
   
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk.    An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses. In addition, due to the non-transparency of the portfolio a trading halt in a portfolio security could cause discrepancies between the VIIV and NAV of the Fund resulting in uncertainty on the part of the AP that results in wider, less liquid markets. Any security for which trading has been halted for an extended period of time will be disclosed on the Fund’s website, www.gabelli.com.  
 
   
Authorized Participant and AP Representative Concentration Risk.    The creation and redemption process for the Fund occurs through a confidential brokerage account (“Confidential Account”) with an agent, called an AP Representative, on behalf of an Authorized Participant. Each day, the AP Representative will be given the names and quantities of the securities to be deposited, in the case of a creation, or redeemed, in the case of a redemption (“Creation  
 
 
 
4

 
 
 
Basket”), allowing the AP Representative to buy and sell positions in the portfolio securities to permit creations or redemptions on the Authorized Participant’s behalf, without disclosing the information to the Authorized Participant. The Fund may have a limited number of institutions that act as Authorized Participants and AP Representatives, none of which are obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to process creation and/or redemption orders, Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. This risk may be more pronounced in volatile markets, potentially where there are significant redemptions in ETFs, generally. The fact that the Fund is offering a novel and unique structure may affect the number of entities willing to act as Authorized Participants and AP Representatives. During times of market stress, Authorized Participants may be more likely to step away from this type of ETF than a traditional ETF.  
 
   
Absence of an Active Market.    Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. Authorized Participants are not obligated to execute purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. Because this is a novel and unique structure, this could influence the number of entities willing to act as Authorized Participants. In periods of market volatility, market makers and/or Authorized Participants may be less willing to transact in Fund shares. The absence of an active market for the Fund’s shares may contribute to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to net asset value (“NAV”). If a shareholder purchases Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.  
 
   
New Fund Risk.    The Fund is new with a limited operating history and may have higher expenses. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size. The Fund could cease operations, and investors may be required to liquidate or transfer their assets at a loss. However, the expense limitation in place limits this risk through the end of its term.  
 
   
Equity Risk.    Equity risk is the risk that the prices of the securities held by the Fund will fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the companies issuing the securities participate, and the issuer companies’ particular circumstances. Holders of equity securities only have rights to value in the company only after all issuer debts have been paid and they could lose their entire investment in a company that encounters financial difficulty  
 
   
American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) Risk.    Investment in ADRs does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of ADRs is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the ADRs and the underlying securities are quoted.  
 
   
Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) and Global Health Events.    COVID-19 and concerns about its rapid spread and infections have severely impacted business activity in virtually all economies, markets, and sectors and negatively impacted the value of many financial and other assets. The  
 
 
 
5

 
 
 
duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its effects cannot be determined with certainty. These events could have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance, as well as the performance and viability of issuers in which it invests.  
 
   
Issuer Risk.    The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to an issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets or factors unrelated to the issuer’s value, such as investor perception.  
 
   
Management Risk.    If the Adviser is incorrect in its assessment of the investment prospects of the securities the Fund holds, then the value of the Fund’s shares may decline.  
 
   
Market Trading Risk.    Individual Fund shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange or alternative trading system through a broker-dealer, and may not be directly purchased or redeemed from the Fund. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue unchanged. Buying and selling shares may require you to pay brokerage commissions and expose you to other trading costs. Due to brokerage commissions and other transaction costs that may apply, frequent trading may detract from realized investment returns. Trading prices of shares may be above, at, or below the Fund’s NAV, will fluctuate in relation to NAV based on supply and demand in the market for shares and other factors, and may vary significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The return on your investment will be reduced if you sell shares at a greater discount or narrower premium to NAV than when you acquired shares.  
 
   
Non-Diversification Risk.    The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund’s performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. 
 
   
Preferred Stock Risk.    Preferred stocks are susceptible to general market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The dividend on a preferred stock may be changed or omitted by the issuer, and participation in the growth of an issuer may be limited.  
 
   
Trading Issues Risk.    Trading in Fund shares on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) may be halted in certain circumstances. There can be no assurance that the requirements of NYSE Arca necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met.  
 
   
Value Investing Risk.    The Fund invests in “value” stocks. Value investing refers to buying securities that the Adviser believes are out of favor and/or undervalued in comparison to their peers or their prospects for growth. From time to time, “value” investing falls out of favor with investors. During those periods, the Fund’s relative performance may suffer.  
Performance
The Fund has not yet commenced operations, therefore, performance information is not yet available. Performance information will be available after the Fund has been in operation for one calendar year.
 
 
 
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Management
The Adviser. Gabelli Funds, LLC
The Portfolio Manager. Mr. Mario J. Gabelli, CFA, Chief Investment Officer — Value Portfolios, and Robert Leininger have served as portfolio managers of the Fund since its inception.
Other Information
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 5,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. The Fund generally will issue or redeem Creation Units in return for a designated portfolio of securities (and an amount of cash) that the Fund specifies each day.
Tax Information
The Fund expects that distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income or long term capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
 
 
 
7

 
 
GABELLI COMMERCIAL AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE ETF
(the “Aerospace and Defense Fund” or the “Fund”) (fka the Gabelli Equity Income ETF)
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks a high level of total return on its assets with an emphasis on income.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund:
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between Gabelli ETFs Trust (the “Trust”) and Gabelli Funds, LLC (the “Adviser”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that the Adviser will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses, and any extraordinary expenses. You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions and other charges when buying and selling shares that are not reflected in the example.
 
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):
      
Management Fees
         0.90%
Other Expenses(1)
         0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
         0.90%
Less Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)
         (0.90)%  
      
 
 
 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver
         0.00%
      
 
 
 
 
(1)
“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
(2)
Gabelli Funds, LLC, the Fund’s adviser (the “Adviser”), has contractually agreed to waive the Fund’s management fee of 0.90% on the first $25 million in net assets until at least March 12, 2024. As of March 3, 2023, the net asset value of the Fund was $3,532,693. The management fee waiver shall not apply to any brokerage costs, acquired Fund fees and expenses, interest, taxes, and extraordinary expenses that the Fund may incur. This agreement may be terminated only by, or with the consent of, the Fund’s Board of Trustees. However, the Fund has agreed, during the three year period following the date of any waiver or reimbursement by the Adviser, to repay such amount to the extent the Fund is able to do so without exceeding the lesser of (1) the expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, as applicable, or (2) the expense limit in effect at the time of recoupment after giving effect to the repayment.
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.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. In addition, the
 
 
 
