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PROSPECTUS
February 28, 2023


USAI Pacer American Energy Independence ETF
Listed on NYSE Arca, Inc.
ODDS Pacer BlueStar Digital Entertainment ETF
BULD Pacer BlueStar Engineering the Future ETF

Listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

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

















INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: *ARE NOT FDIC INSURED *MAY LOSE VALUE *ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED




Table of Contents
Pacer American Energy Independence ETF
Pacer BlueStar Digital Entertainment ETF
Pacer BlueStar Engineering the Future ETF
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SUMMARY SECTION
Pacer American Energy Independence ETF
Investment Objective
The Pacer American Energy Independence ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the American Energy Independence Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses None
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.75%
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
$77 $240 $417 $930
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. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 25% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed by SL Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s Index Provider (the “Index Provider”) and the investment adviser to the Predecessor Fund (as defined below), which is not affiliated with the Fund, its distributor, or Pacer Advisors, Inc., the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).
The Index
The Index uses a proprietary, rules-based methodology to measure the performance of a portfolio of U.S. and Canadian exchange-listed equity securities of companies that generate a majority of their cash flow from certain qualifying “midstream” energy infrastructure activities. The companies in the Index are expected to benefit from regulatory policies favoring and industry trends toward American energy independence (i.e., a reduced or eliminated need for the United States to import fuels, such as coal, crude oil, or natural gas).
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Midstream energy infrastructure refers to the processing, storage, transportation, and distribution of crude oil, natural gas, refined products, and their related products, as well as the transmission or storage of renewable energy. The following activity segments are considered qualifying midstream energy infrastructure activities: gathering & processing, compression, fractionation, logistics, midstream services, pipeline transportation, storage and terminalling of oil, gas, natural gas liquids, and refined products, as well as operating liquid natural gas facilities. The following activity segments are not qualifying activities: refining, shipping, exploration, production, retail distribution, or oil services. The Index may include small-, mid-, and large-capitalization companies.
The Index includes securities across the following categories of midstream companies. Such categories and the “weight” (defined as the percentage of the total Index) assigned to each category at the time of each rebalance of the Index are as follows:
U.S. & Canadian Midstream Companies (80%)
U.S.- or Canadian-listed companies that (i) have their principal place of business in the United States or Canada, (ii) elect to be treated as a corporation for U.S. or Canadian federal income tax purposes, and (iii) generate a majority of their cash flow or revenue from midstream energy infrastructure related activities.
U.S. Midstream MLPs* (20%)
U.S.-listed Midstream MLPs that (i) have their principal place of business in the United States, (ii) elect to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (iii) do not pay incentive distribution rights (“IDRs”), and (iv) are not affiliates of MLP GPs that are owned in the Index.
* If an MLP that would be included in the Index has a tracking stock that is a corporation or elects to be taxed as a corporation, then such tracking stock will be included in the Index in place of the MLP and will use the MLP’s adjusted market capitalization for calculating its weight.
MLPs are publicly traded partnerships that receive at least 90% of their income from certain qualifying sources, such as natural resource-based midstream energy infrastructure activities. The equity interests, or units, of an MLP trade on public securities exchanges exactly like the shares of a corporation, without entity level taxation. An MLP typically consists of a general partner and limited partners. The operations and management of the MLP are controlled by the general partner, and the general partner typically has an ownership stake in the MLP and may have certain preferential rights to income from the MLP, such as IDRs. IDRs provide their owner with a larger share of the aggregate cash distributions made by a company once such distributions increase to certain specified levels and are designed to provide the holder of the IDRs with a strong incentive to increase the MLP’s aggregate cash distributions. 
At the time of each quarterly rebalance of the Index, each company meeting the Index’s criteria for the above categories is included in the Index, provided that the company has a minimum market capitalization of $500 million.
The Index is rebalanced quarterly, effective on the last trading day of each calendar quarter. Within each of the above categories, Index constituents are weighted based on their free-float market capitalization (i.e., market capitalization based on the number of shares available to the public), subject to the following constraints as of the time of each rebalance. Each individual Index constituent is limited to a weight of 7.25%, and any excess weight is redistributed equally among the other companies in the same category first and then to the remaining companies as needed.
Additionally, the aggregate weight of companies with individual weights greater than 5% (“5% Companies”) may not exceed 45% as of the time of each rebalance. If the aggregate weight of the 5% Companies would exceed 45%, the excess weight will be redistributed proportionally to companies with a weight of less than 4.25%. If at the time of a rebalance a company’s weight would be between 4.25% and 5%, the company’s weight will be reduced to 4.25% and the excess redistributed to companies in the same category with a weight of less than 4.25%.
As of January 31, 2023, the Index included securities of 30 companies. The Index was developed by the Index Provider in 2017 in anticipation of the commencement of operations of the Predecessor Fund (as defined below).
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The Fund’s Investment Strategy
The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the component securities that make up the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. The Fund is non-diversified and therefore may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a single company than diversified funds. 
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index. The Index, and consequently the Fund, is expected to generally be concentrated in midstream energy infrastructure companies.
Principal Investment Risks
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per Share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.” The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with 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 in the Energy Infrastructure Industry Risk. The Fund’s investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent the Index is so concentrated, and the Index is expected to be concentrated in midstream energy infrastructure companies. When the Fund focuses its investments in the energy infrastructure industry, financial, economic, business, and other developments affecting issuers in that industry, market, or economic sector will have a greater effect on the Fund than if it had not done so.
Companies in the energy infrastructure industry are subject to many risks that can negatively impact the revenues and viability of companies in this industry, including, but not limited to, risks associated with companies owning and/or operating pipelines, gathering and processing assets, power infrastructure, propane assets, as well as capital markets, terrorism, natural disasters, climate change, operating, regulatory, environmental, supply and demand, and price volatility risks. The volatility of energy commodity prices can significantly affect energy companies due to the impact of prices on the volume of commodities developed, produced, gathered, and processed. Historically, energy commodity prices have been cyclical and exhibited significant volatility, which may adversely impact the value, operations, cash flows, and financial performance of energy companies. The volatility of energy commodity prices can also indirectly affect certain entities that operate in the midstream segment of the energy industry due to the impact of prices on the volume of commodities transported, processed, stored, or distributed.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in investments denominated in Canadian dollars or in securities that provide exposure to such currency. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of the Canadian dollar to the U.S. dollar will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.
ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:
Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
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Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. Certain securities held by the Fund may trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, and the Fund may experience premiums and discounts greater than those of ETFs that hold securities that are traded only in the United States.
Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.
Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
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Geographic Concentration Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Index’s, and therefore the Fund’s, heavy equity exposure to Canada subjects the Fund to a higher degree of country risk than that of more geographically diversified international funds.
Canada-Specific Risk. The Canadian economy is reliant on the sale of natural resources and commodities, which can pose risks such as the fluctuation of prices and the variability of demand for exportation of such products. Changes in spending on Canadian products by the economies of other countries or changes in any of these economies may cause a significant impact on the Canadian economy.
Index Provider Risk. There is no assurance that the Index Provider or any agents that act on its behalf, will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, rebalanced, calculated or disseminated accurately. The Fund relies upon the Index Provider and its agents to compile, determine, maintain, construct, rebalance, calculate (or arrange for an agent to calculate), and disseminate the Index accurately. Any losses or costs associated with errors made by the Index Provider or its agents generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Because the Index includes international securities, the Index Provider may have limited information or may be more prone to mistakes based on the data available and such mistakes may have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance, which may increase the risks to the Fund.
MLP Risk. MLP investment returns are enhanced during periods of declining or low interest rates and tend to be negatively influenced when interest rates are rising. In addition, most MLPs are fairly leveraged and typically carry a portion of a “floating” rate debt. As such, a significant upward swing in interest rates would also drive interest expense higher. Furthermore, most MLPs grow by acquisitions partly financed by debt, and higher interest rates could make it more difficult to make acquisitions. MLP investments also entail many of the general tax risks of investing in a partnership. Limited partners in an MLP typically have limited control and limited or no rights to vote on matters affecting the partnership. Additionally, there is always the risk that an MLP will fail to qualify for favorable tax treatment.
Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.
Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.
Energy Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the energy sector, and therefore the performance of the fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The profitability of companies in the energy sector is related to worldwide energy prices, exploration, and production spending. Such companies also are subject to risks of changes in exchange rates, government regulation, world events, depletion of resources and economic conditions, as well as market, economic and political risks of the countries where energy companies are located or do business. Oil and gas exploration and production can be significantly affected by natural disasters. Oil exploration and production companies may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, government regulation, world events, and economic conditions. Oil exploration and production companies may be at risk for environmental damage claims.
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The energy sector is comprised of energy, energy industrial, energy infrastructure and energy logistics companies, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, environmental, business, regulatory or other occurrences affecting that sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. At times, the performance of these investments may lag the performance of other sectors or the market as a whole. Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others, fluctuations in commodity prices; reduced consumer demand for commodities such as oil, natural gas or petroleum products; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Additionally, energy sector companies are subject to substantial government regulation and changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. MLPs may incur environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle. Changes in existing laws, regulations or enforcement policies governing the energy sector could significantly increase the compliance costs of MLPs. Certain MLPs could, from time to time, be held responsible for implementing remediation measures, the cost of which may not be recoverable from insurance. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies.
Industrials Sector Risk. The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply of and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors.
Small and Mid-Sized Company Stock Risk. The Fund may invest in equity securities of small- or mid-sized (based on market capitalization) companies. Small to mid-sized company securities have historically been subject to greater investment risk than large company securities. The prices of small- to mid-sized company securities tend to be more volatile and less liquid than large company securities.
Tax Risk. The Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a “regulated investment company” (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), by meeting certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. In particular, the Fund generally may not acquire a security if, as a result of the acquisition, more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets would be invested in (a) issuers in which the Fund has, in each case, invested more than 5% of the Fund’s assets or (b) issuers more than 10% of whose outstanding voting securities are owned by the Fund. Additionally, to qualify for treatment as a RIC the Fund may not invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of entities treated as qualified publicly traded partnerships (“QPTPs”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, including certain MLPs. While the weighting of the Index is not inconsistent with these rules, given the concentration of the Index in a relatively small number of securities, it may not always be possible for the Fund to fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy while satisfying these diversification requirements.
If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC, the Fund would be subject to tax on its taxable income at corporate rates, and distributions from earnings and profits would generally be taxable to Fund shareholders as ordinary income. The Fund is also subject to the risk that MLPs in which the Fund invest will be classified as corporations rather than as partnerships for federal income tax purposes, which may reduce the Fund’s return and negatively affect the Fund’s net asset value. There is a risk of changes in tax laws or regulations, or interpretations thereof, which could adversely affect the Fund or the MLPs in which the Fund invests.
MLP Tax Risk. Depreciation or other cost recovery deductions passed through to the Fund from investments in MLPs in a given year will generally reduce the Fund’s taxable income, but those deductions may be recaptured in the Fund’s income in one or more subsequent years. When recognized and distributed, recapture income will generally be taxable to shareholders at the time of the distribution at ordinary income tax rates, even though those shareholders might not have held Shares at the time the deductions were taken by the Fund, and even though those shareholders will not have corresponding economic gain on their Shares at the time of the recapture. To distribute recapture income or to fund redemption requests, the Fund may need to liquidate investments. MLPs taxed as partnerships have historically made cash distributions to limited partners that exceed the amount of taxable income allocable
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to limited partners or members, due to a variety of factors, including significant non-cash deductions such as depreciation and depletion. These excess cash distributions would not be treated as income to the Fund but rather would be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the Fund’s basis in the MLP. As a consequence, the Fund may make distributions that exceed its earnings and profits, which would be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in Shares and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the Shares are sold. After a shareholder’s basis in Shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess of earnings and profits in respect of those Shares will be treated as gain from the sale of the Shares.
Tracking Error Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
Fund Performance
The Fund is the successor to the investment performance of the American Energy Independence ETF, a series of ETF Series Solutions (the “Predecessor Fund”), as a result of the reorganization of the Predecessor Fund into the Fund at the close of business on December 13, 2019. Accordingly, any performance information for periods prior to December 16, 2019 is that of the Predecessor Fund. The Predecessor Fund was managed by SL Advisors, LLC and sub-advised by Penserra Capital Management LLC and had the same investment objective, strategies, and policies as the Fund since the Predecessor Fund’s inception in December 2017.
The following performance information indicates some of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the Fund’s performance (or the Predecessor Fund’s performance, as applicable) for each full calendar year since inception. The table illustrates how the Fund’s (or the Predecessor Fund’s, as applicable) average annual returns for the one-year, five-year, and since inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance and the Index. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is also available on the Fund’s website at www.PacerETFs.com.
Calendar Year Total Return
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During the period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest quarterly return was 46.88% for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and the lowest quarterly return was -51.58% for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.
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Average Annual Total Returns
For the Period Ended December 31, 2022
Pacer American Energy Independence ETF 1 Year 5 Years
Since Inception
(12/12/2017)
Return Before Taxes
20.15% 6.99% 7.80%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
19.62% 6.29% 7.10%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares
12.00% 5.30% 5.95%
American Energy Independence Total Return Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
21.29% 8.23% 9.07%
S&P 500® Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-18.11% 9.42% 9.42%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. In certain cases, the figure representing “Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares” may be higher than the other return figures for the same period. A higher after-tax return results when a capital loss occurs upon redemption and provides an assumed tax deduction that benefits the investor. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged accounts.
Management
Investment Adviser
Pacer Advisors, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund employs a rules-based, passive investment strategy. The Adviser uses a committee approach to managing the Fund. Bruce Kavanaugh, Vice President of the Adviser, and Danke Wang, CFA, Head Portfolio Analyst of the Adviser, have primary responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Kavanaugh has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since the Fund’s reorganization into the Trust in December 2019. Mr. Wang has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since June 2022.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.
Investors may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.PacerETFs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.
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Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

