Neuberger Berman ETF Trust

 

 

Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy ETF   NBCM

 

Shares of the Fund are not individually redeemable. Shares of the Fund are listed on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“Exchange”).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prospectus December 19, 2022

 

These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have determined if this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contents

NEUBERGER BERMAN ETF TRUST

Fund Summary    
Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy ETF   2
Descriptions of Certain Practices and Security Types   13
Additional Information about Principal Investment Risks   13
Information about Additional Risks and Other Practices   24
Description of Index   25
Management of the Fund   25
About the Wholly Owned Subsidiary   26
Financial Highlights   28
Other Service Providers   30
YOUR INVESTMENT    
Buying and Selling Fund Shares   32
Premium/Discount Information   32
Portfolio Holdings Information   32
Active Investors and Market Timing   32
Investments by Registered Investment Companies   33
Continuous Offering   33
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries   33
Distributions and Taxes   33
Taxes on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units   35
Disclaimers   35

 

 

Table of Contents

 

Fund Summary

Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy ETF

 

GOAL

The Fund seeks total return.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES

These tables below describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)  
Management fees of Fund and Subsidiary (as defined below) 0.59
Total other expenses1 0.20
Other expenses of Fund 0.15
Other expenses of Subsidiary 0.05
Total annual operating expenses 0.79
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement 0.14
Total annual operating expenses after fee waiver2 0.65

 

1 “Other expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year; actual expenses may vary.
2 Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC (“Manager”) has contractually undertaken to waive and/or reimburse certain fees and expenses of the Fund so that the total annual operating expenses (excluding interest, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes including any expenses relating to tax reclaims, dividend and interest expenses relating to short sales, and extraordinary expenses, if any) (“Operating Expenses”) of the Fund are limited to 0.64% of average net assets. This undertakings lasts until 8/31/2026 and may not be terminated during its term without the consent of the Board of Trustees. The Fund has agreed that it will repay the Manager for fees and expenses waived or reimbursed for the Fund, including those fees and expenses waived or reimbursed for the predecessor fund, Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy Fund, provided that repayment does not cause annual Operating Expenses to exceed 0.64% of the Fund’s average net assets. Any such repayment must be made within three years after the year in which the Manager incurred the expense. For purposes of the contractual expense limitation, Operating Expenses shall be deemed to include the Operating Expenses of the Fund’s wholly owned Cayman Islands subsidiary (see the “Principal Investment Strategies” section).

 

Expense Example

The expense example can help you compare costs among funds. The example assumes that you invested $10,000 for the periods shown, that you redeemed all of your shares at the end of those periods, that the Fund earned a hypothetical 5% total return each year, and that the Fund’s expenses were those in the table. Actual performance and expenses may be higher or lower.

 

1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
$66 $208 $395 $937

 

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 Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal period, when it operated as a mutual fund, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 57% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Fund seeks to achieve its goal by investing under normal circumstances in commodity-linked derivative instruments and fixed income instruments. Commodities are assets such as oil, natural gas, agricultural products or metals.

 

The Fund seeks to gain long and short exposure to the commodity markets by investing, directly or indirectly, in futures contracts on individual commodities and other commodity-linked derivative instruments. The performance of these commodity-linked derivative instruments is expected to correspond to the performance of the commodity underlying the derivative instrument,

 

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without requiring the Fund to invest directly in commodities. Although the Fund may make these investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments directly, the Fund expects to gain exposure to these investments primarily by investing in a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fund formed in the Cayman Islands (“Subsidiary”).

 

The Subsidiary is managed by Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC and has the same investment goal as the Fund. The Subsidiary may invest without limitation in commodity-linked derivative instruments. The Subsidiary also may invest in fixed income securities, cash or cash equivalent instruments, or money market mutual funds, some of which may serve as collateral for the Subsidiary’s derivative instruments. The Fund will not invest more than 25% of the value of its total assets in the Subsidiary at the end of any quarter of its taxable year.

 

In managing the Fund’s commodity investments, the Portfolio Managers seek to identify investment opportunities using quantitative investment models and fundamental analyses with an emphasis on risk management in an attempt to take advantage of both short-term and long-term opportunities in commodity markets. By managing a broadly diversified portfolio of commodity investments with an active investment approach, the Portfolio Managers seek to provide investors with an investment vehicle whose returns are not highly correlated with other major asset classes. The Fund may take short positions in one or more separate commodities. The short positions used by the Fund primarily involve buying a derivative on a commodity in anticipation that the price of the commodity will decline.

 

The Portfolio Managers will use various quantitative models employing strategies intended to identify investment opportunities and determine portfolio weightings in different commodity sectors and markets. These strategies include: (i) a risk-balancing strategy that considers the total portfolio risk the Portfolio Managers believe to be associated with each commodity; (ii) a strategy that endeavors to assess top down macro variables among various commodity sectors (such as, energy, industrial, precious metals, agricultural, livestock and softs (e.g., sugar, cotton, cocoa and coffee)); and/or (iii) a strategy that endeavors to assess the outlook for individual commodities within each commodity sector.

 

From time to time, the Fund’s investment program may emphasize a particular sector of the commodities markets. If the Fund emphasizes one or more sectors the performance of your investment in the Fund will likely be affected by events affecting the performance of those sectors. Additional information about certain risks related to the various commodities market sectors are summarized under “Additional Information about Principal Investment Risks” in the Prospectus.

 

The Fund’s fixed income investments will be primarily in investment grade fixed income securities and are intended to provide liquidity and preserve capital and may serve as collateral for the Fund’s derivative instruments. These may include fixed income securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, and securities issued by corporations or trust entities as well as floating rate securities. The Fund considers fixed income securities to be investment grade if, at the time of investment, they are rated within the four highest categories by at least one independent credit rating agency or, if unrated, are determined by the Portfolio Managers to be of comparable quality. The Fund also aims to keep the duration of the fixed income portfolio short.

 

The Fund may invest in cash or cash equivalent instruments. Because the Fund will use derivatives to gain exposure to commodities, and because derivatives may not require the Fund to deposit the full notional amount of the investment, the Fund may invest a significant amount of its assets in money market mutual funds or other fixed income investments, as described above. In relation to this Fund, notional refers to the total value of the Fund’s aggregate positions. The Fund’s (and the Subsidiary’s) use of commodity-linked derivative instruments to obtain long and short exposure to the commodity markets may result in leverage, which amplifies the risks that are associated with the commodities underlying the derivative instruments. The Fund’s aggregate investment exposure, as measured on a notional basis, may be greater than 100% of the Fund’s total assets from time to time.

 

Although the Fund invests primarily in domestic securities and other instruments, it may also invest in foreign securities and other instruments.

 

In an effort to achieve its goal, the Fund may engage in active and frequent trading.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Most of the Fund’s performance depends on what happens in the commodity and stock markets, the Portfolio Managers’ evaluation of those developments, and the success of the Portfolio Managers in implementing the Fund’s investment strategies. The Fund’s use of derivative instruments will result in leverage, which amplifies the risks that are associated with these markets. The markets’ behavior can be difficult to predict, particularly in the short term. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its goal.

 

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The Fund may take temporary defensive and cash management positions; to the extent it does, it will not be pursuing its principal investment strategies.

 

The actual risk exposure taken by the Fund in its investment program will vary over time, depending on various factors including the Portfolio Managers’ evaluation of issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments. There can be no guarantee that the Portfolio Managers will be successful in their attempts to manage the risk exposure of the Fund or will appropriately evaluate or weigh the multiple factors involved in investment decisions, including issuer, market and/or instrument-specific analysis and valuation.

 

The Fund is not a bank deposit, and is not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund.

 

Each of the following risks, which are described in alphabetical order and not in order of any presumed importance, can significantly affect the Fund’s performance. The relative importance of, or potential exposure as a result of, each of these risks will vary based on market and other investment-specific considerations.

 

Call Risk. Upon the issuer’s desire to call a security, or under other circumstances where a security is called, including when interest rates are low and issuers opt to repay the obligation underlying a “callable security” early, the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield and may not benefit from any increase in value that might otherwise result from declining interest rates.

 

Commodity Regulatory Risk. The Fund is deemed a “commodity pool” and the Fund’s investment manager is considered a “commodity pool operator” with respect to the Fund under the Commodity Exchange Act. The Fund’s investment manager is therefore subject to dual regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Compliance with regulations governing commodity pools may increase the Fund’s regulatory compliance costs. The regulatory requirements could change at any time and additional regulations could also be adopted, which may adversely impact the Fund, and the Fund may be compelled to consider significant changes, which could include substantially altering its principal investment strategies or, if deemed necessary, liquidating the Fund.

 

Commodity Risk. The Fund’s and the Subsidiary’s significant investment exposure to the commodities markets and/or a particular sector of the commodities markets may subject the Fund and the Subsidiary to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets are impacted by a variety of factors, including market movements, resource availability, commodity price volatility, speculation in the commodities markets, domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies, trade policies and tariffs, war, acts of terrorism, changes in domestic or foreign interest rates and/or investor expectations concerning interest rates, domestic and foreign inflation rates and investment and trading activities in commodities. Prices of various commodities may also be affected by factors such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and other regulatory developments. The prices of commodities can also fluctuate widely due to supply and demand disruptions in major producing or consuming regions. To the extent the Fund focuses its investments in a particular commodity in the commodities market, the Fund will be more susceptible to risks associated with the particular commodity. No active trading market may exist for certain commodities investments. Because the Fund’s and the Subsidiary’s performance is linked to the performance of potentially volatile commodities, investors should be willing to assume the risks of significant fluctuations in the value of the Fund’s shares.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that issuers, guarantors, or insurers may fail, or become less able or unwilling, to pay interest and/or principal when due. Changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of an issuer or a downgrade or default affecting any of the Fund’s securities could affect the Fund’s performance. Generally, the longer the maturity and the lower the credit quality of a security, the more sensitive it is to credit risk.

 

Currency Risk. Currency risk is the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities or other instruments denominated in or indexed to foreign currencies, changes in currency exchange rates could adversely impact investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time and can be affected unpredictably by various factors, including investor perception and changes in interest rates; intervention, or failure to intervene, by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks, or supranational entities; or by currency controls or political developments in the U.S. or abroad.

 

Derivatives Risk. Use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that can involve investment techniques and risks different from, and in some respects greater than, those associated with investing in more traditional investments, such as stocks and bonds. Derivatives can be highly complex and highly volatile and may perform in unanticipated ways. Derivatives can create leverage, and

 

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the Fund could lose more than the amount it invests; some derivatives can have the potential for unlimited losses. Derivatives may at times be highly illiquid, and the Fund may not be able to close out or sell a derivative at a particular time or at an anticipated price. Derivatives can be difficult to value and valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil. The value of a derivative instrument depends largely on (and is derived from) the value of the reference instrument underlying the derivative. There may be imperfect correlation between the behavior of a derivative and that of the reference instrument underlying the derivative. An abrupt change in the price of a reference instrument could render a derivative worthless. Derivatives may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the reference instrument. Suitable derivatives may not be available in all circumstances, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will use derivatives to reduce exposure to other risks when that might have been beneficial. Derivatives involve counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party to the derivative will fail to make required payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the derivative. That risk is generally thought to be greater with over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives than with derivatives that are exchange traded or centrally cleared. When the Fund uses derivatives, it will likely be required to provide margin or collateral and/or segregate cash or other liquid assets; these practices are intended to satisfy contractual undertakings and regulatory requirements and will not prevent the Fund from incurring losses on derivatives. The need to provide margin or collateral and/or segregate assets could limit the Fund’s ability to pursue other opportunities as they arise. Ongoing changes to regulation of the derivatives markets and actual and potential changes in the regulation of funds using derivative instruments could limit the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment strategies. New regulation of derivatives may make them more costly, or may otherwise adversely affect their liquidity, value or performance.

 

Futures. Futures contracts are subject to the risk that an exchange may impose price fluctuation limits, which may make it difficult or impossible for a fund to close out a position when desired. In the absence of such limits, the liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than taking or making delivery. To the extent the Fund enters into futures contracts requiring physical delivery (e.g., certain commodities contracts), the inability of the Fund to take or make physical delivery can negatively impact performance.

 

ETF Risk. As an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), the Fund is subject to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent they exit the business or are otherwise unable to proceed in creation and redemption transactions with the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, shares of the Fund may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to net asset value (“NAV”) and possible face trading halts or delisting. Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened for ETFs, such as the Fund, that invest in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that have lower trading volumes.