8

 
 
example assumes that net assets do not exceed $25 million; in the event that net assets would exceed $25 million, the expense ratio would be higher than what is presented in this example. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
1 Year    3 Years
$0    $197
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the Fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. No portfolio turnover is included for the Fund because the Fund commenced operations on January 3, 2023.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets (including any assets purchased using borrowings for investment purposes) in securities in the aerospace and defense sectors. Aerospace companies include manufacturers, assemblers and distributors of aircraft and aircraft parts. Defense companies include producers of components and equipment for the defense industry, such as military aircraft, radar equipment and weapons. The Fund defines an “aerospace and defense” company as a company that derives at least 50% of its revenues from, or devotes 50% of its assets to, aerospace and/or defense related activities. Income producing equity securities include U.S. exchange-listed common stock and preferred stock. The Fund may also invest in foreign securities by investing in American Depositary Receipts. In making stock selections, the Adviser looks for securities that have a better yield than the average of the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index (the “S&P 500 Index”), as well as capital gains potential. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser focuses on issuers that:
  
   
have strong free cash flow and pay regular dividends  
   
have potential for long term earnings per share growth  
   
may be subject to a value catalyst, such as industry developments, regulatory changes, changes in management, sale or spin‑off of a division, or the development of a profitable new business  
   
are well managed  
   
will benefit from sustainable long term economic dynamics, such as globalization of an issuer’s industry or an issuer’s increased focus on productivity or enhancement of services  
The Adviser also believes preferred stock of selected companies offer opportunities for capital appreciation as well as periodic income and may invest a portion of the Fund’s assets in such securities. This is particularly true in the case of companies that have performed below expectations. If a company’s performance has been poor enough, its preferred stock will trade more like common stock than like a fixed income security and may result in above average appreciation if performance improves. This leads to the possibility of capital appreciation if the price of the common stock recovers.  
 
 
 
9

 
 
Principal Risks
You may want to invest in the Fund if:
  
   
you are a long term investor  
   
you are seeking income as well as capital appreciation  
The Fund’s share price will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Your investment in the Fund is not a deposit of the bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency; you may lose money by investing in the Fund. When you sell Fund shares, they may be worth more or less than what you paid for them.  
Investing in the Fund involves the following risks:  
 
   
Non-Transparent Exchange-Traded Fund (“ETF”) Structure Risk.    Unlike most actively managed ETFs the Fund does not provide daily disclosure of its portfolio holding. Instead, the Fund provides a verified intraday indicative value (“VIIV”), calculated and disseminated every second throughout the trading day. The VIIV is intended to provide investors and other market participants with a highly correlated per share value of the underlying portfolio that can be compared to the current market price. There is, however, a risk that shares of the Fund may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility, and therefore, may cost investors more to trade. Because the Fund trades on the basis of the VIIV, it may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than traditional ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis. Accordingly, the Adviser or its designee will monitor on an ongoing basis how shares of the Fund trade, including the level of any market price premium or discount to NAV and the bid/ask spreads on market transactions. Should there be extended periods of unusually high bid/ask spreads, the Board will consider the continuing viability of the Fund, whether shareholders are being harmed, and what, if any, action would be appropriate to among other things, narrow the premium/discount or spread, as applicable. Potential actions may include, but are not limited to, changing lead market makers, listing the Fund on a different exchange, changing the size of Creation Units, changing the Fund’s investment objective or strategy, and liquidating the Fund. There is also a risk that the market price may vary significantly from the NAV and, thus, the underlying value of the Fund significantly from the underlying NAV of the Fund. There is also a risk that, despite not disclosing the portfolio holdings each day, some market participants may seek to use publically available information, including the VIIV, to identify the Fund’s investment strategy and engage in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the Fund.  
 
   
Aerospace Industry Risk.    Government aerospace regulation and spending policies can significantly affect the aerospace industry because many companies involved in the aerospace industry rely to a large extent on U.S. (and other) Government demand for their products and services. There are significant inherent risks in government contracting, which could have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition and results of operations of industry participants. . Government spending in aerospace generally is not correlated with any economic cycle, but rather, on the cycle of general political support for this type of spending. However, there is no assurance that future levels of aerospace and defense spending will increase or that levels of aerospace and defense spending will not decrease in the future. In addition, the  
 
 
 
10

 
 
 
aerospace industry in particular has recently been affected by adverse economic conditions and consolidation within the industry. Furthermore, competition in the airline industry continues to increase as a result of airline deregulation.  
 
   
Defense Industry Risk.    Companies in the defense industry are subject to numerous risks, including fierce competition, consolidation, adverse political, economic and governmental developments (both in the U.S. and abroad), compliance with varying regulation across international markets, substantial research and development costs, cuts in government funding, product and technology obsolescence, limited numbers of potential customers and decreased demand for new equipment. Since defense companies derive significant revenue from government contracts, they face a number of specific risks that may adversely affect a company’s financial condition and outlook. The government may terminate a contract with an issuer as a result of an issuer’s default, resulting in possible issuer liability to the government. The government may also terminate a contract for its own convenience, which may lead to difficulty for the issuer in recovering costs incurred prior to termination. Such contracts may also be modified or terminated due to changes in congressional funding levels. Government contractors are also subject to stringent routine audits and reviews, which may lead to significant price adjustments for products and services. The highly competitive bidding environment in which government contractors operate may also reduce the profitability of certain government contracts. Companies involved in the commercial aerospace industry are subject to risks including aircraft order cancellations, excess capacity, cutbacks in profitable business travel, fuel price hikes, labor union settlements, adverse changes in international politics and relations, intense global competition, government regulation and cyclical market patterns.  
 
   
Concentration Risk.    The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector, market segment or asset class.  
 
   
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk.    An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in the Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses. In addition, due to the non-transparency of the portfolio a trading halt in a portfolio security could cause discrepancies between the VIIV and NAV of the Fund resulting in uncertainty on the part of the AP that results in wider, less liquid markets. Any security for which trading has been halted for an extended period of time will be disclosed on the Fund’s website, www.gabelli.com.  
 
   
Large-Capitalization Companies Risk.    Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.  
 
 
 
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Non‑Diversification Risk.    The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund’s performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. 
 
   
Authorized Participant and AP Representative Concentration Risk.    The creation and redemption process for the Fund occurs through a confidential brokerage account (“Confidential Account”) with an agent, called an AP Representative, on behalf of an Authorized Participant. Each day, the AP Representative will be given the names and quantities of the securities to be deposited, in the case of a creation, or redeemed, in the case of a redemption (“Creation Basket”), allowing the AP Representative to buy and sell positions in the portfolio securities to permit creations or redemptions on the Authorized Participant’s behalf, without disclosing the information to the Authorized Participant. The Fund may have a limited number of institutions that act as Authorized Participants and AP Representatives, none of which are obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to process creation and/or redemption orders, Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. This risk may be more pronounced in volatile markets, potentially where there are significant redemptions in ETFs, generally. The fact that the Fund is offering a novel and unique structure may affect the number of entities willing to act as Authorized Participants and AP Representatives. During times of market stress, Authorized Participants may be more likely to step away from this type of ETF than a traditional ETF.  
 
