LAFFER|TENGLER Equity Income ETF
PROSPECTUS
This prospectus describes LAFFER | TENGLER Equity Income ETF which is authorized to offer one class of shares by this prospectus.
Fund | Ticker | Principal U.S. Listing Exchange |
LAFFER|TENGLER Equity Income ETF | Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. |
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Table of Contents
LAFFER|TENGLER Equity Income ETF (the “Fund”) seeks income and long-term capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Investors purchasing shares on a national securities exchange, national securities association, or over-the-counter trading system where shares may trade from time to time (each, a “secondary market”) may be subject to customary brokerage commissions charged by their broker that are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.
|
||
Management Fee(1) | | |
Other Expenses(2) | ||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
(1) |
(2) |
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. The effect of the Adviser’s agreement to waive a portion of its management fee is reflected in the example shown below for the first year. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Name of Fund | 1 Year | 3 Years |
LAFFER|TENGLER Equity Income ETF | $ |
$ |
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 Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not have any portfolio turnover information available.
The Fund is an actively managed Fund that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in high quality, large-cap stocks that the Sub-Adviser (Laffer Tengler Investments, Inc.) believes have strong earnings and dividend growth potential and an above market dividend yield. The strategy utilizes two valuation metrics that the Sub-Adviser believes are consistent indicators of value: Relative Dividend Yield (RDY) and Relative Price-to Sales Ratio (RPSR). These indicators, both pioneered by the Laffer Tengler (LTI) team, are used to identify discreet periods of over- and under valuation, security by security, and are supported by LTI’s rigorous and proprietary 12 Fundamental Factor research approach. The Fund will typically hold 25-35 positions, and seeks to produce an above-market dividend yield with low turnover. No assurance can be given that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and you could lose all your investment in the Fund.
Investment Process
The Sub-Adviser intends to invest in high-quality, U.S. Large-Cap equities using its proprietary valuation metrics, Relative Dividend Yield (RDY) and Relative Price-to-Sales Ratio (RPSR).
After identifying companies with attractive valuations that fit the Sub-Adviser’s portfolio requirements, the Sub-adviser conducts further research using a 12 Fundamental Factor research model (both qualitative and quantitative) to avoid owning stocks that are undervalued for legitimate reasons. The 12 Fundamental Factor research model involves the analysis of the following factors:
Qualitative Factors:
Catalyst for Outperformance
Franchise Value & Market Growth
Top Management/Board of Directors
Quantitative Factors:
Sales/Revenue Growth
Operating Margins
2
Relative P/E
Positive Free Cash Flow
Dividend Coverage/Growth
Asset Turnover Ratio
Use of Cash (buyback, debt, dividend)
Leverage
Financial Risk
The Fund uses a fundamental evaluation process that primarily considers a company's dividend yield compared to the historical yield of the stock and also compared to the yield of the S&P 500, while also considering the company's relative price-to-sales ratio as a secondary indicator. The Relative Dividend Yield, or RDY, allows LTI to identify equities that are temporarily underperforming, and as a result may be attractively valued. The dividend income generated by these companies allows us to wait for the stock price to rebound and valuations to normalize, all while collecting a dividend that is yielding above and growing faster than the market rate. Other fundamental factors that are included in considering a stock for purchase are an analysis of the quantitative factors listed above, evaluation of the management team, and a qualitative look at factors such as market dominance, franchise value, and a catalyst for outperformance.
The primary indicator that a company's stock has entered its "sell range" is when the stock's dividend yield is lower than that of the S&P 500, on a relative basis and one standard deviation away from its historical mean. Using a customized range for each position individually, the current relative yield is measured, and a sell range is established to indicate when a position has become overvalued, or fairly valued, in relation to both its own long term averages and the market overall. Other fundamental factors that are included in the sell consideration are an analysis of the quantitative factors listed above, evaluation of the management team, and a qualitative look at factors such as market dominance, franchise value, and a catalyst for outperformance.
Market Risk. The market price of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.
