Exchange-Traded Funds

 

28 February
2022

       
   

Listing Exchange

Ticker Symbol

Fund Name

     

Nuveen ESG International Developed Markets Equity ETF

 

Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.

NUDM

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF

 

Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.

NUEM

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

As permitted by regulations adopted by the SEC, paper copies of the Funds’ annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will not be sent to you by mail unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Funds’ website (www.nuveen.com), and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.

You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Funds electronically at any time by contacting the financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank) through which you hold your Fund shares.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge at any time by contacting your financial intermediary. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary.

Prospectus


   
 

 

Table of Contents

 

   
 

Section 1 Fund Summaries 2

Nuveen ESG International Developed Markets Equity ETF 2

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF 7

Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds’
Strategies, Holdings and Risks
 12

Investment Objectives and Principal Investment Strategies 12

Portfolio Holdings 13

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings 14

Risks 15

Section 3 Fund Management 25

Who Manages the Funds 25

Management Fees 26

Section 4 Investing in the Funds 27

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares 27

Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units 28

Distributor 28

Distribution and Service Payments 29

Frequent Trading 30

Section 5 General Information 31

Dividends and Distributions 31

Taxes 31

Net Asset Value 35

Premium/Discount Information 36

Fund Service Providers 36

Index Provider 36

Listing Exchange 37

Section 6 Financial Highlights 38

   
 

 NOT FDIC OR GOVERNMENT INSURED MAY LOSE VALUE  NO BANK GUARANTEE


Section 1 Fund Summaries

Nuveen ESG International Developed Markets Equity ETF

Investment Objective

Nuveen ESG International Developed Markets Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results, before fees and expenses, of the TIAA ESG International Developed Markets Equity Index (the “Index”).

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in this table or the example that follows:

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

   

Management Fees

0.30%1

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

None

Other Expenses

0.00%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.30%1


1  Restated to reflect a reduction in the Fund’s contractual management fee effective September 28, 2021.

Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect brokerage commissions that you may pay when you purchase and sell Fund shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

   

1 Year

$31

3 Years

$97

5 Years

$169

10 Years

$381

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 fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 64% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Index, which is comprised solely of listed equity securities issued by companies (and depositary receipts representing such securities) located in countries with developed markets, excluding the United States and Canada, that meet certain environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) criteria. The Index selects from the securities included in the MSCI EAFE Index (the “Base Index”), which currently consists of large- and mid-capitalization companies located in one of the following 21 developed market countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Securities in the Base Index are weighted based on market capitalization. MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”) is the index provider for the Index and the Base Index. The Index and the Base Index are owned, calculated and controlled by MSCI, in its sole discretion. Neither the Fund’s investment adviser, sub-adviser nor their affiliates has any discretion to select Index components or change the Index methodology.

The Index identifies equity securities from the Base Index that satisfy certain ESG criteria, based on ESG performance data collected by MSCI ESG Research, Inc. ESG performance is measured on an industry-specific basis, with assessment categories varying by industry. Environmental assessment categories can include how a company is

   

2

Section 1 Fund Summaries


addressing climate change, natural resource use, and waste management and emission management. Social evaluation categories can include a company’s relations with employees and suppliers, product safety and sourcing practices. Governance assessment categories can include governance practices and business ethics. The ESG criteria also consider how well a company adheres to national and international laws and regulations as well as commonly accepted global norms related to ESG matters. Index rules generally exclude companies with significant activities in certain controversial businesses, including those involving alcohol, tobacco, nuclear power, gambling, and firearms and other weapons, among others. Companies otherwise eligible for inclusion in the Index that exceed certain carbon-based ownership and emissions thresholds are excluded from the Index.

Companies that meet the ESG criteria are then ranked within their respective sectors based on their ESG performance score. The highest ranked companies in each sector are identified as eligible for inclusion in the Index until such point that the aggregate weight of companies in the sector reaches 50% of the market cap of such sector in the Base Index. For example, if the market capitalization of all consumer discretionary sector companies included in the Base Index totals $200 billion, then the Index would screen these consumer discretionary sector companies, rank them based on ESG performance scores, and add the highest scoring companies to the Index until such point that their combined total market capitalization reaches $100 billion. Those companies identified as eligible for inclusion in the Index are market capitalization weighted within their respective sectors. Once the universe of eligible Index components is established, the Index optimizes the market cap weightings of individual components to approximate the sector weightings of the Base Index, within certain constraints established by the Index.

In seeking to track the investment results of the Index, the Fund attempts to replicate the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index. The Index is normally rebalanced and reconstituted quarterly in February, May, August, and November. The Index may also remove a security at any time in response to a corporate event such as bankruptcy, delisting, merger or acquisition that causes the security to become ineligible for inclusion in the Index. The Fund makes changes to its portfolio shortly after any Index changes are made public. As of December 31, 2021, the Index was comprised of 173 securities.

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in component securities of the Index and depositary receipts representing securities in the Index. To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of companies in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.

Principal Risks

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund listed below are presented alphabetically to facilitate your ability to find particular risks and compare them with the risks of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

Concentration Risk—To the extent that the Fund’s portfolio is concentrated in the securities of issuers in a particular market, industry, group of industries or sector, the Fund may be adversely affected by the performance of those securities, may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting that market, industry, group of industries or sector.

Currency Risk—Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, the value of dividends and interest earned from such securities, and gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

Cybersecurity Risk—Cybersecurity risk is the risk of an unauthorized breach and access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or the risk of an incident occurring that causes the Fund, its investment adviser or sub-adviser, custodian, transfer agent, distributor or other service provider or a financial intermediary to suffer a data breach, data corruption or lose operational functionality. Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact the Fund or its shareholders. Additionally, a cybersecurity breach could affect the issuers in which the Fund invests, which may cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.

Equity Security Risk—Equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur because of declines in the equity market as a whole, or because of declines

   

Section 1 Fund Summaries

3


in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market. From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in companies in one or more related sectors or industries which would make the Fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting such sectors or industries.

ESG Strategy Risk—Because the Fund’s ESG investment strategy will exclude securities of certain issuers for non-financial reasons (i.e., companies that do not demonstrate sustainable ESG characteristics or are involved in certain prohibited activities), the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use an ESG investment strategy or may be required to sell a security when it might otherwise be disadvantageous to do so. This may cause the Fund to underperform the stock market as a whole or other funds that do not use an ESG investment strategy. In addition, there is a risk that the companies identified by the Fund’s ESG investment strategy will not operate as expected when addressing ESG issues or they will not exhibit positive ESG characteristics as intended. Further, in selecting companies for inclusion in the Index, the Index Provider relies on information and ESG performance data from an affiliated research provider, which could be incomplete or erroneous, which in turn could cause the Index Provider to assess a company’s ESG characteristics incorrectly.

Foreign Investment Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies in a single country or region, it may be more susceptible to adverse conditions affecting that country or region. Additionally, non-U.S. securities may have relatively low market liquidity, greater market volatility, decreased publicly available information and less reliable financial information about issuers, and inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements than domestic issuers.

Geographic Concentration Risk—To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies in a single country or region and/or the depositary receipts representing such securities, it may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies located in Japan and Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, although this may change over time.

Index Provider Risk—There is no assurance that the Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, reconstituted, rebalanced, composed, calculated or disseminated accurately. To correct any such error, an index provider may carry out an unscheduled rebalance or other modification of the Index constituents or weightings, which may increase the Fund’s costs. Unusual market conditions may cause an index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. Such a postponement in a time of market volatility could mean a constituent that would otherwise be removed at rebalance may remain, causing the performance and constituents of the index to vary from those expected under normal conditions. Index providers generally do not provide any representation or warranty in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in the indexes in which they license, and generally do not guarantee that an index will be calculated in accordance with its stated methodology. Losses or costs associated with any index provider errors generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.

Investment Style Risk—The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets or in response to changing market conditions. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index. In addition, because the Index selects securities for inclusion based on ESG criteria, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

Market Trading Risks—The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), and as with all ETFs, Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of a Fund share typically will approximate its net asset value (“NAV”), there may be times when the market price and the NAV diverge more significantly, particularly in times of market volatility or steep market declines. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy Fund shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares. In addition, the Funds’ underlying portfolio holdings trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the national securities exchange on which the Fund’s shares trade is open (and vice versa), which may result in larger differences between the Fund’s NAV and its market price than those experienced by ETFs that invest in domestic securities. Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, it is possible that an active trading market may not develop or be maintained, in which case transactions may occur at wider bid/ask spreads (which may be especially pronounced for smaller funds). Trading of the Fund’s shares may be halted by the activation of individual or market-wide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular

   

4

Section 1 Fund Summaries


security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). In times of market stress, the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings may become less liquid, which in turn may affect the liquidity of the Fund’s shares and/or lead to more significant differences between the Fund’s market price and its NAV. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund’s shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for the Fund’s shares. In the event market makers cease making a market in the Fund’s shares or authorized participants stop submitting creation or redemption orders, Fund shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV.