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Pacer BlueStar Digital Entertainment ETF
Investment Objective
The Pacer BlueStar Digital Entertainment ETF (the “Fund”) employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the BlueStar Global Online Gambling, Video Gaming, and eSports Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.60%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.60%
    
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
$61 $192 $335 $750
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 fiscal period from April 7, 2022 to October 31, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 33% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index.
BlueStar Global Online Gambling, Video Gaming, and eSports Index
The Index is a rules-based index that consists of globally-listed stocks and depositary receipts of digital entertainment companies, as described below. Companies eligible to be added to the Index are those that derive at least 50% of their revenues from the following activities: online gambling platforms or software related to online gambling; video game development and software related to the development of video games or hardware such as computer processors and graphics cards used in video gaming systems, controllers, headsets, and gaming consoles; and streaming services or video games and/or hardware for use in eSports events or that are involved in eSports events such as league operators, teams, distributors and platforms, (collectively, “Digital Entertainment”) as determined by MV Index Solutions (the “Index Provider”).
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To be added to the Index, an Index component must derive at least 50% of its revenue from Digital Entertainment; and must have a market capitalization greater than or equal to US$150 million; a three-month average-daily-value-traded of at least US$1 million at the current reconstitution and also at the previous two quarters; and average monthly volume of at least 250,000 shares over the last six months at the current reconstitution and also at the previous two quarters. Current components are eligible to remain in the Index if they derive at least 25% of their revenue from Digital Entertainment; and they meet the following reduced thresholds: a market capitalization exceeding US$75 million; a three-month average-daily-trading value of at least US$600,000 at the current reconstitution or at one of the previous two quarters; and at least 200,000 shares traded per month over the last six months at the current reconstitution or at one of the previous two quarters. The above criteria are referred to as the Index’s “Investibility Requirements.” The Index may include companies of any market capitalization that meets the Investibility Requirements, but has significant exposure to large- and mid-capitalization companies.
Index components are divided into two tiers: The first tier consists of companies that develop or operate online gambling or betting platforms or related software (“Online Gambling Companies”). The second tier consists of companies that (i) develop and/or publish video games, facilitate the streaming or distribution of video games, or produce hardware used in video games (e.g., computer processors and graphics cards used in video gaming systems, controllers, headsets, and gaming consoles); (ii) develop or operate streaming services, video games, or hardware for use in eSports events; or (iii) are involved in eSports events, such as league operators, teams, distributors, and platforms (collectively, “eSports Companies”). eSports are a form of competition using video games, often taking the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, and eSports companies include augmented and virtual reality video games.
At the time of each quarterly rebalance and reconstitution of the Index, companies meeting the Investibility Requirements are added to the Index based on their free-float market capitalization (from largest to smallest) until the aggregate free-float market capitalization of companies in the Index from the applicable tier is at least 90% of the free-float market capitalization of all companies from such tier that meet the Investibility Requirements. For example, if the aggregate free-float market capitalization of all eSports Companies meeting the Investibility Requirements was US$1.5 trillion, the largest eSports Companies meeting the Investibility Requirements would be included in the Index until their aggregate free-float market capitalization was at least US$1.35 trillion. The next largest company from each tier will continue to be added to the Index until at least 25 companies from each tier are included.
At the time of each quarterly review of the Index, each tier is assigned a weight of 50%. Within each tier, companies in the Index are initially weighted by their float-adjusted market capitalization, subject to a maximum weight of 8% for any individual security (3% for companies in the semiconductor industry) and adjustments downward based on certain liquidity criteria. Excess weight resulting from any such adjustments is redistributed among the remaining constituents in the applicable tier equally. The aggregate weight of constituents with a weight of 5% or greater is capped at 50%. In addition, the aggregate weight of companies earning less than 50% of their revenues from Digital Entertainment is capped at 20%.
The Index is rebalanced and reconstituted quarterly after the close of business on the third Friday of March, June, September, and December based on the data of the Wednesday prior to the second Friday of such reconstitution month.
As of January 31, 2023, the Index was composed of 50 constituents, 35 of which were listed on a non-U.S. exchange. The Index was established in 2022 and is owned and maintained by the Index Provider.
The Fund’s Investment Strategy
The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index.
Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) will be invested in companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues from Digital Entertainment, as defined above.
As of January 31, 2023, the Index had significant exposure to the consumer discretionary and communication services sectors and significant exposure to Chinese and European companies. To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds
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more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will seek to concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index. The Index, and consequently the Fund, is expected to be concentrated in Digital Entertainment companies. The Fund is non-diversified and therefore may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or small number of issuers than diversified funds.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with 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 in Digital Entertainment Companies Risk. Companies in the business of betting or online gambling include those directly engaged in casino operations, racetrack operations, sports and horse race betting operations, and online betting operations. Online Gambling Companies face intense competition and are highly regulated. These companies face regulatory challenges and heightened competition as more states begin to allow betting and online gambling activities.
eSports Companies are subject to intense global competition and may be smaller companies with limited product lines, markets, financial resources, or personnel. Such companies may be heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights and may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks and/or technological malfunctions. eSports Companies may have products that face rapid obsolescence and may be dependent on one or a small number of products or product franchises for a significant portion of their revenue and profits. They may also be subject to shifting consumer preferences, including preferences with respect to gaming console platforms and other forms of entertainment, and changes in consumer discretionary spending, all of which may change rapidly and cannot necessarily be predicted. eSports Companies are also subject to increasing regulatory constraints, particularly with respect to cybersecurity and privacy, and may be subject to sophisticated intellectual property infringement schemes and piracy efforts.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund may invest a significant percentage of its assets in investments denominated in a foreign currency or in securities that provide exposure to such currency. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of such currency to the U.S. dollar will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.
Depositary Receipt Risk. Depositary Receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries and changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies. Depositary Receipts listed on U.S. exchanges are issued by banks or trust companies and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares (“Underlying Shares”). When the Fund invests in Depositary Receipts as a substitute for an investment directly in the Underlying Shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the Depositary Receipts may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the Underlying Shares.
Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:
Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of
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market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. Because certain securities held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. Companies in many foreign markets are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in the U.S., and as a result, information about the securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Foreign markets often have less reliable securities valuations and greater risk associated with the custody of securities than the U.S. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against companies and shareholders may have limited legal remedies.
Geographic Concentration Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Index’s, and therefore the Fund’s, heavy equity exposure to China and Europe subjects the Fund to a higher degree of country risk than that of more geographically diversified international funds.
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Risks of Investing in China. Investments in Chinese issuers subject the Fund to risks specific to China. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. China is a developing market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. Over the past 25 years, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and is expanding the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Internal social unrest or confrontations with other neighboring countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, may also disrupt economic development in China and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation. Export growth continues to be a major driver of China’s rapid economic growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers, or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy. China is also vulnerable economically to the impact of a public health crisis, which could depress consumer demand, reduce economic output, and potentially lead to market closures, travel restrictions, and quarantines, all of which would negatively impact China’s economy and could affect the economies of its trading partners.
Risks Related to Investing in Europe. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have significant operations in, member countries of the European Union (“EU”) that are subject to economic and monetary controls that can adversely affect the Fund’s investments. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years and these events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other European countries. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some or all of the European countries in which the Fund invests.
The UK formally exited from the EU on January 31, 2020 (known as “Brexit”), and effective December 31, 2020, the UK ended a transition period during which it continued to abide by the EU’s rules and the UK’s trade relationships with the EU were generally unchanged. Following this transition period, the impact on the UK and European economies and the broader global economy could be significant, resulting in negative impacts, such as increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth of markets in the UK, Europe and globally, which may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Index Provider Risk. There is no assurance that the Index Provider or any agents that act on its behalf, will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, rebalanced, calculated or disseminated accurately. The Fund relies upon the Index Provider and its agents to compile, determine, maintain, construct, rebalance, calculate (or arrange for an agent to calculate), and disseminate the Index accurately. Any losses or costs associated with errors made by the Index Provider or its agents generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Because the Index includes international securities, the Index Provider may have limited information or may be more prone to mistakes based on the data available and such mistakes may have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance, which may increase the risks to the Fund.
Limited Operating History. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with limited operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record on which to base their investment decision. An investment in the Fund may therefore involve greater uncertainty than an investment in a fund with a more established record of performance.
Market Capitalization Risk.
Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
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Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole.
Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.
Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.
Communications Services Sector Risk. The Fund is generally expected to invest significantly in companies in the communications services sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Communications services companies are subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of the such companies. Companies in the communications services sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications (including with 5G and other technologies), product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the consumer discretionary sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may 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.
Tracking Error Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
Fund Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not have a full calendar year of performance prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.PacerETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-877-337-0500.
Management
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Investment Adviser
Pacer Advisors, Inc. (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Bruce Kavanaugh, Vice President of the Adviser, and Danke Wang, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Kavanaugh has served as a portfolio manager since the Fund’s inception and Mr. Wang has served as a portfolio manager since June 2022.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.
Investors may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.PacerETFs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser, and their related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

