The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion—Dated April 17, 2023

 

[  ], 2023 Prospectus

 

BondBloxxSM ETF Trust

 

BondBloxx BBB Rated 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF | [  ] | [NYSE Arca]
BondBloxx BBB Rated 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF | [  ] | [NYSE Arca]
BondBloxx BBB Rated 10+ Year Corporate Bond ETF | [  ] | [NYSE Arca]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The SEC has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

BondBloxxSM is a service mark of BondBloxx Investment Management Corporation.

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

Fund Overviews  
BondBloxx BBB Rated 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF   1
BondBloxx BBB Rated 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF   9
BondBloxx BBB Rated 10+ Year Corporate Bond ETF   17
More Information About the Funds   25
A Further Discussion of Principal Risks   26

A Further Discussion of Other Risks

  35
Portfolio Holdings Information   41
Management   41
Shareholder Information   43
Distribution   48
Financial Highlights   49
Index Provider   50
Disclaimers   50

 

[Disclaimer to come]

 

i

 

 

BONDBLOXX BBB RATED 1-5 YEAR
CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

  Ticker: [  ] Stock Exchange: [NYSE Arca]  

 

Investment Objective

 

The BondBloxx BBB Rated 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. investment grade corporate bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 with remaining maturities of greater than or equal to one year and less than five years.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund.

 

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

 

Management Fees1     [  ] %
Distribution and Service (12b-1)     [None]
Other Expenses2     [  ] %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     [  ] %

 

 
1 The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management Corporation (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
2 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years
$[  ]   $[  ]

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

 

1

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the [  ] (the “Index”), which contains all bonds in the [  ] (the “Underlying Index”) that are U.S. investment grade corporate bonds publicly issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 and that have a maturity of greater than or equal to 1 year and less than 5 years. [The Index includes fixed-rate, taxable, non-convertible, U.S. dollar denominated debt with $300 million or more of par amount outstanding, issued by U.S. and non-U.S. industrial, utility, and financial institutions. The Index includes investment grade securities rated between Baa3/BBB- and Baa1/BBB+, using the middle rating of Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., Fitch Ratings Inc., or S&P Global Ratings. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, then the more conservative (lower) rating will be used to determine Index eligibility. If only one of the agencies rates the security, then that rating will be used. Subordinated issues, securities with normal call and put provisions and sinking funds, publicly underwritten medium-term notes, 144A securities with registration rights, and global issues that are SEC-registered are included. Equity-linked securities, securities in legal default, hybrid securitized corporate bonds, Eurodollar bonds, taxable and tax-exempt U.S. municipal securities are excluded. The Index is rebalanced monthly, on the last business day of the month.] Because the Index is rebalanced [monthly], the components of the Index are likely to change over time. As of [  ], 2023, there were [  ] securities in the Index. For more information regarding the Underlying Index, see “More Information About the Funds—Underlying Index” below.

 

The Fund will invest in privately-issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).

 

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

Indexing will eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) either directly or indirectly (e.g., through derivatives) in a portfolio of U.S. investment grade corporate bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 with remaining maturities of greater than or equal to one year and less than five years. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its net assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

 

The Fund seeks to track the investment results (i.e., the total return) of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

 

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the bonds in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

 

2

 

 

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and tax exempt securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time. 

 

Summary of Principal Risks

 

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.

 

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. Recently, inflation levels have been at their highest point in nearly 40 years, and the U.S. Federal Reserve has begun a campaign to raise certain benchmark interest rates in an effort to combat inflation. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund.

 

No Operating History. As a newly organized entity, the Fund has no operating history. The Fund’s shares have no history of public trading.

 

Bond Risk. The Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security typically issued by a corporate or government issuer that has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal (the bond’s face value) periodically or on a specified maturity date. Bonds generally are used by corporations and governments to borrow money from investors. An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a bond before maturity, in which case the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Similarly, the Fund may have to reinvest interest income or payments received when bonds mature, sometimes at lower market rates. Most bonds bear interest income at a “coupon” rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed-rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Other types of bonds bear interest at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Interest rates on “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds may be higher or lower than current market rates for fixed-rate bonds of comparable quality with similar final maturities. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the value of “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds fluctuates much less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of fixed-rate bonds, but their value may decline if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specified collateral).