 

Cash Transactions Risk. Unlike certain ETFs, the Fund may effect its creations and redemptions in cash or partially in cash. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in other ETFs. Other ETFs generally are able to make in-kind redemptions and avoid realizing gains in connection with transactions designed to raise cash to meet redemption requests. If the Fund effects a portion of redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds, which also involves transaction costs. If the Fund recognizes gain on these sales, this generally will cause the Fund to recognize gain it might not otherwise have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind, or to recognize such gain sooner than would otherwise be required. The Fund generally intends to distribute these gains to shareholders to avoid being taxed on this gain at the Fund level and otherwise comply with the special tax rules that apply to it. This strategy may cause shareholders to be subject to tax on gains they would not otherwise be subject to, or at an earlier date than, if they had made an investment in a different ETF.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent the Fund’s investments trade in markets that are closed when the Fund and NYSE Arca, Inc. (“Exchange”) are open, there are likely to be deviations between current pricing of an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). As a result, premiums or discounts to NAV may develop in share prices. In addition, shareholders may not be able to purchase or redeem their shares of the Fund, or purchase or sell shares of the Fund on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.

 

Premium/Discount Risk. There may be times when the market price of the Fund’s shares is more than the NAV intra-day (at a premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (at a discount). As a result, shareholders of the Fund may pay more than NAV when purchasing shares and receive less than NAV when selling Fund shares. This risk is heightened in times

 

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of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. In such market conditions, market or stop loss orders to sell Fund shares may be executed at prices well below NAV.

 

Secondary Market Trading Risk. Investors buying or selling shares in the secondary market will normally pay brokerage commissions, which are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors buying or selling relatively small amounts of shares. Secondary market trading is subject to bid-ask spreads and trading in Fund shares may be halted by the Exchange because of market conditions or other reasons. If a trading halt occurs, a shareholder may temporarily be unable to purchase or sell shares of the Fund. The bid-ask spread, which varies over time, is generally narrower if the Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and wider if the Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity. In addition, the bid-ask spread can be affected by the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying investments and can widen if the Fund’s underlying investments become less liquid or illiquid. In addition, although the Fund’s shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares will develop or be maintained or that the Fund’s shares will continue to be listed.

 

Foreign Risk. Foreign securities involve risks in addition to those associated with comparable U.S. securities. Additional risks include exposure to less developed or less efficient trading markets; social, political, diplomatic, or economic instability; trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those of the U.S.); fluctuations in foreign currencies or currency redenomination; potential for default on sovereign debt; nationalization or expropriation of assets; settlement, custodial or other operational risks; higher transaction costs; confiscatory withholding or other taxes; and less stringent auditing, corporate disclosure, governance, and legal standards. As a result, foreign securities may fluctuate more widely in price, and may also be less liquid, than comparable U.S. securities. World markets, or those in a particular region, may all react in similar fashion to important economic or political developments. In addition, foreign markets may perform differently than the U.S. market. The effect of economic instability on specific foreign markets or issuers may be difficult to predict or evaluate. Regardless of where a company is organized or its stock is traded, its performance may be affected significantly by events in regions from which it derives its profits or in which it conducts significant operations.

 

Securities of issuers traded on foreign exchanges may be suspended, either by the issuers themselves, by an exchange or by governmental authorities. Trading suspensions may be applied from time to time to the securities of individual issuers for reasons specific to that issuer, or may be applied broadly by exchanges or governmental authorities in response to market events. In the event that the Fund holds material positions in such suspended securities, the Fund’s ability to liquidate its positions or provide liquidity to investors may be compromised and the Fund could incur significant losses.

 

High Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading and may have a high portfolio turnover rate, which may increase the Fund’s transaction costs, may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and may generate a greater amount of capital gain distributions to shareholders than if the Fund had a low portfolio turnover rate.

 

Interest Rate Risk. In general, the value of investments with interest rate risk, such as debt securities, will move in the direction opposite to movements in interest rates. If interest rates rise, the value of such securities may decline. Typically, the longer the maturity or duration of a debt security, the greater the effect a change in interest rates could have on the security’s price. Thus, the sensitivity of the Fund’s debt securities to interest rate risk will increase with any increase in the duration of those securities.

 

Issuer-Specific Risk. An individual security may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the market as a whole.

 

Large Shareholder Risk. Certain large shareholders, including Authorized Participants, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s shares. There is no requirement that these shareholders maintain their investment in the Fund. There is a risk that such large shareholders or that the Fund’s shareholders generally may redeem all or a substantial portion of their investments in the Fund in a short period of time, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund’s NAV, liquidity, and brokerage costs. Large redemptions could also result in tax consequences to shareholders and impact the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy.

 

Leverage Risk. Leverage amplifies changes in the Fund’s net asset value and may make the Fund more volatile. Derivatives may create leverage and can result in losses to the Fund that exceed the amount originally invested and may accelerate the rate of losses. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s use of any leverage will be successful. The Fund’s investment exposure can exceed its net assets, sometimes by a significant amount.

 

Liquidity Risk. From time to time, the trading market for a particular investment in which the Fund invests, or a particular type of instrument in which the Fund is invested, may become less liquid or even illiquid. Illiquid investments frequently can be more difficult to purchase or sell at an advantageous price or time, and there is a greater risk that the investments may not be sold for the price at which the Fund is carrying them. Certain investments that were liquid when the Fund purchased them may become illiquid, sometimes abruptly. Additionally, market closures due to holidays or other factors may render a security or group of

 

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securities (e.g., securities tied to a particular country or geographic region) illiquid for a period of time. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect the Fund’s value or prevent the Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Market prices for such securities or other investments may be volatile. During periods of substantial market volatility, an investment or even an entire market segment may become illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which can adversely affect the Fund’s ability to limit losses.

 

Unexpected episodes of illiquidity, including due to market or political factors, instrument or issuer-specific factors and/or unanticipated outflows, may limit the Fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period. To meet redemption requests during periods of illiquidity, the Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

 

Market Direction Risk. Since the Fund will typically hold both long and short positions, an investment in the Fund will involve market risks associated with different types of investment decisions than those made for a typical “long only” fund. The Fund’s results could suffer when there is a general market advance and the Fund holds significant “short” positions, or when there is a general market decline and the Fund holds significant “long” positions. The markets may have considerable volatility from day to day and even in intra-day trading.

 

Market Volatility Risk. Markets may be volatile and values of individual securities and other investments, including those of a particular type, may decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, economic or other developments that may cause broad changes in market value, public perceptions concerning these developments, and adverse investor sentiment or publicity. Geopolitical and other risks, including environmental and public health risks may add to instability in world economies and markets generally. Changes in value may be temporary or may last for extended periods. If the Fund sells a portfolio position before it reaches its market peak, it may miss out on opportunities for better performance.

 

Model Risk. To a significant extent, the Fund’s performance will depend on the success of implementing and managing the investment models that assist in allocating the Fund’s assets. Models that have been formulated on the basis of past market data may not be indicative of future price movements. Models may not be reliable if unusual or disruptive events cause market moves the nature or size of which are inconsistent with the historic performance of individual markets and their relationship to one another or to other macroeconomic events. Models also may have hidden biases or exposure to broad structural or sentiment shifts. In the event that actual events fail to conform to the assumptions underlying such models, losses could be incurred. The performance of the investment models may be impacted by software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies, and similar circumstances.

 

Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. The value of mortgage- and asset-backed securities, including collateralized mortgage instruments, will be influenced by the factors affecting the housing market or the assets underlying the securities. These securities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than other types of debt securities. In addition, investments in mortgage- and asset-backed securities may be subject to prepayment risk and extension risk, call risk, credit risk, valuation risk, and illiquid investment risk, sometimes to a higher degree than various other types of debt securities. These securities are also subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgages or assets, particularly during periods of market downturn, and an unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the underlying assets will adversely affect the security’s value.

 

Other Investment Company Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies, including money market funds, its performance will be affected by the performance of those other investment companies. Investments in other investment companies are subject to the risks of the other investment companies’ investments, as well as to the other investment companies’ expenses.

 

Prepayment and Extension Risk. The Fund’s performance could be affected if borrowers pay back principal on certain debt securities, such as mortgage- or asset-backed securities, before (prepayment) or after (extension) the market anticipates such payments, shortening or lengthening their duration. Due to a decline in interest rates or an excess in cash flow into the issuer, a debt security might be called or otherwise converted, prepaid or redeemed before maturity. As a result of prepayment, the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, may not benefit from any increase in value that might otherwise result from declining interest rates, and may lose any premium it paid to acquire the security. Conversely, rising market interest rates generally result in slower payoffs or extension, which effectively increases the duration of certain debt securities, heightening interest rate risk and increasing the magnitude of any resulting price declines.

 

Recent Market Conditions. Both U.S. and international markets have experienced significant volatility in recent months and years. As a result of such volatility, investment returns may fluctuate significantly. National economies are substantially interconnected, as are global financial markets, which creates the possibility that conditions in one country or region might

 

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adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. However, the interconnectedness of economies and/or markets may be diminishing, which may impact such economies and markets in ways that cannot be foreseen at this time.

 

Although interest rates were unusually low in recent years in the U.S. and abroad, recently, the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks began to raise interest rates as part of their efforts to address rising inflation. It is difficult to accurately predict the pace at which interest rates might increase, or the timing, frequency or magnitude of any such increases in interest rates. Additionally, various economic and political factors could cause the Federal Reserve or other foreign central banks to change their approach in the future and such actions may result in an economic slowdown both in the U.S. and abroad. Unexpected increases in interest rates could lead to market volatility or reduce liquidity in certain sectors of the market. Deteriorating economic fundamentals may, in turn, increase the risk of default or insolvency of particular issuers, negatively impact market value, cause credit spreads to widen, and reduce bank balance sheets. Any of these could cause an increase in market volatility or reduce liquidity across various markets.

 

Some countries, including the U.S., have in recent years adopted more protectionist trade policies. Slowing global economic growth, the rise in protectionist trade policies, changes to some major international trade agreements, risks associated with the trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union, and the risks associated with ongoing trade negotiations with China, could affect the economies of many nations in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. In addition, the current strength of the U.S. dollar may decrease foreign demand for U.S. assets, which could have a negative impact on certain issuers and/or industries.

 

Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, and corresponding events in late February 2022, have had, and could continue to have, severe adverse effects on regional and global economic markets for securities and commodities. Moreover, those events have, and could continue to have, an adverse effect on global markets performance and liquidity, thereby negatively affecting the value of the Fund’s investments. The duration of ongoing hostilities and the vast array of sanctions and related events cannot be predicted. Those events present material uncertainty and risk with respect to markets globally and the performance of the Fund and its investments or operations could be negatively impacted.

 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected and could continue to affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the global securities and commodities markets, including their liquidity, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. Epidemics and/or pandemics, such as the coronavirus, have and may further result in, among other things, closing borders, extended quarantines and stay-at-home orders, order cancellations, disruptions to supply chains and customer activity, widespread business closures and layoffs, as well as general concern and uncertainty.

 

High public debt in the U.S. and other countries creates ongoing systemic and market risks and policymaking uncertainty.

 

There is widespread concern about the potential effects of global climate change on property and security values. Certain issuers, industries and regions may be adversely affected by the impact of climate change in ways that cannot be foreseen. The impact of legislation, regulation and international accords related to climate change may negatively impact certain issuers and/or industries.

 

Sector Risk. Individual sectors may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the broader market. The industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political or regulatory events.

 

Short Sale Risk. Short sales involve selling a security the Fund does not own in anticipation that the security’s price will decline. Because the Fund may invest the proceeds of a short sale, another effect of short selling on the Fund is leverage, in that it amplifies changes in the Fund’s net asset value since it increases the exposure of the Fund to the market. The Fund may not always be able to close out a short position at a favorable time or price. If the Fund covers its short sale at an unfavorable price, the cover transaction is likely to reduce or eliminate any gain, or cause a loss to the Fund. Short sales, at least theoretically, present a risk of unlimited loss on an individual security basis, particularly in cases where the Fund is unable, for whatever reason, to close out its short position, since the Fund may be required to buy the security sold short at a time when the security has appreciated in value, and there is potentially no limit to the amount of such appreciation. When the Fund is selling a security short, it must maintain a segregated account of cash or high-grade securities equal to the margin requirement. As a result, the Fund may maintain high levels of cash or other liquid assets (such as U.S. Treasury bills, money market instruments, certificates of deposit, high quality commercial paper and long equity positions). The Fund may utilize the collateral obtained from securities lending for this cash. The need to maintain cash or other liquid assets in segregated accounts could limit the Fund’s ability to pursue other opportunities as they arise.

 

Subsidiary Risk. By investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments and operations. The commodity-linked derivative instruments and other investments held by the Subsidiary are similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund, and thus, present the same risks whether they are held by the Fund or

 

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the Subsidiary. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. However, the Fund wholly owns and controls the Subsidiary, and the Fund and the Subsidiary are both managed by the Manager, making it unlikely that the Subsidiary will take action contrary to the interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund’s Board of Trustees has oversight responsibility for the investment activities of the Fund, including its investment in the Subsidiary, and the Fund’s role as sole shareholder of the Subsidiary. In adhering to the Fund’s investment restrictions and limitations, the Manager will treat the assets of the Subsidiary generally in the same manner as assets that are held directly by the Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary, respectively, are organized, could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information and could adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Tax Risk. To qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”) (“RIC”), and be eligible to receive “pass-through” tax treatment, the Fund must, among other things, derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from types of income treated as “qualifying income” under the Code. Although qualifying income does not include income derived directly from commodities, including certain commodity-linked derivative instruments, the Internal Revenue Service (“Service”) issued a large number of private letter rulings (which the Fund may not use or cite as precedent) between 2006 and 2011 concluding that income a RIC derives from a wholly owned foreign subsidiary (a “CFC”) (such as the Subsidiary) that earns income derived from commodities and income from certain commodity-linked notes is qualifying income.