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Pacer BlueStar Engineering the Future ETF
Investment Objective
The Pacer BlueStar Engineering the Future ETF (the “Fund”) employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the BlueStar Robotics and 3D Printing Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.60%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.60%
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same.Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
$61 $192 $335 $750
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 fiscal period from May 4, 2022 to October 31, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 0% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index.
BlueStar Robotics and 3D Printing Index
The Index is a rules-based index that consists of globally-listed stocks and depositary receipts of companies that, at the time of being added to the Index, derive at least 50% of their revenues (25% for current Index components) from robots or manufacturing automation equipment (“robotics”); computer aided design (“CAD”) software; or 3D printing centers, 3D printing hardware, 3D printing simulation software, 3D scanning and measurement software, and 3D printing materials (collectively, “Robotics and 3D Printing Companies”), as determined by MV Index Solutions (the “Index Provider”).
To be added to the Index, an Index component must have a market capitalization greater than or equal to US$500 million; a three-month average-daily-value-traded of at least US$1 million at the current reconstitution and also at the previous two quarters; and average monthly volume of at least 250,000 shares over the last six months at the current reconstitution and also at the previous two quarters. Current components will remain eligible for selection to the Index if they meet the following, reduced thresholds: a market capitalization exceeding US$250 million; a three-month average-daily-value-traded of at least US$500,000 in at least two of the latest three quarters (including the current reconstitution); and a three-month average-daily-trading value of at least US$750,000 at the current reconstitution or at one of the previous two
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quarters. The above criteria are referred to as the Index’s “Investibility Requirements.” The Index may include companies of any market capitalization that meets the Investibility Requirements, but has significant exposure to large- and mid-capitalization companies.
At the time of each semi-annual reconstitution of the Index, the Index components are initially weighted by their float-adjusted market capitalization within three tiers:
Tier 1 Robotics and Manufacturing Automation Equipment (50% weight): includes companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues (25% for current components) from the development of industrial or agricultural robots and production systems, automated inventory management, voice/image/text recognition solutions for the industrial market, and medical robots or robotic instruments (“Robotics Companies”). “Robotics” involves the design, construction, and operation of machines that perform tasks that would otherwise be done by humans.
Tier 2 3D Printing (25% weight): includes companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues (25% for current components) from the following business lines: 3D printing hardware, 3D printing simulation software, 3D printing centers, 3D scanning and measurement software (e.g., software used for creating 3D models, augmented reality, motion capture, robotic mapping, and 3D printing), and 3D printing materials.
Tier 3 Computer Aided Design Software (25% weight): includes companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues (25% for current components) from: development of CAD software to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. CAD software has many uses, including applications in the automotive, shipbuilding, and aerospace industries. CAD software is also used in industrial and architectural design, medical device design, and digital content creation (e.g., computer animation for special effects).
At the time of each semi-annual rebalance and reconstitution of the Index, Robotics and 3D Printing Companies meeting the Investibility Requirements are added to the Index based on their free-float market capitalization (from largest to smallest) until the aggregate free-float market capitalization of companies in the Index from the applicable tier is at least 98% of the free-float market capitalization of all companies from such tier that meet the Investibility Requirements. For example, if the aggregate free-float market capitalization of all Robotics Companies meeting the Investibility Requirements was US$1 trillion, the largest Robotics Companies meeting the Investibility Requirements would be included in the Index until their aggregate free-float market capitalization was at least US$980 billion. The next largest company from each tier will continue to be added to the Index until at least 25 Robotics Companies, ten 3D Printing companies, and ten CAD Software companies are included.
Index components are subject to a maximum weight of 8% for any individual security and adjustments downward based on certain liquidity criteria. An additional rule is applied to ensure that the aggregate weight of constituents with a weight of 5% or greater does not exceed 50%.
The Index is rebalanced and reconstituted semi-annually after the close of business on the third Thursday of June and December based on the data of the first Thursday of such reconstitution month.
As of January 31, 2023, the Index was composed of 52 constituents, 31 of which were listed on a non-U.S. exchange. The Index was established in 2022 and is owned and maintained by the Index Provider.
The Fund’s Investment Strategy
The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index.
As of February 15, 2022, the Index had significant exposure to the industrials and information technology sectors and had significant exposure to Japanese and European companies. To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will seek to concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index. The Index, and consequently the Fund, is expected to be concentrated in Robotics and 3D Printing Companies. The Fund is non-diversified and therefore may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or small number of issuers than diversified funds.
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Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with 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 in Robotics and 3D Printing Companies Risk. The Robotics and 3D Printing industry can be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, technological innovations, and product obsolescence. Companies in the software industry are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of these companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. Also, patent protection is integral to the success of many companies in this industry, and profitability can be affected materially by, among other things, the cost of obtaining (or failing to obtain) patent approvals, the cost of litigating patent infringement and the loss of patent protection for products (which significantly increases pricing pressures and can materially reduce profitability with respect to such products). In addition, many software companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund may invest a significant percentage of its assets in investments denominated in a foreign currency or in securities that provide exposure to such currency. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of such currency to the U.S. dollar will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.
Depositary Receipt Risk. Depositary Receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries and changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies. Depositary Receipts listed on U.S. exchanges are issued by banks or trust companies and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares (“Underlying Shares”). When the Fund invests in Depositary Receipts as a substitute for an investment directly in the Underlying Shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the Depositary Receipts may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the Underlying Shares.
Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.
ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:
Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
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Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. Because certain securities held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic ETFs.
Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. Companies in many foreign markets are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in the U.S., and as a result, information about the securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Foreign markets often have less reliable securities valuations and greater risk associated with the custody of securities than the U.S. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against companies and shareholders may have limited legal remedies.
Geographic Concentration Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. The Index’s, and therefore the Fund’s, heavy equity exposure to Japan and Europe subjects the Fund to a higher degree of country risk than that of more geographically diversified international funds.
Risks Related to Investing in Europe. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have significant operations in, member countries of the European Union (“EU”) that are subject to economic and monetary controls that can adversely affect the Fund’s investments. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years and these events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other European countries. Decreasing imports or
22


exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including some or all of the European countries in which the Fund invests.
The UK formally exited from the EU on January 31, 2020 (known as “Brexit”), and effective December 31, 2020, the UK ended a transition period during which it continued to abide by the EU’s rules and the UK’s trade relationships with the EU were generally unchanged. Following this transition period, the impact on the UK and European economies and the broader global economy could be significant, resulting in negative impacts, such as increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth of markets in the UK, Europe and globally, which may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Risks Related to Investing in Japan. The Japanese economy may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability, which could have a negative impact on Japanese securities. Since the year 2000, Japan’s economic growth rate has remained relatively low and it may remain low in the future. In addition, Japan is subject to the risk of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons and tsunamis. Additionally, decreasing U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates, a recession in the United States or continued increases in foreclosure rates may have an adverse impact on the economy of Japan. Japan also has few natural resources, and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on Japanese securities.
Index Provider Risk. There is no assurance that the Index Provider or any agents that act on its behalf, will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, rebalanced, calculated or disseminated accurately. The Fund relies upon the Index Provider and its agents to compile, determine, maintain, construct, rebalance, calculate (or arrange for an agent to calculate), and disseminate the Index accurately. Any losses or costs associated with errors made by the Index Provider or its agents generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Because the Index includes international securities, the Index Provider may have limited information or may be more prone to mistakes based on the data available and such mistakes may have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance, which may increase the risks to the Fund.
Limited Operating History. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with limited operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record on which to base their investment decision. An investment in the Fund may therefore involve greater uncertainty than an investment in a fund with a more established record of performance.
Market Capitalization Risk.
Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large-capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole.
Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index
23


methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.
Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.
Industrials Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the industrials sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply of and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors.
Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.
Tracking Error Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
Fund Performance
Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not have a full calendar year of performance prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.PacerETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-877-337-0500.
Management
Investment Adviser
Pacer Advisors, Inc. (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Bruce Kavanaugh, Vice President of the Adviser, and Danke Wang, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Mr. Kavanaugh has served as a portfolio manager since the Fund’s inception and Mr. Wang has served as a portfolio manager since June 2022.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.
Investors may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the
24


secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.PacerETFs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser, and their related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS
Additional Information About Each Fund
Investment Objective. Each Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without a vote of shareholders upon written notice to shareholders.
Each Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the applicable Index in the same approximate proportion as in such Index, but may, when the Adviser believes it is in the best interests of such Fund, use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the applicable Index whose risk, return, and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the applicable Index as a whole (e.g., when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index).
Additional Information about the Indices
Pacer American Energy Independence ETF
SL Advisors, LLC provides the American Energy Independence Index (the “Energy Index”) to the Pacer American Energy Independence ETF (“USAI”). SL Advisors, LLC created and is responsible for maintaining and applying the rules-based methodology of the Energy Index. The Energy Index is calculated by S&P Opco, LLC, an independent third-party that is not affiliated with the Funds, the Adviser, the Funds’ distributor, or any of their respective affiliates. S&P Opco, LLC provides information to USAI about the Energy Index constituents and does not provide investment advice with respect to the desirability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities.
Pacer BlueStar Digital Entertainment ETF and Pacer BlueStar Engineering the Future ETF
Each Index for the Pacer BlueStar Digital Entertainment ETF and Pacer BlueStar Engineering the Future ETF was originally developed by BlueStar Indexes, which was acquired by MV Index Solutions, the current Index Provider to Pacer BlueStar Funds, in August 2020.
Each Index for the Pacer BlueStar Funds is calculated by Solactive AG (the “Index Calculation Agent”), an independent third-party that is not affiliated with the Adviser. The Index Calculation Agent provides information to a Fund on the applicable Index constituents and does not provide investment advice with respect to the desirability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities.
BlueStar Global Online Gambling, Video Gaming, and eSports Index
The Index is a rules-based index that consists of globally-listed stocks and depositary receipts of digital entertainment companies, as described below. Companies eligible to be added to the Index are those that derive at least 50% of their revenues from the following activities: online gambling platforms or software related to online gambling; video game development and software related to the development of video games or hardware such as computer processors and graphics cards used in video gaming systems, controllers, headsets, and gaming consoles; and streaming services or video games and/or hardware for use in eSports events or that are involved in eSports events such as league operators, teams, distributors and platforms, (collectively, “Digital Entertainment”) as determined by MV Index Solutions, the Index Provider.
In the event that the Index would include fewer than 25 companies, the Index will include Digital Entertainment companies (from largest to smallest based on their free-float market capitalization) meeting the Investibility Requirements and, if necessary, add the next largest Digital Entertainment company that does not meet the Investibility Requirements until there are a minimum of 25 companies in the Index.
Additionally, at the time of each rebalance of the Index, the aggregate weight of constituents with a weight greater than or equal to 5% is limited to 50%, and the weight of the smallest constituent(s) that would otherwise cause the Index to exceed the 50% threshold and all other constituents with a weight greater than 4.5% but less than 5% will be set to 4.5%.
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In addition, the aggregate weight of companies earning less than 50% of their revenues from Digital Entertainment is capped at 20%.
Companies listed on the following exchanges are not eligible for inclusion in the Index: Bahrain, China (domestic market), India, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, or Vietnam exchanges.
BlueStar Robotics and 3D Printing Index
The Index is a rules-based index that consists of globally-listed stocks and depositary receipts of Robotics and 3D Printing Companies as determined by the Index Provider in accordance with the Index methodology. Robotics and 3D Printing Companies are those that, at the time of being added to the Index, derive at least 50% of their revenues from (i) the development of industrial robots and production systems, automated inventory management, unmanned vehicles, voice/image/text recognition, and medical robots or robotic instruments; (ii) 3D printing hardware, 3D printing simulation software, 3D printing centers, scanning and measurement software, and 3D printing materials; or (iii) the development of CAD software to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. Current Index constituents that derive at least 25% of their revenues from one of these activities is eligible to remain in the Index at each rebalance and reconstitution.
In the event that the Index would include fewer than 25 companies, the Index will include Robotics and 3D Printing Companies (from largest to smallest based on their free-float market capitalization) meeting the Investibility Requirements and, if necessary, add the next largest Robotics and 3D Printing Company that does not meet the Investibility Requirements until there are a minimum of 25 companies in the Index.
Additionally, at the time of each rebalance of the Index, the aggregate weight of constituents with a weight greater than or equal to 5% is limited to 50%, and the weight of the smallest constituent(s) that would otherwise cause the Index to exceed the 50% threshold and all other constituents with a weight greater than 4.5% but less than 5% will be set to 4.5%.
Companies listed on the following exchanges are not eligible for inclusion in the Index: Bahrain, China (domestic market), India, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, or Vietnam exchanges.
Index/Trademark Licenses/Disclaimers
The Energy Index is the exclusive property of the SL Advisors, LLC, which has contracted with S&P Opco, LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices) to calculate and maintain the Energy Index. The Energy Index is not sponsored by S&P Dow Jones Indices or its affiliates or its third party licensors. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices, nor any of their affiliates or third party licensors will be liable for any errors or omissions in calculating the Energy Index. “Calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices” and the related stylized mark(s) are service marks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, LLC (“SPFS”) and have been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices and sublicensed for certain purposes by SL Advisors, LLC.
USAI is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices, SPFS, or any of their affiliates or third party licensors (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices Entities”). S&P Dow Jones Indices Entities do not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of USAI or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in USAI particularly or the ability of the Energy Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices Entities’ only relationship to SL Advisors, LLC with respect to the Energy Index is the licensing of the S&P 500, certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices Entities, and the provision of the calculation and maintenance services related to the Energy Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices Entities are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of USAI or the timing of the issuance or sale of USAI or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund may be converted into cash or other redemption mechanics. S&P Dow Jones Indices Entities have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of USAI. S&P Dow Jones Indices, LLC is not an investment adviser. Inclusion of a security within the Energy Index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices Entities to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it investment advice.
S&P DOW JONES INDICES ENTITIES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE ENERGY INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION
27