Mid-Cap Company Risk—Securities of mid-cap companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or broader market averages in general.

Service Provider Operational Risk—The Fund’s service providers, such as the Fund’s administrator, custodian or transfer agent, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. Although service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, and to take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors, it may not be possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.

Tracking Error Risk—Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of, for example, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to the Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, but the Index does not.

Fund Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/etf or by calling (800) 257-8787.

During the period reflected in the bar chart above, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 17.51% and -21.73%, respectively, for the quarters ended December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2020.

The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and the Index. All 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. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.

   

Section 1 Fund Summaries

5


       
   

Average Annual Total Returns
for the Periods Ended
December 31, 2021

 

Inception
Date

1 Year

Since
Inception

NUDM (return before taxes)

06/06/17

10.21%

7.71%

NUDM (return after taxes on distributions)

 

8.83%

7.08%

NUDM (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares)

 

6.52%

6.00%

MSCI EAFE Index (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads)

 

11.26%

7.18%

TIAA ESG International Developed Markets Equity Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

10.52%

8.03%

Management

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC

Sub-Adviser

Teachers Advisors, LLC

Portfolio Managers

     

Name

Title

Portfolio Manager of Fund Since

Philip James (Jim) Campagna, CFA

Managing Director

June 2017

Lei Liao, CFA

Managing Director

June 2017

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund is an ETF. Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and can only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An investor may also incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Fund shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Fund shares (ask) when buying and selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or 401(k) plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

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 or financial advisor), the Fund’s investment adviser or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. 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.

   

6

Section 1 Fund Summaries


Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF

Investment Objective

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results, before fees and expenses, of the TIAA ESG Emerging Markets Equity Index (the “Index”).

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in this table or the example that follows:

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

   

Management Fees

0.35%1

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

None

Other Expenses

0.00%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.35%1


1  Restated to reflect a reduction in the Fund’s contractual management fee effective September 28, 2021.

Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example does not reflect brokerage commissions that you may pay when you purchase and sell Fund shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

   

1 Year

$36

3 Years

$113

5 Years

$197

10 Years

$443

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 fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 61% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Index, which is comprised solely of listed equity securities issued by companies (and depositary receipts representing such securities) located in countries with emerging markets that meet certain environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) criteria. The Index selects from the securities included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the “Base Index”), which currently consists of large- and mid-capitalization companies located in one of the following 26 emerging market countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Securities in the Base Index are weighted based on market capitalization. MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”), is the index provider for the Index and the Base Index. The Index and the Base Index are owned, calculated and controlled by MSCI, in its sole discretion. Neither the Fund’s investment adviser, sub-adviser nor their affiliates has any discretion to select Index components or change the Index methodology.

The Index identifies equity securities from the Base Index that satisfy certain ESG criteria, based on ESG performance data collected by MSCI ESG Research, Inc. ESG performance is measured on an industry-specific basis, with assessment categories varying by industry. Environmental assessment categories can include how a company is addressing climate change, natural resource use, and waste management and emission management. Social evaluation categories can include a company’s relations with employees and suppliers, product safety and sourcing practices. Governance assessment categories can include governance practices and business ethics. The ESG criteria also

   

Section 1 Fund Summaries

7


consider how well a company adheres to national and international laws and regulations as well as commonly accepted global norms related to ESG matters. Index rules generally exclude companies with significant activities in certain controversial businesses, including those involving alcohol, tobacco, nuclear power, gambling, and firearms and other weapons, among others. Companies otherwise eligible for inclusion in the Index that exceed certain carbon-based ownership and emissions thresholds are excluded from the Index.

Companies that meet the ESG criteria are then ranked within their respective sectors based on their ESG performance score. The highest ranked companies in each sector are identified as eligible for inclusion in the Index until such point that the aggregate weight of companies in the sector reaches 50% of the market cap of such sector in the Base Index. For example, if the market capitalization of all consumer discretionary sector companies included in the Base Index totals $200 billion, then the Index would screen these consumer discretionary sector companies, rank them based on ESG performance scores, and add the highest scoring companies to the Index until such point that their combined total market capitalization reaches $100 billion. Those companies identified as eligible for inclusion in the Index are market capitalization weighted within their respective sectors. Once the universe of eligible Index components is established, the Index optimizes the market cap weightings of individual components to approximate the sector weightings of the Base Index, within certain constraints established by the Index. As of the date of this prospectus, a significant portion of the Index is comprised of companies in the consumer discretionary sector.

In seeking to track the investment results of the Index, the Fund attempts to replicate the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index. The Index is normally rebalanced and reconstituted quarterly in February, May, August, and November. The Index may also remove a security at any time in response to a corporate event such as bankruptcy, delisting, merger or acquisition that causes the security to become ineligible for inclusion in the Index. The Fund makes changes to its portfolio shortly after any Index changes are made public. As of December 31, 2021, the Index was comprised of 225 securities.

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in component securities of the Index and depositary receipts representing securities in the Index. To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of companies in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.

Principal Risks

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund listed below are presented alphabetically to facilitate your ability to find particular risks and compare them with the risks of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

Concentration Risk—To the extent that the Fund’s portfolio is concentrated in the securities of issuers in a particular market, industry, group of industries or sector, the Fund may be adversely affected by the performance of those securities, may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting that market, industry, group of industries or sector.

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk—The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, although this may change over time. Consumer discretionary companies, such as retailers, media companies and consumer services companies, provide non-essential goods and services. These companies manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, and the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending.

Currency Risk—Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, the value of dividends and interest earned from such securities, and gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

Cybersecurity Risk—Cybersecurity risk is the risk of an unauthorized breach and access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or the risk of an incident occurring that causes the Fund, its investment adviser or sub-adviser, custodian, transfer agent, distributor or other service provider or a financial intermediary to suffer a data breach, data corruption or lose operational functionality. Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact the Fund or its shareholders.

   

8

Section 1 Fund Summaries


Additionally, a cybersecurity breach could affect the issuers in which the Fund invests, which may cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.

Emerging Markets RiskThe risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Because their financial markets may be very small, prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may have lower overall liquidity than those of issuers in more developed countries. Financial and other reporting by companies and government entities also may be less reliable or difficult to obtain in emerging market countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Shareholder claims and regulatory actions that are available in the U.S. may be difficult or impossible to pursue in emerging market countries.

Equity Security Risk—Equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur because of declines in the equity market as a whole, or because of declines in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market. From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in companies in one or more related sectors or industries which would make the Fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting such sectors or industries.

ESG Strategy Risk—Because the Fund’s ESG investment strategy will exclude securities of certain issuers for non-financial reasons (i.e., companies that do not demonstrate sustainable ESG characteristics or are involved in certain prohibited activities), the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use an ESG investment strategy or may be required to sell a security when it might otherwise be disadvantageous to do so. This may cause the Fund to underperform the stock market as a whole or other funds that do not use an ESG investment strategy. In addition, there is a risk that the companies identified by the Fund’s ESG investment strategy will not operate as expected when addressing ESG issues or they will not exhibit positive ESG characteristics as intended. Further, in selecting companies for inclusion in the Index, the Index Provider relies on information and ESG performance data from an affiliated research provider, which could be incomplete or erroneous, which in turn could cause the Index Provider to assess a company’s ESG characteristics incorrectly.

Foreign Investment Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies in a single country or region, it may be more susceptible to adverse conditions affecting that country or region. Additionally, non-U.S. securities may have relatively low market liquidity, greater market volatility, decreased publicly available information and less reliable financial information about issuers, and inconsistent and potentially less stringent accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements than domestic issuers. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies located in China, although this may change over time. The Fund's investments in China include companies operated through legal structures known as variable interest entities ("VIEs"), which are not formally recognized under Chinese law and are subject to the risk, among others, that China could cease to allow VIEs at any time or impose new restrictions on the structure, either of which could result in significant economic losses to the Fund.

Geographic Concentration Risk—To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies in a single country or region and/or the depositary receipts representing such securities, it may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Fund currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies located in China and other Asian countries, although this may change over time.