 

Corporate Bond Risk. The Fund will invest in corporate bonds, which are debt instruments issued by corporations to raise capital. The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest earned on the security and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate bond may be affected by changes in the market rate of interest, the credit rating of the corporation, the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation in the marketplace. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument.

 

3

 

 

BBB-Rated Bond Risk. BBB-rated bonds are typically subject to greater risk of downgrade than other investment grade bonds. The risk of downgrade to below-investment grade will be heightened during an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates. Adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Any downgrade of such bonds would relegate such bonds from the investment grade universe to the high yield (or “junk” bond) universe, which could negatively affect their liquidity and their value.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND’S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. Accordingly, if a shareholder purchases Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV, or sells shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

 

Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology 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, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund’s valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund’s NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements, among other reasons. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not.

 

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries.

 

4

 

 

An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Financial Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, changes in government regulations, economic conditions, and interest rates, credit rating downgrades, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. The impact of changes in capital requirements and recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or of the financial sector as a whole, cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have caused significant losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer’s or counterparty’s financial condition and on the terms of an obligation.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

 

5

 

 

Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in the U.S. 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 Fund has exposure.

 

Non-U.S. Issuers Risk. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, restrictions or limitations on trade, including export controls and tariffs, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, uncertainties of transnational litigation, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital, including the possible seizure or nationalization of the securities issued by non-U.S. issuers held by the Fund. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. Unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in non-U.S. countries could affect the payment of a security’s principal and interest. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers may also be less liquid than, and more difficult to value than, securities of U.S. issuers. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. A widespread outbreak of an infectious illness, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may result in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare services, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, business closures, lower consumer demand, layoffs, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic, social and political impacts. Markets may experience temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. Such events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments and may impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Despite the development of vaccines, the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects cannot be predicted with certainty.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely.

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.

 

6

 

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

7

 

 

Performance Information

 

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at www.bondbloxxetf.com or by calling (800) 896-5089 (toll free).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management Corporation.

 

Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.bondbloxxetf.com.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies could in the future pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of 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.

 

8

 

 

BONDBLOXX BBB RATED 5-10 YEAR
CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

  Ticker: [  ] Stock Exchange: [NYSE Arca]  

 

Investment Objective

 

The BondBloxx BBB Rated 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. investment grade corporate bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 with remaining maturities of greater than or equal to five years and less than ten years.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund.

 

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

 

Management Fees1     [  ] %
Distribution and Service (12b-1)     [None]
Other Expenses2     [  ] %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     [  ] %

 

 
1 The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management Corporation (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
2 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years
$[  ]   $[  ]

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

 

9

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the [  ] (the “Index”), which contains all bonds in the [  ] (the “Underlying Index”) that are U.S. investment grade corporate bonds publicly issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 and that have a maturity of greater than or equal to five years and less than ten years. [The Index includes fixed-rate, taxable, non-convertible, U.S. dollar denominated debt with $300 million or more of par amount outstanding, issued by U.S. and non-U.S. industrial, utility, and financial institutions. The Index includes investment grade securities rated between Baa3/BBB- and Baa1/BBB+, using the middle rating of Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., Fitch Ratings Inc., or S&P Global Ratings. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, then the more conservative (lower) rating will be used to determine Index eligibility. If only one of the agencies rates the security, then that rating will be used. Subordinated issues, securities with normal call and put provisions and sinking funds, publicly underwritten medium-term notes, 144A securities with registration rights, and global issues that are SEC-registered are included. Equity-linked securities, securities in legal default, hybrid securitized corporate bonds, Eurodollar bonds, taxable and tax-exempt U.S. municipal securities are excluded. The Index is rebalanced monthly, on the last business day of the month.] Because the Index is rebalanced [monthly], the components of the Index are likely to change over time. As of [  ], 2023, there were [  ] securities in the Index. For more information regarding the Underlying Index, see “More Information About the Funds—Underlying Index” below.