 

Regulations provide that the income of a CFC, in which a RIC invests as part of its business of investing in stock or securities, that the Code requires a RIC to include in its gross income each taxable year (“Subpart F Inclusion”) will constitute qualifying income for the RIC whether or not the Subpart F Inclusion is distributed by the CFC to the RIC. The Regulations are consistent with the conclusions in the rulings described above. The Fund has also received an opinion of counsel, which is not binding on the Service or the courts, that income the Fund derives from the Subsidiary should constitute qualifying income. The Service has issued a revenue procedure stating that the Service will not “ordinarily” issue private letter rulings on any issue relating to the treatment of a corporation as a RIC that requires a determination of whether a financial instrument or position is a “security.” Accordingly, future rulings regarding the status of commodity-linked notes and other commodity-linked derivative instruments will be rarely issued, if at all.

 

The federal income tax treatment of the Fund’s income from the Subsidiary may be adversely affected by future legislation, other Treasury regulations, and/or other guidance issued by the Service that could affect the character, timing of recognition, and/or amount of the Fund’s taxable income and/or net capital gains and, therefore, the distributions it makes. If the Fund failed the qualifying income test for any taxable year but was eligible to and did cure the failure, it would incur potentially significant federal income tax expense. If, on the other hand, the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and was ineligible to or otherwise did not cure the failure, it would be subject to federal income tax on its taxable income at the corporate tax rate, with the consequences that its income available for distribution to shareholders would be reduced and all such distributions from its current or accumulated earnings and profits would be taxable to its shareholders as dividend income. In that event, the Fund’s Board of Trustees may authorize a significant change in investment strategy or the Fund’s liquidation.

 

U.S. Government Securities Risk. Although the Fund may hold securities that carry U.S. government guarantees, these guarantees do not extend to shares of the Fund itself and do not guarantee the market prices of the securities. Furthermore, not all securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury carry at least some risk of non-payment or default.

 

A summary of the Fund’s additional principal investment risks is as follows:

 

Operational and Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund and its service providers, and your ability to transact with the Fund, may be negatively impacted due to operational matters arising from, among other problems, human errors, systems and technology disruptions or failures, or cybersecurity incidents. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause the Fund or its service providers, as well as the securities trading venues and their service providers, to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. Cybersecurity incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. It is not possible for the Manager or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the cybersecurity or other operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. Most issuers in which the Fund invests are heavily dependent on computers for data storage

 

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and operations, and require ready access to the internet to conduct their business. Thus, cybersecurity incidents could also affect issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, leading to significant loss of value.

 

Risk Management. Risk is an essential part of investing. No risk management program can eliminate the Fund’s exposure to adverse events; at best, it may only reduce the possibility that the Fund will be affected by such events, and especially those risks that are not intrinsic to the Fund’s investment program. The Fund could experience losses if judgments about risk prove to be incorrect.

 

Valuation Risk. The Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price at which the Fund has valued the investment. Such differences could be significant, particularly for illiquid securities and securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. If market or other conditions make it difficult to value some investments, SEC rules and applicable accounting protocols may require the Fund to value these investments using more subjective methods, known as fair value methodologies. Using fair value methodologies to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment’s most recent price and from the prices used by other funds to calculate their NAVs. The Fund’s ability to value its investments in an accurate and timely manner may be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by third party service providers, such as pricing services or accounting agents.

 

PERFORMANCE

The following bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund adopted the performance history of its predecessor fund, Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy Fund. The information shown below is for the predecessor fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund’s Shares has varied from year to year, as represented by the performance of the predecessor fund’s Institutional Class. The returns in the bar chart do not reflect any applicable sales charges of the predecessor fund. If sales charges were reflected, returns would be lower than those shown. The table below the bar chart shows what the returns would equal if you averaged out actual performance over various lengths of time and compares the returns with the returns of a broad-based market index. The index, which is described in “Description of Index” in the prospectus, has characteristics relevant to the Fund’s investment strategy.

 

Returns of the predecessor fund would have been lower if the Manager had not reimbursed certain expenses and/or waived a portion of the investment management fees during certain of the periods shown.

 

While the Fund’s shares would have substantially similar annual returns to the Institutional Class shares of the predecessor fund, their performance may differ from that shown because the Fund has lower expenses than the predecessor fund’s Institutional Class shares. Performance for the Fund’s Shares has not been adjusted to reflect the Fund’s Shares’ lower expenses than those of the predecessor fund’s Institutional Class shares. Performance for the predecessor fund is based on the NAV per share of the predecessor fund shares rather than on market-determined prices.

 

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Past performance (before and after taxes) is not a prediction of future results. Visit www.nb.com/ETF or call 877-628-2583 for updated performance information.

 

YEAR-BY-YEAR % RETURNS AS OF 12/31 EACH YEAR

 

 

Years

Best quarter:     Q4 ’20, 16.30%

Worst quarter:    Q1 ’20, -28.26%

Year-to-date performance as of 9/30/2022: 8.07%

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL % RETURNS AS OF 12/31/21

 

Commodity Strategy ETF 1 Year 5 Years Since Inception
(8/27/2012
)
Return Before Taxes 29.80 6.44 -1.86
Return After Taxes on Distributions 11.78 2.55 -3.79
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 17.41 3.30 -2.18
Bloomberg Commodity Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 27.11 3.66 -3.39

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of Fund shares.

 

 

INVESTMENT MANAGER

Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC (“NBIA” or the “Manager”) is the Fund’s investment manager.

 

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

The Fund is managed by Hakan Kaya (Managing Director of the Manager), David Yi Wan (Senior Vice President of the Manager) and Michael Foster (Managing Director of the Manager). Mr. Kaya has managed the Fund since its inception in 2012, Mr. Wan has managed the Fund since February 2016 and Mr. Foster has managed the Fund since May 2021.

 

BUYING AND SELLING SHARES

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at its NAV only in a large specified number of Shares each called a “Creation Unit,” or multiples thereof, and only with authorized participants who have entered into contractual arrangements with the Fund’s distributor.

 

Individual Shares (rather than Creation Units) of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on a national securities exchange through a broker or dealer at market price and most investors will buy and sell Shares of the Fund on such an exchange. These transactions do not involve the Fund. The prices at which individual Shares may be purchased and sold on a national securities

 

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exchange through brokers are based on market prices and, because Shares will trade at market prices rather than at NAV, individual Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than or less than NAV. Shares of the Fund are listed on NYSE Arca, Inc.

 

An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Most investors will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges when buying and selling shares of the Fund through a broker/dealer.

 

Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s website at www.nb.com/ETF.

 

TAX INFORMATION

Unless you invest in the Fund through a tax-advantaged retirement plan or account or are a tax-exempt investor, you will be subject to tax on Fund distributions to you of ordinary income and/or net capital gains. Those distributions generally are not taxable to such a plan or account or a tax-exempt investor, although withdrawals from certain retirement plans and accounts generally are subject to federal income tax.

 

PAYMENTS TO INVESTMENT PROVIDERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker/dealer or other financial intermediary, such as a bank, brokerage firm, workplace retirement program, or financial adviser (who may be affiliated with the Manager), the Fund and/or Neuberger Berman BD LLC and/or its affiliates 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 its employees to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial intermediary or visit its website for more information.

 

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Descriptions of Certain Practices and Security Types

 

Derivatives. A derivative is generally a financial contract the value of which depends on, or is derived from, changes in the value of one or more “reference instruments,” such as underlying assets (including securities), reference rates, indices or events. Derivatives may relate to stocks, bonds, credit, interest rates, commodities, currencies or currency exchange rates, or related indices. A derivative may also contain leverage to magnify the exposure to the reference instrument. Derivatives may be traded on organized exchanges and/or through clearing organizations, or in private transactions with other parties in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) market with a single dealer or a prime broker acting as an intermediary with respect to an executing dealer. Derivatives may be used for hedging purposes and non-hedging (or speculative) purposes. Some derivatives require one or more parties to post “margin,” which means that a party must deposit assets with, or for the benefit of, a third party, such as a futures commission merchant, in order to initiate and maintain the derivatives position. Margin is typically adjusted daily, and adverse market movements may require a party to post additional margin.

 

Futures. A futures contract is a standardized agreement to buy or sell a set quantity of an underlying asset at a future date, or to make or receive a cash payment based on the value of a securities index or other reference instrument at a future date.

 

Fixed Income Securities. Debt securities may consist of fixed and floating rate obligations of various credit quality and duration and may be issued by: corporate entities; trusts; domestic issuers, including securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities; foreign issuers, including foreign governments and supranational entities; and municipal issuers, including within the U.S. and its territories. Such obligations may include: bonds, loans, inflation-linked debt securities, when-issued and forward-settling securities, commercial paper, mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities, and hybrid securities (including convertible securities).

 

Foreign Stocks. There are many promising opportunities for investment outside the United States. Foreign markets can respond to different factors and therefore may follow cycles that are different from each other. For this reason, many investors put a portion of their portfolios in foreign investments as a way of gaining further diversification.

 

Short Sales. Short sales involve selling a security the Fund does not own in anticipation that the security’s price will decline. To complete the transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. If the underlying security goes up in price during the period during which the short position is outstanding, the Fund will realize a loss on the transaction. Any loss will be increased by the amount of compensation, interest or dividends and transaction costs the Fund must pay to a lender of the security.

 

Additional Information about Principal Investment Risks

 

This section provides additional information about the Fund’s principal investment risks described in its Fund Summary section. The following risks are described in alphabetical order and not in order of any presumed importance or potential exposure.

 

Call Risk. Upon the issuer’s desire to call a security, or under other circumstances where a security is called, including when interest rates are low and issuers opt to repay the obligation underlying a “callable security” early, the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield or other less favorable characteristics. This may reduce the amount of the Fund’s distributions. In addition, the Fund may not benefit from any increase in value in the securities that might otherwise result from declining interest rates. The likelihood of a call also may impact the price of a security.

 

Commodity Regulatory Risk. Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy ETF is deemed a “commodity pool” and the Fund’s investment manager is considered a “commodity pool operator” with respect to the Fund under the Commodity Exchange Act. The Fund’s investment manager is therefore subject to dual regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Compliance with regulations governing commodity pools may increase the Fund’s regulatory compliance costs. The regulatory requirements could change at any time and additional regulations could also be adopted, which may adversely impact the Fund, and the Fund may be compelled to consider significant changes, which could include substantially altering its principal investment strategies or, if deemed necessary, liquidating the Fund.

 

Commodity Risk. The Fund’s and the Subsidiary’s significant investment exposure to the commodities markets and/ or a particular sector of the commodities markets may subject the Fund and the Subsidiary to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets are impacted by a variety of factors, including market movements, resource availability, commodity price volatility, speculation in the commodities markets, domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies, trade policies and tariffs, war, acts of terrorism, changes in domestic or foreign interest rates and/or investor expectations concerning interest rates, domestic and foreign inflation rates and investment and trading activities in commodities.

 

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Prices of various commodities may also be affected by factors such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and other regulatory developments. The frequency, duration and magnitude of such changes often cannot be predicted. The prices of commodities can also fluctuate widely due to supply and demand disruptions in major producing or consuming regions.

 

Certain commodities may be produced in a limited number of countries and may be controlled by a small number of producers or groups of producers. As a result, political, economic and supply related events in such countries could have a disproportionate impact on the prices of such commodities. No active trading market may exist for certain commodities investments, which may impair the ability of the Fund to sell or to realize the full value of such investments in the event of the need to liquidate such investments. In addition, adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of commodities investments. Because the Fund’s and the Subsidiary’s performance is linked to the performance of potentially volatile commodities, investors should be willing to assume the risks of significant fluctuations in the value of the Fund’s shares.

 

Agricultural and Soft Commodities Sector Risk. Risks of investing in agricultural sector commodities include, in addition to other risks, the impact of government policies on planting of certain crops and possible alternative uses of agricultural resources, the location and size of crop production, trading of unprocessed or processed commodity products, and the volume and types of imports and exports. Climate change may severely impact the viability of certain crops in certain regions. Trade wars have introduced considerable uncertainty into some previously established international markets for agricultural products and could produce abrupt and substantial price changes.

 

Energy Sector Risk. Risks of investing in energy sector commodities include, in addition to other risks, price fluctuation caused by real and perceived inflationary trends and political developments, the cost assumed in complying with environmental and other safety regulations, supply of and demand for energy fuels, energy conservation efforts, capital expenditures on and the success of exploration and production projects, increased competition and technological advances, tax and other government regulations, and policies of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and oil importing nations. In addition, companies in the energy sector are at risk of liability from accidents resulting in pollution or other environmental damage claims and at risk of loss from terrorism, natural disasters, fires and explosions. There is growing political pressure to reduce the use of fossil fuels, which could begin to impact the securities of companies in that industry and the prices of related commodities.