Index Provider Risk—There is no assurance that the Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, reconstituted, rebalanced, composed, calculated or disseminated accurately. To correct any such error, an index provider may carry out an unscheduled rebalance or other modification of the Index constituents or weightings, which may increase the Fund’s costs. Unusual market conditions may cause an index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. Such a postponement in a time of market volatility could mean a constituent that would otherwise be removed at rebalance may remain, causing the performance and constituents of the index to vary from those expected under normal conditions. Index providers generally do not provide any representation or warranty in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in the indexes in which they license, and generally do not guarantee that an index will be calculated in accordance with its stated methodology. Losses or costs associated with any index provider errors generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.

   

Section 1 Fund Summaries

9


Investment Style Risk—The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets or in response to changing market conditions. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index. In addition, because the Index selects securities for inclusion based on ESG criteria, the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

Market Trading Risks—The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), and as with all ETFs, Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of a Fund share typically will approximate its net asset value (“NAV”), there may be times when the market price and the NAV diverge more significantly, particularly in times of market volatility or steep market declines. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy Fund shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares. In addition, the Funds’ underlying portfolio holdings trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the national securities exchange on which the Fund’s shares trade is open (and vice versa), which may result in larger differences between the Fund’s NAV and its market price than those experienced by ETFs that invest in domestic securities. Although the Fund’s shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, it is possible that an active trading market may not develop or be maintained, in which case transactions may occur at wider bid/ask spreads (which may be especially pronounced for smaller funds). Trading of the Fund’s shares may be halted by the activation of individual or market-wide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage). In times of market stress, the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings may become less liquid, which in turn may affect the liquidity of the Fund’s shares and/or lead to more significant differences between the Fund’s market price and its NAV. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund’s shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for the Fund’s shares. In the event market makers cease making a market in the Fund’s shares or authorized participants stop submitting creation or redemption orders, Fund shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV.

Mid-Cap Company Risk—Securities of mid-cap companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or broader market averages in general.

Service Provider Operational Risk—The Fund’s service providers, such as the Fund’s administrator, custodian or transfer agent, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. Although service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, and to take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors, it may not be possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.

Tracking Error Risk—Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of, for example, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to the Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, but the Index does not.

Fund Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/etf or by calling (800) 257-8787.

   

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Section 1 Fund Summaries


During the period reflected in the bar chart above, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 20.21% and -22.42%, respectively, for the quarters ended December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2020.

The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and the Index. All 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. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.

       
   

Average Annual Total Returns
for the Periods Ended
December 31, 2021

 

Inception
Date

1 Year

Since
Inception

NUEM (return before taxes)

06/06/17

(1.19)%

7.64%

NUEM (return after taxes on distributions)

 

(1.84)%

7.17%

NUEM (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares)

 

(0.38)%

5.94%

MSCI Emerging Markets Index (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads)

 

(2.54)%

6.80%

TIAA ESG Emerging Markets Equity Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

(0.38)%

8.50%

Management

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC

Sub-Adviser

Teachers Advisors, LLC

Portfolio Managers

     

Name

Title

Portfolio Manager of Fund Since

Philip James (Jim) Campagna, CFA

Managing Director

June 2017

Lei Liao, CFA

Managing Director

June 2017

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund is an ETF. Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and can only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An investor may also incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Fund shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Fund shares (ask) when buying and selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or 401(k) plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

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 or financial advisor), the Fund’s investment adviser or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. 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.

   

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11


Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds’ Strategies, Holdings and Risks

This prospectus contains important information about investing in the Funds. Please read this prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Funds is available at www.nuveen.com/etf or by calling Nuveen Investor Services at (888) 290-9881.

Each Fund is designed to track an index that is not representative of the market as a whole. Each Fund is designed to be used as part of a broader asset allocation strategy, and thus an investment in a Fund should not be considered a complete investment program.

Each Index is a theoretical financial calculation, whereas a Fund is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of a Fund and its Index may vary for a number of reasons, including transaction costs, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), and differences between a Fund’s portfolio and its Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Index. On an annual basis, each Fund’s tracking error (i.e., the divergence of a Fund’s performance from that of its Index) is generally expected to be less than 5%.

 

  Investment Objectives and Principal
Investment Strategies

Each Fund’s investment objective, which is described in the “Fund Summaries” section, may be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without shareholder approval.

Each Fund’s investment policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval unless otherwise noted in this prospectus or the statement of additional information.

Each Fund has adopted policies whereby, under normal market conditions, it will invest at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in component securities of its Index and in depositary receipts representing securities in its Index (the “Name Policy”). If the Name Policy changes, you will be notified at least 60 days in advance. Each Fund may consider both direct investments and indirect investments (e.g., investments in other investment companies, derivatives and synthetic instruments with economic characteristics similar to the direct investments that meet the Name Policy) when determining compliance with the Name Policy. For purposes of the Name Policy, the Funds will value eligible derivatives at fair value or market value and not notional value.

Each Fund’s principal investment strategies are discussed in the “Fund Summaries” section. These are the strategies that each Fund’s investment adviser and sub-adviser believe are most likely to be important in trying to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. This section provides more information about these strategies, as well as information about some additional strategies that the Funds’ sub-adviser uses, or may use, to achieve each Fund’s objective. You should be aware that each Fund may also use strategies and invest in securities that are not described in this prospectus, but that are described in the statement of additional information. For a copy of the statement of

   

12

Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks


additional information, call Nuveen Investor Services at (888) 290-9881 or visit the Funds’ website at www.nuveen.com/etf.

 

  Portfolio Holdings

Under normal market conditions, each Fund invests at least 80% of its assets, exclusive of collateral held from securities lending, in component securities of its Index. Each Fund may also, as a non-principal strategy, invest up to 20% of its assets in securities and other instruments that the Fund’s sub-adviser believes will help it track its Index, such as shares of other investment companies (including other ETFs), derivative instruments (including forward contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, options and swaps), and cash and cash equivalents. Additional information about each Fund’s portfolio holdings can be found below.

Equity Securities

The Funds invest in equity securities. Equity securities generally include common stocks; preferred securities; warrants to purchase common stocks and preferred securities; convertible debt securities that are either in the money or immediately convertible into common stocks or preferred securities; common and preferred securities issued by master limited partnerships and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”); depositary receipts; and other securities with equity characteristics.

REITs

As a non-principal investment strategy, each Fund may invest in REITs. REITs are publicly traded corporations or trusts that invest in residential or commercial real estate. REITs generally can be divided into the following three types:

· Equity REITs, which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains or real estate appreciation.

· Mortgage REITs, which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgage loans and derive their income primarily from interest payments.

· Hybrid REITs, which combine the characteristics of equity REITs and mortgage REITs.

The only REITs included in the Index are equity REITs. The Fund can invest in common stock, preferred securities and convertible securities issued by equity REITs.

Derivatives

As a non-principal investment strategy, each Fund may invest in derivatives. Generally, a derivative is a financial contract the value of which depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. Derivatives generally take the form of contracts under which the parties agree to payments between them based upon the performance of a wide variety of underlying references, such as stocks, bonds, loans, commodities, interest rates, currency exchange rates, and various domestic and foreign indices. Examples of derivative instruments include forward currency contracts, currency and interest rate swaps, currency options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements.

Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives could have a large impact on a Fund’s performance.

Investment Companies and Other Pooled Investment Vehicles

As a non-principal investment strategy, each Fund may invest in securities of other open-end or closed-end investment companies, including ETFs. As a shareholder in an

   

Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks

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investment company or other pooled investment vehicle, each Fund will bear its ratable share of that vehicle’s expenses, and would remain subject to payment of the Fund’s management fees with respect to assets so invested. Shareholders would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent a Fund invests in an investment company or other pooled investment vehicle. In addition, each Fund will incur brokerage costs when purchasing and selling shares of ETFs. Securities of investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles may be leveraged, in which case the value and/or yield of such securities will tend to be more volatile than securities of unleveraged vehicles.

Generally, investments in other investment companies (including ETFs) are subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("1940 Act"). These limitations include a prohibition on a Fund acquiring more than 3% of the voting shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets in the securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of its total assets, in the aggregate, in investment company securities. Subject to certain conditions, a Fund also may invest in money market funds beyond the statutory limits described above.

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

As a non-principal investment strategy, each Fund may invest in cash and in U.S. dollar-denominated high-quality money market instruments and other short-term securities, including money market funds, in such proportions as warranted by prevailing market conditions and the Funds’ principal investment strategies. The Funds may temporarily invest without limit in such holdings for liquidity purposes. Being invested in these securities may keep a Fund from participating in a market upswing and prevent a Fund from achieving its investment objective.