WITH RESPECT THERETO, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL, WRITTEN OR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS. S&P DOW JONES INDICES ENTITIES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES ENTITIES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ADVISER, OWNERS OF USAI, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES ENTITIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE.
Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds
This section provides additional information regarding the principal risks described under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in each of the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a ‘principal risk’ of investing in the Funds, regardless of the order in which they appear. The factors below apply to each Fund as indicated in the following table; additional information about each such risk and how it impacts each Fund that is subject thereto is set forth below the chart. Each of the factors below could have a negative impact on the applicable Fund’s performance and trading prices.
USAI
ODDS
BULD
Concentration in Digital Entertainment Companies Risk
X
Concentration in the Energy Infrastructure Industry Risk
X
Concentration in Robotics and 3D Printing Companies Risk X
Currency Exchange Rate Risk
X
X X
Depositary Receipt Risk X X
Equity Market Risk
X
X X
ETF Risks
X
X X
Foreign Securities Risk
X
X X
Geographic Concentration Risk X X X
— Risks of Investing in Canada
X
— Risks of Investing in China
X
— Risks Related to Investing in Europe
X X
— Risks Related to Investing in Japan
X
Index Provider Risk X X X
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk X X
Limited Operating History

X X
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk X X
MLP Risk X
Non-Diversification Risk
X
X X
Passive Investment Risk
X
X X
REIT Investment Risk
X
Sector Risk
X
X
X
— Communications Sector Risk
X
— Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk X
— Energy Sector Risk
X
— Industrials Sector Risk X
X
— Information Technology Sector Risk
X
Small and Mid-Sized Company Stock Risk
X
Tax Risk
X
Tracking Error Risk
X
X
X