3
Equity Securities Risk. Equity prices may fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of equity securities may fluctuate from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility, which is a principal risk of investing in the Fund.
Active Management Risk. As an actively managed investment portfolio, the Fund is subject to decisions made by the Adviser’s portfolio managers. The Adviser’s investment decisions about individual securities impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness and potential returns for specific investments in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the Adviser’s investment strategy will produce the desired results.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer than a diversified fund. Non-diversification increases the risk that the value of the Fund could go down because of the poor performance of a single investment or limited number of investments.
Large Capitalization Securities Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. Large cap companies may be less able than mid and small capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions.
4
Growth Stock Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in certain dividend-paying stocks generally viewed by the market as “growth stocks” but which, as a result of market events or events relating specifically to that stock, have become undervalued in the Sub-Adviser’s opinion. Growth-oriented common stocks may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments. Growth stocks tend to trade at a premium when analyzed using traditional valuation metrics such as price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-book ratio. Due to this premium valuation, growth stocks tend to be more susceptible to big price swings. In bull markets, they tend to rise at a much faster pace than the overall market, and they tend to decline at a more rapid rate in bear markets.
Value Stock Investment Risk. Value stocks may have experienced adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the securities to be out of favor and, in turn, potentially undervalued. The market value of a value stock may not meet portfolio management’s perceived value assessment of that stock, or may decline in price, even though portfolio management believes the securities are already undervalued. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to portfolio management’s perceived value. In addition, value stocks, at times, may not perform as well as growth stocks or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.
High Dividend Style Risk. While the Fund may hold securities of companies that have historically paid a high dividend yield or the Sub-Adviser determines appears likely to pay a high dividend in the future, those companies may reduce or discontinue their dividends, thus reducing the yield of the Fund. Low priced securities in the Fund may be more susceptible to these risks. Past dividend payments are not a guarantee of future dividend payments. Also, the market return of high dividend yield securities, in certain market conditions, may be worse than the market return of other investment strategies or the overall stock market.
Cash and Cash Equivalents Risk. Holding cash or cash equivalents rather than securities or other instruments in which the Fund primarily invests, even strategically, may cause the Fund to risk losing opportunities to participate in market appreciation, and may cause the Fund to experience potentially lower returns than the Fund’s benchmark or other funds that remain fully invested. In rising markets, holding cash or cash equivalents will negatively affect the Fund’s performance relative to its benchmark.
ETF Structure Risk. The Fund is structured as an ETF and is therefore subject to special risks. Such risks include:
Trading Issues Risk. Trading in ETF shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in the ETF’s shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that an ETF’s shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of its exchange or will trade with any volume. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for shares of an ETF. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of an ETF may begin to mirror the liquidity of the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the ETF. This adverse effect on liquidity for the ETF’s shares in turn could lead to differences between the market price of the ETF’s shares and the underlying value of those shares.
5
Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of shares of an ETF will fluctuate in response to changes in the ETF’s NAV, and supply and demand for ETF shares and will include a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that ETF shares may trade at a discount to NAV. The market price of an ETF’s shares may deviate from the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the shares of the ETF bought or sold.
Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Risk. ETFs have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of an ETF may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
New Fund Risk. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has no operating history and currently has fewer assets than larger funds. Like other new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected.
6
Updated
performance information for the Fund, including its current NAV per share, is
available by calling toll-free
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
Tuttle Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Laffer Tengler Investments, Inc. (the “Sub-Adviser”) is the sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Adviser’s Portfolio Manager: Matthew Tuttle, Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, has served as the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception.
Sub-Adviser’s Portfolio Manager: Nancy Tengler, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Sub-Adviser, has served as the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund will issue (or redeem) shares to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of at least 10,000 shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions are typically conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of in-kind securities and/or cash. Individual shares may only be purchased and sold on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer. You can purchase and sell individual shares of the Fund throughout the trading day like any publicly traded security. The Fund’s shares are listed on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the “Exchange”). The price of the Fund’s shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Fund shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Fund’s shares are not redeemable securities.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gain, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account in which case withdrawals will be taxed.