   
Absence of an Active Market.    Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. Authorized Participants are not obligated to execute purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. Because this is a novel and unique structure, this could influence the number of entities willing to act as Authorized Participants. In periods of market volatility, market makers and/or Authorized Participants may be less willing to transact in Fund shares. The absence of an active market for the Fund’s shares may contribute to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to net asset value (“NAV”). If a shareholder purchases Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.  
 
   
New Fund Risk.    The Fund is new with a limited operating history and may have higher expenses. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size. The Fund could cease operations, and investors may be required to liquidate or transfer their assets at a loss. However, the expense limitation in place limits this risk through the end of its term.  
 
   
Equity Risk.    Equity risk is the risk that the prices of the securities held by the Fund will fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the companies issuing the securities participate, and the issuer companies’ particular circumstances. Holders of equity securities only have rights to value in the company only after all issuer debts have been paid and they could lose their entire investment in a company that encounters financial difficulty  
 
 
 
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American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) Risk.    Investment in ADRs does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of ADRs is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the ADRs and the underlying securities are quoted.  
 
   
Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) and Global Health Events.    COVID-19 and concerns about its rapid spread and infections have severely impacted business activity in virtually all economies, markets, and sectors and negatively impacted the value of many financial and other assets. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its effects cannot be determined with certainty. These events could have a significant impact on the Fund’s performance, as well as the performance and viability of issuers in which it invests.  
 
   
Issuer Risk.    The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to an issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets or factors unrelated to the issuer’s value, such as investor perception.  
 
   
Management Risk.    If the Adviser is incorrect in its assessment of the investment prospects of the securities the Fund holds, then the value of the Fund’s shares may decline.  
 
   
Market Trading Risk.    Individual Fund shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange or alternative trading system through a broker-dealer, and may not be directly purchased or redeemed from the Fund. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue unchanged. Buying and selling shares may require you to pay brokerage commissions and expose you to other trading costs. Due to brokerage commissions and other transaction costs that may apply, frequent trading may detract from realized investment returns. Trading prices of shares may be above, at, or below the Fund’s NAV, will fluctuate in relation to NAV based on supply and demand in the market for shares and other factors, and may vary significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The return on your investment will be reduced if you sell shares at a greater discount or narrower premium to NAV than when you acquired shares.  
 
   
Preferred Stock Risk.    Preferred stocks are susceptible to general market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The dividend on a preferred stock may be changed or omitted by the issuer, and participation in the growth of an issuer may be limited.  
 
   
Trading Issues Risk.    Trading in Fund shares on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) may be halted in certain circumstances. There can be no assurance that the requirements of NYSE Arca necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met.  
 
   
Value Investing Risk.    The Fund invests in “value” stocks. Value investing refers to buying securities that the Adviser believes are out of favor and/or undervalued in comparison to their peers or their prospects for growth. From time to time, “value” investing falls out of favor with investors. During those periods, the Fund’s relative performance may suffer.  
Performance
The Fund commenced operations on January 3, 2023, under its prior name, Gabelli Equity Income ETF. The Fund’s prior name reflected its former investment strategy seeking to attain a high level of total
 
 
  
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return, with an emphasis on income, through investing at least 80% of its net assets in income producing equity securities. Performance information will be available after the Fund has been in operation for one calendar year. Such performance, when included, will partially reflect performance under the prior investment strategy.  
Management
The Adviser. Gabelli Funds, LLC
The Portfolio Manager Lieutenant Colonel G. Anthony (Tony) Bancroft, USMCR, has served as the team leader and portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception and commencement of operations on January 3, 2023.
Other Information
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded Fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 5,000 shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”) to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. The Fund generally will issue or redeem Creation Units in return for a designated portfolio of securities (and an amount of cash) that the Fund specifies each day.
Tax Information
The Fund expects that distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income or long term capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND RELATED RISKS
The Funds may also use the following investment techniques:
 
   
Temporary Defensive Investments.    When opportunities for capital appreciation do not appear attractive or when adverse market or economic conditions exist, the Fund may temporarily invest all or a portion of its assets in defensive investments only outside normal
 
 
 
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market conditions. Such investments include obligations of the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities and short term money market investments. When following a defensive strategy, the Fund will be less likely to achieve its investment goal of capital appreciation.
The Funds may also engage in other investment practices in order to achieve its investment objectives. These are discussed in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), which may be obtained by calling 800-GABELLI (800-422-3554), your financial intermediary, or free of charge through the Fund’s website at www.gabelli.com.
Gabelli Equity Income ETF
The Fund’s investment objective is to seek a high level of total return on its assets with an emphasis on income.
The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets in income producing equity securities. Income producing equity securities include U.S. exchange-listed common stock and preferred stock. The Fund may also invest in foreign securities by investing in American Depositary Receipts. In making stock selections, the Adviser looks for securities that have a better yield than the average of the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index (the “S&P 500 Index”), as well as capital gains potential. In selecting investments for the Equity Income Fund, the Adviser focuses on issuers that:
 
   
have strong free cash flow and pay regular dividends
   
have potential for long term earnings per share growth
   
may be subject to a value catalyst, such as industry developments, regulatory changes, changes in management, sale or spin‑off of a division, or the development of a profitable new business
   
are well managed
   
will benefit from sustainable long term economic dynamics, such as globalization of an issuer’s industry or an issuer’s increased focus on productivity or enhancement of services
The Adviser also believes preferred stock of selected companies offer opportunities for capital appreciation as well as periodic income and may invest a portion of the Equity Income Fund’s assets in such securities. This is particularly true in the case of companies that have performed below expectations. If a company’s performance has been poor enough, its preferred will trade more like common stock than like a fixed income security and may result in above average appreciation if performance improves.
Gabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETF
The Fund’s investment objective is to seek a high level of total return on its assets with an emphasis on income.
The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets in income producing equity securities including securities in the aerospace and defense sectors.
Aerospace companies include manufacturers, assemblers and distributors of aircraft and aircraft parts. Defense companies include producers of components and equipment for the defense industry, such as
 
 
 