 

The Fund will invest in privately-issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).

 

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

Indexing will eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) either directly or indirectly (e.g., through derivatives) in a portfolio of U.S. investment grade corporate bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 with remaining maturities of greater than or equal to five years and less than ten years. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its net assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

 

The Fund seeks to track the investment results (i.e., the total return) of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

 

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the bonds in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

 

10

 

 

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and tax exempt securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time. 

 

Summary of Principal Risks

 

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.

 

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. Recently, inflation levels have been at their highest point in nearly 40 years, and the U.S. Federal Reserve has begun a campaign to raise certain benchmark interest rates in an effort to combat inflation. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund.

 

No Operating History. As a newly organized entity, the Fund has no operating history. The Fund’s shares have no history of public trading.

 

Bond Risk. The Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security typically issued by a corporate or government issuer that has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal (the bond’s face value) periodically or on a specified maturity date. Bonds generally are used by corporations and governments to borrow money from investors. An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a bond before maturity, in which case the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Similarly, the Fund may have to reinvest interest income or payments received when bonds mature, sometimes at lower market rates. Most bonds bear interest income at a “coupon” rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed-rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Other types of bonds bear interest at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Interest rates on “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds may be higher or lower than current market rates for fixed-rate bonds of comparable quality with similar final maturities. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the value of “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds fluctuates much less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of fixed-rate bonds, but their value may decline if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specified collateral).

 

Corporate Bond Risk. The Fund will invest in corporate bonds, which are debt instruments issued by corporations to raise capital. The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest earned on the security and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate bond may be affected by changes in the market rate of interest, the credit rating of the corporation, the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation in the marketplace. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument.

 

11

 

 

BBB-Rated Bond Risk. BBB-rated bonds are typically subject to greater risk of downgrade than other investment grade bonds. The risk of downgrade to below-investment grade will be heightened during an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates. Adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Any downgrade of such bonds would relegate such bonds from the investment grade universe to the high yield (or “junk” bond) universe, which could negatively affect their liquidity and their value.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND’S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. Accordingly, if a shareholder purchases Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV, or sells shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

 

Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology 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, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund’s valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund’s NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements, among other reasons. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not.

 

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries.

 

12

 

 

An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Financial Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, changes in government regulations, economic conditions, and interest rates, credit rating downgrades, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. The impact of changes in capital requirements and recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or of the financial sector as a whole, cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have caused significant losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer’s or counterparty’s financial condition and on the terms of an obligation.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

 

13

 

 

Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in the U.S. 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 Fund has exposure.

 

Non-U.S. Issuers Risk. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, restrictions or limitations on trade, including export controls and tariffs, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, uncertainties of transnational litigation, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital, including the possible seizure or nationalization of the securities issued by non-U.S. issuers held by the Fund. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. Unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in non-U.S. countries could affect the payment of a security’s principal and interest. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers may also be less liquid than, and more difficult to value than, securities of U.S. issuers. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. A widespread outbreak of an infectious illness, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may result in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare services, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, business closures, lower consumer demand, layoffs, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic, social and political impacts. Markets may experience temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. Such events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments and may impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Despite the development of vaccines, the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects cannot be predicted with certainty.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely.

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.

 

14

 

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

15

 

 

Performance Information

 

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at www.bondbloxxetf.com or by calling (800) 896-5089 (toll free).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management Corporation.

 

Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.bondbloxxetf.com.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies could in the future pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of 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.

 

16

 

 

BONDBLOXX BBB RATED 10+ YEAR
CORPORATE BOND ETF

 

  Ticker: [  ] Stock Exchange: [NYSE Arca]  

 

Investment Objective

 

The BondBloxx BBB Rated 10+ Year Corporate Bond ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. investment grade corporate bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 with remaining maturities of greater than or equal to ten years.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund.

 

You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

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

 

Management Fees1     [  ] %
Distribution and Service (12b-1)     [None]
Other Expenses2     [  ] %
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     [  ] %

 

 
1 The investment advisory agreement between BondBloxx ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and BondBloxx Investment Management Corporation (“BIM”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BIM will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
2 Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year   3 Years
$[  ]   $[  ]

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay 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 the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Portfolio turnover information for the Fund is not presented because the Fund had not commenced investment operations as of the date of this prospectus.