7
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 financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND’S INVESTMENTS
The investment objective for the Fund is to seek income and long-term capital appreciation. The Fund’s investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of ETF Opportunities Trust (the “Trust”) without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly-traded securities. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by APs and only in aggregations of a specified number of shares Creation Units. Also, unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day.
The Fund is actively managed and does not seek to replicate an index. The Fund intends to operate as a “non-diversified” fund for purposes of the 1940 Act, which means it can take larger positions in a limited number of holdings.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund is an actively managed Fund that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in high quality, large-cap stocks that the Sub-Adviser (Laffer Tengler Investments, Inc.) believes have strong earnings and dividend growth potential and an above market dividend yield. The strategy utilizes two valuation metrics that the Sub-Adviser believes are consistent indicators of value: Relative Dividend Yield (RDY) and Relative Price-to-Sales Ratio (RPSR). These indicators, both pioneered by the Laffer Tengler (LTI) team, are used to identify discreet periods of over- and under valuation, security by security, and are supported by LTI’s rigorous and proprietary 12 Fundamental Factor research approach. The Fund will typically hold 25-35 positions, and seeks to produce an above-market dividend yield with low turnover. No assurance can be given that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and you could lose all your investment in the Fund.
8
Investment Process
The Sub-Adviser intends to invest in high-quality, U.S. Large-Cap equities using its proprietary valuation metrics, Relative Dividend Yield (RDY) and Relative Price-to-Sales Ratio (RPSR).
After identifying companies with attractive valuations that fit the Sub-Adviser’s portfolio requirements, the Sub-adviser conducts further research using a 12 Fundamental Factor research model (both qualitative and quantitative) to avoid owning stocks that are undervalued for legitimate reasons. The 12 Fundamental Factor research model involves the analysis of the following factors:
Qualitative Factors:
Catalyst for Outperformance
Franchise Value & Market Growth
Top Management/Board of Directors
Quantitative Factors:
Sales/Revenue Growth
Operating Margins
Relative P/E
Positive Free Cash Flow
Dividend Coverage/Growth
Asset Turnover Ratio
Use of Cash (buyback, debt, dividend)
Leverage
Financial Risk
The Fund uses a fundamental evaluation process that primarily considers a company's dividend yield compared to the historical yield of the stock and also compared to the yield of the S&P 500, while also considering the company's relative price-to-sales ratio as a secondary indicator. The Relative Dividend Yield, or RDY, allows us to identify equities that are temporarily underperforming, and as a result may be attractively valued. The dividend income generated by these companies allows LTI to wait for the stock price to rebound and valuations to normalize, all while collecting a dividend that is yielding above and growing faster than the market rate. Other fundamental factors that are included in considering a stock for purchase are an analysis of the quantitative factors listed above, evaluation of the management team, and a qualitative look at factors such as market dominance, franchise value, and a catalyst for outperformance.
9
The primary indicator that a company's stock has entered its "sell range" is when the stock's dividend yield is lower than that of the S&P 500, on a relative basis and one standard deviation away from its historical mean. Using a customized range for each position individually, the current relative yield is measured, and a sell range is established to indicate when a position has become overvalued, or fairly valued, in relation to both its own long term averages and the market overall. Other fundamental factors that are included in the sell consideration are an analysis of the quantitative factors listed above, evaluation of the management team, and a qualitative look at factors such as market dominance, franchise value, and a catalyst for outperformance.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT RISK
It is important that you closely review and understand the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s NAV and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks described herein pertain to direct risks of making an investment in the Fund and/or risks of the issuers in which the Fund invests.
Market Risk. The market price of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest rates, adverse changes to credit markets or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.