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military aircraft, radar equipment and weapons. The Fund defines an “aerospace and defense” company as a company that derives at least 50% of its revenues from, or devotes 50% of its assets to, aerospace and/or defense related activities, or has an identified business line that derives at least 50% of its revenues from, or devotes 50% of its assets to, aerospace and/or defense related activities. Income producing equity securities include U.S. exchange-listed common stock and preferred stock. The Fund may also invest in foreign securities by investing in American Depositary Receipts. In making stock selections, the Adviser looks for securities that have a better yield than the average of the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index (the “S&P 500 Index”), as well as capital gains potential. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser focuses on issuers that:
 
   
have strong free cash flow and pay regular dividends
   
have potential for long term earnings per share growth
   
may be subject to a value catalyst, such as industry developments, regulatory changes, changes in management, sale or spin-off of a division, or the development of a profitable new business
   
are well managed
   
will benefit from sustainable long term economic dynamics, such as globalization of an issuer’s industry or an issuer’s increased focus on productivity or enhancement of services
The Adviser also believes preferred stock of selected companies offer opportunities for capital appreciation as well as periodic income and may invest a portion of the Fund’s assets in such securities. This is particularly true in the case of companies that have performed below expectations. If a company’s performance has been poor enough, its preferred stock will trade more like common stock than like a fixed income security and may result in above average appreciation if performance improves. This leads to the possibility of capital appreciation if the price of the common stock recovers.
Investing in the Funds involves the following risks:
 
   
Non-Transparent Exchange-Traded Fund (“ETF”) Structure Risk.    All Funds — Unlike most actively managed ETFs the Funds do not provide daily disclosure of their portfolio holdings. Instead, the Funds provide a verified intraday indicative value (“VIIV”), calculated and disseminated every second throughout the trading day. The VIIV is intended to provide investors and other market participants with a highly correlated per share value of the underlying portfolio that can be compared to the current market price. There is, however, a risk that shares of the Funds may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility, and therefore, may cost investors more to trade. Because the Funds trade on the basis of the VIIV, they may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than traditional ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis. Accordingly, the Funds’ Adviser or their designee will monitor on an ongoing basis how shares of the Funds trade, including the level of any market price premium or discount to NAV and the bid/ask spreads on market transactions. Should there be extended periods of unusually high bid/ask spreads, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) will consider the continuing viability of the Funds, whether shareholders are being harmed, and what, if any, action would be appropriate to, among other things, narrow the premium/discount or spread, as applicable. Potential actions may include, but are not limited to, changing lead market makers, listing the Funds on a different exchange, changing the size of Creation Units, changing the Funds’ investment objectives or strategies, and liquidating the Funds. There is also a risk that the market price may vary
 
 
 
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significantly from the NAV and, thus, the underlying value of the Funds significantly from the underlying NAV of the Funds. There is also a risk that, despite not disclosing the portfolio holdings each day, some market participants may seek to use publically available information, including the VIIV, to identify the Funds’ investment strategies and engage in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the Funds.
 
   
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk.    All Funds — An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may result in a Fund being unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, the Funds may be unable to rebalance their portfolios, may be unable to accurately price their investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses. In addition, due to the non-transparency of the portfolio a trading halt in a portfolio security could cause discrepancies between the VIIV and NAV of the Funds resulting in uncertainty on the part of the AP that results in wider, less liquid markets. Any security for which trading has been halted for an extended period of time will be disclosed on the Funds’ website, www.gabelli.com.
 
   
Authorized Participant and AP Representative Concentration Risk.    All Funds — The creation and redemption process for the Funds occurs through a confidential brokerage account (“Confidential Account”) with an agent, called an AP Representative, on behalf of an Authorized Participant. Each day, the AP Representative will be given the names and quantities of the securities to be deposited, in the case of a creation, or redeemed, in the case of a redemption (“Creation Basket”), allowing the AP Representative to buy and sell positions in the portfolio securities to permit creations or redemptions on the Authorized Participant’s behalf, without disclosing the information to the Authorized Participant. The Funds may have a limited number of institutions that act as Authorized Participants and AP Representatives, none of which are obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Funds and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to process creation and/or redemption orders, Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. This risk may be more pronounced in volatile markets, potentially where there are significant redemptions in ETFs, generally. The fact that the Funds are offering a novel and unique structure may affect the number of entities willing to act as Authorized Participants and AP Representatives. During times of market stress, Authorized Participants may be more likely to step away from this type of ETF than a traditional ETF.
 
   
Absence of an Active Market.    All Funds — Although shares of the Funds are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. Authorized Participants are not obligated to execute purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. Because this is a novel and unique structure, this could influence the number of entities willing to act as Authorized Participants. In periods of market volatility, market makers and/or Authorized Participants may be less willing to transact in the Funds’ shares. The absence of an active market for the Funds’ shares may contribute to the Funds’ shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV. If a shareholder purchases a Fund’s shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells a Fund’s shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.
 
 
 
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New Fund Risk.    All Funds — Each Fund is new with a limited operating history and may have higher expenses. There can be no assurance that a Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size. Each Fund could cease operations, and investors may be required to liquidate or transfer their assets at a loss. However, the expense limitation in place limits this risk through the end of its term.
 
   
Aerospace Industry Risk.    Aerospace and Defense Fund only — Government aerospace regulation and spending policies can significantly affect the aerospace industry because many companies involved in the aerospace industry rely to a large extent on U.S. (and other) Government demand for their products and services. There are significant inherent risks in government contracting, which could have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition and results of operations of industry participants. . Government spending in aerospace generally is not correlated with any economic cycle, but rather, on the cycle of general political support for this type of spending. However, there is no assurance that future levels of aerospace and defense spending will increase or that levels of aerospace and defense spending will not decrease in the future. In addition, the aerospace industry in particular has recently been affected by adverse economic conditions and consolidation within the industry. Furthermore, competition in the airline industry continues to increase as a result of airline deregulation.
 
   
Defense Industry Risk.    Aerospace and Defense Fund only — Companies in the defense industry are subject to numerous risks, including fierce competition, consolidation, adverse political, economic and governmental developments (both in the U.S. and abroad), compliance with varying regulation across international markets, substantial research and development costs, cuts in government funding, product and technology obsolescence, limited numbers of potential customers and decreased demand for new equipment. Since defense companies derive significant revenue from government contracts, they face a number of specific risks that may adversely affect a company’s financial condition and outlook. The government may terminate a contract with an issuer as a result of an issuer’s default, resulting in possible issuer liability to the government. The government may also terminate a contract for its own convenience, which may lead to difficulty for the issuer in recovering costs incurred prior to termination. Such contracts may also be modified or terminated due to changes in congressional funding levels. Government contractors are also subject to stringent routine audits and reviews, which may lead to significant price adjustments for products and services. The highly competitive bidding environment in which government contractors operate may also reduce the profitability of certain government contracts. Companies involved in the commercial aerospace industry are subject to risks including aircraft order cancellations, excess capacity, cutbacks in profitable business travel, fuel price hikes, labor union settlements, adverse changes in international politics and relations, intense global competition, government regulation and cyclical market patterns.
 