 

17

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund is newly organized, non-diversified and seeks to track the investment results of the [  ] (the “Index”), which contains all bonds in the [  ] (the “Underlying Index”) that are U.S. investment grade corporate bonds publicly issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 and that have a maturity of greater than or equal to ten years. [The Index includes fixed-rate, taxable, non-convertible, U.S. dollar denominated debt with $300 million or more of par amount outstanding, issued by U.S. and non-U.S. industrial, utility, and financial institutions. The Index includes investment grade securities rated between Baa3/BBB- and Baa1/BBB+, using the middle rating of Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., Fitch Ratings Inc., or S&P Global Ratings. If only two of the three agencies rate the security, then the more conservative (lower) rating will be used to determine Index eligibility. If only one of the agencies rates the security, then that rating will be used. Subordinated issues, securities with normal call and put provisions and sinking funds, publicly underwritten medium-term notes, 144A securities with registration rights, and global issues that are SEC-registered are included. Equity-linked securities, securities in legal default, hybrid securitized corporate bonds, Eurodollar bonds, taxable and tax-exempt U.S. municipal securities are excluded. The Index is rebalanced monthly, on the last business day of the month.] Because the Index is rebalanced [monthly], the components of the Index are likely to change over time. As of [  ], 2023, there were [  ] securities in the Index. For more information regarding the Underlying Index, see “More Information About the Funds—Underlying Index” below.

 

The Fund will invest in privately-issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).

 

BIM uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “outperform” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

Indexing will eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and sector weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration, maturity, credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) either directly or indirectly (e.g., through derivatives) in a portfolio of U.S. investment grade corporate bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 with remaining maturities of greater than or equal to ten years. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its net assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, U.S. Treasury obligations, U.S. Government obligations, U.S. agency securities, securities of other registered investment companies, cash and cash equivalents, as well as in securities not included in its Index, but which BIM believes will help the Fund track its Index.

 

The Fund seeks to track the investment results (i.e., the total return) of the Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

 

The Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, which is independent of the Fund and BIM. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the bonds in the Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Index.

 

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Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and tax exempt securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time. 

 

Summary of Principal Risks

 

As with any investment, you could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.

 

Interest Rate Risk. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are low and the market prices for portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods. Recently, inflation levels have been at their highest point in nearly 40 years, and the U.S. Federal Reserve has begun a campaign to raise certain benchmark interest rates in an effort to combat inflation. An increase in interest rates will generally cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline, may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund.

 

No Operating History. As a newly organized entity, the Fund has no operating history. The Fund’s shares have no history of public trading.

 

Bond Risk. The Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security typically issued by a corporate or government issuer that has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal (the bond’s face value) periodically or on a specified maturity date. Bonds generally are used by corporations and governments to borrow money from investors. An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a bond before maturity, in which case the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Similarly, the Fund may have to reinvest interest income or payments received when bonds mature, sometimes at lower market rates. Most bonds bear interest income at a “coupon” rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed-rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Other types of bonds bear interest at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Interest rates on “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds may be higher or lower than current market rates for fixed-rate bonds of comparable quality with similar final maturities. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the value of “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds fluctuates much less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of fixed-rate bonds, but their value may decline if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specified collateral).

 

Corporate Bond Risk. The Fund will invest in corporate bonds, which are debt instruments issued by corporations to raise capital. The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest earned on the security and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate bond may be affected by changes in the market rate of interest, the credit rating of the corporation, the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation in the marketplace. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument.

 

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BBB-Rated Bond Risk. BBB-rated bonds are typically subject to greater risk of downgrade than other investment grade bonds. The risk of downgrade to below-investment grade will be heightened during an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates. Adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Any downgrade of such bonds would relegate such bonds from the investment grade universe to the high yield (or “junk” bond) universe, which could negatively affect their liquidity and their value.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, the advent of significant inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND’S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. Accordingly, if a shareholder purchases Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV, or sells shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses.