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Concentration in Digital Entertainment Companies Risk
Companies in the business of betting or online gambling include those directly engaged in casino operations, race track operations, sports and horse race betting operations, and online betting operations. Online Gambling Companies face intense competition and are highly regulated. These companies face regulatory challenges and heightened competition as more states begin to allow betting and online gambling activities.
eSports Companies are subject to intense global competition and may be smaller companies with limited product lines, markets, financial resources, or personnel. Such companies may be heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights and may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks and/or technological malfunctions. eSports Companies may have products that face rapid obsolescence and may be dependent on one or a small number of products or product franchises for a significant portion of their revenue and profits. They may also be subject to shifting consumer preferences, including preferences with respect to gaming console platforms and other forms of entertainment, and changes in consumer discretionary spending, all of which may change rapidly and cannot necessarily be predicted. eSports Companies are also subject to increasing regulatory constraints, particularly with respect to cybersecurity and privacy, and may be subject to sophisticated intellectual property infringement schemes and piracy efforts.
Concentration in the Energy Infrastructure Industry Risk
The Fund’s investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent the Energy Index is so concentrated, and the Energy Index is expected to be concentrated in midstream energy infrastructure companies. When the Fund focuses its investments in a particular industry or sector, it thereby presents a more concentrated risk and its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect that industry or group of industries. In addition, the value of Fund Shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of industries. An industry may have above-average performance during particular periods, but may also move up and down more than the broader market. The several industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political, public health, cyber, or regulatory events. The performance of the Fund could also be affected if the sectors, industries, or sub-sectors do not perform as expected. Alternatively, the lack of exposure to one or more sectors or industries may adversely affect performance.
Commodity Price Volatility Risk. The volatility of energy commodity prices can significantly affect energy companies due to the impact of prices on the volume of commodities developed, produced, gathered, and processed. Historically, energy commodity prices have been cyclical and exhibited significant volatility, which may adversely impact the value, operations, cash flows, and financial performance of energy companies. The volatility of energy commodity prices can also indirectly affect certain entities that operate in the midstream segment of the energy industry due to the impact of prices on the volume of commodities transported, processed, stored, or distributed.
Commodity price fluctuations may be swift and may occur for several reasons, including changes in global and domestic energy markets, general economic conditions, consumer demand, the price and level of foreign imports, the impact of weather on demand, levels of domestic and worldwide supply, levels of production, domestic and foreign governmental regulation, political instability, acts of war and terrorism, epidemics or pandemics, the success and costs of exploration projects, conservation and environmental protection efforts, the availability and price of alternative energy, taxation, and the availability of local, intrastate and interstate transportation systems.
Supply and Demand Risk. A decrease in the exploration, production or development of natural gas, natural gas liquids (“NGLs”), crude oil, refined petroleum products, or a decrease in the volume of such commodities, may adversely impact the financial performance and profitability of energy companies. Production declines and volume decreases may be caused by various factors, including changes in commodity prices, oversupply, depletion of resources, declines in estimates of proven reserves, catastrophic events affecting production, labor difficulties, political events, production variance from expectations, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) actions, environmental proceedings, increased regulations, equipment failures and unexpected maintenance problems or outages, the inability of energy companies to obtain necessary permits or carry out new construction or acquisitions, unanticipated expenses, import supply disruption, increased competition from alternative energy sources, and other events. All of the above is particularly true for new or emerging areas of supply in North America that may have
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limited or no production history. Reductions in or prolonged periods of low prices for natural gas and crude oil can cause a given reservoir to become uneconomical for continued production earlier than it would if prices were higher.
A sustained decline in or varying demand for such commodities could also adversely affect the financial performance of energy companies. Factors that could lead to a decline in demand include economic recession or other adverse economic conditions, political, public health, cyber, and economic conditions, including embargoes, in other natural resource producing countries, hostilities in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, or South America, military campaigns and terrorism, OPEC actions, higher fuel taxes or governmental regulations, increases in fuel economy, consumer shifts to the use of alternative fuel sources, exchange rates, changes in commodity prices, and changes in weather.
In addition, the profitability of companies engaged in processing and pipeline activities may be materially impacted by the volume of natural gas or other energy commodities available for transporting, processing, storing or distributing. A significant decrease in the production of natural gas, oil, or other energy commodities, due to a decline in production from existing facilities, import supply disruption, depressed commodity prices or otherwise, would reduce revenue and operating income of such entities.
Reserve & Depletion Risk. Energy companies’ estimates of proven reserves and projected future net revenue are generally based on internal reserve reports, engineering data, and reports of independent petroleum engineers. The calculation of estimated reserves requires subjective estimates of underground accumulations and utilizes assumptions concerning future prices, production levels, and operating and development costs. These estimates and assumptions may prove to be inaccurate. As a result, estimated quantities of proved reserves, projections of future production rates, and the timing of related expenditures may likewise prove to be inaccurate. Any material negative inaccuracies in these reserve estimates or underlying assumptions may materially lower the value of upstream energy companies. Future natural gas, NGL, and oil production is highly dependent upon the success in acquiring or finding additional reserves that are economically recoverable. This is particularly true for new areas of exploration and development, such as in North American oil and gas reservoirs, including shale. A portion of any one upstream company’s assets may be dedicated to crude oil or natural gas reserves that naturally deplete over time, and a significant slowdown in the identification or availability of reasonably priced and accessible proven reserves for these companies could adversely affect their business.
Midstream and Power Infrastructure Company Risk. The Fund may be subject to midstream and power infrastructure company risk through its investments in pipeline-related companies. In addition to the other energy risks described herein, pipeline companies are subject to particular risks, including varying demand for crude oil, natural gas, NGLs, or refined products in the markets served by the pipeline; changes in the availability of products for gathering, transportation, processing or sale due to natural declines in reserves and production in the supply areas serviced by the companies’ facilities; sharp decreases in crude oil or natural gas prices that cause producers to curtail production; reduced capital spending for exploration activities; or re-contracting at lower rates. Demand for gasoline, which accounts for a substantial portion of refined product transportation, depends on price, prevailing economic conditions in the markets served, and demographic and seasonal factors.
Gathering and processing companies are subject to many risks, including declines in production of crude oil and natural gas fields which utilize their gathering and processing facilities, prolonged depression in the price of natural gas or crude oil which curtails production due to lack of drilling activity, and declines in the prices of natural gas liquids and refined petroleum products, resulting in lower processing or refining margins. In addition, the development of, demand for, and/or supply of competing forms of energy may negatively impact the revenues of these companies.
Propane companies are subject to many risks, including earnings variability based upon weather patterns in the locations where the company operates and the wholesale cost of propane sold to end customers. In addition, propane companies are facing increased competition due to the growing availability of natural gas, fuel oil and alternative energy sources for residential heating.
Power infrastructure companies are subject to many risks, including earnings variability based upon weather patterns in the locations where the company operates, the change in the demand for electricity, the cost to produce power, and the regulatory environment. Further, share prices are partly based on the interest rate environment, the sustainability
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and potential growth of the dividend, and the outcome of various rate cases undertaken by the company or a regulatory body.
Operating Risk. Energy companies are subject to many operating risks, including: equipment failure causing outages; structural, maintenance, impairment and safety problems; transmission or transportation constraints, inoperability or inefficiencies; dependence on a specified fuel source; changes in electricity and fuel usage; availability of competitively priced alternative energy sources; changes in generation efficiency and market heat rates; lack of sufficient capital to maintain facilities; significant capital expenditures to keep older assets operating efficiently; seasonality; changes in supply and demand for energy; catastrophic and/or weather-related events such as spills, leaks, well blowouts, uncontrollable flows, ruptures, fires, explosions, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, discharges of toxic gases and similar occurrences; storage, handling, disposal and decommissioning costs; and environmental compliance. Breakdown or failure of an energy company’s operating assets may prevent it from performing under applicable sales agreements, which in certain situations could result in termination of the agreement or in the company incurring a liability for liquidated damages. Because of these operating risks and other potential hazards, energy companies may be exposed to significant liabilities for which they may not have adequate insurance coverage. Any of the identified risks may have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of energy companies.
The energy industry is cyclical and from time to time may experience a shortage of drilling rigs, equipment, supplies, or qualified personnel, or, due to significant demand, such services or equipment may not be available on commercially reasonable terms. A company’s ability to complete capital improvements to existing projects or invest in planned capital projects in a successful and timely manner is dependent upon many variables. Should any such efforts be unsuccessful, an energy company may be subject to additional costs and/or the write-off of its investment in the project or improvement. The marketability of oil and gas production depends in large part on the availability, proximity and capacity of pipeline systems owned by third parties. Oil and gas properties are subject to royalty interests, liens and other burdens, encumbrances, easements or restrictions, all of which may impact the production of a particular energy company. Oil and gas companies operate in a highly competitive and cyclical industry, with intense price competition. A significant portion of their revenues may depend on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities.
Energy companies engaged in interstate pipeline transportation of natural gas, refined petroleum products and other products are subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) with respect to the tariff rates that these companies may charge for pipeline transportation services. An adverse determination to an energy company by the FERC with respect to such tariff rates may have a material adverse effect on that energy company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and on its ability to make cash distributions to its equity owners.
Regulatory Risk. Energy companies are subject to regulation by governmental authorities in various jurisdictions and may be adversely affected by the imposition of special tariffs and changes in tax laws, regulatory policies, and accounting standards. Regulation exists with respect to multiple aspects of their operations, including: reports and permits concerning exploration, drilling, and production; how facilities are constructed, maintained, and operated; how wells are spaced; the unitization and pooling of properties; environmental and safety controls, including emissions release, the reclamation and abandonment of wells and facility sites, remediation, protection of endangered species, and the discharge and disposition of waste materials; offshore oil and gas operations; and the prices energy companies may charge for the oil and gas produced or transported under federal and state leases and for other products and services. Various governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance both with these regulations and permits issued pursuant to them, and violators may be subject to administrative, civil and criminal penalties, including fines, injunctions or both. Stricter laws, regulations, or enforcement policies may be enacted in the future which increase compliance costs and adversely affect the financial performance of energy companies. Additionally, legislation has been proposed that would, if enacted into law, make significant changes to U.S. federal income tax laws, including the elimination of certain U.S. federal income tax benefits currently available to oil and gas exploration and production companies.
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The use of methods such as hydraulic fracturing (described in greater detail below) may be subject to new or different regulation in the future. Any new state or federal regulations that may be imposed on hydraulic fracturing could result in additional permitting and disclosure requirements (including of substances used in the fracturing process) and in additional operating restrictions. The imposition of various conditions and restrictions on drilling and completion operations could lead to operational delays and increased costs and, moreover, could delay or effectively prevent the development of oil and gas from formations that would not be economically viable without the use of hydraulic fracturing.
Energy infrastructure companies engaged in interstate pipeline transportation of natural gas, refined petroleum products and other products are subject to regulation by FERC with respect to tariff rates these companies may charge for pipeline transportation services. An adverse determination by the FERC with respect to the tariff rates of an energy infrastructure company could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and its ability to make cash distributions to its equity owners. Certain MLPs regulated by FERC have the right, but not the obligation, to redeem all their common units held by an investor who is not subject to U.S. federal income taxation at market value, with the purchase price payable in cash or via a three-year interest-bearing promissory note. Prices for certain electric power companies are regulated in the U.S. with the intention of protecting the public while ensuring that the rate of return earned by such companies is sufficient to attract growth capital and to provide appropriate services. The rates assessed for these rate-regulated electric power companies by state and local regulators are generally subject to cost-of-service regulation and annual earnings oversight. This regulatory treatment does not provide any assurance as to achievement of earnings levels. Changes in laws or regulations or changes in the application or interpretation of regulatory provisions in jurisdictions where electric power companies operate, particularly utilities where electricity tariffs are subject to regulatory review or approval, could adversely affect their business. The Fund could become subject to FERC’s jurisdiction if it is deemed to be a holding company of a public utility company or of a holding company of a public utility company, and the Fund may be required to aggregate securities held by the Fund or other funds and accounts managed by the Adviser and its affiliates. Accordingly, the Fund may be prohibited from buying securities of a public utility company or of a holding company of any public utility company or may be forced to divest itself of such securities because of other holdings by the Fund or other funds or accounts managed by the Adviser and its affiliates.
Environmental Risk. Energy company activities are subject to stringent environmental laws and regulation by many federal, state and local authorities, international treaties and foreign governmental authorities. A company’s failure to comply with such laws and regulations or to obtain any necessary environmental permits pursuant to such laws and regulations may result in the imposition of fines or other sanctions. Congress and other domestic and foreign governmental authorities have either considered or implemented various laws and regulations to restrict or tax certain emissions, particularly those involving air and water emissions. Existing environmental regulations may be revised or reinterpreted, new laws and regulations may be adopted or become applicable, and future changes in environmental laws and regulations may occur, each of which could impose significant additional costs on energy companies. Energy companies have made and will likely continue to make significant capital and other expenditures to comply with these and other environmental laws and regulations. There can be no assurance that such companies will be able to recover all or any increased environmental costs from their customers or that their business, financial condition or results of operations will not be materially and adversely affected by such expenditures or by any changes in domestic or foreign environmental laws and regulations, in which case the value of these companies’ securities could be adversely affected. Energy companies may not be able to obtain or maintain all required environmental regulatory approvals. If there is a delay in obtaining any required environmental regulatory approvals or if an energy company fails to obtain, maintain or comply with any such approval, the operation of its facilities could be stopped or become subject to additional costs. In addition, energy companies may be responsible for environmentally-related liabilities, including any on-site liabilities associated with the environmental condition of facilities that it has acquired, leased or developed, or liabilities from associated activities, regardless of when the liabilities arose and whether they are known or unknown.
Hydraulic fracturing is a common practice used to stimulate production of natural gas and/or oil from dense subsurface rock formations such as shales that generally exist several thousand feet below ground. Some energy companies commonly apply hydraulic-fracturing techniques in onshore oil and natural gas drilling and completion programs. The process involves the injection of water, sand, and additives under pressure into a targeted subsurface
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formation. The water and pressure create fractures in the rock formations, which are held open by grains of sand, enabling the oil or natural gas to flow to the wellbore. The use of hydraulic fracturing may produce certain wastes that may in the future be designated as hazardous wastes and become subject to more rigorous and costly compliance and disposal requirements. In addition, the Department of Energy is conducting an investigation into practices the agency could recommend to better protect the environment from drilling using hydraulic fracturing completion methods, and the Department of the Interior has proposed disclosure, well testing and monitoring requirements for hydraulic fracturing on federal lands. The White House Council on Environmental Quality and a committee of the US House of Representatives are reviewing hydraulic-fracturing practices, and legislation has been introduced in Congress to provide for federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing and to require disclosure of the chemicals used in the fracturing process. Some states have also adopted, and other states are considering adopting, regulations that impose more stringent permitting, disclosure and well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations. Additional regulations may be imposed that would, among other things, limit injection of oil and gas well wastewater into underground disposal wells, because of concerns about the possibility of minor earthquakes being linked to such injection, an indirect byproduct to drilling unique to certain geographic regions. If new laws or regulations that significantly restrict hydraulic fracturing or associated activity are adopted, such laws may make it more difficult or costly for energy companies to perform fracturing to stimulate production from tight formations, which might adversely affect their production levels, operations, and cash flow, as well as the value of such companies’ securities.
Climate Change Regulation Risk. Climate change regulation may result in increased operations and capital costs for the companies in which the Fund invests. Voluntary initiatives and mandatory controls have been adopted or are being discussed both in the U.S. and worldwide to reduce emissions of “greenhouse gases” such as carbon dioxide, a by-product of burning fossil fuels, which some scientists and policymakers believe contribute to global climate change. These current and future measures may result in certain companies in which the Fund invests incurring increased costs to operate and maintain facilities and to administer and manage a greenhouse gas emissions program, which in turn may reduce demand for fuels that generate greenhouse gases that are produced or managed or produced by such companies.
Terrorism Risk. Energy companies, and the market for their securities, are subject to disruption as a result of terrorism-related risks. These include terrorist activities, such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; wars, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and their aftermath; and other geopolitical events, including upheaval in the Middle East and other energy producing regions. Cyber hacking may also cause significant disruption and harm to energy companies. The U.S. government has issued warnings that energy industry assets, including exploration and production facilities as well as pipelines and transmission and distribution facilities, may be specific targets for terrorist activity. Such events have led, and in the future may lead, to short-term market volatility, and may also have long-term effects on companies in the energy industry and the market price of their securities. Such events may also adversely affect the business and financial condition of particular companies in which the Fund invests.
Natural Disaster Risk. Natural risks, such as earthquakes, flood, lightning, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes and wind, are inherent risks in energy company operations. Such natural disasters have in the past resulted in and may in the future cause substantial damage to the facilities of certain companies located in the affected areas, created significant volatility in the supply of energy, and adversely impacted the prices of certain energy company securities. Future natural disasters, or even the threat thereof, may result in similar volatility and may adversely affect commodity prices and earnings of energy companies in which the Fund invests.
Capital Markets Risk. Global financial markets and economic conditions have been, and may continue to be, volatile due to a variety of factors, including significant write-offs in the financial services sector. In volatile times, the cost of raising capital in the debt and equity capital markets, and the ability to raise capital, may be impacted. In particular, concerns about the general stability of financial markets and specifically the solvency of lending counterparties, may impact the cost of raising capital from the credit markets through increased interest rates, tighter lending standards, difficulties in refinancing debt on existing terms or at all and reduced, or in some cases ceasing to provide, funding to borrowers. In addition, lending counterparties under existing revolving credit facilities and other debt instruments may be unwilling or unable to meet their funding obligations. As a result of any of the foregoing, energy companies may be unable to obtain new debt or equity financing on acceptable terms. If funding is not available when needed, or is available only on unfavorable terms, energy companies may not be able to meet obligations as they come due.