Temporary Defensive Positions

In certain situations or market conditions, such as in the case of liquidity concerns and/or unusually large cash inflows or redemptions, a Fund may temporarily depart from its normal investment policies and strategies, provided that the alternative is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and is in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders.

 

  Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

A description of each Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s statement of additional information. In addition, the identities and quantities of the securities held by each Fund are disclosed on the Fund’s website.

   

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Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks


 

  Risks

Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in the Funds involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or even that you may lose part or all of your investment. Therefore, before investing you should consider carefully the principal risks and certain other risks that you assume when you invest in the Funds. Descriptions of these risks listed below are presented alphabetically to facilitate your ability to find particular risks and compare them with the risks of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Funds, regardless of the order in which it appears. Because of these risks, you should consider an investment in a Fund to be a long-term investment.

Principal Risks

Concentration risk: To the extent that a Fund’s portfolio is concentrated in the securities of issuers in a particular market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class, a Fund may be adversely affected by the performance of those securities, may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting that market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Concentrated exposure to an industry or group of industries may cause a Fund to experience increased market price volatility compared to funds that invest more broadly in the overall market.

Consumer discretionary sector risk: The Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF (“ESG Emerging Markets ETF”) currently invests a significant portion of its assets in the consumer discretionary sector, although this may change over time. Consumer discretionary companies, such as retailers, media companies and consumer services companies, provide non-essential goods and services. These companies manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, and the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Consumer discretionary companies may also be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes can also affect the demand or, and success of, consumer discretionary products in the marketplace. Consumer discretionary companies have historically been characterized as relatively cyclical and therefore more volatile in times of change.

Currency risk: The Funds will invest in non-U.S. securities denominated in foreign currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of such securities, the value of dividends and interest earned from such securities, and gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and hence the NAV of the Funds. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these foreign currencies will adversely affect the value of the Funds.

Cybersecurity risk: Intentional cybersecurity breaches include: unauthorized access to systems, networks or devices (such as through “hacking” activity); infection from computer viruses or other malicious software code; and attacks that shut down, disable, slow, or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, or website access or functionality. In addition, unintentional incidents can occur, such as the inadvertent release of confidential information (possibly resulting in the violation of applicable privacy laws).

A cybersecurity breach could result in the loss or theft of customer data or funds, the inability to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary

   

Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks

15


information or corporate data, physical damage to a computer or network system, or costs associated with system repairs. Such incidents could cause a Fund, a Fund’s adviser or sub-adviser, a financial intermediary, or other service providers to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs or financial loss. Negative impacts on a Fund could include the inability to calculate net asset value, transact business, process transactions on behalf of shareholders or safeguard data. In addition, such incidents could affect issuers in which a Fund invests, and thereby cause a Fund’s investments to lose value.

Emerging markets risk: The ESG Emerging Markets ETF invests in the securities of companies located in emerging market countries. The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets. Emerging markets generally do not have the level of market efficiency and strict standards in accounting and securities regulation to be on par with advanced economies. Obtaining disclosures comparable to frequency, availability and quality of disclosures required by securities in the U.S. may be difficult. Investments in emerging markets come with much greater risk due to political instability, domestic infrastructure problems and currency volatility. Because their financial markets may be very small, prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. In addition, foreign investors such as a fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Shareholder claims that are available in the U.S., as well as regulatory oversight, authority and enforcement actions that are common in the U.S. by regulators, may be difficult or impossible for shareholders of securities in emerging market countries or for U.S. authorities to pursue.

Equity security risk: Equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time. Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Price changes may occur in the market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market. From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in companies in one or more related sectors or industries which would make the Fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting such sectors or industries. Adverse events in any part of the U.S. and global financial markets may have unexpected negative effects on equity markets. These events may at times result in unusually high market volatility, including short-term volatility, which could negatively affect Fund performance.

A variety of factors can negatively affect the price of a particular company's equity securities. These factors may include, but are not limited to: poor earnings reports, a loss of customers, litigation against the company, general unfavorable performance of the company's sector or industry, or changes in government regulations affecting the company or its industry.

ESG strategy risk: Because a Fund’s ESG investment strategy will exclude securities of certain issuers for non-financial reasons (i.e., companies that do not demonstrate sustainable ESG characteristics or are involved in certain prohibited activities), a Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use an ESG investment strategy or may be required to sell a security when it might otherwise be disadvantageous to do so. This may cause a Fund to underperform the stock market as a whole or other funds that do not use an ESG investment strategy. In addition, there is a risk that the companies identified by a Fund’s ESG investment strategy do not operate as expected when addressing ESG issues. A company’s ESG performance or practices or the sub-adviser’s assessment of those actions could vary over time, which could cause a Fund to be temporarily invested in companies that do not comply with a Fund’s approach towards considering ESG characteristics. There are significant differences in

   

16

Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks


interpretations of what it means for a company to have positive ESG characteristics. While the sub-adviser believes its evaluation of ESG characteristics is reasonable, the portfolio decisions it makes may differ with other investors’ or advisers’ views. As a result, a Fund may invest in securities that do not reflect the beliefs of any particular investor. In making investment decisions, the sub-adviser relies on information and data that could be incomplete or erroneous, which could cause the sub-adviser to incorrectly assess a company’s ESG characteristics. The third-party data providers may differ in the data they provide for a given security or between industries, or may only take into account one of many ESG-related components of a company. Furthermore, data availability and reporting with respect to ESG criteria may not always be available or may become unreliable.

Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG characteristics could have a material adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds, such as the Funds, whose strategies include ESG factors.

Foreign investment risk: Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to or different than those of issuers that are located in or principally operated in the United States due to political, social and economic developments abroad, different regulatory environments and laws, potential seizure by the government of company assets, higher taxation, withholding taxes on dividends and interest and limitations on the use or transfer of portfolio assets. If any of these events were to occur, the affected security may experience drastic declines. In the event of a seizure of assets by a non-U.S. government, a Fund could lose its entire investment in that particular country.

To the extent a Fund invests in depositary receipts, the Fund will be subject to many of the same risks as when investing directly in non-U.S. securities. The holder of an unsponsored depositary receipt may have limited voting rights and may not receive as much information about the issuer of the underlying securities as would the holder of a sponsored depositary receipt.

Other non-U.S. investment risks include the following:

· Enforcing legal rights may be difficult, costly and slow in non-U.S. countries, and there may be special problems enforcing claims against non-U.S. governments.

· Non-U.S. companies may not be subject to accounting standards or governmental supervision comparable to U.S. companies, and there may be less public information about their operations.

· Non-U.S. markets may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. markets.

· The U.S. and non-U.S. markets often rise and fall at different times or by different amounts due to economic or other developments particular to a given country or region. This phenomenon would tend to lower the overall price volatility of a portfolio that included both U.S. and non-U.S. securities. Sometimes, however, global trends will cause the U.S. and non-U.S. markets to move in the same direction, reducing or eliminating the risk reduction benefit of international investing.

· Non-U.S. securities traded on foreign exchanges, particularly in emerging markets countries, may be subject to further risks due to the inexperience of local investment professionals and financial institutions, the possibility of permanent or temporary termination of trading, and greater spreads between bid and asked

   

Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks

17


prices for securities. In addition, non-U.S. exchanges and investment professionals are subject to less governmental regulation, and commissions may be higher than in the United States. Also, there may be delays in the settlement of non-U.S. exchange transactions.

· A Fund’s income from non-U.S. issuers may be subject to non-U.S. withholding taxes. In some countries, a Fund also may be subject to taxes on trading profits and, on certain securities transactions, transfer or stamp duties tax. To the extent non-U.S. income taxes are paid by a Fund, U.S. shareholders may be entitled to a credit or deduction for U.S. tax purposes.

Some countries restrict to varying degrees foreign investment in their securities markets. In some circumstances, these restrictions may limit or preclude investment in certain countries or may increase the cost of investing in securities of particular companies.

To the extent a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies in a single country or region (or depositary receipts representing such securities), it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. Investment in a Fund may be more exposed to a single country or a region’s economic cycles, stock market valuations and currency, which could increase its risk compared with a more geographically diversified fund. In addition, political, social, regulatory, economic or environmental events that occur in a single country or region may adversely affect the values of that country or region’s securities and thus the holdings of the Fund.

Geographic concentration risk: To the extent a Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies in a single country or region (or depositary receipts representing such securities), it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. Investment in a Fund may be more exposed to a single country or a region’s economic cycles, stock market valuations and currency, which could increase its risk compared with a more geographically diversified fund. In addition, political, social, regulatory, economic or environmental events that occur in a single country or region may adversely affect the values of that country or region’s securities and thus the holdings of the Fund.