 

Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology 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, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund’s valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund’s NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements, among other reasons. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not.

 

Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries.

 

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An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Financial Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, changes in government regulations, economic conditions, and interest rates, credit rating downgrades, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. The impact of changes in capital requirements and recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or of the financial sector as a whole, cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have caused significant losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BIM generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Debt issuers and other counterparties may be unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor their obligations. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer’s or counterparty’s financial condition and on the terms of an obligation.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

 

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Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in the U.S. 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 Fund has exposure.

 

Non-U.S. Issuers Risk. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, restrictions or limitations on trade, including export controls and tariffs, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, uncertainties of transnational litigation, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital, including the possible seizure or nationalization of the securities issued by non-U.S. issuers held by the Fund. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. Unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in non-U.S. countries could affect the payment of a security’s principal and interest. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers may also be less liquid than, and more difficult to value than, securities of U.S. issuers. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. A widespread outbreak of an infectious illness, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may result in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare services, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, business closures, lower consumer demand, layoffs, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic, social and political impacts. Markets may experience temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. Such events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments and may impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Despite the development of vaccines, the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects cannot be predicted with certainty.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, the Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that the Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely.

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.

 

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Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act and as a result may be subject to legal restrictions on resale. Privately issued securities are generally not traded on established markets. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to the Fund.

 

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

 

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic or computer systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

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Performance Information

 

In the future, this section will show how the Fund’s total return has varied from year-to-year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance. Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, there is no past performance to return. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at www.bondbloxxetf.com or by calling (800) 896-5089 (toll free).

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. BondBloxx Investment Management Corporation.

 

Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman (the “Portfolio Manager”) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Manager has been a fixed income Portfolio Manager of the Fund since the Fund’s inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price. When you buy or sell shares of the Fund, you may be required to pay a brokerage commission, and you may experience tax consequences, including gains or losses, in connection with these transactions. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.bondbloxxetf.com.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BIM or other related companies could in the future pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of 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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More Information About the Funds

 

This Prospectus contains important information about investing in the Funds. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Funds is available at www.bondbloxxetf.com.

 

The investment objective of each Fund is to track the investment results of its respective Index. Each Index is composed of U.S. investment grade corporate bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers rated between BBB3 and BBB1 with varying lengths of remaining maturities. Each Fund’s investment objective and Index may be changed without shareholder approval.

 

BIM is the investment adviser to the Funds. Shares of the Funds are listed for trading on [NYSE Arca (“NYSE”)]. The market price for a share of a Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.

 

ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly-traded securities. Each Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of a Fund represents an ownership interest in an underlying portfolio of securities and other instruments intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Funds may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Funds at NAV solely by Authorized Participants and only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Units”). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Funds are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day.

 

Each Fund invests in a particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that is not representative of the market as a whole. Each Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that its Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and tax exempt securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. Each Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies. Accordingly, an investment in a Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.

 

An index is a financial calculation, based on a grouping of financial instruments, and is not an investment product, while each Fund is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Funds and the Indexes may vary for a number of reasons, including transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), securities lending earnings, timing variances and differences between a Fund’s portfolio and an Index resulting from the Fund’s use of representative sampling or from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Index. From time to time, the Index Provider may make changes to the methodology or other adjustments to an Index. Unless otherwise determined by BIM, any such change or adjustment will be reflected in the calculation of the Index performance on a going-forward basis after the effective date of such change or adjustment. Therefore, the Index performance shown for periods prior to the effective date of any such change or adjustment will generally not be recalculated or restated to reflect such change or adjustment.

 

“Tracking error” is the divergence of a Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Because each Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used a replication indexing strategy. “Replication” is an indexing strategy in which a fund invests in substantially all of the securities in its underlying index in approximately the same proportions as in the underlying index.

 

Each Fund’s respective Index is reconstituted and rebalanced monthly on the last calendar day of the month, based on information available up to and including the third business day before the last business day of the month. The Index Provider may change the rules of an Index or the Underlying Index over time.

 

An investment in a Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, BIM or any of its affiliates.