 

Industrial Metals Sector Risk. Risks of investing in industrial metals sector commodities include, in addition to other risks, substantial price fluctuations over short periods of time, imposition of import controls, increased competition and changes in industrial, governmental, and commercial demand for industrial metals.

 

Precious Metals Sector Risk. Risks of investing in precious metals sector commodities include, in addition to other risks, changes in the level of the production and sale of precious metals by governments or central banks or other large holders.

 

Companies in each of the above sectors could also be affected by, among other things, commodity price volatility, exchange rates, government regulation, mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control devices, inflation expectations, resource availability, import controls, increased competition, technical progress, labor relations, and economic cycles.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that issuers, guarantors, or insurers may fail, or become less able or unwilling, to pay interest and/or principal when due. Changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of an issuer, factors affecting an issuer directly (such as management changes, labor relations, collapse of key suppliers or customers, or material changes in overhead), factors affecting the industry in which a particular issuer operates (such as competition or technological advances) and changes in general social, economic or political conditions can increase the risk of default by an issuer, which may affect a security’s credit quality or value.

 

Generally, the longer the maturity and the lower the credit quality of a security, the more sensitive it is to credit risk. In addition, lower credit quality may lead to greater volatility in the price of a security and may negatively affect a security’s liquidity. Ratings represent a rating agency’s opinion regarding the quality of the security and are not a guarantee of quality and do not protect against a decline in the value of a security. A downgrade or default affecting any of the Fund’s securities could affect the Fund’s performance. In addition, rating agencies may fail to make timely changes to credit ratings in response to subsequent events and a rating may become stale in that it fails to reflect changes in an issuer’s financial condition. The credit quality of a security or instrument can deteriorate suddenly and rapidly, which may negatively impact its liquidity and value. The securities in which the Fund invests may be subject to credit enhancement (for example, guarantees, letters of credit, or bond insurance). Entities providing credit or liquidity support also may be affected by credit risk. Credit enhancement is designed to help assure timely payment of the security; it does not protect the Fund against losses caused by declines in a security’s value due to changes in market conditions.

 

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Currency Risk. Currency risk is the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. To the extent that the Fund is exposed directly or indirectly to foreign currencies, including through its investments, or invests in securities or other instruments denominated in or indexed to foreign currencies, changes in currency exchange rates could adversely impact investment gains or add to investment losses. Domestic issuers that hold substantial foreign assets may be similarly affected. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate in response to factors external to a country’s economy, which makes the forecasting of currency market movements extremely difficult. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time and can be affected unpredictably by various factors, including investor perception of a country’s economy and changes in interest rates; intervention, or failure to intervene, by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks, or supranational entities, such as the International Monetary Fund; or by currency controls or political developments in the U.S. or abroad. To the extent the Fund invests or hedges based on the perceived relationship between two currencies, there is a risk that the correlation between those currencies may not behave as anticipated.

 

Derivatives Risk. Use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that can involve investment techniques and risks different from, and in some respects greater than, those associated with investing in more traditional investments, such as stocks and bonds. Derivatives can be highly complex and highly volatile and may perform in unanticipated ways. Derivatives can create leverage, which can magnify the impact of a decline in the value of the reference instrument underlying the derivative, and the Fund could lose more than the amount it invests. Derivatives can have the potential for unlimited losses, for example, where the Fund may be called upon to deliver a security it does not own. Derivatives may at times be highly illiquid, and the Fund may not be able to close out or sell a derivative at a particular time or at an anticipated price. Derivatives can be difficult to value and valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil. The value of a derivative instrument depends largely on (and is derived from) the value of the reference instrument underlying the derivative. There may be imperfect correlation between the behavior of a derivative and that of the reference instrument underlying the derivative, and the reference instrument may not perform as anticipated. An abrupt change in the price of a reference instrument could render a derivative worthless. Derivatives may involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the reference instrument. Suitable derivatives may not be available in all circumstances, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will use derivatives to reduce exposure to other risks when that might have been beneficial. Derivatives may involve fees, commissions, or other costs that may reduce the Fund’s gains or exacerbate losses from the derivatives. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may have different tax consequences for the Fund than an investment in the reference instruments, and those differences may increase the amount and affect the timing of income recognition and character of taxable distributions payable to shareholders. Thus, the Fund could be required at times to liquidate other investments in order to satisfy its distribution requirements. Certain aspects of the regulatory treatment of derivative instruments, including federal income tax, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations, or other legally binding authority. In October 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act which regulates the use of derivatives for certain funds registered under the Investment Company Act (“Rule 18f-4”). Unless the Fund qualifies as a “limited derivatives user” as defined in Rule 18f-4, Rule 18f-4, among other things, requires the Fund to establish a comprehensive derivatives risk management program, to comply with certain value-at-risk based leverage limits, to appoint a derivatives risk manager and to provide additional disclosure both publicly and to the SEC regarding its derivatives positions. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund does not qualify as a limited derivatives user and has adopted a derivatives risk management program and appointed a derivatives risk manager.

 

Derivatives involve counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party to the derivative will fail to make required payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the derivative. Counterparty risk may arise because of market activities and developments, the counterparty’s financial condition (including financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), or other reasons. Not all derivative transactions require a counterparty to post collateral, which may expose the Fund to greater losses in the event of a default by a counterparty. Counterparty risk is generally thought to be greater with OTC derivatives than with derivatives that are exchange traded or centrally cleared. However, derivatives that are traded on organized exchanges and/or through clearing organizations involve the possibility that the futures commission merchant or clearing organization will default in the performance of its obligations.

 

When the Fund uses derivatives, it will likely be required to provide margin or collateral and/or segregate cash or other liquid assets; these practices are intended to satisfy contractual undertakings and regulatory requirements and will not prevent the Fund from incurring losses on derivatives. The need to provide margin or collateral and/or segregate assets could limit the Fund’s ability to pursue other opportunities as they arise. Derivatives that have margin requirements involve the risk that if the Fund has insufficient cash or eligible margin securities to meet daily variation margin requirements, it may have to sell securities or other instruments from its portfolio at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The Fund normally will remain obligated to meet margin requirements until a derivatives position is closed.

 

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Ongoing changes to regulation of the derivatives markets and actual and potential changes in the regulation of funds using derivative instruments could limit the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment strategies. New regulation of derivatives may make them more costly, or may otherwise adversely affect their liquidity, value or performance.

 

Although the Fund may use derivatives to attempt to hedge against certain risks, the hedging instruments may not perform as expected and could produce losses.

 

Additional risks associated with certain types of derivatives are discussed below:

 

Forward Contracts. There are no limitations on daily price movements of forward contracts. Changes in foreign exchange regulations by governmental authorities might limit the trading of forward contracts on currencies. There have been periods during which certain counterparties have refused to continue to quote prices for forward contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread (the difference between the price at which the counterparty is prepared to buy and the price at which it is prepared to sell).

 

Futures. There can be no assurance that, at all times, a liquid market will exist for offsetting a futures contract that the Fund has previously bought or sold and this may result in the inability to close a futures position when desired. This could be the case if, for example, a futures price has increased or decreased by the maximum allowable daily limit and there is no buyer (or seller) willing to purchase (or sell) the futures contract that the Fund needs to sell (or buy) at that limit price. In the absence of such limits, the liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than taking or making delivery. To the extent the Fund enters into futures contracts requiring physical delivery (e.g., certain commodities contracts), the inability of the Fund to take or make physical delivery can negatively impact performance.

 

Options. The use of options involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, or in interest or currency exchange rates, including the anticipated volatility of the underlying instrument (known as implied volatility), which in turn are affected by the performance of the issuer of the underlying instrument, by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political and economic events. As such, prior to the exercise or expiration of the option, the Fund is exposed to implied volatility risk, meaning the value, as based on implied volatility, of an option may increase due to market and economic conditions or views based on the sector or industry in which issuers of the underlying instrument participate, including company-specific factors. By writing put options, the Fund takes on the risk of declines in the value of the underlying instrument, including the possibility of a loss up to the entire strike price of each option it sells, but without the corresponding opportunity to benefit from potential increases in the value of the underlying instrument. When the Fund writes a put option, it assumes the risk that it must purchase the underlying instrument at a strike price that may be higher than the market price of the instrument. If there is a broad market decline and the Fund is not able to close out its written put options, it may result in substantial losses to the Fund. By writing a call option, the Fund may be obligated to deliver instruments underlying an option at less than the market price. In the case of an uncovered call option, there is a risk of unlimited loss. When an uncovered call is exercised, the Fund must purchase the underlying instrument to meet its call obligations and the necessary instruments may be unavailable for purchase. Additionally, volatility in the market for equity securities, which has been dramatically increased recently for certain stocks, can meaningfully increase the risk of loss associated with options. When the Fund writes a covered call option, it gives up the opportunity to profit from a price increase in the underlying instrument above the strike price. If a covered call option that the Fund has written is exercised, the Fund will experience a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying instrument, depending on the price at which the Fund purchased the instrument and the strike price of the option. The Fund will receive a premium from writing options, but the premium received may not be sufficient to offset any losses sustained from exercised options. In the case of a covered call, the premium received may be offset by a decline in the market value of the underlying instrument during the option period. If an option that the Fund has purchased is never exercised or closed out, the Fund will lose the amount of the premium it paid and the use of those funds.

 

Swaps. Swap transactions generally do not involve delivery of reference instruments or payment of the notional amount of the contract. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to swaps generally is limited to the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make or, in the case of the other party to a swap defaulting, the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive. If the Fund sells a credit default swap, however, the risk of loss may be the entire notional amount of the swap.

 

Some swaps are now executed through an organized exchange or regulated facility and cleared through a regulated clearing organization. The absence of an organized exchange or market for swap transactions may result in difficulties in

 

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trading and valuation, especially in the event of market disruptions. The use of an organized exchange or market for swap transactions is expected to result in swaps being easier to trade or value, but this may not always be the case.

 

ETF Risk. As an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), the Fund is subject to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent they exit the business or are otherwise unable to proceed in creation and redemption transactions with the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, shares of the Fund may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to net asset value (“NAV”) and possible face trading halts or delisting. Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened for ETFs, such as the Fund, that invest in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that have lower trading volumes.

 

Cash Transactions Risk. Unlike certain ETFs, the Fund may effect its creations and redemptions in cash or partially in cash. As a result, an investment in the Fund may be less tax-efficient than an investment in other ETFs. Other ETFs generally are able to make in-kind redemptions and avoid realizing gains in connection with transactions designed to raise cash to meet redemption requests. If the Fund effects a portion of redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds, which also involves transaction costs. If the Fund recognizes gain on these sales, this generally will cause the Fund to recognize gain it might not otherwise have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind, or to recognize such gain sooner than would otherwise be required. The Fund generally intends to distribute these gains to shareholders to avoid being taxed on this gain at the Fund level and otherwise comply with the special tax rules that apply to it. This strategy may cause shareholders to be subject to tax on gains they would not otherwise be subject to, or at an earlier date than, if they had made an investment in a different ETF.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent the Fund’s investments trade in markets that are closed when the Fund and NYSE Arca, Inc. (“Exchange”) are open, there are likely to be deviations between current pricing of an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). As a result, premiums or discounts to NAV may develop in share prices. In addition, shareholders may not be able to purchase or redeem their shares of the Fund, or purchase or sell shares of the Fund on the Exchange, on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.

 

Premium/Discount Risk. The NAV of the Fund’s shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s securities holdings. The market prices of Fund shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of shares on the secondary market. It cannot be predicted whether Fund shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. As a result, shareholders of the Fund may pay more than NAV when purchasing shares and receive less than NAV when selling Fund shares. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. In such market conditions, market or stop-loss orders to sell the ETF shares may be executed at market prices that are significantly below NAV. The market prices of Fund shares may deviate significantly from the NAV of the shares during periods of market volatility or if the Fund’s holdings are or become more illiquid. Disruptions to creations and redemptions may result in trading prices that differ significantly from the Fund’s NAV. In addition, market prices of Fund shares may deviate significantly from the NAV if the number of Fund shares outstanding is smaller or if there is less active trading in Fund shares. Investors purchasing and selling Fund shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those creating and redeeming directly with the Fund.

 

Secondary Market Trading Risk. Investors buying or selling shares in the secondary market will normally pay brokerage commissions, which are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors buying or selling relatively small amounts of shares. In addition, secondary market investors will incur the cost of the difference between the price that an investor is willing to pay for shares (the bid price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell shares (the ask price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread, which increases the cost of purchasing and selling Fund shares, varies over time for shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads.

 

Although Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained or that the Fund’s shares will continue to be listed. Trading in Fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in shares is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to

 

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Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of any Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that the shares will trade with any volume, or at all.