   
Concentration Risk.    Aerospace and Defense Fund only — The Aerospace and Defense Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector, market segment or asset class.
 
 
 
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Equity Risk.    All Funds — Equity risk is the risk that the prices of the securities held by the Funds will change due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the companies issuing the securities participate, and the issuer companies’ particular circumstances. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than it was worth when it was purchased by the Funds. Because the value of securities, and thus shares of the Funds, could decline, you could lose money.
 
   
American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) Risk.    All Funds — Investment in ADRs does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of ADRs is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the ADRs and the underlying securities are quoted. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate actions. ADRs are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities.
 
   
Concentration Risk.    Aerospace and Defense Fund only — The Aerospace and Defense Fund may concentrate its investments in securities issued by aerospace companies and defense companies which means that the Fund is less diversified than the Fund investing in a broader range of industries, and is particularly sensitive to general market conditions and other risks of the aerospace and defense industries, including that the aerospace industry and the defense industry can be significantly affected by government regulation and spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely, to a significant extent, on government demand for their products and services. The financial condition of these companies is heavily influenced by government defense spending, which may be reduced in efforts to control government budgets. The aerospace industry in particular has recently been affected by adverse economic conditions and consolidation within the industry.
 
   
Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) and Global Health Event Risk.    All Funds — As of the filing date of this prospectus, there is an outbreak of a highly contagious form of a novel coronavirus known as “COVID-19.” COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and, in response to the outbreak, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary has declared a public health emergency in the United States. COVID-19 had a devastating impact on the global economy, including the U.S. economy, and resulted in a global economic recession. Many states issued orders requiring the closure of non-essential businesses and/or requiring residents to stay at home. The COVID-19 pandemic and preventative measures taken to contain or mitigate its spread have caused, and are continuing to cause, business shutdowns, cancellations of events and travel, significant reductions in demand for certain goods and services, reductions in business activity and financial transactions, supply chain interruptions and overall economic and financial market instability both globally and in the United States. Such effects will likely continue for the duration of the pandemic, which is uncertain, and for some period thereafter. While several countries, as well as certain states, counties, and cities in the United States, began to relax the early public health restrictions with a view to partially or fully reopening their economies, many cities, both globally and in the United States, continue to experience, from time to time, surges in the reported number of cases and hospitalizations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recurring
 
 
 
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COVID-19 outbreaks, newly discovered variant and sub-variant strains of the virus and increases in cases can, and has, led to the re-introduction of restrictions and business shutdowns in certain states, counties, and cities in the United States and globally, and could continue to lead to the re-introduction of such restrictions elsewhere. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the U.S. economy and most other major global economies may continue to experience a substantial economic downturn or recession, and our business and operations, as well as the business and operations of our portfolio companies, could be materially adversely affected by a prolonged economic downturn or recession in the United States and other major markets.
The current economic situation and the unprecedented measures taken by state, local and national governments around the world to combat the spread of COVID-19, as well as various social, political and psychological tensions in the United States and around the world, may continue to contribute to severe market disruptions and volatility and reduced economic activity, may have long-term negative effects on the U.S. and worldwide financial markets and economy and may cause further economic uncertainties in the United States and worldwide. The prolonged continuation or further deterioration of the current U.S. and global economic downturn could adversely impact the Fund’s portfolio. It is difficult to predict how long the financial markets and economic activity will continue to be impacted by these events and the Fund cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets.
Despite actions of the U.S. federal government and foreign governments, the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors has contributed to significant volatility in the global public equity markets and global debt capital markets, including the net asset value of the Funds’ shares. These events could have, and/or have had, a significant impact on the Funds’ performance, net asset value, income, operating results and ability to pay distributions, as well as the performance, income, operating results and viability of issuers in which it invests.
It is virtually impossible to determine the ultimate impact of COVID-19 at this time. Further, the extent and strength of any economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic abates, including following any intensifying of the pandemic, is uncertain and subject to various factors and conditions. Accordingly, an investment in the Funds is subject to an elevated degree of risk as compared to other market environments.
 
   
Issuer Risk.    All Funds — The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to an issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets or factors unrelated to the issuer’s value, such as investor perception.
 
   
Large Capitalization Company Risk.    Aerospace and Defense Fund only Companies with $10 billion or more in market capitalization are considered by the Adviser to be large capitalization companies. Large capitalization companies generally experience slower rates of growth in earnings per share than do mid and small capitalization companies.
 
   
Management Risk.    All Funds — If the portfolio managers are incorrect in their assessment of the investment prospects of the securities a Fund holds, then the value of that Fund’s shares may decline. In addition, the Adviser’s strategy may produce returns that are different from other funds that invest in similar securities.
 
 
 
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Market Trading Risk.    All Funds — Individual Fund shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange or alternative trading system through a broker-dealer, and may not be directly purchased or redeemed from a Fund. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue unchanged. Buying and selling shares may require you to pay brokerage commissions and expose you to other trading costs. Due to brokerage commissions and other transaction costs that may apply, frequent trading may detract from realized investment returns. Trading prices of shares may be above, at, or below a Fund’s NAV, will fluctuate in relation to NAV based on supply and demand in the market for shares and other factors, and may vary significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The return on your investment will be reduced if you sell shares at a greater discount or narrower premium to NAV than you acquired shares.
 
   
Non‑Diversification Risk.    Equity Income Fund and Aerospace and Defense Fund only — The Fund is classified as a “non‑diversified” Fund. As a non‑diversified Fund, more of a Fund’s assets may be focused in the securities of a small number of issuers, which may make the value of each Fund’s shares more sensitive to changes in the market value of a single issuer or industry than shares of a diversified Fund. The ability to invest in a more limited number of securities may increase the volatility of each Fund’s investment performance, as each Fund may be more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political, or regulatory event than a diversified Fund. If the securities in which each Fund invests perform poorly, each Fund could incur greater losses than it would have had if it had been invested in a greater number of securities.
 
   
Preferred Stock Risk.    A preferred stock is a blend of the characteristics of a bond and common stock. It can offer the higher yield of a bond and has priority over common stock in equity ownership, but does not have the seniority of a bond and, unlike common stock, its participation in the issuer’s growth may be limited. Preferred stock has preference over common stock in the receipt of dividends and in any residual assets after payment to creditors should the issuer be dissolved. Although the dividend is set at a fixed annual rate, in some circumstances it can be changed or omitted by the issuer.
 