Index provider risk: There is no assurance that an Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, reconstituted, rebalanced, composed, calculated or disseminated accurately. To correct any such error, an index provider may carry out an unscheduled rebalance or other modification of an Index constituents or weightings, which may increase a Fund’s costs. Unusual market conditions may cause an index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. Such a postponement in a time of market volatility could mean a constituent that would otherwise be removed at rebalance may remain, causing the performance and constituents of the index to vary from those expected under normal conditions. Index providers generally do not provide any representation or warranty in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in the indexes in which they license, and generally do not guarantee that an index will be calculated in accordance with its stated methodology. Losses or costs associated with any index provider errors generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.

Investment style risk: Each Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. Each Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, a Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index. In addition, because the Index selects securities for

   

18

Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks


inclusion based on ESG criteria, a Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria.

Market trading risks: As with all ETFs, a Fund’s shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of a Fund’s share typically will approximate its NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV diverge more significantly, particularly in times of market volatility or steep market declines. Thus, you may pay more or less than NAV when you buy a Fund’s shares on the secondary market, and you may receive more or less than NAV when you sell those shares. In times of market stress, a Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings may become less liquid, which in turn may affect the liquidity of the Fund’s shares and/or lead to more significant differences between a Fund’s market price and its NAV. In addition, the Funds’ underlying portfolio holdings trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the national securities exchange on which the Fund’s shares trade is open (and vice versa), which may result in larger differences between the Fund’s NAV and its market price than those experienced by ETFs that invest in domestic securities.

Only certain institutional investors are eligible to purchase and redeem shares directly from a Fund at NAV. In addition, efficient trading in a Fund’s shares on the secondary market depends on the participation of firms acting as market makers and/or liquidity providers in the market place. To the extent these market maker and authorized participant firms exit the ETF business or otherwise significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform these functions, a Fund’s shares may trade at a material discount to NAV.

During periods of high market volatility, a Fund’s share may trade at a significant discount to its NAV, and in these circumstances certain types of brokerage orders may expose an investor to an increased risk of loss. A “stop order,” sometimes called a “stop-loss order,” may cause a Fund’s share to be sold at the next prevailing market price once the “stop” level is reached, which during a period of high volatility can be at a price that is substantially below NAV. By including a “limit” criteria with your brokerage order, you may be able to limit the size of the loss resulting from the execution of an ill-timed stop order.

Although each Fund’s shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, it is possible that an active trading market may not develop or be maintained, in which case transactions may occur at wider bid/ask spreads (discussed in further detail below). Trading of a Fund’s shares may be halted by the activation of individual or market-wide trading halts (which halt trading for a specific period of time when the price of a particular security or overall market prices decline by a specified percentage).

Buying or selling a Fund’s shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission and other charges. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread;” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for a Fund’s shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which they are willing to sell a Fund’s shares (the “ask” price). The spread, which varies over time based on trading volume and market liquidity, is generally narrower if a Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and wider if a Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). A Fund’s spread may also be impacted by market volatility generally and the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds. Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling a Fund’s shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results, and an investment in a Fund’s shares may

   

Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks

19


not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments through a brokerage account.

Mid-cap company risk: While securities of mid-cap companies may be slightly less volatile than those of small-cap companies, they still involve substantial risk. Mid-cap companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, and they may be dependent on a limited management group. Securities of mid-cap companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or broader market averages in general.

Risks of investing in Asia: The ESG Emerging Markets ETF currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies located in Asia, although this may change over time. Asia includes both developed and developing economies experiencing different stages of growth and prosperity. Although some Asian economies have experienced rapid rates of economic growth and industrialization recently, there is no guarantee these trends will continue. Further, certain Asian economies may experience currency devaluations and restrictions, high inflation, decreased exports, over-extension of credit, high unemployment rates, government corruption, and economic recessions. Investments in these countries may also be subject to heightened risk of expropriation, confiscatory taxation, piracy of intellectual property data, and political instability, including armed conflict and social unrest. In particular, any outbreak in hostilities between North and South Korea or any increased violence or terrorism in Indonesia or the Philippines could have a significant impact on the entire region and, potentially, the global economy. International trade and the commodities market are also very important to the economies of many Asian countries. Certain Asian countries are vulnerable to a decrease in the price of or global demand for certain commodities, such as oil, natural gas, and coal. The economic conditions of trading partners and neighboring nations as well as the inflow of international capital may also significantly impact these Asian countries’ economies. Certain governments in the region may also exert their influence over many aspects of the private sector in their respective countries and may own or control companies that compete against private enterprises.

Risks of investing in China: The ESG Emerging Markets ETF currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies located in China, although this may change over time. Although the Chinese economy has grown rapidly during recent years and the Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment, and reduce government control of the economy, there can be no guarantee that economic growth or these reforms will continue. In particular, the Chinese economy may experience slower growth if global or domestic demand for Chinese goods decreases significantly. The Chinese economy is also susceptible to rising rates of inflation, economic recession, market inefficiency, volatility, and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of publicly-available information and/or political and social instability. The government of China maintains strict currency controls on the yuan and Hong Kong dollar so that these currencies have historically traded in a tight range relative to the U.S. dollar. Given its past intervention in the currency market, the Chinese government has been under pressure to manage its currency in a less restrictive fashion so that it is less correlated to the U.S. dollar. This could result in an increase in the value of the yuan and the Hong Kong dollar relative to the U.S. dollar, which could have a negative impact on Chinese exports and the overall Chinese economy. Trade tariffs or an economic downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners could also have a detrimental impact on the Chinese economy. Investments in companies based or operated in China through legal structures known as variable interest entities (“VIEs”), which are not formally

   

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Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks


recognized under Chinese law, are subject to the risk, among others, that China could cease to allow VIEs at any time or impose new restrictions on the structure. It is also possible that the contractual arrangements underlying VIEs could be deemed unenforceable in China, which could limit (or eliminate) the remedies and rights available to the VIE and its investors and result in significant economic losses. Foreign investors are also subject to the risk of loss from expropriation or nationalization of their investment assets and property, governmental restrictions on foreign investments and the repatriation of capital invested. Adding to this risk, China’s authoritarian government has used force in the past to suppress civil dissent, and China’s foreign and domestic policies remain in conflict with those of Hong Kong as well as nationalist and religious groups in Xinjiang and Tibet. China’s growing income inequality and worsening environmental conditions also are factors that may affect the Chinese economy. From time to time and as recently as January 2020, China has experienced outbreaks of infectious illnesses, and the country may be subject to other infectious illnesses, diseases or other public health emergencies in the future. Any public health emergency could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the Chinese economy, which in turn could adversely affect the Fund’s investments.

Risks of investing in Europe: The Nuveen ESG International Developed Markets Equity ETF ("ESG Developed Markets ETF") currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies located in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, although this may change over time. The economies and markets of developed countries in Western Europe are interconnected. Events with a substantial impact on one European country typically impact its neighboring countries as well. Most developed nations in Europe belong to the European Union (“EU”), and many of these nations also belong to the European Monetary Union (“EMU”) through which countries share a common currency, the euro, but are also subject to economic and monetary controls, such as restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, and debt levels. Unemployment remains high in many European countries, and several European countries continue to deal with significant debt problems. The default or threat of default of an EMU country on its sovereign debt may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other European nations as well as the value of the euro. Changes in the supply and demand for imports and exports, EU and governmental regulations on trade, and currency exchange rates in Europe (e.g., between the euro and the British pound) may all have a substantial impact on European financial markets and the economies of European countries.

In a referendum held in June 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU (“Brexit”), which resulted in depreciation in the value of the British pound, short term declines in the stock markets and ongoing economic and political uncertainty. Also, as a result of the referendum, the credit ratings agencies downgraded the credit ratings of the United Kingdom and EU. The United Kingdom officially withdrew from the EU on January 31, 2020, entering a transition period that expired on December 31, 2020, during which time the United Kingdom negotiated a trade deal with the EU. The EU and the United Kingdom reached an agreement that took effect on January 1, 2021; however, there remains considerable uncertainty about the potential trade, economic and market consequences of the exit. Other countries may also depart the EU, voluntarily or otherwise. The negative impact of the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU, as well as any future departures by other countries, could be significant, not only to the British and European economies, but also to the broader global economy. Such departures could potentially result in increased market volatility and illiquidity, and lower economic growth for companies that rely significantly on Europe for their business activities and revenues, which could negatively impact the value of the Fund’s investments.