 

Foreign Risk. Foreign securities involve risks in addition to those associated with comparable U.S. securities. Additional risks include exposure to less developed or less efficient trading markets; social, political, diplomatic, or economic instability; trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those of the U.S.); fluctuations in foreign currencies or currency redenomination; potential for default on sovereign debt; nationalization or expropriation of assets; settlement, custodial or other operational risks; higher transaction costs; confiscatory withholding or other taxes; and less stringent auditing, corporate disclosure, governance, and legal standards. The Fund may have limited or no legal recourse in the event of default with respect to certain foreign securities. In addition, key information about the issuer, the markets or the local government or economy may be unavailable, incomplete or inaccurate. As a result, foreign securities may fluctuate more widely in price, and may also be less liquid, than comparable U.S. securities. World markets, or those in a particular region, may all react in similar fashion to important economic or political developments. In addition, securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations may involve risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions in foreign countries, as well as currency exchange rates. Regardless of where a company is organized or its stock is traded, its performance may be affected significantly by events in regions from which it derives its profits or in which it conducts significant operations.

 

Securities of issuers traded on foreign exchanges may be suspended, either by the issuers themselves, by an exchange or by governmental authorities. Trading suspensions may be applied from time to time to the securities of individual issuers for reasons specific to that issuer, or may be applied broadly by exchanges or governmental authorities in response to market events. Suspensions may last for significant periods of time, during which trading in the securities and in instruments that reference the securities, such as derivative instruments, may be halted. In the event that the Fund holds material positions in such suspended securities, the Fund’s ability to liquidate its positions or provide liquidity to investors may be compromised and the Fund could incur significant losses.

 

In addition, foreign markets may perform differently than the U.S. market. Over a given period of time, foreign securities may underperform U.S. securities — sometimes for years. The Fund could also underperform if it invests in countries or regions whose economic performance falls short. To the extent that the Fund invests a portion of its assets in one country, state, region or currency, an adverse economic, business or political development may affect the value of the Fund’s investments more than if its investments were not so invested

 

The effect of economic instability on specific foreign markets or issuers may be difficult to predict or evaluate. Some national economies continue to show profound instability, which may in turn affect their international trading and financial partners or other members of their currency bloc.

 

High Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading and may have a high portfolio turnover rate, which may increase the Fund’s transaction costs, may adversely affect the Fund’s performance and may generate a greater amount of capital gain distributions to shareholders than if the Fund had a low portfolio turnover rate.

 

Interest Rate Risk. In general, the value of investments with interest rate risk, such as debt securities, will move in the direction opposite to movements in interest rates. If interest rates rise, the value of such securities may decline. Interest rates may change in response to the supply and demand for credit, changes to government monetary policy and other initiatives, inflation rates, and other factors. Debt securities have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Typically, the longer the maturity (i.e., the term of a debt security) or duration (i.e., a measure of the sensitivity of a debt security to changes in market interest rates, based on the entire cash flow associated with the security) of a debt security, the greater the effect a change in interest rates could have on the security’s price. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, a debt security with a duration of two years will decrease in value by approximately 2%. Thus, the sensitivity of the Fund’s debt securities to interest rate risk will increase with any increase in the duration of those securities. Short-term securities tend to react to changes in short-term interest rates, and long-term securities tend to react to changes in long-term interest rates. Short-term and long-term interest rates, and interest rates in different countries, do not necessarily move in the same direction or by the same amount. The link between interest rates and debt security prices tends to be weaker with lower-rated debt securities than with investment grade debt securities.

 

Issuer-Specific Risk. An individual security may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the market as a whole. The value of an issuer’s securities may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings reports by the issuer, unsuccessful products or services, loss of major customers, major litigation against the issuer, or changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or the competitive environment. Certain unanticipated events, such as natural disasters, may have a significant adverse effect on the value of an issuer’s securities.

 

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Large Shareholder Risk. Certain large shareholders, including Authorized Participants, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s shares. There is no requirement that these shareholders maintain their investment in the Fund. There is a risk that such large shareholders or that the Fund’s shareholders generally may redeem all or a substantial portion of their investments in the Fund in a short period of time, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund’s NAV, liquidity, and brokerage costs. Large redemptions could also result in tax consequences to shareholders and impact the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy. The Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objective after one or more large scale redemptions may be impaired and, as a result, the Fund may invest a larger portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents.

 

Leverage Risk. Leverage amplifies changes in the Fund’s net asset value and may make the Fund more volatile. Derivatives, short positions and securities lending may create leverage and can result in losses to the Fund that exceed the amount originally invested and may accelerate the rate of losses. For certain instruments or transactions that create leverage, or have embedded leverage, relatively small market fluctuations may result in large changes in the value of such investments. In addition, the costs that the Fund pays to engage in these practices are additional costs borne by the Fund and could reduce or eliminate any net investment profits. Unless the profits from engaging in these practices exceed the costs of engaging in these practices, the use of leverage will diminish the investment performance of the Fund compared with what it would have been had the Fund not used leverage. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s use of any leverage will be successful. The Fund’s investment exposure can exceed its net assets, sometimes by a significant amount. When the Fund uses leverage or utilizes certain of these practices, it may need to dispose of some of its holdings at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations or to comply with certain asset coverage requirements.

 

Liquidity Risk. From time to time, the trading market for a particular investment or type of investment in which the Fund invests is or may become less liquid or even illiquid. Illiquid investments frequently can be more difficult to purchase or sell at an advantageous price or time. An illiquid investment means any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Judgment plays a greater role in pricing these investments than it does in pricing investments having more active markets, and there is a greater risk that the investments may not be sold for the price at which the Fund is carrying them. The Fund may receive illiquid securities as a result of its investment in securities involved in restructurings. Certain investments that were liquid when the Fund purchased them may become illiquid, sometimes abruptly, particularly during periods of increased market volatility or adverse investor perception. Additionally, market closures due to holidays or other factors may render a security or group of securities (e.g., securities tied to a particular country or geographic region) illiquid for a period of time. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect the Fund’s value or prevent the Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Market prices for such securities or other investments may be volatile. Market participants attempting to sell the same or a similar investment at the same time as the Fund could decrease the liquidity of such investments, especially during times of market volatility. During periods of substantial market volatility, an investment or even an entire market segment may become illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which can adversely affect the Fund’s ability to limit losses.

 

Unexpected episodes of illiquidity, including due to market or political factors, instrument or issuer-specific factors and/or unanticipated outflows, may limit the Fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period. To meet redemption requests during periods of illiquidity, the Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.

 

Market Direction Risk. Since the Fund will typically hold both long and short positions, an investment in the Fund will involve market risks associated with different types of investment decisions than those made for a typical “long only” fund. The Fund’s results could suffer when there is a general market advance and the Fund holds significant “short” positions, or when there is a general market decline and the Fund holds significant “long” positions. The markets may have considerable volatility from day to day and even in intra-day trading.

 

Market Volatility Risk. Markets may be volatile and values of individual securities and other investments, including those of a particular type, may decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, economic or other developments that may cause broad changes in market value, public perceptions concerning these developments, and adverse investor sentiment or publicity. Changes in the financial condition of a single issuer may impact a market as a whole. Changes in value may be temporary or may last for extended periods. If the Fund sells a portfolio position before it reaches its market peak, it may miss out on opportunities for better performance. Geopolitical risks, including terrorism, tensions or open conflict between nations, or political or economic dysfunction within some nations that are major players on the world stage or major producers of oil, may lead to overall instability in world economies and markets generally and have led, and may in the future lead, to increased market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects. Similarly, environmental and public health risks, such as natural disasters or epidemics, or widespread fear that such events may occur, may impact markets and economies adversely and cause market volatility in both the short- and long-term.

 

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Model Risk. To a significant extent, the Fund’s performance will depend on the success of implementing and managing the investment models that assist in allocating the Fund’s assets. Fund performance will also be affected by the fundamental analysis and inputs used by models regarding investments. Models may be employed that turn out not to be well-suited to prevailing market conditions. Models that have been formulated on the basis of past market data may not be indicative of future price movements. Models may not be reliable if unusual or disruptive events specific to particular corporations, or major events external to the operation of markets, cause market moves the nature or size of which are inconsistent with the historic performance of individual markets and their relationship to one another or to other macroeconomic events. Models also may have hidden biases or exposure to broad structural or sentiment shifts. In the event that actual events fail to conform to the assumptions underlying such models, losses could be incurred. The performance of the investment models may be impacted by software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies, and similar circumstances.

 

Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. The value of mortgage- and asset-backed securities, including collateralized mortgage instruments, will be influenced by the factors affecting the housing market or the assets underlying the securities. These securities differ from more traditional debt securities because the principal is paid back over the life of the security rather than at the security’s maturity; however, principal may be repaid early if a decline in interest rates causes many borrowers to refinance (known as prepayment risk), or repaid more slowly if a rise in rates causes refinancings to slow down (known as extension risk). Thus, they tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than other types of debt securities and as a result, these securities may exhibit additional volatility during periods of interest rate turmoil. In addition, investments in mortgage- and asset-backed securities may be subject to call risk, credit risk, valuation risk, and illiquid investment risk, sometimes to a higher degree than various other types of debt securities. These securities are also subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgages or assets, particularly during periods of market downturn, and an unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the underlying assets will adversely affect the security’s value. Further, such securities may have credit support, the utility of which could be negatively affected by such conditions as well.

 

Other Investment Company Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies, including money market funds, its performance will be affected by the performance of those other investment companies and to the allocation of its assets among those other investment companies. Investments in other investment companies are subject to the risks of the other investment companies’ investments, as well as to the other investment companies’ expenses. If the Fund invests in other investment companies, the Fund may receive distributions of taxable gains from portfolio transactions by that investment company and may recognize taxable gains from transactions in shares of that investment company, which could be taxable to the Fund’s shareholders when distributed to them.

 

Operational and Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund and its service providers, and your ability to transact with the Fund, may be negatively impacted due to operational matters arising from, among other problems, human errors, systems and technology disruptions or failures, or cybersecurity incidents. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause the Fund or its service providers, as well as the securities trading venues and their service providers, to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. Cybersecurity incidents can result from deliberate attacks (e.g., malicious software coding, ransomware, or “hacking”) or unintentional events (e.g., inadvertent release of confidential information). A cybersecurity incident could, among other things, result in the loss or theft of customer data or funds, customers or employees being unable to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary information or corporate data, physical damage to a computer or network system, or remediation costs associated with system repairs. A cybersecurity incident may not permit the Fund and its service providers to access electronic systems to perform critical duties for the Fund, such as trading and calculating net asset value. Any cybersecurity incident could have a substantial adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.

 

The occurrence of any of these problems could result in a loss of information, regulatory scrutiny, reputational damage and other consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Fund or its shareholders. The Manager, through its monitoring and oversight of Fund service providers, endeavors to determine that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to such problems. While the Manager has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address these problems, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, and it is not possible for the Manager or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the cybersecurity or other operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. Most issuers in which the Fund invests are heavily dependent on computers for data storage and operations, and require ready access to the internet to conduct their business. Thus, cybersecurity incidents could also affect issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, leading to significant loss of value.

 

Prepayment and Extension Risk. The Fund’s performance could be affected if borrowers pay back principal on certain debt securities, such as mortgage- or asset-backed securities, before (prepayment) or after (extension) the market anticipates such payments, shortening or lengthening their duration. Due to a decline in interest rates or an excess in cash flow into the issuer, a

 

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debt security might be called or otherwise converted, prepaid or redeemed before maturity. As a result of prepayment, the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, may not benefit from any increase in value that might otherwise result from declining interest rates, and may lose any premium it paid to acquire the security. Prepayments could also create capital gains tax liability in some instances. Conversely, rising market interest rates generally result in slower payoffs or extension, which effectively increases the duration of certain debt securities, heightening interest rate risk and increasing the magnitude of any resulting price declines. If the Fund’s investments are locked in at a lower interest rate for a longer period of time, the Fund may be unable to capitalize on securities with higher interest rates or wider spreads.

 

Recent Market Conditions. Both U.S. and international markets have experienced significant volatility in recent months and years. As a result of such volatility, investment returns may fluctuate significantly. National economies are substantially interconnected, as are global financial markets, which creates the possibility that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. However, the interconnectedness of economies and/or markets may be diminishing, which may impact such economies and markets in ways that cannot be foreseen at this time.

 

Although interest rates were unusually low in recent years in the U.S. and abroad, recently, the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks began to raise interest rates as part of their efforts to address rising inflation. In addition, ongoing inflation pressures from tight labor markets and supply chain disruptions could continue to cause an increase in interest rates and/or negatively impact companies. It is difficult to accurately predict the pace at which interest rates might increase, or the timing, frequency or magnitude of any such increases in interest rates. Additionally, various economic and political factors could cause the Federal Reserve or other foreign central banks to change their approach in the future and such actions may result in an economic slowdown both in the U.S. and abroad. Unexpected increases in interest rates could lead to market volatility or reduce liquidity in certain sectors of the market. Deteriorating economic fundamentals may, in turn, increase the risk of default or insolvency of particular issuers, negatively impact market value, cause credit spreads to widen, and reduce bank balance sheets. Any of these could cause an increase in market volatility or reduce liquidity across various markets. Also, regulators have expressed concern that rate increases may cause investors to sell fixed income securities faster than the market can absorb them, contributing to price volatility. Over the longer term, rising interest rates may present a greater risk than has historically been the case due to the prior period of relatively low rates and the effect of government fiscal and monetary policy initiatives and potential market reaction to those initiatives, or their alteration or cessation. Historical patterns of correlation among asset classes may break down in unanticipated ways during times of high volatility, disrupting investment programs and potentially causing losses.