   
Sector Risk.    Aerospace and Defense Fund only — Under normal circumstances, the Aerospace and Defense Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in aerospace and defense companies, and thus its investments will be focused in a particular sector. By investing a significant portion of its assets in a particular sector, the Fund will be subject to the risk that companies in the same sector are likely to react similarly to legislative or regulatory changes, adverse market conditions, increased competition, or other factors affecting that market segment. In such cases, the Fund would be exposed to an increased risk that the value of its overall portfolio will decrease because of events that disproportionately and negatively affect that sector. In addition, investments in a particular sector may be more volatile than the broader market as a whole, and the Fund’s investments in such a sector may be disproportionately susceptible to losses.
 
   
Trading Issues Risk.    All Funds — Shares of a Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when a Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be experienced at times when a Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders. Secondary market
 
 
 
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trading in a Fund’s shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in a Fund’s shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.
 
   
Value Investing Risk.    All Funds — Each Fund invests in “value” stocks. The portfolio manager may be wrong in the assessment of a company’s value and the stocks each Fund holds may not reach what the portfolio manager believes are their full values. From time to time “value” investing falls out of favor with investors. During those periods, each Fund’s relative performance may suffer.
Portfolio Holdings.    A description of each Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio securities is available in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), which may be obtained by calling 800‑GABELLI (800‑422‑3554), your financial intermediary, or free of charge through the Funds’ website at www.gabelli.com.
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS
The Adviser.    Gabelli Funds, LLC, with its principal offices located at One Corporate Center, Rye, New York 10580-1422, serves as investment adviser to the Funds. The Adviser makes investment decisions for each Fund and continuously reviews and administers each Fund’s investment programs and manages the operations of the Funds under the general supervision of the Trust’s Board. The Adviser also manages several other open‑end and closed‑end investment companies in the Gabelli family of Funds (“Gabelli Fund Complex” or “Fund Complex”). The Adviser is a New York limited liability company organized in 1999 and a wholly owned subsidiary of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (“GAMI”), a publicly held company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”).
As compensation for its services and the related expenses borne by the Adviser, each Fund is contractually obligated to pay the Adviser an advisory fee computed daily and payable monthly equal to 0.90% of the value of such Fund’s average daily net assets, except as provided in the fee waiver and contribution arrangement described below. The investment advisory agreement between Gabelli ETFs Trust (the “Trust”) and Gabelli Funds, LLC (the “Adviser”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that the Adviser will pay all operating expenses of the Funds, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses, and any extraordinary expenses. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the investment advisory agreement for each of the Funds will be provided in each Fund’s next available shareholder report.
The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its investment advisory fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Equity Income Fund and the Aerospace and Defense Fund to the extent necessary to maintain each Fund’s total annual operating expenses (excluding brokerage costs, interest, taxes, acquired Fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses) at the levels set forth in the fee tables of the Funds for one year from the commencement of investment operations, and may not be terminated by the Funds or the Adviser before such time. Thereafter, the agreement may only be terminated or amended to increase these expense caps as of the anniversary of the effective date of the expense limitation agreement of
 
 
 
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each calendar year, provided that in the case of a termination by the Adviser, the Adviser will provide the Board with written notice of its intention to terminate the agreement prior to the expiration of its then current term.
In addition, the Funds have agreed, during the three year period following the date of any waiver or reimbursement by the Adviser, to repay such amount to the extent the Fund is able to do so without exceeding the lesser of (1) the expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, as applicable, or (2) the expense limit in effect at the time of recoupment after giving effect to the repayment.
Fee Waiver.    The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive the Equity Income Fund/Aerospace and Defense Fund’s management fee of 0.90% on the first $25 million in net assets until at least March 12, 2024. As of March 3, 2023, the Fund had not yet launched The management fee waiver shall not apply to any brokerage costs, acquired Fund fees and expenses, interest, taxes, and extraordinary expenses that the Funds may incur. The agreement may be terminated only by, or with the consent of, the Board of Trustees.
The Portfolio Managers.    Mr. Mario J. Gabelli, CFA, Chief Investment Officer — Value Portfolios, and Mr. Robert D. Leininger, CFA, have served as portfolio managers of the Equity Income Fund since its inception. Lieutenant Colonel G. Anthony (Tony) Bancroft, USMCR, has served as the team leader and portfolio manager of the Aerospace & Fund since its inception.
Mr. Gabelli is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GAMI and Executive Chairman of Associated Capital Group, Inc.; Chief Investment Officer — Value Portfolios of GAMI, Gabelli Funds, LLC, and GAMCO Asset Management, Inc., another wholly-owned subsidiary of GAMI; Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of GGCP: and an officer or director of other companies affiliated with GAMI. Mr. Gabelli serves as portfolio manager for and is a director of several funds in the Gabelli Fund Complex. The Adviser relies to a considerable extent on the expertise of Mr. Gabelli, who may be difficult to replace in the event of his death, disability, or resignation.
Mr. Leininger joined GAMCO Investors, Inc. in 1993 as an equity analyst. Subsequently, he was a partner and portfolio manager at Rorer Asset Management before rejoining GAMCO in 2010 where he currently serves as a portfolio manager of Gabelli Funds, LLC. Mr. Leininger is a magna cum laude graduate of Amherst College with a degree in Economics and holds an MBA degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Lieutenant Colonel G. Anthony (Tony) Bancroft, USMCR, joined Gabelli Funds in 2009 as an associate in the alternative investments division and is currently an analyst covering the aerospace and defense and environmental services sectors, with a focus on suppliers to the commercial, military and regional jet aircraft industry and waste services. He previously served in the United States Marine Corps as an F/A-18 Hornet fighter pilot. Tony graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy with a BS in systems engineering and holds an MBA in finance and economics from Columbia Business School.
The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by them, and their ownership of securities in the Funds.
 
 
 
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PURCHASE AND SALE OF SHARES
Trading in the Secondary Market.    Shares of the Funds are listed and available for trading on the Listing Exchange during its core trading session (generally 9:30 am until 4:00 pm Eastern time). Shares may also be bought and sold on other national securities exchanges and alternative trading systems that have obtained appropriate licenses, adopted applicable rules, and developed systems to support trading in the Funds’ shares. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market will develop or be maintained, or that the Funds’ listings will continue or remain unchanged. The Funds do not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Funds purchased in the secondary market.
The Funds’ shares may be purchased and sold in the secondary market only through a broker-dealer. When buying or selling shares, you may incur trading commissions or other charges determined by your broker-dealer. Due to applicable brokerage charges and other trading costs, frequent trading may detract from realized investment returns. Frequent trading may also result in adverse tax consequences. Trading commissions are frequently a fixed dollar amount, and therefore may be proportionately more costly when buying or selling small amounts of shares.
Each Fund is an actively managed non‑transparent exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an “ETF”). Individual shares of a Fund are listed on the Listing Exchange, which is a national securities exchange. Most investors will buy and sell shares of a Fund through a broker-dealer. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Funds will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks or multiples thereof to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Funds’ distributor. The Funds generally will issue or redeem Creation Units in return for a designated portfolio of securities (and an amount of cash) that the Funds specify each day.
Shares of a Fund are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by any Listing Exchange. The Listing Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of the Funds. The Listing Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the shares of a Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Listing Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of a Fund in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the shares of a Fund. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Listing Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
The Adviser, the distributor and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of each Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in a Fund particularly.
The Verified Intraday Indicative Value.    Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Funds, also known as the VIIV, is calculated and disseminated every second throughout each trading day by the Listing Exchange or by market data vendors or other information providers. It is available on websites that publish updated market quotations during the trading day, like Yahoo Finance (https://finance.yahoo.com), by searching for a Fund’s ticker plus the extension .IV, though some websites require their own unique extensions. The VIIV is based on the current market value of the securities in a Fund’s portfolio that day.
 