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Moreover, without adequate funding, energy companies may be unable to execute their growth strategies, complete future acquisitions, take advantage of other business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on their revenues and results of operations.
Rising interest rates could limit the capital appreciation of equity units of energy companies as a result of the increased availability of alternative investments at competitive yields. Rising interest rates may increase the cost of capital for energy companies. A higher cost of capital or an inflationary period may lead to inadequate funding, which could limit growth from acquisition or expansion projects, the ability of such entities to make or grow dividends or distributions or meet debt obligations, the ability to respond to competitive pressures, all of which could adversely affect the prices of their securities.
Concentration in Robotics and 3D Printing Companies Risk
The Robotics and 3D Printing industry can be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, technological innovations, and product obsolescence. Companies in the software industry are subject to significant competitive pressures, such as aggressive pricing, new market entrants, competition for market share, short product cycles due to an accelerated rate of technological developments and the potential for limited earnings and/or falling profit margins. These companies also face the risks that new services, equipment or technologies will not be accepted by consumers and businesses or will become rapidly obsolete. These factors can affect the profitability of these companies and, as a result, the value of their securities. Also, patent protection is integral to the success of many companies in this industry, and profitability can be affected materially by, among other things, the cost of obtaining (or failing to obtain) patent approvals, the cost of litigating patent infringement and the loss of patent protection for products (which significantly increases pricing pressures and can materially reduce profitability with respect to such products). In addition, many software companies have limited operating histories. Prices of these companies’ securities historically have been more volatile than other securities, especially over the short term.
Currency Exchange Rate Risk
Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund’s investments and the value of your Shares. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. This is true even if the local currency value of securities in the Fund’s holdings goes up. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go up if the value of the local currency appreciates against the U.S. dollar. The value of the U.S. dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include, among others: national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, public health, cyber, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, epidemics, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning, and you may lose money.
Depositary Receipt Risk
Depositary Receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries and changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies. Depositary Receipts listed on U.S. exchanges are issued by banks or trust companies and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares (“Underlying Shares”). When a Fund invests in Depositary Receipts as a substitute for an investment directly in the Underlying Shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the Depositary Receipts may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the Underlying Shares.
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Equity Market Risk
Equity securities may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors including, among others: expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, public health, cyber, economic and banking crises. If you held common stock, or common stock equivalents, of any given issuer, you would generally be exposed to greater risk than if you held preferred stocks and debt obligations of the issuer because common stockholders, or holders of equivalent interests, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from issuers in comparison with the rights of preferred stockholders, bondholders, and other creditors of such issuers. Other conditions affecting the general economy, including political, public health, cyber, or economic instability at the local, regional, or global level and pandemics, epidemics, or other similar circumstances in one or more countries or regions may also affect the market value of a security.
Beginning in the first quarter of 2020, financial markets in the United States and around the world experienced extreme and, in many cases, unprecedented volatility and severe losses due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, a novel coronavirus. The pandemic has resulted in a wide range of social and economic disruptions, including closed borders, voluntary or compelled quarantines of large populations, stressed healthcare systems, reduced or prohibited domestic or international travel, and supply chain disruptions affecting the United States and many other countries. Some sectors of the economy and individual issuers have experienced particularly large losses as a result of these disruptions, and such disruptions may continue for an extended period of time or reoccur in the future to a similar or greater extent. It is unknown how long circumstances related to the pandemic will persist, whether they will reoccur in the future, whether efforts to support the economy and financial markets will be successful, and what additional implications may follow from the pandemic. The impact of these events and other epidemics or pandemics in the future could adversely affect Fund performance.
ETF Risks
The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:
APs, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash Redemption Risk. To the extent the Fund’s investment strategy requires it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.
Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity.
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Further, a relatively small investor base in the Fund, asset swings in the Fund and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. Certain securities held by the Fund may trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, and the Fund may experience premiums and discounts greater than those of ETFs that hold securities that are traded only in the United States.
Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to each Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules, which temporarily halt trading on such Exchange when a decline in the S&P 500 Index during a single day reaches certain thresholds (e.g., 7%, 13%, and 20%). Additional rules applicable to the Exchange may halt trading in Shares when extraordinary volatility causes sudden, significant swings in the market price of Shares. There can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares.
Foreign Securities Risk
Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about a foreign issuer than a U.S. issuer. Foreign issuers may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Investments in foreign securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. With respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries. Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or an Underlying ETF holding foreign securities may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell Shares. Conversely, Shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are closed. Each of these factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
Geographic Concentration Risk
Each Fund is subject to geographic concentration risk, which is the chance that world events—such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural disasters—will adversely affect the value of securities issued by companies in foreign countries or regions. Because a Fund may invest a large portion of its assets in securities of companies located in any one country or region, the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of its investments in that area.
Risks of Investing in China. The Chinese economy is subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability:
Political and Social Risk: The Chinese government is authoritarian and has periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth and the pace of economic liberalization may lead to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest. In addition, China continues to experience disagreements related to
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integration with Hong Kong and religious and nationalist disputes in Tibet and Xinjiang. There is also a greater risk in China than in many other countries of currency fluctuations, currency convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation as a result of internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. China’s growing income inequality and worsening environmental conditions also are factors that may affect the Chinese economy. China is also vulnerable economically to the impact of a public health crisis, which could depress consumer demand, reduce economic output, and potentially lead to market closures, travel restrictions, and quarantines, all of which would negatively impact China’s economy and could affect the economies of its trading partners.
Government Control and Regulations: The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive, and the Chinese government may restrict foreign ownership of Chinese corporations and/or repatriate assets. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of publicly-available information and/or political and social instability.
Economic Risk: The Chinese economy has grown rapidly during the past several years and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. In fact, the Chinese economy may experience a significant slowdown as a result of, among other things, a deterioration in global demand for Chinese exports, as well as contraction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers. In addition, China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on the economy and securities market. Delays in enterprise restructuring, slow development of well-functioning financial markets and widespread corruption have also hindered performance of the Chinese economy. China continues to receive substantial pressure from trading partners to liberalize official currency exchange rates. Chinese companies are subject to the risk that the U.S. government or other governments may sanction Chinese issuers or otherwise prohibit U.S. persons or funds from investing in certain Chinese issuers and a lack of transparency with respect to economic activity and transactions in China. Recent developments in relations between the United States and China have heightened concerns of increased tariffs and restrictions on trade between the two countries. It is unclear whether further tariffs and sanctions may be imposed or other escalating actions may be taken in the future.
Expropriation Risk: The Chinese government maintains a major role in economic policymaking, and investing in China involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property, or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.
Hong Kong Political Risk: Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997 as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the PRC under the principle of “one country, two systems.” Although China is obligated to maintain the current capitalist economic and social system of Hong Kong through June 30, 2047, the continuation of economic and social freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong is dependent on the government of China. Any attempt by China to tighten its control over Hong Kong’s political, economic, legal or social policies may result in an adverse effect on Hong Kong’s markets. In addition, the Hong Kong dollar trades at a fixed exchange rate in relation to (or, is “pegged” to) the U.S. dollar, which has contributed to the growth and stability of the Hong Kong economy. However, it is uncertain how long the currency peg will continue or what effect the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system would have on the Hong Kong economy. Because the Fund’s NAV is denominated in U.S. dollars, the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system could result in a decline in the Fund’s NAV.
Risks Related to Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and as in many cases as fellow members maintaining the euro. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. European countries that are part of the Economic and Monetary Union of the EU are required to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
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country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. Recent market events affecting several of the EU member countries have adversely affected the sovereign debt issued by those countries, and ultimately may lead to a decline in the value of the euro. A significant decline in the value of the euro may produce unpredictable effects on trade and commerce generally and could lead to increased volatility in financial markets worldwide.
The United Kingdom (“UK”) formally exited from the EU on January 31, 2020 (known as “Brexit”), and effective December 31, 2020, the UK ended a transition period during which it continued to abide by the EU’s rules and the UK’s trade relationships with the EU were generally unchanged. Following this transition period, the impact on the UK and European economies and the broader global economy could be significant, resulting in negative impacts, such as increased volatility and illiquidity, potentially lower economic growth on markets in the UK, Europe, and globally, and changes in legal and regulatory regimes to which certain Fund assets are or become subject, any of which may adversely affect the value of Fund investments.
The effects of Brexit will depend, in part, on agreements the UK negotiates to retain access to EU markets, including, but not limited to, current trade and finance agreements. Brexit could lead to legal and tax uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations, as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. The extent of the impact of the withdrawal negotiations in the UK and in global markets, as well as any associated adverse consequences, remain unclear, and the uncertainty may have a significant negative effect on the value of a Fund investments. If one or more other countries were to exit the EU or abandon the use of the euro as a currency, the value of investments tied to those countries or the euro could decline significantly and unpredictably.
Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, and corresponding events in late February 2022, have had, and could continue to have, severe adverse effects on regional and global economic markets for securities and commodities. Moreover, this event has had an adverse effect on global markets performance and liquidity. The duration of ongoing hostilities and the vast array of sanctions and related events cannot be predicted. Those events present material uncertainty and risk with respect to markets globally and the performance of the Funds and their investments or operations could be negatively impacted.
Risks Related to Investing in Japan. The Japanese economy may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability, which could have a negative impact on Japanese securities. Since the year 2000, Japan’s economic growth rate has remained relatively low and it may remain low in the future. In addition, Japan is subject to the risk of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons and tsunamis. Additionally, decreasing U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates, a recession in the United States or continued increases in foreclosure rates may have an adverse impact on the economy of Japan. Japan also has few natural resources, and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on Japanese securities.
Canada-Specific Risk. The Canadian economy is reliant on the sale of natural resources and commodities, which can pose risks such as the fluctuation of prices and the variability of demand for exportation of such products. Changes in spending on Canadian products by the economies of other countries or changes in any of these economies may cause a significant impact on the Canadian economy.
Index Provider Risk
There is no assurance that the Index Provider or any agents that act on its behalf, will compile an Index accurately, or that an Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, rebalanced, calculated or disseminated accurately. Each Fund relies upon the Index Provider and its agents to compile, determine, maintain, construct, rebalance, calculate (or arrange for an agent to calculate), and disseminate each Index accurately. Any losses or costs associated with errors made by the Index Provider or its agents generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. To correct any such error, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out an unscheduled rebalance of an Index or other modification of Index constituents or weightings. When the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Because the Index includes international securities, the Index Provider may have limited information or may be more prone to mistakes based on the data available and such
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mistakes may have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance, which may increase the risks to the Fund. Unscheduled rebalances also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy, and completeness of the data used to compile the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, particularly where the Index is less commonly used as a benchmark by funds or advisors. The Index Provider and its agents rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates.
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk
The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.
Limited Operating History
A recently organized management investment company with limited operating history subjects prospective investors to a limited track record on which to base their investment decision. An investment in a Fund may therefore involve greater uncertainty than an investment in a fund with a more established record of performance.
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk
The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, public health, cyber, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some medium capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources, and management personnel and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to large-capitalization companies.
MLP Risk
MLPs involve risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP’s general partner, and cash flow risks. MLP common units and other equity securities can be affected by macroeconomic and other factors affecting the stock market in general, expectations of interest rates, investor sentiment towards MLPs or the energy sector, changes in a particular issuer’s financial condition or unfavorable or unanticipated poor performance of a particular issuer (in the case of MLPs, generally measured in terms of distributable cash flow). Prices of common units of individual MLPs and other equity securities also can be affected by fundamentals unique to the partnership or company, including earnings power and coverage ratios.
MLPs typically do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Instead, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in such MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP. Thus, if any MLP owned by the Fund were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the result could be a reduction of the value of your investment in the Fund and lower income, as compared to if the MLP were not taxed as a corporation.
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Non-Diversification Risk
Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non- diversified. This means that the Fund may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Passive Investment Risk
The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. Other than in response to a trigger if set forth in the Fund’s Index methodology, the Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of securities included in the Index regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund. The returns from the types of securities in which the Fund invests may underperform returns from the various general securities markets or different asset classes. This may cause the Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes. Different types of securities (for example, large-, mid- and small-capitalization stocks) tend to go through cycles of doing better – or worse – than the general securities markets. In the past, these periods have lasted for as long as several years.
REIT Investment Risk
Investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, and may be more volatile than other securities. In addition, to the extent the Fund holds interests in REITs, it is expected that investors in the Fund will bear two layers of asset-based management fees and expenses (directly at the Fund level and indirectly at the REIT level). The risks of investing in REITs include certain risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate and the real estate industry in general. These include risks related to general, regional and local economic conditions; fluctuations in interest rates and property tax rates; shifts in zoning laws, environmental regulations and other governmental action such as the exercise of eminent domain; cash flow dependency; increased operating expenses; lack of availability of mortgage funds; losses due to natural disasters; overbuilding; losses due to casualty or condemnation; changes in property values and rental rates; and other factors.
In addition to these risks, REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund expects that dividends received from a REIT and distributed to Fund shareholders generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income, but may be taxable as return of capital. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting investments.
Sector Risk
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.
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Communications Services Sector Risk. The Fund is generally expected to invest significantly in companies in the communications services sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Communications services companies are subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of the such companies. Companies in the communications services sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications (including with 5G and other technologies), product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the consumer discretionary sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may 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.
Energy Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the energy sector, and therefore the performance of the fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The profitability of companies in the energy sector is related to worldwide energy prices, exploration, and production spending. Such companies also are subject to risks of changes in exchange rates, government regulation, world events, depletion of resources and economic conditions, as well as market, economic and political risks of the countries where energy companies are located or do business. Oil and gas exploration and production can be significantly affected by natural disasters. Oil exploration and production companies may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, government regulation, world events, and economic conditions. Oil exploration and production companies may be at risk for environmental damage claims.
The energy sector is comprised of energy, energy industrial, energy infrastructure and energy logistics companies, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, environmental, business, regulatory or other occurrences affecting that sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. At times, the performance of these investments may lag the performance of other sectors or the market as a whole. Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others, fluctuations in commodity prices; reduced consumer demand for commodities such as oil, natural gas or petroleum products; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Additionally, energy sector companies are subject to substantial government regulation and changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. MLPs may incur environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle. Changes in existing laws, regulations or enforcement policies governing the energy sector could significantly increase the compliance costs of MLPs. Certain MLPs could, from time to time, be held responsible for implementing remediation measures, the cost of which may not be recoverable from insurance. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies.
Industrials Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the industrials sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply of and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. As the demand for, or prices of, industrials increase, the value of the Fund’s investments generally would be expected to also increase. Conversely, declines in the demand for, or prices of, industrials generally would be expected to contribute to declines in the value of such securities. Such declines may occur quickly and without warning and may negatively impact the value of the Fund and your investment.
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Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the information technology sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the information technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.
Small Company Stock Risk