 

Some countries, including the U.S., have in recent years adopted more protectionist trade policies. Slowing global economic growth, the rise in protectionist trade policies, changes to some major international trade agreements, risks associated with the trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union, and the risks associated with ongoing trade negotiations with China, could affect the economies of many nations in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. In addition, the current strength of the U.S. dollar may decrease foreign demand for U.S. assets, which could have a negative impact on certain issuers and/or industries.

 

Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, and corresponding events in late February 2022, have had, and could continue to have, severe adverse effects on regional and global economic markets for securities and commodities. Following Russia’s actions, various governments, including the United States, have issued broad-ranging economic sanctions against Russia, including, among other actions, a prohibition on doing business with certain Russian companies, large financial institutions, officials and oligarchs; the removal by certain countries and the European Union of selected Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (“SWIFT”), the electronic banking network that connects banks globally; and restrictive measures to prevent the Russian Central Bank from undermining the impact of the sanctions. The current events, including sanctions and the potential for future sanctions, including any impacting Russia’s energy sector, and other actions, and Russia’s retaliatory responses to those sanctions and actions, may continue to adversely impact the Russian economy and economies of surrounding countries and may result in the further decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities and securities of surrounding countries, a continued weakening of currencies in the region and continued exchange closures, and may have other adverse consequences on the economies of countries in the region that could impact the value of investments in the region and impair the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver securities of companies in the region or a Fund’s ability to collect interest payments on fixed income securities in the region. Moreover, those events have, and could continue to have, an adverse effect on global markets performance and liquidity, thereby negatively affecting the value of a Fund’s investments beyond any direct exposure to issuers in the region. The duration of ongoing hostilities and the vast array of sanctions and related events cannot be predicted. Those events present material uncertainty and risk with respect to markets globally and the performance of a Fund and its investments or operations could be negatively impacted.

 

Certain illnesses spread rapidly and have the potential to significantly and adversely affect the global economy. Outbreaks such as the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, or other similarly infectious diseases may have material adverse impacts on a Fund. Epidemics and/or pandemics, such as the coronavirus, have and may further result in, among other things, closing borders, extended

 

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quarantines and stay-at-home orders, order cancellations, disruptions to supply chains and customer activity, widespread business closures and layoffs, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this virus, and other epidemics and/or pandemics that may arise in the future, has negatively affected and may continue to affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the global securities and commodities markets, including their liquidity, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. The impact of any outbreak may last for an extended period of time.

 

High public debt in the U.S. and other countries creates ongoing systemic and market risks and policymaking uncertainty. There is no assurance that the U.S. Congress will act to raise the nation’s debt ceiling; a failure to do so could cause market turmoil and substantial investment risks that cannot now be fully predicted. Unexpected political, regulatory and diplomatic events within the U.S. and abroad may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy.

 

China’s economy, which has been sustained in recent years largely through a debt-financed housing boom, may be approaching the limits of that strategy and may experience a significant slowdown as a result of debt that cannot be repaid. Due to the size of China’s economy, such a slowdown could impact a number of other countries.

 

There is widespread concern about the potential effects of global climate change on property and security values. Certain issuers, industries and regions may be adversely affected by the impact of climate change in ways that cannot be foreseen. The impact of legislation, regulation and international accords related to climate change may negatively impact certain issuers and/or industries.

 

A rise in sea levels, a change in weather patterns, including an increase in powerful storms and large wildfires, and/or a climate-driven increase in flooding could cause properties to lose value or become unmarketable altogether. Unlike previous declines in the real estate market, properties in affected zones may not ever recover their value. The U.S. administration appears concerned about the climate change problem and is focusing regulatory and public works projects around those concerns. Regulatory changes and divestment movements tied to concerns about climate change could adversely affect the value of certain land and the viability of industries whose activities or products are seen as accelerating climate change.

 

Losses related to climate change could adversely affect corporate issuers and mortgage lenders, the value of mortgage-backed securities, the bonds of municipalities that depend on tax or other revenues and tourist dollars generated by affected properties, and insurers of the property and/or of corporate, municipal or mortgage-backed securities. Since property and security values are driven largely by buyers’ perceptions, it is difficult to know the time period over which these market effects might unfold.

 

Sector Risk. From time to time, based on market or economic conditions, the Fund may have significant positions in one or more sectors of the market. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in one sector, industry, or sub-sector of the market, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, industries, or sub-sectors. An individual sector, industry, or sub-sector of the market may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the broader market. The industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political or regulatory events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, industries, or sub-sectors do not perform as expected. Alternatively, the lack of exposure to one or more sectors or industries may adversely affect performance. For information about the risks of investing in particular sectors, see the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

 

Short Sale Risk. Short sales involve selling a security the Fund does not own in anticipation that the security’s price will decline. To complete the transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be higher or lower than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. If the underlying security goes up in price during the period during which the short position is outstanding, the Fund will realize a loss on the transaction.

 

Short sales, at least theoretically, present a risk of unlimited loss on an individual security basis, particularly in cases where the Fund is unable, for whatever reason, to close out its short position, since the Fund may be required to buy the security sold short at a time when the security has appreciated in value, and there is potentially no limit to the amount of such appreciation. Volatility in the market for equity securities, which has been dramatically increased recently for certain stocks, can meaningfully increase the risk of loss associated with short sales. Additionally, because the Fund may invest the proceeds of a short sale, another effect of short selling on the Fund is leverage, in that it amplifies changes in the Fund’s net asset value since it increases the exposure of the Fund to the market and may increase losses and the volatility of returns.

 

The Fund may not always be able to close out a short position at a favorable time or price. A lender may request that borrowed securities be returned to it on short notice, and the Fund may have to buy the borrowed securities at an unfavorable price, which will potentially reduce or eliminate any gain or cause a loss to the Fund. The Fund incurs expenses for borrowing securities that may include fees paid to the lender and amounts equal to dividends or interest paid by the borrowed security.

 

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When the Fund is selling a security short, it must maintain a segregated account of cash or high-grade securities equal to the margin requirement. (Margin posted with the broker, not including the proceeds of the short sale, counts toward this requirement.) As a result, the Fund may maintain high levels of cash or other liquid assets (such as U.S. Treasury bills, money market instruments, certificates of deposit, high quality commercial paper and long equity positions) or may utilize the collateral obtained from securities lending for this cash. The need to maintain cash or other liquid assets in segregated accounts could limit the Fund’s ability to pursue other opportunities as they arise.

 

Subsidiary Risk. By investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments and operations. The commodity-linked derivative instruments and other investments held by the Subsidiary are similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund, and thus, present the same risks whether they are held by the Fund or the Subsidiary. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved. The Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act, and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. However, the Fund wholly owns and controls the Subsidiary, and the Fund and the Subsidiary are both managed by Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC, making it unlikely that the Subsidiary will take action contrary to the interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund’s Board of Trustees has oversight responsibility for the investment activities of the Fund, including its investment in the Subsidiary, and the Fund’s role as sole shareholder of the Subsidiary. In adhering to the Fund’s investment restrictions and limitations, Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC will treat the assets of the Subsidiary generally in the same manner as assets that are held directly by the Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary, respectively, are organized, could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information and could adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Tax Risk. To qualify as a RIC under the Code, and be eligible to receive “pass-through” tax treatment, the Fund must, among other things, derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from types of income treated as “qualifying income” under the Code. Although qualifying income does not include income derived directly from commodities, including certain commodity-linked derivative instruments, the Service issued a large number of private letter rulings (which the Fund may not use or cite as precedent) between 2006 and 2011 concluding that income a RIC derives from a wholly owned foreign subsidiary (a “CFC”) (such as the Subsidiary) that earns income derived from commodities and income from certain commodity-linked notes is qualifying income.

 

Regulations provide that the income of a CFC, in which a RIC invests as part of its business of investing in stock or securities, income that the Code requires a RIC to include in its gross income each taxable year (“Subpart F Inclusion”) will constitute qualifying income for the RIC whether or not the Subpart F Inclusion is distributed by the CFC to the RIC. The Regulations are consistent with the conclusions in the rulings described above. The Fund has also received an opinion of counsel, which is not binding on the Service or the courts, that income the Fund derives from the Subsidiary should constitute qualifying income.

 

The Service has issued a revenue procedure stating that the Service will not “ordinarily” issue private letter rulings on any issue relating to the treatment of a corporation as a RIC that requires a determination of whether a financial instrument or position is a “security.” Accordingly, future rulings regarding the status of commodity-linked notes and other commodity-linked derivative instruments will be rarely issued, if at all.

 

The federal income tax treatment of the Fund’s income from the Subsidiary may be adversely affected by future legislation, other Treasury regulations, and/or other guidance issued by the Service that could affect the character, timing of recognition, and/or amount of the Fund’s taxable income and/or net capital gains and, therefore, the distributions it makes. If the Fund failed the qualifying income test for any taxable year but was eligible to and did cure the failure, it would incur potentially significant federal income tax expense. If, on the other hand, the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and was ineligible to or otherwise did not cure the failure, it would be subject to federal income tax on its taxable income at the corporate tax rate, with the consequences that its income available for distribution to shareholders would be reduced and all such distributions from its current or accumulated earnings and profits would be taxable to its shareholders as dividend income. In that event, the Fund’s Board of Trustees may authorize a significant change in investment strategy or the Fund’s liquidation.

 

U.S. Government Securities Risk. Although the Fund may hold securities that carry U.S. government guarantees, these guarantees do not extend to shares of the Fund itself and do not guarantee the market prices of the securities. Furthermore, not all securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Some are backed by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, while others are backed only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality. These securities carry at least some risk of non-payment or default by the issuer. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities may greatly exceed their current resources, including their legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. In recent periods, the values of U.S. government securities have been affected substantially by

 

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increased demand for them around the world. Increases or decreases in the demand for U.S. government securities may occur at any time and may result in increased volatility in the values of those securities. In recent years, credit rating agencies have shown some concern about whether the U.S. government has the political will necessary to service all of its outstanding and expected future debt, and some have adjusted their ratings or outlook for U.S. government debt accordingly. These developments, and the factors underlying them, could cause an increase in interest rates and borrowing costs, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with the debt securities issued by the U.S. and the government’s ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. In addition, these developments could create broader financial turmoil and uncertainty, which could increase volatility in both stock and bond markets. These events could result in significant adverse impacts on issuers of securities held by the Fund.

 

Valuation Risk. The price at which the Fund sells any particular investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment. Such differences could be significant, particularly for illiquid securities and securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. If market or other conditions make it difficult to value some investments, SEC rules and applicable accounting protocols may require the Fund to value these investments using more subjective methods, known as fair value methodologies. Using fair value methodologies to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment’s most recent closing price and from the prices used by other funds to calculate their NAVs. Investors who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received if the Fund had not held fair-valued securities or had used a different valuation methodology. The value of foreign securities, certain futures and fixed income securities, and currencies, as applicable, may be materially affected by events after the close of the markets on which they are traded but before the Fund determines its net asset value. The Fund’s ability to value its investments in an accurate and timely manner may be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by third party service providers, such as pricing services or accounting agents.

 

Variable and Floating Rate Instruments Risk. The market prices of instruments with variable and floating interest rates are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the market prices of instruments with fixed interest rates. Variable and floating rate instruments may decline in value if market interest rates or interest rates paid by such instruments do not move as expected. Conversely, variable and floating rate instruments will not generally rise in value if market interest rates decline. Thus, investing in variable and floating rate instruments generally allows less opportunity for capital appreciation and depreciation than investing in instruments with a fixed interest rate. Certain types of floating rate instruments, such as interests in bank loans, may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities.

 

Certain variable and floating rate instruments have an interest rate floor feature, which prevents the interest rate payable by the instrument from dropping below a specified level as compared to a reference interest rate (the “reference rate”), such as LIBOR. Such a floor protects the Fund from losses resulting from a decrease in the reference rate below the specified level. However, if the reference rate is below the floor, there will be a lag between a rise in the reference rate and a rise in the interest rate payable by the instrument, and the Fund may not benefit from increasing interest rates for a significant period of time. Rates on certain variable rate instruments typically only reset periodically. As a result, changes in prevailing interest rates, particularly sudden and significant changes, can cause some fluctuations in the Fund’s value to the extent that it invests in variable rate instruments.