General Economic Risk. The success of the Fund’s investment program may be affected by general economic and market conditions, such as interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws, and national and international political circumstances. These factors may affect the level and volatility of securities prices and the liquidity of investments held by the Fund. Unexpected volatility or illiquidity could impair the Fund’s profitability or result in losses. Russia’s recent military interventions in Ukraine have led to and may lead to additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia’s military incursion and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the Fund’s investments, even beyond any direct exposure the Fund may have to Russian issuers or the adjoining geographic regions. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or resulting sanctions may magnify the impact of other risks described in this Prospectus.
10
Certain of the Fund’s investments may be issued by companies that are particularly susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions. A prolonged recession may result in losses of value in the Fund’s portfolio and a decrease in the Fund’s revenues, net income and Net Asset Value. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase the Fund’s funding costs, limit the Fund’s access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to it on terms it deems acceptable. These events could prevent the Fund from increasing investments and harm the Fund’s operating results.
Equity Securities Risk. Equity prices may fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of equity securities may fluctuate from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility, which is a principal risk of investing in the Fund.
Active Management Risk. As an actively managed investment portfolio, the Fund is subject to decisions made by the Adviser’s portfolio managers. The Adviser’s investment decisions about individual securities impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. The Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness and potential returns for specific investments in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the Adviser’s investment strategy will produce the desired results.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer than a diversified fund. Non-diversification increases the risk that the value of the Fund could go down because of the poor performance of a single investment or limited number of investments.
11
Large Capitalization Securities Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion. Large cap companies may be less able than mid and small capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions.
Growth Stock Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in certain dividend-paying stocks generally viewed by the market as “growth stocks” but which, as a result of market events or events relating specifically to that stock, have become undervalued in the Sub-Adviser’s opinion. Growth-oriented common stocks may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments. Growth stocks tend to trade at a premium when analyzed using traditional valuation metrics such as price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-book ratio. Due to this premium valuation, growth stocks tend to be more susceptible to big price swings. In bull markets, they tend to rise at a much faster pace than the overall market, and they tend to decline at a more rapid rate in bear markets.
Value Stock Investment Risk. Value stocks may have experienced adverse business, industry or other developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused the stocks to be out of favor and potentially undervalued. The market value of a value stock may not meet the Sub-Adviser’s perceived value assessment of that stock, or may decline in price, even though the Sub-Adviser believes the stock is already undervalued. There is also a risk that it may take longer than expected for the value of these investments to rise to the Sub-Adviser’s perceived value. In addition, value stocks, at times, may not perform as well as growth stocks or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.
High Dividend Style Risk. While the Fund may hold securities of companies that have historically paid a high dividend yield or the Sub-Adviser determines appears likely to pay a high dividend in the future, those companies may reduce or discontinue their dividends, thus reducing the yield of the Fund. Low priced securities in the Fund may be more susceptible to these risks. Past dividend payments are not a guarantee of future dividend payments. Also, the market return of high dividend yield securities, in certain market conditions, may be worse than the market return of other investment strategies or the overall stock market. Also, the market return of high dividend yield securities may be worse than the market return of other investment strategies or the overall stock market in certain market conditions, such as during strong bull markets that typically reward companies that reinvest capital and penalize companies that distribute capital to shareholders.
Cash and Cash Equivalents Risk. Holding cash or cash equivalents rather than securities or other instruments in which the Fund primarily invests, even strategically, may cause the Fund to risk losing opportunities to participate in market appreciation, and may cause the Fund to experience potentially lower returns than the Fund’s benchmark or other funds that remain fully invested. In rising markets, holding cash or cash equivalents will negatively affect the Fund’s performance relative to its benchmark.
12
ETF Structure Risk. The Fund is structured as an ETF and is therefore subject to special risks. Such risks include:
Trading Issues Risk. Trading in ETF shares on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in the ETF’s shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that an ETF’s shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of its exchange or will trade with any volume. There is no guarantee that an active secondary market will develop for shares of an ETF. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of an ETF may begin to mirror the liquidity of the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the ETF. This adverse effect on liquidity for the ETF’s shares in turn could lead to differences between the market price of the ETF’s shares and the underlying value of those shares.
Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of shares of an ETF will fluctuate in response to changes in the ETF’s NAV, and supply and demand for ETF shares and will include a “bid-ask spread” charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that ETF shares may trade at a discount to NAV. The market price of an ETF’s shares may deviate from the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings, particularly in times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the shares of the ETF bought or sold.
Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Risk. ETFs have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of an ETF may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of an ETF. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of an ETF, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of an ETF may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of an ETF may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a new ETF and has only recently commenced operations. As a new fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in the Fund’s shares.
13
Other Risks for the Fund
Cyber Security Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and/or the Fund’s other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and their shareholders. While the Fund have established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invest.
Health Crisis Risk. A widespread health crisis, such as a global pandemic, could cause substantial market volatility, exchange trading suspensions or restrictions and closures of securities exchanges and businesses, impact the ability to complete redemptions, and adversely impact Fund performance. An outbreak of an infectious respiratory illness, COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus, was first detected in China in December 2019 and spread globally, resulting in a global pandemic and major disruption to economies and markets around the world. During this time, financial markets have experienced extreme volatility and severe losses, and trading in many instruments has been disrupted or suspended. Liquidity for many instruments has been greatly reduced for periods of time. Some sectors of the economy and individual issuers have experienced particularly large losses. The rapid COVID-19 vaccination rollout in the United States and certain other developed countries, coupled with the passage of stimulus programs in the U.S. and abroad, have resulted in the re-opening of businesses, a reduction in quarantine and masking requirements, increased consumer demand, and the resumption of in-person schooling, travel and events. As a result, many global economies, including the U.S. economy, have either re-opened or decreased certain public safety measures in place that are designed to mitigate virus transmission. Despite these positive trends, the prevalence of new COVID-19 variants, a failure to achieve herd immunity, or other unforeseen circumstances may result in the continued spread of the virus throughout unvaccinated populations or a resurgence in infections among vaccinated individuals. As a result, it remains unclear if recent positive trends will continue in developed markets and whether such trends will spread world-wide to countries with limited access to effective vaccines that are still experiencing rising COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
In the past, governmental and quasigovernmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of fiscal and monetary policy changes, including direct capital infusions into companies and other issuers, new monetary policy tools, and changes in interest rates. An unexpected or sudden reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of such policies, is likely to increase market volatility, which could adversely affect the Fund’s investments.
14
The outbreak could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s service providers rely and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of the Fund’s service providers to perform critical tasks relating to the Fund. Other infectious illness outbreaks that may arise in the future could have similar or other unforeseen effects. Public health crises may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social, and economic risks in certain countries or globally.
MANAGEMENT
The Investment Adviser. Tuttle Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser”), 155 Lockwood Rd., Riverside, Connecticut 06878, is the investment adviser for the Funds. The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company and was organized in 2012.
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”), the Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s investments. The Adviser also: (i) furnishes the Fund with office space and certain administrative services; (ii) provides guidance and policy direction in connection with its daily management of the Fund’s assets, subject to the authority of the Board; and (iii) is responsible for oversight of the Sub-Adviser. For its services, the Adviser is entitled to receive an annual management fee calculated daily and payable monthly, at the annual rate of 0.95% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.
The Sub-Adviser. The Adviser has retained Laffer Tengler Investments, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), an investment adviser registered with the SEC, to provide sub-advisory services for the Fund. The Sub-Adviser is organized as a Tennessee corporation with its principal offices located at 103 Murphy Court, Nashville, Tennessee 37203, and was established in 1999. For its services, the Sub-Adviser is paid a sub-advisory fee by the Adviser, which is calculated daily and payable monthly as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at the annual rate of 0.475%.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board approving the Investment Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund will be available in the Fund’s semi-annual report for the period ending January 31, 2024, once that report is produced.
The Portfolio Managers
Matthew Tuttle, Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, has served as the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception in 2023. Matthew Tuttle has been involved in the financial services industry since 1990. He has an MBA in finance from Boston University and is the author of two financial books, Financial Secrets of My Wealthy Grandparents and How Harvard and Yale Beat the Market. He has been launching and managing ETFs since 2015.