Small-Capitalization Investing. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, public health, cyber, or economic developments than securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some small capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization companies. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. Small-capitalization companies also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings.
Tax Risk
The Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated Investment company.” To qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to regulated investment companies, the Fund must satisfy certain diversification requirements. In particular, the Fund generally may not acquire a security if, as a result of the acquisition, more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets would be invested in (a) issuers in which the Fund has, in each case, invested more than 5% of its assets or (b) issuers more than 10% of whose outstanding voting securities are owned by the Fund. While the weighting of the Index is not inconsistent with these rules, given the concentration of the Index in a relatively small number of securities, it may not always be possible for the Fund to fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy while satisfying these diversification requirements. The Fund’s efforts to satisfy the diversification requirements may affect the Fund’s execution of its investment strategy and may cause the Fund’s return to deviate from that of the Index, and the Fund’s efforts to replicate or represent the Index may cause it inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements. If the Fund were to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements, it could incur penalty taxes and be forced to dispose of certain assets, or it could fail to qualify as a regulated investment company. If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.
Tracking Error Risk
The Fund seeks to track the performance of its underlying index. Under normal market conditions, the Adviser expects that the performance of the Fund over time, before expenses, will track the performance of its underlying index within a 0.95 correlation coefficient. The Fund is subject to the risk of tracking variance. Tracking variance may result from share purchases and redemptions, transaction costs, expenses and other factors. Tracking variance may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Additionally, the Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index if the Fund is not able to replicate the holdings of the Index due to the diversification requirements described above under “Tax Risk,” which apply to the Fund but not the Index. The use of sampling techniques may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve close correlation with its Index. The Fund may use a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, if the Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund, which generally can be expected to produce a greater non-correlation risk.
ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL RISK INFORMATION
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Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments. Normally, the Fund invests substantially all of its assets to meet its investment objective. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in securities with maturities of less than one year or cash equivalents, or each may hold cash. The percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings varies and depends on several factors, including market conditions.
Absence of a Prior Active Market. Although the Funds’ Shares are approved for listing on a national securities exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop and be maintained for Fund Shares. There can be no assurance that a Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case such Fund may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels or the Fund may ultimately liquidate.
Liquidity Risk. The Fund may hold certain investments that may be subject to restrictions on resale, trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lack an active trading market. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to sell or close out of such investments at favorable times or prices (or at all), or at prices approximating those at which the Fund currently values them. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value.
Risk of Investing in the United States. Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Funds have exposure. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations, and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. Proposed and adopted policy and legislative changes in the United States are changing many aspects of financial and other regulation and may have a significant effect on the U.S. markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or the imposition of U.S. austerity measures may adversely affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the Fund has exposure. The United States has developed increasingly strained relations with a number of foreign countries. If relations with certain countries continue to worsen, it could adversely affect U.S. issuers as well as non-U.S. issuers that rely on the United States for trade. The United States has also experienced increased internal unrest and discord. If this trend were to continue, it may have an adverse impact on the U.S. economy and the issuers in which the Fund invests.
Securities Lending Risk. There are certain risks associated with securities lending, including the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities on a timely basis or even the loss of rights in the collateral deposited by the borrower, if the borrower should fail financially. As a result, a Fund may lose money. A Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for a Fund.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
Information about each Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is available at www.PacerETFs.com. A summarized description of each Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
MANAGEMENT
The Funds are series of Pacer Funds Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, which is overseen by a board of trustees.
Investment Adviser
The Adviser has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust and each of its separate investment portfolios. The Adviser is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355. The Adviser has managed ETFs since 2015. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending, and all other related services necessary for each Fund to operate. For its services, the Adviser receives a fee from each Fund, calculated daily and paid monthly, based on a percentage of each Fund’s average daily net assets, as shown in the following table:
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Name of Fund Management Fee
Pacer American Energy Independence ETF 0.75%
Pacer BlueStar Digital Entertainment ETF 0.60%
Pacer BlueStar Engineering the Future ETF 0.60%
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Funds (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”), the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of each Fund, except for: the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution (12b-1) fees and expenses.
The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for the USAI and BULD is available in the Funds’ Annual Report for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022.
The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for ODDS is available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report for the fiscal period ended April 30, 2022.
Portfolio Managers
The Funds’ portfolio management team consists of Bruce Kavanaugh and Danke Wang, who are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund.
Each Fund employs a rules-based, passive investment strategy. The Adviser uses a committee approach to managing the Funds.
Mr. Kavanaugh has been Vice President of the Adviser since it began operations in 2004. He has been a portfolio manager with the Adviser since 2013. Mr. Kavanaugh has more than 25 years of experience in financial services.
Mr. Wang, Head Portfolio Analyst and Portfolio Manager, joined the Adviser in 2014. He served as a Senior Portfolio Analyst of the Adviser from 2014 to 2022, and became Head Portfolio Analyst in 2022. Mr. Wang obtained an MS in Finance from Villanova University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
The SAI provides additional information about each Portfolio Manager’s compensation structure, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of Shares of each Fund.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES
Most investors will buy and sell Shares of the Funds through brokers. Shares of each Fund trade on its applicable Exchange and elsewhere during the trading day and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other shares of publicly traded securities.
When buying or selling Shares through a broker, most investors will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Shares of each Fund trade under the trading symbol listed on the cover of this Prospectus. Only authorized participants (“Authorized Participants” or “APs”) who have entered into agreements with the Funds’ distributor may acquire Shares directly from a Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, at NAV in Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Share Trading Prices
Transactions in each Fund’s Shares will be priced at NAV only if you purchase Shares directly from a Fund in Creation Units. As with other types of securities, the trading prices of Shares in the secondary market can be affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. The price you pay or receive when you buy or sell your Shares in the secondary market may be more or less than the NAV of such Shares.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV of each Fund’s Shares is calculated each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for trading as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (the “NAV Calculation Time”). If the NYSE closes before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, as it occasionally does, the NAV Calculation Time will be the time the NYSE
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closes. In addition, any U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time of trading in fixed income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announces an early closing time. Each Fund’s NAV per share is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by the number of Fund Shares outstanding.
In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. Debt obligations with maturities of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost.
Fair Value Pricing
The Board has adopted procedures and methodologies to fair value Fund securities whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has been de-listed or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) a security’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the security’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing a security, the Adviser will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the security, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the security. The Adviser makes fair value determinations in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the Board-adopted valuation procedures. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the security upon the sale of such security.
Dividends and Distributions
USAI expects to pay out dividends monthly, if any. ODDS expects to pay out dividends, if any, on a quarterly basis. BULD expects to pay out dividends, if any, on a semi-annual basis. Nonetheless, each Fund may make more frequent dividend payments. Each Fund expects to distribute its net realized capital gains to investors annually. Each Fund occasionally may be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
Book Entry
Shares of each Fund 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 each Fund.
Investors owning Shares of each Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares of each Fund. Participants include DTC, 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 securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form. Your broker will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding
Householding is an option available to certain investors of each Fund. 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. Householding for each Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.
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Financial reports will be published semi-annually. Each Fund has discontinued mailing paper copies of the Funds’ financial reports as permitted by new regulations adopted by the SEC, unless you specifically request paper copies from the Fund. The reports will remain available to you on the Funds’ website (www.PacerETFs.com) and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a link to access the report. Annual reports will include audited financial statements. For any shareholder that requests paper copies only one copy of each report will be mailed to each taxpayer identification number even though the investor may have more than one account in the Fund.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares
Each Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares. In determining not to impose such restrictions, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by Fund shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly with a Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Fund share trading prices in line with NAV. As such, each Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, each Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effective trades. In addition, each Fund and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.
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 each Fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in each Fund beyond the limits set forth in section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the applicable Fund(s).
ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION
The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. Your investment in the Funds may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
The Funds have qualified and intend to continue to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”). If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC 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 RIC 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.
Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in Fund Shares is made through a tax advantaged retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:
A Fund makes distributions;
You sell Fund Shares; and
You purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).
Taxes on Distributions
Tax reform legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act made significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules for individuals and corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. The application of certain provisions of the Tax Act is uncertain, and the changes in the act may have indirect effects on the Funds, its investments and its shareholders that cannot be predicted. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or “qualified dividend income.” Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) depend on how long a Fund owned the assets that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund Shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are properly reported by the Fund as
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capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) are taxable as long-term capital gains. For noncorporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally subject to tax at reduced rates and currently set at a maximum rate of 20%. Distributions of short-term capital gain are generally taxable as ordinary income. Distributions of investment income reported by the Fund as derived from “qualified dividend income” will be taxed at long term capital gain rates for non-corporate shareholders.
U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (generally including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of Fund Shares).
In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of 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 Fund Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Fund Shares).
A Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Funds may sell portfolio securities 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 in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.
Nonresident aliens, foreign corporations and other foreign shareholders in the Funds will generally be exempt from U.S. federal income tax on Capital Gain Dividends. The exemption may not apply, however, if the investment in a Fund is connected to a trade or business for the foreign shareholder in the United States or if the foreign shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more in a year and certain other conditions are met.
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. The Funds 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. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax. 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.
The Funds (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which shareholders own Fund Shares) generally are required to withhold and to remit to the US Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and the sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.
A U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on dividends effective July 1, 2014 (and proceeds of sales in respect of Fund Shares (including certain capital gain dividends) received by Fund shareholders beginning after December 31, 2018) for shareholders who own their Shares through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. The Funds will not pay any additional amounts in respect to any amounts withheld.
To the extent a Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund received from sources in foreign countries. If more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund consists of foreign securities, such Fund will be eligible to elect to treat some of those taxes as a distribution to shareholders, which would allow shareholders to offset some of their U.S. federal income tax. The Funds (or its administrative agent) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.
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Taxes When Fund Shares Are Sold
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund Shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the Shares have been held 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 long-term capital loss to the extent that Capital Gain Dividends were paid with respect to such Shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.
A foreign shareholder will generally not be subject to U.S. tax on gains realized on sales or exchange of Fund Shares unless the investment in a Fund is connected to a trade or business of the investor in the United States or if the shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more in a year and certain other conditions are met. All foreign shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences in their country of residence of an investment in a Fund.
Creation and Redemption Units
An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person 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 market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will be treated as short-term capital gains or losses. Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
The Funds have the right to reject an order for Creation Units if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, the Fund would have a basis in the deposit securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Funds also have the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.
State and Local Taxes
Shareholders may also be subject to state and local taxes on income and gain attributable to your ownership of Fund Shares. State income taxes may not apply, however, to the portions of a Fund’s distributions, if any, that are attributable to interest earned by a Fund on U.S. government securities. You should consult your tax professional regarding the tax status of distributions in your state and locality.
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Master Limited Partnerships (USAI)
In general, for purposes of satisfying the source of income test for qualifying as a RIC, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a QPTP (generally, a partnership (i) interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, (ii) that derives at least 90% of its income from the passive income sources specified in Code section 7704(d), and (iii) that derives less than 90% of its income from the same sources as described in the source of RIC Qualifying Income Test described in the SAI) will be treated as qualifying income. In addition, although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a QPTP.
USAI may invest in certain MLPs which may be treated as QPTPs. Income from QPTPs is qualifying income for purposes of the source of income test for qualifying as a RIC, but the Fund’s investment in one or more of such QPTPs is limited under the asset diversification test for qualifying as a RIC to no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s assets.  USAI will monitor its investment in such QPTPs in order to ensure compliance with the source of income and asset diversification tests for qualifying as a RIC. MLPs and other partnerships that the Fund may invest in will deliver Form K-1s to the Fund to report its share of income, gains, losses, deductions and credits of the MLP or other partnership. These Form K-1s may be delayed and may not be received until after the time that the Fund issues its tax reporting statements. As a result, the Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of its distributions to you after it issues you your tax reporting statement.
Investors who receive a Form 1099 that reports distributions from the Fund’s investments, including MLPs, may receive a corrected 1099 if additional information becomes available regarding the characterization of your distribution after your 1099 was prepared.
USAI invests in partnerships that elect to be classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such entities are required to pay U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income. This has the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution to the Fund, which may result in a reduction of the value of your investment in the Fund, as compared to if such entity were not taxed as a corporation.
Foreign Taxes
To the extent a Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund received from sources in foreign countries.
DISTRIBUTION
The Distributor, Pacer Financial, Inc., is a broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for each Fund on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of each Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by each Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 500 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, Pennsylvania, 19355. The Distributor is an affiliate of the Adviser.
The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services.
No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of a Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION
Information regarding how often Shares of each Fund traded on an Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the fund is available on the Funds’ website at www.PacerETFs.com.
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ADDITIONAL NOTICES
Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by NYSE Arca, Inc. (USAI) and Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (ODDS and BULD)(the “Exchanges”). The Exchanges make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Shares or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Funds to track the total return performance of their respective Index or the ability of the Indexes identified herein to track the performance of their constituent securities. The Exchanges are not responsible for, nor has they 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 the Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Shares are redeemable. The Exchanges have no obligation or liability to owners of the Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the Shares. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchanges have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
The Adviser, the Funds’ index providers, the Exchanges, and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds particularly. The Funds do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or performance of the Indexes or the data included therein and shall have no liability in connection with the Indexes or Index calculation.
Each Fund’s index provider owns its respective Index(es) and each Index methodology and is a licensor of the respective Index(es) to the Adviser and index receipt agent. Each index provider has contracted with an index calculation agent to maintain and calculate the Indexes used by the Funds. The index calculation agents maintain and calculate the Indexes used by the Funds. The index calculation agent shall have no liability for any errors or omissions in calculating the Indexes.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand each Fund’s financial performance for the period of the Fund’s operations. 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 the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The Pacer American Energy Independence ETF is the accounting successor to the Predecessor Energy Fund as a result of the reorganization of the Predecessor Energy Fund into the Fund as of the close of business on December 13, 2019. The Pacer American Energy Independence ETF has adopted the Financial Statements of the Predecessor Energy Fund. For the fiscal years ended prior to December 13, 2019, the financial information for the Pacer American Energy Independence ETF was audited by the Predecessor Energy Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The remaining financial information has been audited by Sanville & Company, the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Funds’ financial statements, is included in the Funds’ annual report, which is available upon request.