 

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Underlying Index. Each Fund’s Index is composed of a subset of bonds in the [  ]. As of the date of this Prospectus, the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar denominated investment grade corporate bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers that: [(i) are publicly issued, dollar-denominated, non-convertible and fixed rate (although it can carry a coupon that steps up or changes according to a predetermined schedule), (ii) have at least one year to final maturity (regardless of call features) and at least $300 million par amount outstanding and (iii) are rated investment-grade (Baa3/BBB- or higher) by at least two of the following ratings agencies: Moody’s, S&P, Fitch].

 

Index Construction. When constructing each Index, the Index Provider identifies components of the Underlying Index that fall within the relevant credit rating and maturity band for each Fund.

 

Name Policies. For purposes of each Fund’s 80% policy, each Fund values its derivative instruments based on their market value. To the extent a Fund invests in other registered investment companies, the Fund will consider the holdings of such registered investment company, to the extent they are known, for purposes of complying with the Fund’s 80% policy.

 

A Further Discussion of Principal Risks

 

Each Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect a Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or a substantial part of your investment in a Fund, and a Fund could underperform other investments. Unless otherwise indicated, each of these risks is applicable to each Fund. Accordingly, all references to the “Fund” in this section and the section entitled “A Further Discussion of Other Risks” shall mean each Fund listed on the cover page of this prospectus, unless otherwise noted.

 

No Operating History. As a newly organized entity, the Fund has no operating history. The Fund’s shares have no history of public trading.

 

Interest Rate Risk. If interest rates rise, the value of bonds or other instruments held by the Fund would likely decrease. A measure investors commonly use to determine this price sensitivity is called duration. Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making their prices more volatile than those of securities with shorter durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer duration, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly, which would adversely affect the value of the Fund. Recently, inflation levels have been at their highest point in nearly 40 years, and the U.S. Federal Reserve has begun a campaign to raise certain benchmark interest rates in an effort to combat inflation. An increase in interest rates may lead to heightened volatility in the fixed-income markets and adversely affect certain fixed-income investments, including those held by the Fund. In addition, decreases in fixed income dealer market-making capacity may lead to lower trading volume, heightened volatility, wider bid-ask spreads and less transparent pricing in certain fixed-income markets.

 

During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to Fund shareholders. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, result in heightened market volatility and detract from the Fund’s performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Additionally, under certain market conditions in which interest rates are set at low levels and the market prices of portfolio securities have increased, the Fund may have a very low, or even negative yield. A low or negative yield would cause the Fund to lose money in certain conditions and over certain time periods.

 

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Bond Risk. The Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security typically issued by a corporate or government issuer that has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal (the bond’s face value) periodically or on a specified maturity date. Bonds generally are used by corporations and governments to borrow money from investors. An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a bond before maturity, in which case the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Similarly, the Fund may have to reinvest interest income or payments received when bonds mature, sometimes at lower market rates. Most bonds bear interest income at a “coupon” rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed-rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Other types of bonds bear interest at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Interest rates on “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds may be higher or lower than current market rates for fixed-rate bonds of comparable quality with similar final maturities. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the value of “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds fluctuates much less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of fixed-rate bonds, but their value may decline if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specified collateral).

 

Corporate Bond Risk. The Fund will invest in corporate bonds, which are debt instruments issued by corporations to raise capital. The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest earned on the security and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate bond may be affected by changes in the market rate of interest, the credit rating of the corporation, the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation in the marketplace. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument.

 

BBB-Rated Bond Risk. BBB-rated bonds are typically subject to greater risk of downgrade than other investment grade bonds. The risk of downgrade to below-investment grade will be heightened during an economic downturn or substantial period of rising interest rates. Adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Any downgrade of such bonds would relegate such bonds from the investment grade universe to the high yield (or “junk” bond) universe, which could negatively affect their liquidity and their value.

 

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Market risk arises mainly from uncertainty about future values of financial instruments and may be influenced by price, currency and interest rate movements. It represents the potential loss the Fund may suffer through holding financial instruments in the face of market movements or uncertainty. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, the advent of significant inflation, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Fixed-income securities with short-term maturities are generally less sensitive to such changes than are fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities. Changes in market conditions and interest rates generally do not have the same impact on all types of securities and instruments.