 

Information about Additional Risks and Other Practices

 

As discussed in the Statement of Additional Information, the Fund may engage in certain practices and invest in certain securities in addition to those described as its “principal investment strategies” in its Fund Summary section. For example, should the Fund engage in borrowing or securities lending, or should the Fund use derivatives or invest in foreign securities, it will be subject to the additional risks associated with these practices and securities.

 

Borrowing money, securities lending, or using derivatives would create investment leverage, meaning that certain gains or losses would be amplified, increasing share price movements. With respect to borrowing, the Fund may borrow money to obtain the collateral needed to borrow a security in order to effect a short sale of that security. The cost to the Fund of borrowing may exceed the profits attained on any such shorts positions. Similarly, the Fund may lend securities and use the collateral obtained from the securities loans as the collateral necessary to borrow a security on which the Fund is taking a short position. Securities lending involves some risk of loss of the Fund’s rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

A Fund that does not engage in derivatives as part of its principal investment strategy may, to a limited extent, use certain derivatives for hedging or investment purposes. A derivative instrument, whether used for hedging or for speculation, could fail to perform as expected, causing a loss for the Fund.

 

Foreign securities, including those issued by foreign governments, involve risks in addition to those associated with comparable U.S. securities, and can fluctuate more widely in price, and may also be less liquid, than comparable U.S. securities. Securities

 

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issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations may involve risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions in foreign countries.

 

As part of its liquidity management practices, including for cash management purposes or to facilitate short-term liquidity, the Fund may invest in reverse repurchase agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund sells portfolio securities to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, in return for cash and agrees to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price and date, which reflects an interest payment to that party. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the other party will fail to return the securities in a timely manner, or at all, which may result in losses to the Fund. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and the value of the cash collateral held by the Fund is less than the value of the securities. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences to the Fund. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the market value of the securities sold will decline below the price at which the Fund is obligated to repurchase them. Reverse repurchase agreements may be viewed as a form of borrowing by the Fund. When the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, any fluctuations in the market value of either the securities transferred to another party or the securities in which the proceeds may be invested would affect the market value of the Fund’s assets. During the term of the agreement, the Fund may also be obligated to pledge additional cash and/or securities in the event of a decline in the fair value of the transferred security. The Manager monitors the creditworthiness of counterparties to reverse repurchase agreements.

 

In addition, the Fund may be an investment option for a Neuberger Berman fund that is managed as a “fund of funds.” As a result, from time to time, the Fund may experience relatively large redemptions or investments and could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it is not advantageous to do so.

 

In anticipation of adverse or uncertain market, economic, political, or other temporary conditions, including during periods of high cash inflows or outflows, the Fund may temporarily depart from its goal and use a different investment strategy (including leaving a significant portion of its assets uninvested) for defensive purposes. Doing so could help the Fund avoid losses, but may mean lost opportunities. In addition, in doing so different factors could affect the Fund’s performance and the Fund may not achieve its goal.

 

In addition, to the extent the Fund is new or is undergoing a transition (such as a change in strategy, rebalancing, reorganization, liquidation or experiencing large inflows or outflows) or takes a temporary defensive position, it may deviate from its principal investment strategies during such period.

 

The Fund may change its goal without shareholder approval, although it does not currently intend to do so.

 

Please see the Statement of Additional Information for more information.

 

Description of Index

 

The Bloomberg Commodity Index is a rolling index composed of exchange-traded futures contracts on physical commodities. The index relies primarily on liquidity data of futures contracts, along with U.S. dollar-adjusted production data, in determining the relative quantities of included commodities. The index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for commodities investments. The version of the index that is calculated on a total return basis reflects the returns on a fully collateralized investment in the underlying commodity futures contracts, combined with the returns on cash collateral invested in U.S. Treasury Bills.

 

Management of the Fund

 

Investment Manager

 

Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC (“Manager” or “NBIA”), located at 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104, is the Fund’s investment manager and administrator. Neuberger Berman BD LLC (“Distributor”), located at 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104, is the Fund’s distributor. Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement, the Manager is responsible for choosing the Fund’s investments and handling its day-to-day business. The services provided by the Manager as the investment manager and administrator include, among others, overall responsibility for providing all supervisory, management, and administrative services reasonably necessary for the operation of the Fund, which may include, among others, compliance monitoring, operational and investment risk management, legal and administrative services and portfolio accounting services. The Manager carries out its duties subject to the policies established by the Board of Trustees. The investment advisory agreement establishes the fees the Fund pays to the Manager for its services as the Fund’s investment manager and the expenses paid directly by the Fund. Together, the Neuberger Berman affiliates manage approximately $408 billion in total assets (as of 9/30/2022) and continue an asset management history that began in 1939.

 

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A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Fund’s investment advisory agreements is available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders for the period ending August 31, 2022.

 

NBIA may engage one or more of foreign affiliates that are not registered under the 1940 Act (“participating affiliates”) in accordance with applicable SEC no-action letters. As participating affiliates, whether or not registered with the SEC, the affiliates may provide designated investment personnel to associate with NBIA as “associated persons” of NBIA and perform specific advisory services for NBIA, including services for the Fund, which may involve, among other services, portfolio management and/or placing orders for securities and other instruments. The designated employees of a participating affiliate act for NBIA and are subject to certain NBIA policies and procedures as well as supervision and periodic monitoring by NBIA. The Fund will pay no additional fees and expenses as a result of any such arrangements.

 

Neither this Prospectus nor the Statement of Additional Information is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state securities laws that have not been waived. The Fund enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including, among others, the Manager, who provide services to the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended to be third party beneficiaries of, those contractual arrangements. Where shareholders are not third party beneficiaries of contractual arrangements, those contractual arrangements cannot be enforced by shareholders acting on their own behalf.

 

The Manager has obtained “manager of managers” exemptive relief from the SEC that permits the Manager, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, to appoint an unaffiliated subadviser or to change the terms of a subadvisory agreement with an unaffiliated subadviser for the Fund without first obtaining shareholder approval. The exemptive order permits the Fund to add or to change unaffiliated subadvisers or to change the fees paid to such subadvisers from time to time without the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of the change. Under this order, the Manager has ultimate responsibility (subject to oversight by the Board) to oversee the subadvisers and recommend their hiring, termination, and replacement. The Fund will notify shareholders of any change in the identity of a subadviser or the addition of a subadviser to the Fund.

 

Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy ETF: The Fund will pay the Manager a fee at the annual rate of 0.500% of the first $250 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets; 0.475% of the next $250 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets; 0.450% of the next $250 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets; 0.425% of the next $250 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets; 0.400% of the next $500 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets; 0.375% of the next $2.5 billion of the Fund’s average daily net assets; and 0.350% in excess of $4 billion of the Fund’s daily net assets for investment advisory services. The Fund will pay the Manager a fee at the annual rate of 0.09% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for administrative services provided to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about each Portfolio Manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each Portfolio Manager, and each Portfolio Manager’s ownership of shares in the Fund(s) that he or she manages.

 

Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy ETF

Hakan Kaya, Ph.D., is a Managing Director of the Manager. He joined the firm in 2008 and is a Portfolio Manager with the Quantitative Investment Group. Prior to joining the firm, he was a consultant at another investment firm where he developed statistical relative value and directional models for commodities investments.

 

David Yi Wan is a Senior Vice President of the Manager. He joined the firm in 2001 and is a Portfolio Manager with the Quantitative Investment Group. Prior to joining the firm, he worked in Information Management at another investment firm.

 

Michael Foster is a Managing Director of the Manager. He has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since May 2021. Mr. Foster has been a portfolio manager at the firm since 2004.

 

About the Wholly Owned Subsidiary

 

Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy ETF invests in a wholly owned subsidiary (“Subsidiary”).

 

The Subsidiary is an exempted company, the members of which have limited liability, incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Fund invests in its Subsidiary in order to gain exposure to the commodities markets within the limitations of the Code applicable to RICs. The Fund must maintain no more than 25% of the value of its total assets in its Subsidiary at the end of every quarter of its taxable year.

 

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The Subsidiary is overseen by its own board of directors. However, the Fund’s Board of Trustees maintains oversight responsibility for investment activities of its Subsidiary generally as if its Subsidiary’s investments were held directly by the Fund. The Manager is responsible for the Subsidiary’s day-to-day business pursuant to a separate investment advisory agreement between the Subsidiary and the Manager. Under this agreement, the Manager provides the Subsidiary with the same type of management services, under the same terms, as are provided to the Fund.

 

In managing the Subsidiary’s investment portfolio, and in adhering to the Fund’s compliance policies and procedures and investment policies and restrictions, the Manager will treat the assets of the Subsidiary generally in the same manner as assets that are held directly by the Fund.

 

The Subsidiary bears the other fees and expenses it incurs in connection with its operations, such as those for services it receives from third party service providers. Accordingly, such fees and expenses are paid indirectly by the Fund.

 

Please refer to the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about the organization and management of the Subsidiary.

 

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Financial Highlights

 

These financial highlights describe the performance of the Fund for the fiscal periods indicated. The Fund has adopted the performance history of the Institutional Class shares of the predecessor fund, which operated as a mutual fund. The financial information shown below is for the predecessor fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in Institutional Class shares in the predecessor fund, which the Adviser believes is an accurate representation of how the Fund would have performed, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. All figures have been derived from the financial statements audited by Ernst & Young LLP, the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. Their report, along with full financial statements, appears in the predecessor fund’s most recent annual shareholder report (see back cover).

 

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Financial Highlights

 

Predecessor Fund — Institutional Class

 

YEAR ENDED OCTOBER 31,   2017     2018     2019     2020     2021     For the
Period from
November 1, 2021
to
August 31, 2022 (4)
 
PER-SHARE DATA ($)                                                
Data apply to a single share throughout each year indicated. You can see what the Fund earned (or lost), what it distributed to investors, and how its share price changed.                                                
Share price (NAV) at beginning of year     26.55       28.19       27.44       26.60       22.52       34.57  
Plus:                                                
Income from investment operations                                                
Net investment income (loss)(3)     0.09       0.35       0.53       0.18       (0.09 )     0.04  
Net gains (losses) — realized and unrealized     1.55       (0.04 )     (0.71 )     (3.82 )     12.27       2.65  
Subtotal: income (loss) from investment operations     1.64       0.31       (0.18 )     (3.64 )     12.18       2.69  
Minus:                                                
Distributions to shareholders                                                
Income dividends           1.06       0.66       0.44       0.13       11.35  
Subtotal: distributions to shareholders           1.06       0.66       0.44       0.13       11.35  
Equals:                                                
Share price (NAV) at end of year     28.19       27.44       26.60       22.52       34.57       25.91  
RATIOS (% OF AVERAGE NET ASSETS)                                                
The ratios show the Fund’s expenses and net investment income (loss) — as they actually are as well as how they would have been if certain expense reimbursement arrangements had not been in effect.                                                
Net expenses — actual     0.85       0.74       0.74       0.74       0.74       0.73 **
Gross expenses(1)     1.18       0.98       0.96       0.99       0.99       0.92 **
Net investment income (loss) — actual     0.36       1.31       1.99       0.74       (0.36 )     0.22 **
OTHER DATA                                                
Total return shows how an investment in the Fund would have performed over each year, assuming all distributions were reinvested. The turnover rate reflects how actively the Fund bought and sold securities.                                                
Total return (%)(2)     6.18       1.19       (0.41 )     (13.98 )     54.44       13.67 *
Net assets at end of year (in millions of dollars)     83.1       100.3       145.3       89.4       147.4       209.5  
Portfolio turnover rate (%)     105       107       88       109       56       57 *

 

(1) Shows what this ratio would have been if there had been no expense reimbursement.
(2) Would have been lower if the Manager had not reimbursed certain expenses.
(3) The per share amounts have been calculated based on the average number of shares outstanding during each fiscal period.
(4) After the close of business on October 14, 2022, the Fund’s Institutional Class underwent a reverse stock split. The per share data presented here has been retroactively adjusted to reflect this stock split.
* Not Annualized
** Annualized

 

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Other Service Providers

 

Neuberger Berman BD LLC (“Distributor”), an affiliate of the Manager, serves as the Fund’s distributor. Shares in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor, and the Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in the shares of the Fund.

 

State Street Bank (“State Street”) serves as custodian and transfer agent for the Fund. State Street maintains in separate accounts cash, securities and other assets of the Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records, and provides other services.

 

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YOUR INVESTMENT

 

Share Price Calculations

 

The net asset value per share of the Fund is the total value of Fund assets attributable to shares of that Fund minus the liabilities attributable to the Fund, divided by the total number of shares outstanding for that Fund. Because the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities changes every business day, its share price usually changes as well.

 

The Fund normally calculates its share price on each day the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE Exchange”) is open once daily as of 4:00 P.M., Eastern time. In the event of an emergency or other disruption in trading on the NYSE Exchange, the Fund’s share price would still normally be determined as of 4:00 P.M., Eastern time. The NYSE Exchange is generally closed on all national holidays and Good Friday; Fund shares will not be priced on those days or other days on which the NYSE Exchange is scheduled to be closed. When the NYSE Exchange is closed for unusual reasons, Fund shares will generally not be priced although the Fund may decide to remain open and price Fund shares and in such a case, the Fund would post a notice on www.nb.com/ETF.