 
 
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The VIIV is intended to provide investors and other market participants with a highly correlated per share value of the underlying portfolio that can be compared to the current market price. To calculate the VIIV, the Funds employ two separate calculation engines to provide two independently calculated sources of intraday indicative values (calculation engines). The Funds then use a pricing verification agent to continuously compare the data from both the calculations engines on a real time basis. If during the process of real time price verification, the indicative values from the calculation engines differ by more than 25 basis points for 60 consecutive seconds, the pricing verification agent will alert the Adviser and the Adviser will request that the Listing Exchange halt trading of a Fund’s shares until the two indicative values come back into line. The specific methodology for calculating a Fund’s VIIV, which will be overseen by the Funds’ board, is available on the Funds’ website (www.gabelli.com).
Although the VIIV is intended to provide investors with enough information to allow for an effective arbitrage mechanism that will keep the market price of each Fund at or close to the underlying NAV per share of each Fund, there is a risk (which may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility) that market prices will vary significantly from the underlying NAV of a Fund. ETFs trading on the basis of a published VIIV may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility, and therefore, may cost investors more to trade. Although the Funds seek to benefit from not disclosing its portfolio information daily, market participants may attempt to use the VIIV to identify a Fund’s trading strategy, which if successful, could result in such market participants engaging in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm that Fund and its shareholders. If at any time 10% or more of the securities in a Fund’s portfolio become subject to a trading halt or otherwise do not have readily available market quotations, the advisor will ask the Listing Exchange to halt trading of that Fund. Trading halts may have a greater impact on the Funds compared to other ETFs because it is less transparent.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER/DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of a Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of a Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend any of the Funds over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
PRICING OF FUND SHARES
The NAV is calculated separately for the shares of each Fund on each Business Day. The NYSE is open Monday through Friday, but currently is scheduled to be closed on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day and on the preceding Friday or subsequent Monday when a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, respectively.
Each Fund’s NAV is determined as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The NAV of each Fund is computed by dividing the value of the applicable Fund’s net
 
 
 
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assets, i.e. the value of its securities and other assets less its liabilities, including expenses payable or accrued by the total number of shares outstanding at the time the determination is made. As discussed in the “Purchase and Sale of Shares” section, although a Fund’s NAV is only computed once each regular trading day, each Fund’s VIIV will be broadcast each second throughout the course of a regular trading day. Equity securities listed or traded on a national securities exchange or traded in the U.S. over‑the‑counter market where trades are reported contemporaneously and for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last quoted sale or a market’s official closing price at the close of the exchange’s or other market’s regular trading hours, as of or prior to the time and day as of which such value is being determined. Portfolio securities traded on more than one national securities exchange or market are valued according to the broadest and most representative market as determined by the Adviser. If there has been no sale on the day the valuation is made, the securities are valued at the mean of the closing bid and ask prices on the principal market for such security on such day. If no ask prices are quoted on such day, then the security is valued at the closing bid price on the principal market for such security on such day. If no bid or ask prices are quoted on such day, a Fund’s accounting agent will notify the Adviser and the security will be valued based on written or standing instructions from the Adviser and/or the Pricing Committee.
Initial public offering securities are initially valued at cost. Upon commencement of trading, these securities are valued like any other equity security.
Information regarding a Fund’s NAV and how often shares of the Fund traded on the Listing Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund will be posted to the Fund’s website when it becomes available. The Fund’s website will disclose each day the median bid‑ask spread for the Fund’s most recent 30 days based on the National Best Bid and Offer, as required by Rule 6c‑11(c)(1)(v).
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Brokers may make available the Depository Trust Company book-entry dividend reinvestment service to their customers who own the Funds’ Shares. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested in additional whole Shares of the Funds purchased on the secondary market, at the then current market price. Without this service, investors would receive their distributions in cash. To determine whether the dividend reinvestment service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using this service, consult your broker. Brokers may require Funds’ shareholders to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares of the Funds purchased in the secondary market.
TAX INFORMATION
The Funds expect that distributions will consist primarily of investment company taxable income and net capital gain. Capital gains may be taxed at different rates depending on the length of time a Fund holds the securities giving rise to such capital gains. Dividends from investment company taxable income (including distributions of net short term capital gains, i.e., gains from securities held by a Fund for one year or less) are generally taxable to you as ordinary income if you are a U.S. shareholder, except certain qualified dividends that are discussed below. Properly designated distributions of net capital gain, i.e., net
 
 
 
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long term capital gains minus net short term capital loss (“Capital Gain Dividends”), are taxable to you at long term capital gain rates no matter how long you have owned your shares. A Fund’s distributions, whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares of a Fund, generally will be subject to federal and, if applicable, state and local taxes. Although dividends (including dividends from short term capital gains) are generally taxable as ordinary income, individual shareholders who satisfy certain holding periods and other requirements are taxed on such dividends at long term capital gain rates to the extent the dividends are attributable to “qualified dividend income” received by a Fund. Qualified dividend income generally consists of dividends received from U.S. corporations (other than certain dividends from real estate investment trusts and regulated investment companies) and certain foreign corporations. The amount of qualified dividend income distributed by a Fund in any year depends on its investments and cannot be predicted. Corporations may be able to take a dividends-received deduction for a portion of the income dividends they receive. A redemption of Fund shares or an exchange of Fund shares for shares of another Fund will be treated for tax purposes as a sale of Fund shares, and any gain you realize on such a transaction generally will be taxable. A Fund may be required to withhold, as backup withholding, a percentage (currently 24%) of the dividends, distributions, and redemption proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Funds they have invested in with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that they are subject to backup withholding. Also, dividends, distributions, and redemption proceeds payable to foreign shareholders may be subject to a federal withholding tax.
A dividend declared by the Funds in October, November, or December to shareholders of record on a specific date in such a month and paid during January of the following year will be treated as paid in December for tax purposes.
After the end of each year, the Funds you have invested in will provide you with the information regarding any shares you redeemed and the federal tax status of any dividends or distributions you received during the previous year.
Under current law, interest, dividends and capital gains from the Funds generally will be subject to the 3.8 percent federal tax that is imposed on net investment income of U.S. individuals with modified adjusted gross income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly), and of estates and trusts.
If you sell your Fund shares, it is considered a taxable event for you. Depending on the purchase price and the sale price of the shares you sell, you may have a gain or a loss on the transaction. You are responsible for any tax liabilities generated by your transaction.
This summary of tax consequences is intended for general information only and is subject to change by legislative, judicial, or administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive. It is applicable only to shareholders who are U.S. persons. A Fund may make taxable distributions during periods in which the share price has declined. A more complete discussion of the tax rules applicable to you and the Funds can be found in the SAI that is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. You should consult a tax adviser concerning the federal, state, and local tax consequences of your investment in the Funds.
 