   

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Risks of investing in Japan: The ESG Developed Markets ETF currently invests a significant portion of its assets in companies located in Japan, although this may change over time. Although Japan has recently emerged from a prolonged economic downturn that began in 2000, Japan’s economic growth rate may continue to lag the growth rates of neighboring Asian economies and other developed countries’ economies. Japan’s economy remains heavily dependent on international trade, and thus Japan’s economy may be adversely affected by trade tariffs, other protectionist measures, competition from developing nations, and political tensions with or downturns in the economies of its primary trading partners, including the United States, China, and other Southeast Asian countries. In addition, Japan relies on oil imports, and higher commodity prices could have a negative impact on the Japanese economy. In the past, the Japanese economy has been negatively affected by, among other factors, government intervention and protectionism, large government debt, relatively high unemployment rates, an aging population and workforce, and an unstable financial services sector. Japan is also vulnerable to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, any one of which could significantly impact its economy and infrastructure.

Service provider operational risk: A Fund’s service providers, such as a Fund’s administrator, custodian or transfer agent, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact a Fund. Although service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, and to take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors, it may not be possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect a Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.

Tracking error risk: Tracking error is the divergence of a Fund’s performance from that of its Index. Tracking error may occur because of, for example, pricing differences, transaction costs, a Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to its Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because a Fund incurs fees and expenses, but its Index does not.

Non-Principal Risks

Derivatives risk: The use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by a Fund will not correlate with the asset, index or rate underlying the derivative contract.

The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying asset, index or rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the contract. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments. These risks are heightened when the management team uses derivatives to enhance a Fund’s return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge (or offset) the risk of a position or security held by a Fund.

In addition, when a Fund engages in certain derivative transactions, it is effectively leveraging its investments, which could result in exaggerated changes in the NAV of the Fund’s shares and can result in losses that exceed the amount originally invested. The success of a Fund’s derivatives strategies will depend on the sub-adviser’s ability to assess and predict the impact of market or economic developments on the underlying

   

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Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks


asset, index or rate and the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

Each Fund may also enter into over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions in derivatives. Transactions in the OTC markets generally are conducted on a principal-to-principal basis. The terms and conditions of these instruments generally are not standardized and tend to be more specialized or complex, and the instruments may be harder to value. In general, there is less governmental regulation and supervision of transactions in the OTC markets than of transactions entered into on organized exchanges. In addition, certain derivative instruments and markets may not be liquid, which means a Fund may not be able to close out a derivatives transaction in a cost-efficient manner.

Short positions in derivatives may involve greater risks than long positions, as the risk of loss on short positions is theoretically unlimited (unlike a long position, in which the risk of loss may be limited to the notional amount of the instrument).

Swap agreements may involve fees, commissions or other costs that may reduce a Fund’s gains from a swap agreement or may cause the Fund to lose money.

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.

Options contracts may expire unexercised, which may cause a fund to realize a capital loss equal to the premium paid on a purchased option or a capital gain equal to the premium received on a written option.

Global economic risk: National and regional economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country, region or market might adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or market. Changes in legal, political, regulatory, tax and economic conditions may cause fluctuations in markets and securities prices around the world, which could negatively impact the value of a Fund’s investments. For example, the United Kingdom’s referendum decision to leave the European Union resulted in the depreciation in value of the British pound, short term declines in the stock markets and ongoing economic and political uncertainty concerning the consequences of the exit. Similar major economic or political disruptions, particularly in large economies like China’s, may have global negative economic and market repercussions. Additionally, events such as war, terrorism, natural and environmental disasters and the spread of infectious illnesses or other public health emergencies may adversely affect the global economy and the markets and issuers in which a Fund invests. Recent examples of such events include the outbreak of a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 that was first detected in China in December 2019 and heightened concerns regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile programs. These events could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closure, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the global economy. These events could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which a Fund’s service providers, including the investment adviser and Sub-Adviser, rely, and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of a Fund’s service providers to perform essential tasks on behalf of a Fund. Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or

   

Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks

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the ineffectiveness of these policies, could increase volatility in securities markets, which could adversely affect a Fund’s investments.

Other investment companies risk: When a Fund invests in other investment companies, such as ETFs, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of Fund expenses and, indirectly, the expenses of the other investment companies. Furthermore, a Fund is exposed to the risks to which the other investment companies may be subject. For Funds that invest in index-based ETFs, while such ETFs seek to achieve the same returns as a particular market index, the performance of an ETF may diverge from the performance of such index (commonly known as tracking error).

   

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Section 2 Additional Detail About the Funds' Strategies, Holdings and Risks


Section 3 Fund Management

 

  Who Manages the Funds

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), each Fund’s investment adviser, offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of clients, including investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles. The Adviser has overall responsibility for management of the Funds, oversees the management of each Fund’s portfolio, manages each Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. In addition, the Adviser arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration and all other non-distribution related services necessary for each Fund to operate. The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”), the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund (“CREF”). As of December 31, 2021, Nuveen managed approximately $1.3 trillion in assets, of which approximately $194.4 billion was managed by the Adviser. The Adviser is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

The Adviser has selected its affiliate, Teachers Advisors, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), to serve as sub-adviser to the Funds, responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund’s portfolio. As of December 31, 2021, the Sub-Adviser, a subsidiary of Nuveen, managed approximately $403.4 billion in assets. The Sub-Adviser is located at 730 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10017-3206.

The portfolio managers for the Funds are Jim Campagna and Lei Liao.

         
     

Total Experience
(since dates
specified below)


Name & Title

Experience Over Past Five Years

At TIAA

Total

Philip James (Jim) Campagna, CFA
Managing Director

Teachers Advisors, LLC, TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC and other advisory affiliates of TIAA – 2005 to Present (portfolio management of domestic and international large-, mid- and small-cap equity index portfolios)

2005

1991

Lei Liao, CFA
Managing Director

Teachers Advisors, LLC, TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC and other advisory affiliates of TIAA – 2012 to Present (portfolio management of domestic and international large-, mid- and small-cap equity index portfolios)

2012

2005

Additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Funds is provided in the statement of additional information.

   

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25


 

  Management Fees

As compensation for the services it provided to each Fund during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2021, the Adviser received a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, in the amounts set forth below:

   

Fund Name

Management Fee

Nuveen ESG International Developed Markets Equity ETF

0.39%1

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF

0.44%2


1 The Fund’s Board of Trustees reduced the Fund’s contractual management fee to 0.30% effective September 28, 2021.

2 The Fund’s Board of Trustees reduced the Fund’s contractual management fee to 0.35% effective September 28, 2021.

The Adviser is responsible for substantially all other expenses of each Fund, except any future distribution and/or service fees, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, fees incurred in acquiring and disposing of portfolio securities, fees and expenses of the independent trustees (including any trustees’ counsel fees), certain compensation expenses of the Funds’ chief compliance officer, litigation expenses and extraordinary expenses.

Information regarding the Board’s approval of the investment management agreements is available in the Fund’s annual report for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2021.

   

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Section 3 Fund Management


Section 4 Investing in the Funds

 

  Purchase and Sale of Shares

Each Fund is an ETF, which differs from a mutual fund in important ways. Shares of a mutual fund are purchased and redeemed by all shareholders directly from the issuing fund at NAV. By contrast, most investors will buy and sell shares of the Funds through a broker on a national securities exchange, where each Fund’s shares are listed and trade throughout the day at market prices like shares of other publicly traded securities. The Funds do not impose any minimum investment for shares of a Fund purchased on an exchange or otherwise in the secondary market. Each Fund’s shares trade under the trading symbol listed on the cover of this prospectus.

Purchasing or selling shares of a Fund on an exchange or other secondary market typically involves two types of costs. When purchasing or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference on the exchange between the bid price and the ask price for a share of a Fund. The spread will vary over time based on a Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity.

Each Fund’s primary listing exchange is the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the “Listing Exchange”). The Listing Exchange is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth Holiday, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Book Entry

Shares of the Funds are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the Funds and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes.

Investors owning shares of a Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for shares of the Funds. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.

Share Trading Prices

The trading prices of a Fund’s shares on the Listing Exchange generally differ from the Fund’s NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for the Fund’s shares as well as the securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. The price you pay or receive when you buy or sell your shares in the secondary market is based on the market price of a Fund’s shares, which may be more or less than the NAV of such shares.

   

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27


Householding

Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.

Investments by Registered Investment Companies

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Funds. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Funds beyond the limits set forth in Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Funds.