 

The Fund generally values its investments based upon their last reported sale prices, market quotations, or estimates of value provided by an independent pricing service as of the time as of which the Fund’s share price is calculated. Equity securities (including securities issued by ETFs) and exchange-traded derivative instruments held by the Fund generally are valued by one or more independent pricing services approved by the Manager at the last reported sale price or official closing price or, if there is no reported sale quoted on a principal exchange or market for that security or official closing price, on the basis of market quotations. Debt securities and certain derivative instruments that do not trade on an exchange generally are valued by one or more independent pricing services approved by the Manager on the basis of market quotations and in the case of derivatives, market data about the underlying investments. Short-term securities held by the Fund may be valued on the basis of amortized cost, unless other factors indicate that amortized cost is not an accurate estimate of the security’s value.

 

Investments in non-exchange traded investment companies are valued using the respective fund’s daily calculated net asset value per share. The prospectuses for these funds explain the circumstances under which the funds will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

 

If a valuation for a security is not available from an independent pricing service or if the Manager believes in good faith that the valuation does not reflect the amount the Fund would receive on a current sale of that security, the Fund seeks to obtain quotations from brokers or dealers. If such quotations are not readily available, the Fund may use a fair value estimate made according to methods approved by the Manager. Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Board of Trustees designated the Manager as the Funds valuation designee. As the Funds valuation designee, the Manager is responsible for determining fair value in good faith for any and all Fund investments. The Fund may also use these methods to value certain types of illiquid securities. Fair value pricing generally will be used if the market in which a portfolio security trades closes early or if trading in a particular security was halted during the day and did not resume prior to the time as of which the Fund’s share price is calculated.

 

The Fund may also fair value securities that trade in a foreign market if significant events that appear likely to affect the value of those securities occur between the time the foreign market closes and the time as of which the Fund’s share price is calculated. Significant events may include (1) corporate actions or announcements that affect a single issuer, (2) governmental actions that affect securities in one sector, country or region, (3) natural disasters or armed conflicts that affect a country or region, or (4) significant domestic or foreign market fluctuations.

 

For certain foreign assets, after the relevant foreign markets have closed, a third-party vendor supplies evaluated, systematic fair value pricing based upon analysis of historical correlation of multiple factors. In the case of both foreign equity and foreign income securities, in the absence of precise information about the market values of these foreign securities as of the time as of which the Fund’s share price is calculated, the Manager has determined on the basis of available data that prices adjusted or evaluated in this way are likely to be closer to the prices the Fund could realize on a current sale than are the prices of those securities established at the close of the foreign markets in which the securities primarily trade. Please see the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information for additional detail about the Fund’s fair valuation practices.

 

The effect of using fair value pricing is that a portfolio security will be priced based on the subjective judgment of the Manager, instead of being priced using valuations from an independent pricing service. Fair value pricing can help to protect the Fund by reducing arbitrage opportunities available to short-term traders, but there is no assurance that fair value pricing will completely prevent dilution of the Fund’s net asset value by such traders.

 

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Trading in securities on many foreign exchanges is normally completed before the Fund calculates its net asset value. In addition, foreign markets may be open on days when U.S. markets are closed. As a result, the value of foreign securities owned by the Fund could change at times or on days when the Fund’s net asset value is not calculated, when Fund shares do not trade, and when sales and redemptions of Fund shares do not occur.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

Shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof. Only a broker-dealer (“Authorized Participant”) that enters into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Fund’s Distributor may engage in creation and redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Purchases and redemptions directly with the Fund must follow the Fund’s procedures, and are subject to transaction fees, which are described in the SAI. Orders for such transactions may be rejected or delayed if they are not submitted in good order and subject to the other conditions set forth in this prospectus and the SAI. Please see the SAI for more information about purchases and redemptions of Creation Units.

 

Once purchased (i.e., created) by an Authorized Participant, shares are listed on the Exchange and trade in the secondary market. When you buy or sell the Fund’s shares in the secondary market, you will pay or receive the market price. The price at which you buy or sell Shares (i.e., the market price) may be more or less than the NAV of the Shares. Unless imposed by your broker, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest in the Fund and no minimum number of Shares you must buy. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities. Most investors will buy and sell shares through a broker and, thus, will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges when buying or selling shares. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares are not redeemable by the Fund.

 

The secondary markets are closed on weekends and also are generally closed on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day (observed), Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

 

For more information on how to buy and sell shares of the Fund, call 877-628-2583 or visit www.nb.com/ETF.

 

Premium/Discount Information

 

Information showing the number of days the market price of the Fund’s shares was greater than the Fund’s NAV per share (i.e., at a premium) and the number of days it was less than the Fund’s NAV per share (i.e., at a discount) for various time periods will be available by visiting the Fund’s website at www.nb.com/ETF. The premium and discount information contained on the website will represent past performance and cannot be used to predict future results.

 

Portfolio Holdings Information

 

Each day the Fund is open for business, the Trust publicly disseminates the Fund’s full portfolio holdings as of the close of the previous day through the Fund’s website. A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). The holdings of the Fund can be found on the Fund’s website at www.nb.com/ETF.

 

Active Investors and Market Timing

 

The Trust’s Board of Trustees has determined not to adopt policies and procedures designed to prevent or monitor for frequent purchases and redemptions of the Fund’s shares because the Fund sells and redeems its shares at NAV only in Creation Units pursuant to the terms of an Authorized Participant Agreement between the Authorized Participant and the Distributor, and such direct trading between the Fund and Authorized Participants is critical to ensuring that the Fund’s shares trade at or close to NAV. Further, the vast majority of trading in Fund shares occurs on the secondary market, which does not involve the Fund directly and therefore does not cause the Fund to experience many of the harmful effects of market timing, such as dilution and disruption of portfolio management. In addition, the Fund imposes a transaction fee on Creation Unit transactions, which is designed to offset transfer and other transaction costs incurred by the Fund in connection with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units and may employ fair valuation pricing to minimize potential dilution from market timing The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order at any time and reserves the right to impose restrictions on disruptive, excessive, or short-term trading.

 

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Investments by Registered Investment Companies

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) in reliance on rules adopted by the SEC, particularly Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, or any other applicable exemptive relief.

 

Continuous Offering

 

The method by which Creation Units of Fund 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, 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.

 

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 Fund’s 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.

 

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 Manager or an affiliate may pay the intermediary for marketing activities or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. 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.

 

Distributions and Taxes

 

Distributions — The Fund pays out to its shareholders any net investment income and net realized capital and foreign currency gains. Ordinarily, the Fund makes any distributions once a year (normally in December). The Fund may make additional distributions, if necessary, to avoid federal income or excise taxes.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service — The Trust does not provide dividend reinvestment services. Broker-dealers may make available the Depository Trust Company 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.

 

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How distributions are taxed — Except for tax-advantaged retirement plans and other tax-exempt investors (collectively, “exempt investors”) and except as noted below, all Fund distributions you receive are generally taxable to you, regardless of whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in additional Fund shares.

 

Fund distributions to IRAs, Roth IRAs, and qualified retirement plans generally are tax-free. Eventual withdrawals from a Roth IRA also may be tax-free, while withdrawals from other retirement plans and accounts generally are subject to federal income tax.

 

Distributions generally are taxable to shareholders other than exempt investors in the year they are received. In some cases, however, distributions received in January are treated for federal income tax purposes as if they had been paid the previous December 31. Your tax statement (see “Taxes and You”) will help clarify this for you.

 

Distributions of net investment income and the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss (“dividends”) are taxed as ordinary income. However, for individual and certain other non-corporate shareholders (each, an “individual shareholder”) who satisfy certain holding period and other restrictions with respect to their Fund shares on which the dividends are paid, the Fund’s dividends attributable to “qualified dividend income” (generally, dividends the Fund receives on stock of most U.S. and certain foreign corporations with respect to which it satisfies those restrictions) are subject to maximum federal income tax rates that are lower than the maximum rates for ordinary income (“lower maximum rates”).

 

Distributions of net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) are taxed as long-term capital gain and for individual shareholders are subject to the lower maximum rates. The tax treatment of capital gain distributions from the Fund depends on how long the Fund held the securities it sold that generated the gain, not on when you bought your shares of the Fund or whether you reinvested your distributions.

 

If, for any taxable year, the Fund distributes an amount that exceeds the sum of its investment company taxable income plus net capital gain for that year — which might result from, among other things, the difference between book and tax accounting treatment of certain derivatives and foreign currency transactions — that excess generally will not be taxable (a so-called “return of capital”), which will reduce your tax basis in your Fund shares. To the extent that excess is greater than your tax basis, it will be treated as gain from a redemption of your shares (taxed as described below).

 

Shareholders should review any notice that accompanies a payment of dividends or other distributions to determine whether any portion of the payment represents a return of capital rather than a distribution of the Fund’s net income and/or realized gains.

 

Additional tax — An individual shareholder’s distributions from the Fund and net gains recognized on redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares are subject to a 3.8% federal tax on the lesser of (1) the individual’s “net investment income” (which generally includes distributions from the Fund and net gains from the disposition of Fund shares) or (2) the excess of the individual’s “modified adjusted gross income” over a specified threshold amount. This tax is in addition to any other taxes due on that income. You should consult your own tax professional regarding the effect, if any, this tax may have on your investment in Fund shares.

 

Taxes and You

 

The taxes you actually owe on Fund distributions and share transactions can vary with many factors, such as your marginal tax bracket, how long you held your shares and, if you are an individual shareholder, whether you owe federal alternative minimum tax.

 

How can you figure out your tax liability on Fund distributions and share transactions? One helpful tool is the tax statement that your broker sends you after the end of each calendar year. It details the distributions you received during the past year and shows their tax status. That statement, or a separate statement from your broker, also covers your share transactions.

 

Most importantly, consult your tax professional. Everyone’s tax situation is different, and your tax professional should be able to help you answer any questions you may have.

 

Buying Shares Before a Distribution

 

The money the Fund earns, either as net investment income or as net realized capital gains, is reflected in its net asset value until it distributes the money. At that time, the amount of the distribution is deducted from the net asset value. Because of this, to the extent the Funds share price correlates with its net asset value, if you buy shares of the Fund just before it makes such a distribution, you may end up getting some of your investment back as a taxable distribution. You can avoid this situation by waiting to invest until after the record date for the distribution.

 

Generally, if you are an exempt investor, there are no current tax consequences to you from distributions.

 

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Taxes When Shares are Sold

 

Generally, you will recognize taxable gain or loss if you sell or otherwise dispose of your shares. Any gain arising from such a disposition generally will be treated as long-term capital gain if you held the shares for more than one year; otherwise, it will be classified as short-term capital gain. However, any capital loss arising from the disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of capital gain dividends received with respect to such shares. In addition, all or a portion of any loss recognized upon a disposition of shares may be disallowed under “wash sale” rules if other shares of the same Fund are purchased (whether through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the disposition. If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of the shares acquired.

 

Taxes on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units

 

A person who purchases a Creation Unit by exchanging securities in-kind generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and any net amount of cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange and (ii) the sum of the purchaser’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any net amount of cash paid for the Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units and receives securities in-kind from the Fund will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the redeemer’s basis in the Creation Units, and the aggregate market value of the securities received and any net cash received. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an in-kind exchange of securities for Creation Units or an exchange of Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons effecting in-kind creations or redemptions should consult their own tax adviser with respect to these matters.

 

The Fund has the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or a group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to section 351 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the deposit securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Fund also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determinations.

 

Disclaimers

 

NYSE Arca, Inc. Disclaimer

 

Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). NYSE Arca makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to meet their investment objective. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the shares of the Fund.

 

NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

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NEUBERGER BERMAN ETF TRUST

 

If you would like further details on the Fund, you can request a free copy of the following documents:

 

Shareholder Reports. The shareholder reports offer information about the Fund, including:

 

a discussion by the Portfolio Managers about strategies and market conditions that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year or fiscal period

 

Fund performance data and financial statements

 

portfolio holdings.

 

Statement of Additional Information (SAI). The SAI contains more comprehensive information on the Fund, including:

 

various types of securities and practices, and their risks

 

investment limitations and additional policies

 

information about the Fund’s management and business structure.

 

The SAI is hereby incorporated by reference into this prospectus, making it legally part of the prospectus.

 

Investment Manager: Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC

 

Obtaining Information

 

You can obtain a shareholder report, SAI, and other information from your financial intermediary, or from:

 

Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC

1290 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10104

877-628-2583

Website: www.nb.com/ETF

 

Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].

 

The Fund’s current net asset value per share is made available at: www.nb.com/ETF.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The “Neuberger Berman” name and logo and “Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC” are registered service marks of Neuberger Berman Group LLC. The individual Fund names in this prospectus are either service marks or registered service marks of Neuberger Berman Group LLC or Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC. ©2022 Neuberger Berman BD LLC, distributor. All rights reserved.

 

SEC File Number: 811-23761

X0276 12/22