15
Nancy Tengler, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of the Sub-Adviser, has served as the Fund’s portfolio manager since its inception in 2023. Prior to joining Laffer Tengler, Nancy had a distinguished investment management career in several senior leadership roles. Most recently, she served as Chief Investment Officer at Heartland Financial where she was also a Director of Arizona Bank & Trust. Nancy has also served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Fremont Investment Advisors in San Francisco. Prior to that, she founded Global Alliance Value Investors. She also worked for UBS Asset Management as Head of the Value Equities Group and with Spare, Tengler, Kaplan and Bischel, Ltd. as President and Senior Portfolio Manager.
The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership in the Fund.
The Trust
The Fund is a series of the ETF Opportunities Trust, an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust on March 18, 2019. The Board supervises the operations of the Fund according to applicable state and federal law, and the Board is responsible for the overall management of the Fund’s business affairs.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio securities is available in the SAI. Complete holdings are published on the Fund’s website on a daily basis. Please visit the Fund’s website at www.Tglretf.com. In addition, the Fund’s complete holdings (as of the dates of such reports) are available in reports on Form N-PORT and Form N-CSR filed with the SEC.
HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange. Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per share. Shares can be bought and sold on the secondary market throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares and shares typically trade in blocks of less than a Creation Unit. There is no minimum investment required. Fund shares may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market when the Exchange is open for trading. The Fund’s share price, called the NAV per share, is determined on each business day that the NYSE is open for trading, as of the close of business of the regular session of the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time).
When buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction.
16
APs may acquire shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per share only in large blocks, or Creation Units, of at least 10,000 shares. Purchases and redemptions directly with the Fund must follow the Fund’s procedures, which are described in the SAI.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will pay out redemption proceeds to a redeeming AP within one day after the AP’s redemption request is received, in accordance with the process set forth in the Fund’s SAI and in the agreement between the AP and the Fund’s distributor. However, the Fund reserves the right, including under stressed market conditions, to take up to seven days after the receipt of a redemption request to pay an AP, all as permitted by the 1940 Act. The Fund’s anticipates regularly meeting redemption requests primarily through in-kind redemptions. However, the Fund reserves the right to pay all or a portion of redemption proceeds to an AP in cash. Cash used for redemptions will be raised from the sale of portfolio assets or may come from existing holdings of cash or cash equivalents.
The Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.
Book Entry
Shares are held in book entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes.
Investors owning shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES
Shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by APs, and the vast majority of trading in shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not directly involve the Fund, it is unlikely those trades would cause the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with the Fund, to the extent effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), those trades do not cause the harmful effects that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, those trades could result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that shares trade at or close to NAV. The Fund also employ fair valuation pricing to minimize potential dilution from market timing. In addition, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that the Fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances. Given this structure, the Trust has determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter market timing of the Shares.
17
DIVIDENDS, OTHER DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
Shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange on an intra-day basis and are created and redeemed in-kind and/or for cash in Creation Units at each day’s next calculated NAV. In-kind arrangements are designed to protect ongoing shareholders from the adverse effects on the Fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions. However, similar to a conventional mutual fund, the Fund expects to typically satisfy redemptions in cash. This may result in the Fund selling portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet net fund redemptions which can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders. These sales may generate taxable gains for the ongoing shareholders of the fund, whereas the shares’ in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for the Fund or its ongoing shareholders.
Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid quarterly by the Fund. The Fund will distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders annually. The Fund may also pay a special distribution at the end of a calendar year to comply with federal tax requirements.
No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Fund. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners 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 Fund purchased in the secondary market.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available.
18
Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares.