 

  Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units

Only certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) who have entered into agreements with Nuveen Securities, LLC, the Funds’ distributor (the “Distributor”) (“Authorized Participants”), may purchase and redeem shares directly from the Funds at NAV and only in large blocks of shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”). Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by a Fund. An Authorized Participant must be either a DTC participant or a member of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”).

The Funds generally issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for a designated in-kind basket of Fund securities and/or a designated amount of cash (together, the “Basket”). Each day the Listing Exchange is open for trading (a “Business Day”), prior to the opening of trading, each Fund publishes that day’s Basket through NSCC or another method of public dissemination.

Orders from Authorized Participants to create or redeem Creation Units may only be placed on a Business Day and are subject to approval by the Distributor. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after an order is received and deemed acceptable by the Distributor.

Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the Funds’ statement of additional information.

 

  Distributor

Nuveen Securities, LLC, the Funds’ distributor, distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

   

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Section 4 Investing in the Funds


 

  Distribution and Service Payments

Distribution and Service Plan

Each Fund has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act pursuant to which the Fund is authorized to pay fees at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for the sale and distribution of the Fund’s shares. No distribution fees are currently charged to the Funds; there are no plans to impose distribution fees, and no such fees will be charged for at least twelve months from the date of this prospectus. Additionally, the implementation of any such fees would require approval by the Board prior to implementation. Because these fees would be paid out of a Fund’s assets on an on-going basis, if such fees are charged in the future, they would increase the cost of your investment and might cost you more over time than paying other types of sales charges.

Other Payments by the Adviser

The Adviser and/or its affiliates may make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, data provision services, or their making shares of the Funds and certain other Nuveen ETFs available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Funds. Rather, such payments are made by the Adviser and/or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Nuveen ETFs complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Funds or other Nuveen ETFs over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the Funds’ statement of additional information.

   

Section 4 Investing in the Funds

29


 

  Frequent Trading

The Funds do not impose any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions (“frequent trading”); however, the Funds reserve the right to reject or limit purchases at any time as described in the statement of additional information. In determining that no restrictions on frequent trading were necessary, the Board evaluated the risks of frequent trading to the Funds and their shareholders. The Board considered that a Fund’s shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by Authorized Participants, and that the vast majority of trading in the Funds’ shares occurs on the secondary market. Because secondary market trades do not involve the Funds directly, the Board concluded that such trades were unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent trading, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in a Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With respect to purchases and redemptions by Authorized Participants directly from the Funds that are effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), the Board concluded that those trades do not have the potential to cause the harmful effects that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent that a Fund may effect the purchase or redemption of Creation Units in exchange wholly or partially for cash, the Board recognized that such trades could result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. However, the Board noted that direct trading by Authorized Participants is critical to ensuring that a Fund’s shares trade at or close to NAV. In addition, the Board recognized that the Funds impose fixed and variable transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Funds in effecting trades.

   

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Section 4 Investing in the Funds


Section 5 General Information

 

  Dividends and Distributions

As a Fund shareholder, you are entitled to your share of the Fund’s income and net realized gains on its investments. Each Fund pays out substantially all of its net earnings to its shareholders as dividends and distributions.

Each Fund may earn interest from its investments in common stocks. These amounts, net of expenses and taxes (if applicable), are passed along to Fund shareholders as dividends. Dividends, if any, are declared and paid annually.

Each Fund will generally realize short-term capital gains or losses whenever it sells assets held for one year or less. Net short-term capital gains will generally be treated as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. Each Fund will generally realize long-term capital gains or losses whenever it sells assets held for more than one year. Net capital gains (the excess of a Fund’s net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) are distributed to shareholders once a year at year end.

Each Fund reserves the right to declare special distributions if such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.

Your broker is responsible for distributing any dividends and capital gain distributions to you.

Dividend Reinvestment Service

No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Funds. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of a 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 Funds purchased in the secondary market.

 

  Taxes

As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares of the Funds will be taxed. The tax information in this prospectus is provided as general information, based on current laws, which may be changed by legislative, judicial or administrative action. You should not consider this summary to be a comprehensive explanation of the tax treatment of the Funds, or the tax consequences of an investment in the Funds. There is no guarantee that shares of the Funds will receive certain regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Funds. Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Funds make distributions, you sell Fund shares, or (for Authorized Participants only) you purchase or redeem Creation Units.

Taxes and Tax Reporting

Each Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a regulated investment

   

Section 5 General Information

31


company is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

Each Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains. Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain are taxable as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your shares. For non-corporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally taxable at tax rates up to 20% (lower tax rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets), while distributions from short-term capital gains and net investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income. The tax you pay on a given capital gains distribution depends generally on how long the Fund has held the portfolio securities it sold and not on how long you have owned your Fund shares.

Dividends that are reported by a Fund as qualified dividend income are generally taxable to non-corporate shareholders at tax rates of up to 20% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets). Qualified dividend income generally is income derived from dividends paid to a Fund by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that a Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. For dividends to be taxed as qualified dividend income to a non-corporate shareholder, a Fund must satisfy certain holding period requirements with respect to the underlying stock and the non-corporate shareholder must satisfy holding period requirements with respect to his or her ownership of Fund shares. Holding periods may be suspended for these purposes for stock that is hedged. The Fund’s investment strategies may limit their ability to distribute dividends eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income.

The sale of shares in your account may produce a gain or loss, and is a taxable event. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if you held the shares you sold for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on a sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of long-term capital gain dividends paid with respect to such shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Distributions paid in January, but declared and payable to shareholders of record in October, November or December of the prior year, however, may be taxable to you in the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares).

REITs in which a Fund may invest often do not provide complete and final tax information to a Fund until after the time that a Fund issues a tax reporting statement. As a result, a Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of its distributions after it issues a tax reporting statement. If this were to occur, the financial intermediary with whom you hold your shares will send you a corrected, final Form 1099-DIV to reflect the reclassified information.

   

32

Section 5 General Information


Early in each year, you will receive a statement from the firm through which you hold your Fund shares detailing the amount and nature of all distributions that you were paid during the prior year. The tax status of your distributions is the same whether you reinvest them or elect to receive them in cash. 

Dividends and distributions from the Funds and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.

When seeking to satisfy redemption requests in whole or in part on a cash basis, a Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause a Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, a Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment than if the in-kind redemption process were used.  

Distributions (other than capital gain dividends) paid to individual shareholders that are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. or to foreign entities will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. Gains realized by foreign shareholders from the sale or other disposition of shares of a Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless the recipient is an individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year. A Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Different tax consequences may result if you are a foreign shareholder engaged in a trade or business within the United States or if you are a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of a tax treaty.

Please note that if you do not furnish the Fund with your correct Social Security number or employer identification number, you fail to provide certain certifications to the Fund, you fail to certify whether you are a U.S. citizen or a U.S. resident alien, or the Internal Revenue Service notifies the Fund to withhold, federal law requires the Fund to withhold federal income tax from your distributions and redemption proceeds at the applicable withholding rate.

Qualified Business Income

A portion of the Fund’s portfolio holdings may consist of REITs. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act generally would allow a non-corporate taxpayer a deduction equal to the investor’s combined qualified business income, which would include 20% of the investor’s qualified REIT dividends. Treasury has issued regulations that allow regulated investment companies (“RICs”) such as a Fund to report a portion of their distributions that relate to dividends received from REITs as qualified REIT dividends eligible for the 20% deduction. The total amount of Fund distributions that qualify for this deduction is disclosed to investors on their Forms 1099-DIV, which are made available in February after the close of a calendar year.

Buying or Selling Shares Close to a Record Date

Buying Fund shares shortly before the record date for a taxable dividend or capital gain distribution is commonly known as “buying the dividend” and generally should be avoided by taxable investors. The entire distribution may be taxable to you even though a portion of the distribution effectively represents a return of your purchase price.

   

Section 5 General Information

33


Cost Basis Method

You may elect a cost basis method to apply to shares held in your account with your financial intermediary. The cost basis method you select will determine the order in which such shares are sold and how your cost basis information is calculated and subsequently reported to you and to the Internal Revenue Service. Please consult your tax advisor to determine which cost basis method best suits your specific situation. Please contact your financial intermediary for instructions on how to make your election. If you do not make an election, your financial intermediary will choose its own default cost basis method.

Taxes on Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes that exchanges securities for Creation Units 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 amount of cash received by the Authorized Participant in the exchange and (ii) the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and any amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. An Authorized Participant who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for a person who does not mark-to-market its holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities, or upon a redemption of Creation Units, may be capital or ordinary gain or loss depending on the circumstances. Any capital gain or loss realized upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for securities will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of a Creation Unit will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares comprising the Creation Unit have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses are treated as short-term capital gains or losses.