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Pacer American Energy Independence ETF
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
For a capital share outstanding throughout the year/period 
  For the
Year Ended
October 31, 2022
For the
Year Ended
October 31, 2021
For the
Period Ended
October 31, 2020(a)
For the
Year Ended
November 30,
2019
 
For the
Period Ended
November 30, 2018(b)
 
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period $ 25.31  $ 14.96  $ 21.79  $ 23.21    $ 25.00   
INCOME (LOSS) FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:        
Net Investment Income(c)
0.41  0.40  0.28  0.37    0.55   
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments(d)
3.59  11.39  (5.55) (0.34)   (1.51)
Total from Investment Operations 4.00  11.79  (5.27) 0.03    (0.96)
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:        
Distributions From:
Net Investment Income (0.26) (0.50) (0.52) (0.22) (0.50)
Return of Capital (1.18) (0.94) (1.04) (1.23)   (0.33)
Total Distributions (1.44) (1.44) (1.56) (1.45) (0.83)
CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS:        
Transaction Fees 0.00
(e)
—   
Net Asset Value, End of Period $ 27.87  $ 25.31  $ 14.96  $ 21.79    $ 23.21   
Total return 16.26  % 80.71  % -24.76  %
(f)
-0.13% -4.06%
(f)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:      
Net Assets at End of Period (000’s) $ 47,377  $ 25,309  $ 11,966  $ 10,897    $ 9,284 
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:      
Expenses to Average Net Assets 0.75  % 0.75  % 0.75  %
(g)
0.75  % 0.75  %
(g)
Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets 1.53  % 1.82  % 1.81  %
(g)
1.58  % 2.25  %
(g)
Portfolio Turnover Rate(h)
25  % 22  % 41  %
(f)
26  % 61  %
(f)
(a)Shares of the Predecessor USAI Fund converted Shares at the close of business on December 13, 2019. For the period ended December 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020.
(b)Commencement of operations on December 12, 2017.
(c)Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.
(d)Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile to the change in net asset value for the period and may reconcile with aggregate gains and losses in the statement of operations due to share transactions for the period.
(e)Represents less than $0.005.
(f)Not annualized.
(g)Annualized.
(h)Excludes the impact of in-kind transactions.
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Pacer BlueStar Digital Entertainment ETF
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
For a capital share outstanding throughout the period
For the
Period Ended
October 31, 2022(a)
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period $ 19.74 
INCOME (LOSS) FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net Investment Income (Loss)(b)
0.05 
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments(c)
(4.32)
Total from Investment Operations (4.27)
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:
Distributions from Net Investment Income (0.04)
Total Distributions (0.04)
CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS:
Transaction Fees 0.01 
Net Asset Value, End of Period $ 15.44 
Total Return -21.58  %
(f)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net Assets at End of Period (000’s) $ 618 
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses to Average Net Assets 0.60  %
(e)
Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets 0.53  %
(e)
Portfolio Turnover Rate(d)
33  %
(f)
(a)Fund commenced operations on April 7, 2022. The information presented is from April 7, 2022 to October 31, 2022.
(b)Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.
(c)Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile to the change in net asset value for the period and may reconcile with aggregate gains and losses in the statement of operations due to share transactions for the period.
(d)Excludes the impact of in-kind transactions.
(e)Annualized.
(f)Not annualized.
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Pacer BlueStar Engineering the Future ETF
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
For a capital share outstanding throughout the period
For the
Period Ended
October 31, 2022(a)
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period $ 20.52 
INCOME (LOSS) FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net Investment Income (Loss)(b)
0.01 
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments(c)
(3.53)
Total from Investment Operations (3.52)
Net Asset Value, End of Period $ 17.00 
Total Return -17.14  %
(f)
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Net Assets at End of Period (000’s) $ 1,360 
RATIOS TO AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
Expenses to Average Net Assets 0.60  %
(e)
Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets 0.07  %
(e)
Portfolio Turnover Rate(d)
%
(f)
(a)Fund commenced operations on May 4, 2022. The information presented is from May 4, 2022 to October 31, 2022.
(b)Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.
(c)Realized and unrealized gains and losses per share are balancing amounts necessary to reconcile to the change in net asset value for the period and may reconcile with aggregate gains and losses in the statement of operations due to share transactions for the period.
(d)Excludes the impact of in-kind transactions.
(e)Annualized.
(f)Not annualized.
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Adviser
Pacer Advisors, Inc.
500 Chesterfield Parkway
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
Distributor
Pacer Financial, Inc.
500 Chesterfield Parkway
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
Custodian
U.S. Bank National Association
1555 N. Rivercenter Drive
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
Fund Accountant, Administrator and Transfer Agent
U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Sanville & Company
1514 Old York Road
Abington, PA 19001
Legal Counsel
Practus LLP
11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310, Leawood, Kansas 66211
The Trust’s current SAI provides additional detailed information about each Fund. A current SAI dated February 28, 2023, as supplemented from time to time, is on file with the SEC and is herein incorporated by reference into this Prospectus.
Additional information about each Fund’s investments is available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance for the respective period.
To make shareholder inquiries, for more detailed information on each Fund, or to request the SAI or annual or semi-annual shareholder reports (once available) free of charge, please:
Call:
1-800-617-0004
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Central time)
Write:
Pacer Funds Trust, (Name of Fund)
c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, LLC
P.O. Box 701
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Visit:
www.PacerETFs.com
Reports and other information about each Fund are also available:
Free of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov; or
For a duplicating fee, by e-mail request to [email protected].
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about each Fund and its Shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.

(The Trust’s SEC Investment Company Act file number is 811-23024)
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