Unless your investment in Fund Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:
- | The Fund makes distributions, |
- | You sell your shares listed on the Exchange, and |
- | You purchase or redeem Creation Units. |
Taxes on Distributions
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income, except that the Fund’s dividends attributable to its “qualified dividend income” (i.e., dividends received on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions), if any, generally are subject to U.S. federal income tax for U.S. non-corporate shareholders who satisfy those restrictions with respect to their shares at the rate for net capital gain. A part of the Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to U.S. corporations (the eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to federal income tax (excluding REITs) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations) subject to similar restrictions. However, dividends a corporate shareholder deducts pursuant to that deduction are subject indirectly to the federal alternative minimum tax. Note that in light of the Fund’s investment objective, it does not expect a large portion of its dividends from the Fund’s net investment income to qualify as “qualified dividend income” or qualify for the dividends-received deduction.
A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses affect the Fund’s performance.
In general, distributions received from the Fund are subject to U.S. federal income tax when they are paid, whether taken in cash or reinvested them in the Fund (if that option is available). Distributions reinvested in additional shares through the means of a dividend reinvestment service, if available, will be taxable to shareholders acquiring the additional shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash. Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the shares.
Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your basis in the shares and as capital gain thereafter. A distribution will reduce the Fund’s NAV per share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gain (as described above) even though, from an investment standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital.
19
By law, the Fund is required to backup withhold 24% of your distributions and redemption proceeds if you have not provided the Fund with a correct Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number and in certain other situations.
Taxes on Exchange-Listed Share Sales
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of shares is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less. The ability to deduct capital losses from sales of shares may be limited.
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash it pays. An Authorized Participant who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received plus any cash. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales” or for other reasons. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less.
If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many shares you purchased or sold and at what price. See “Taxes” in the SAI for a description of the requirement regarding basis determination methods applicable to share redemptions and the Fund’s obligation to report basis information to the IRS.
At the time that this prospectus is being prepared, various administrative and legislative changes to the U.S. federal tax laws are under consideration, but it is not possible at this time to determine whether any of these changes will take place or what the changes might entail.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the shares under all applicable tax laws. See “Taxes” in the SAI for more information.
20
FUND SERVICE PROVIDERS
Commonwealth Fund Services, Inc. (the “Administrator”) is the Fund’s administrator. The firm is primarily in the business of providing administrative services to retail and institutional mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.
Citi Fund Services Ohio, Inc. (“Citi”) serves as the Fund’s fund accountant, and it provides certain other services to the Fund not provided by the Administrator. Citi is primarily in the business of providing administrative and fund accounting services to retail and institutional exchange-traded funds and mutual funds.
Citibank, N.A., serves as the Fund’s custodian and transfer agent.
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares.
Practus, LLP serves as legal counsel to the Trust and the Fund.
Cohen & Company, Ltd. serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.
OTHER INFORMATION
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), may occur at any point. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares and sells the shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a characterization as an underwriter.
21
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act is only available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.
Dealers effecting transactions in the shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, are generally required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.
Premium/Discount Information
When available, information regarding how often the Shares of the Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e. at a premium) or below (i.e. at a discount) the NAV of the Fund will be available at www.Tglretf.com.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Because the Fund has not yet commenced operations as of the date hereof, no financial highlights are available. In the future, financial highlights will be presented in this section of the Prospectus.
22
FOR MORE INFORMATION
You will find more information about the Fund in the following documents:
The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports will contain more information about the Fund. The Fund’s annual report will contain a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that had a significant effect on the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.
For more information about the Fund, you may wish to refer to the SAI dated July 31, 2023, which is on file with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You can obtain a free copy of the annual and semi-annual reports, and SAI by writing to LAFFER | TENGLER Equity Income ETF, 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 205, Richmond, Virginia 23235, by calling the Fund toll free at (833) 759-6110, or by e-mail at: mail@ccofva.com. The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports, prospectus and SAI are all available for viewing/downloading at www.Tglretf.com. General inquiries regarding the Fund may also be directed to the above address or telephone number.
Copies of these documents and other information about the Fund is available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of these documents may also be obtained, after paying a duplication fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.
(Investment Company Act File No. 811-23439)
23