Persons exchanging securities for Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction and whether the wash sales rules apply and when a loss might be deductible. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many Fund shares you purchased or redeemed and at what price.

Foreign Investments by the Fund

Dividends, interest and other income received by the Funds with respect to foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. The Funds may need to file special claims for refund to secure the benefit of a reduced rate. If as of the close of a taxable year more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund consist of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to “pass through” to investors the amount of foreign income and similar taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund during that taxable year. If a Fund elects to “pass through” such foreign taxes, then investors will be considered to have received as additional income their respective shares of such foreign taxes, but may be entitled to

   

34

Section 5 General Information


either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating federal income tax.

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Funds under all applicable tax laws.

 

  Net Asset Value

Each Fund’s NAV is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m. New York time) on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) on each Business Day. Each Fund’s NAV per share is calculated by taking the value of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing by the total number of shares outstanding. Each Fund’s latest NAV per share is available on the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com/etf.

In determining NAV, exchange-traded instruments generally are valued at the last reported sales price or official closing price on an exchange, if available. Independent pricing services typically value non-exchange-traded instruments utilizing a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such instruments, cash flows, and transactions for comparable instruments. In pricing certain instruments, the pricing services may consider information about an instrument’s issuer or market activity provided by the Adviser or Sub-Adviser.

The Funds invest in non-U.S. securities. Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Funds are determined as of such times. The values of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities are converted to U.S. dollars using foreign currency exchange rates generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. The value of non-U.S. securities held by the Funds may change on days when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares.

If a price cannot be obtained from a pricing service or other pre-approved source, or if, in the judgment of the Adviser, a price is unreliable, a portfolio instrument will be valued at its fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or its appointee. The Adviser may determine that a price is unreliable in various circumstances. For example, a price may be deemed unreliable if it has not changed for an identified period of time, or has changed from the previous day’s price by more than a threshold amount, and recent transactions and/or broker dealer price quotations differ materially from the price in question.

The Board has adopted valuation procedures for the Funds and has appointed the Adviser’s Valuation Committee with the day-to-day responsibility for fair value determinations. All fair value determinations made by the Valuation Committee are subject to review and ratification by the Board. As a general principle, the fair value of a portfolio instrument is the amount that an owner might reasonably expect to receive upon the instrument’s current sale. A range of factors and analysis may be considered when determining fair value, including relevant market data, interest rates, credit considerations and/or issuer specific news. However, fair valuation involves subjective judgments, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a portfolio instrument may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of that instrument.

   

Section 5 General Information

35


 

  Premium/Discount Information

Information showing the number of days the market price of each 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) are made available on the Funds’ website at www.nuveen.com/etf.

 

  Fund Service Providers

Brown Brothers Harriman (“BBH”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds.

 

  Index Provider

The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Funds particularly or the ability of the Indexes to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Indexes, each of which is determined, composed and calculated by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Funds or the Funds. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Funds or the owners of the Funds into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Indexes. MSCI is not responsible for, and has not participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Funds to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Funds are redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Funds.

ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE’S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.

The Index, which is owned, calculated and controlled by MSCI, incorporates ESG criteria initially established by the Sub-Adviser. TIAA has licensed its name to MSCI for use in the name of each Index.

   

36

Section 5 General Information


 

  Listing Exchange

Shares of the Funds are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by the Listing Exchange. The Listing Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the ability of a Fund to track the total return performance of its Index or the ability of the Index to track the total return performance. The Listing Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Indexes, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of or quantities of shares of the Funds to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Listing Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of shares of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the Funds. The Listing Exchange does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Indexes or any data included therein. The Listing Exchange makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust, on behalf of the Funds as licensees, licensees’ customers and counterparties, owners of shares of the Funds or any other person or entity, from the use of the Indexes or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use.

The Listing Exchange makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Indexes or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Listing Exchange 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.

   

Section 5 General Information

37


Section 6 Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand each Fund’s financial performance for the period of operations for the Fund. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions).

This has been derived from information that has been audited by KPMG LLP, whose report for the most recent fiscal year, along with each Fund’s financial statements, are included in the annual report, which is available upon request.

Selected data for a share outstanding throughout the period:

                       
   

Investment Operations

 

Less Distributions

   

Year Ended
October 31,

Beginning
NAV

Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)(a)

Net
Realized/
Unrealized
Gain (Loss)

Total

 

From
Net
Investment
Income

From
Accumulated
Net Realized
Gains

Total

Ending
NAV

Ending
Market
Price

NUDM

                   

2021

$24.33

$0.98

$7.42

$8.40

$(0.43)

$ -

$(0.43)

$32.30

$32.53

2020

26.74

0.54

(2.03)

(1.49)

(0.92)

-

(0.92)

24.33

24.50

2019

24.10

0.75

2.44

3.19

(0.55)

-

(0.55)

26.74

26.86

2018

26.39

0.71

(2.87)

(2.16)

(0.12)

(0.01)

(0.13)

24.10

24.12

2017(d)

24.88

0.17

1.34

1.51

-

-

-

26.39

26.57

NUEM

                   

2021

29.18

0.52

4.86

5.38

(0.42)

-

(0.42)

34.14

34.15

2020

25.57

0.40

3.75

4.15

(0.54)

-

(0.54)

29.18

29.37

2019

23.78

0.58

1.70

2.28

(0.49)

-

(0.49)

25.57

25.71

2018

27.69

0.59

(4.31)

(3.72)

(0.18)

(0.01)

(0.19)

23.78

23.92

2017(d)

24.95

0.20

2.54

2.74

-

-

-

27.69

28.05

   

38

Section 6 Financial Highlights


             
   

Ratios/Supplemental Data

 

Total Return

 

Ratios to Average Net Assets

 
 

Based
on
NAV(b)

Based
on
Market
Price(b)

Ending
Net
Assets
(000)

Expenses

Net
Investment
Income (Loss)

Portfolio
Turnover
Rate(c)

             
 

34.83%

34.73%

$161,503

0.39%

3.16%

64%

 

(5.91)

(5.67)

53,520

0.40

2.17

66

 

13.71

14.10

66,853

0.40

3.03

57

 

(8.25)

(8.79)

43,384

0.40

2.71

56

 

6.07

6.78

23,755

0.40*

1.65*

9

             
 

18.45

17.77

122,896

0.44

1.49

61

 

16.41

16.47

46,695

0.45

1.56

81

 

9.68

9.70

56,255

0.45

2.30

53

 

(13.55)

(14.18)

35,676

0.45

2.12

65

 

11.03

12.42

24,917

0.45*

1.86*

13

(a) Per share Net Investment Income (Loss) is calculated using the average daily shares method.

(b) Total Return Based on NAV reflects the change in NAV over the period, including the assumed reinvestment of distributions, if any, at NAV on each ex-dividend payment date during the period. Total Return Based on Market Price reflects the change in the market price per share over the period, including the assumed reinvestment of distributions, if any, at the ending market price per share on each ex-dividend payment date during the period. Total returns are not annualized.

(c) Portfolio Turnover Rate is calculated based on the lesser of long-term purchases or sales divided by the average long-term market value during the period. Portfolio Turnover Rate excludes securities received or delivered as a result of processing in-kind creations or redemptions of Fund shares.

(d) For the period June 6, 2017 (commencement of operations) through October 31, 2017.

* Annualized.

   

Section 6 Financial Highlights

39


Several additional sources of information are available to you, including the codes of ethics adopted by the Funds, Nuveen, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser. The statement of additional information, incorporated by reference into this prospectus, contains detailed information on the policies and operation of the Funds included in this prospectus. Additional information about the Funds’ investments will be available in the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Funds’ annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. The Funds’ most recent statement of additional information, annual and semi-annual reports and certain other information are available, free of charge, by calling Nuveen Investor Services at (888) 290-9881, on the Funds’ website at www.nuveen.com/etf, or through your financial advisor. Shareholders may call the toll free number above with any inquiries.

You may also obtain this and other Fund information directly from the SEC. Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may also request Fund information by sending an e-mail request to [email protected]. The SEC may charge a copying fee for this information.

Distributed by
Nuveen Securities, LLC
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
www.nuveen.com/etf

No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus in connection with the offer of Fund shares, and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Funds. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any sale of Fund shares shall under any circumstance imply that the information contained herein is correct as of any date after the date of this prospectus. Please read and keep this prospectus for future reference.

Dealers effecting transactions in Fund 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.

The Funds are a series of Nushares ETF Trust, whose Investment Company Act file number is 811-23161.

 

NPR-INEM-0222P