 
 
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CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of a Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block‑size Creation Units or multiples thereof. The following table sets forth the number of shares of the applicable Fund that constitute a Creation Unit:
 
Name of the Fund    Creation Unit Size
Gabelli Equity Income ETF
   5,000
Gabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETF
   5,000
Each “creator” or “Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with G. distributors, LLC, the Funds’ distributor (the “Distributor”). Each Authorized Participant creates or redeems Creation Units through an AP Representative. An AP Representative is an unaffiliated broker-dealer with which the Authorized Participant has signed an agreement (the “Confidential Account Agreement”) to establish a confidential account for the benefit of such Authorized Participant (a “Confidential Account”) and that will deliver or receive, on behalf of the Authorized Participant, all consideration to or from a Fund in a creation or redemption transaction.
Each day, the custodian will transmit the composition of each Fund’s Creation Basket (as defined below) to each AP Representative. Acting on execution instructions from an Authorized Participant, the AP Representative may purchase or sell the securities in the Creation Basket for purposes of effecting in‑kind creation and redemption activity during the day. Authorized Participants are responsible for all order instructions and associated profit and loss, and will be able to monitor the execution quality of the AP Representative by comparing the price at which they purchase or sell Creation Baskets with the VIIV and the end of day NAV.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the Distributor generally begins when an Authorized Participant enters into an irrevocable creation order with a Fund and delivers to the AP Representative the cash necessary to purchase a designated portfolio of securities in the Confidential Account. The AP Representative then delivers the purchased portfolio of securities (“Deposit Instruments”) to a Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units.
Similarly, shares are redeemed only in Creation Units. A redemption transaction generally begins when an Authorized Participant enters into an irrevocable redemption order with a Fund. That Fund then instructs its custodian to deliver a designated portfolio of securities (“Redemption Instruments”) to the appropriate Confidential Account in exchange for the Creation Units being redeemed. The Authorized Participant will instruct the AP Representative when to liquidate the securities in the Confidential Account, which will be liquidated no later than the end of the day, so that the Confidential Account holds no positions at the end of day.
On any given Business Day, the name and quantities of the instruments that constitute Deposit Instruments and the names and quantities of the instruments that constitute Redemption Instruments will correspond pro rata to the positions in a Fund’s portfolio (including cash positions) used to calculate a Fund’s NAV for that day, and will be identical. These instruments are referred to, in the case of either a purchase or a redemption, as the “Creation Basket.”
An AP Representative will not trade securities in the Confidential Account on behalf of an Authorized Participant other than buying or selling the securities included in a Creation Basket to be delivered to or
 
 
 
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received from, respectively, a Fund. Pursuant to the Confidential Account Agreement, the AP Representative is restricted from disclosing the Creation Basket. In addition, the AP Representative undertakes an obligation not to use the identity or weighting of the securities in the Creation Basket for any purpose other than executing creations and redemptions for a Fund. The purpose of this arrangement is to protect the identity and weightings of a Fund’s portfolio holdings.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement. In the event of a system failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants or AP Representatives, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to a Fund’s instructions or may not be executed at all, or a Fund may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent a Fund engages in in‑kind transactions, a Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer” as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut‑off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in a Fund’s SAI.
Because new shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of a Fund a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be occurring. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters,” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day.
Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and
 
 
 
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redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified) are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
MAILINGS AND E‑DELIVERY TO SHAREHOLDERS
In our continuing efforts to reduce duplicative mail and Fund expenses, we currently send a single copy of prospectuses and shareholder reports to your household even if more than one member in your household owns the same Fund or Funds described in the prospectus or report. Additional copies of our prospectuses and reports may be obtained by calling 800‑GABELLI (800‑422‑3554). If you do not want us to continue to consolidate your Fund mailings and would prefer to receive separate mailings at any time in the future, please call us at the telephone number above and we shall resume separate mailings, in accordance with your instructions, within thirty days of your request. Each Fund offers electronic delivery of Fund documents. Shareholders of a Fund can elect to receive each Fund’s annual, semiannual, and quarterly reports, as well as manager commentaries and prospectuses via e‑delivery. For more information or to sign up for e‑delivery, please visit a Fund’s website at www.gabelli.com. Shareholders who purchased shares of a Fund through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary to sign up for e‑delivery of the Fund documents, if available.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Financial Highlights tables are intended to help you understand the financial performance of the Funds for the past fiscal year. Financial highlights for the Fund are not available at this time as the Fund has been in operation for less than a year. Financial information, when available, will be included in the Fund’s next annual or semiannual report.
 
 
 
 
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Gabelli ETFs Trust
Gabelli Equity Income ETF
Gabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETF
 
 
 
 
 
For More Information:
For more information about each Fund, the following documents will be available free upon request:
Annual/Semiannual Reports:
Each Fund’s semiannual and audited annual reports to shareholders will contain additional information on the Funds’ investments. In the Funds’ annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.
Statement of Additional Information (SAI):
The SAI provides more detailed information about each Fund, including their operations and investment policies. It is incorporated by reference, and is legally considered a part of this prospectus.
You can obtain free copies of these documents and prospectuses of other Funds in the Gabelli Fund Complex, or request other information and discuss your questions about a Fund by mail, toll free telephone, or the Internet as follows:
Gabelli ETFs Trust
One Corporate Center
Rye, NY 10580-1422
Telephone: 800‑GABELLI (800‑422‑3554)
www.gabelli.com
You can also review and/or copy a Fund’s prospectuses, annual/semiannual reports, and SAI at the Public Reference Room of the SEC in Washington, DC. You can obtain text-only copies:
 
   
Free from the Fund’s website at www.gabelli.com.
 
   
For a fee, by electronic request at [email protected], by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC, Washington, DC 20549- 1520, or by calling 202‑551‑8090.
 
   
Free from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.