 

Market Trading Risk.

 

Absence of Active Market. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares or the Fund’s underlying portfolio securities will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.

 

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Risk of Secondary Listings. The Fund’s shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund’s primary listing is maintained, and may otherwise be made available to non-U.S. investors through funds or structured investment vehicles similar to depositary receipts. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund’s shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.

 

Secondary Market Trading Risk. Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.

 

Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.

 

Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short. Fund shares may be loaned, borrowed, pledged or purchased on margin, and certain ETFs have options associated with them. The use of Fund shares in these ways may result in increased volatility and larger premiums and discounts on Fund shares. In addition, trading activity in derivative products based on the Fund may lead to increased trading volume and volatility in the secondary market for the shares of the Fund.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund’s shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings or NAV. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility, including during periods of significant redemption requests or other unusual market conditions. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND’S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BIM believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund’s NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or other market participants, and during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV. Authorized Participants may be less willing to create or redeem Fund shares if there is a lack of an active market for such shares or its underlying investments, which may contribute to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission and other charges. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “bid-ask spread”; that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price).

 

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The bid-ask spread, which varies over time for shares of the Fund based on trading volume and market liquidity, is generally narrower if the Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and wider if the Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity. In addition, increased market volatility may cause wider bid-ask spreads. There may also be regulatory and other charges that are incurred as a result of trading activity. Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments through a brokerage account.

 

Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return that corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider or any agents that may act on its behalf will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, composed, disseminated or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Index is designed to achieve, neither the Index Provider nor its agents provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Index or its related data, and they do not guarantee that the Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BIM’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Index provided by the Index Provider to BIM. BIM does not provide any warranty or guarantee against the Index Provider’s or any agent’s errors. 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 indices are less commonly used as benchmarks by funds or managers. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Index’s correct constituents. Shareholders should understand that any gains from Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Unusual market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance to the Index, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. The postponement of a scheduled rebalance in a time of market volatility could mean that constituents of the Index that would otherwise be removed at rebalance due to changes in market value, issuer credit ratings, or other reasons may remain, causing the performance and constituents of the Index to vary from those expected under normal conditions. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index due to reaching certain weighting constraints, unusual market conditions or corporate events or in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. In addition, the Index Provider may be subject to business or regulatory changes that impair its ability to continue to operate the Index in its current form. When the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider or its agents to the Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund.

 

Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund’s valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund’s NAV or differences between the securities prices used to value the Index and those used by the Fund), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, securities lending earnings, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of distributions, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, use of custom baskets, changes to the Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements, among other reasons. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Index does not.

 

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Asset Class Risk. The bonds and other assets in the Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, market segments, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities, currencies and indexes may experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general financial markets depending upon a number of factors including, among other things, inflation, interest rates, productivity, global demand for local products or resources, income taxes, and regulation and governmental controls. This may cause the Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes.

 

Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors, sub-sectors, industries, groups of industries, asset classes, markets, regions, countries, or groups of countries, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares may change at different rates compared to the value of shares of a fund with investments in a more diversified mix of sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries. An individual sector, sub-sector, industry, group of industries, asset-class, market, region, country, or group of countries may outperform the broader market during particular periods, but may do so with considerably greater volatility than the broader market. In addition, the several industries that constitute a sector or sub-sector or the several countries or markets that constitute a region or group of countries may all react similarly to economic, political, regulatory or other market events. The Fund’s performance could also be affected if the sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries do not perform as expected. Alternatively, a lack of exposure to one or more other sectors, sub-sectors, industries, asset classes, markets, regions, or countries may adversely affect performance.

 

Financial Sector Risk. Companies in the financial sector of an economy are subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount of capital they must maintain and, potentially, their size. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. Recently enacted legislation in the U.S. has relaxed capital requirements and other regulatory burdens on certain U.S. banks. While the effect of the legislation may benefit certain companies in the financials sector, increased risk taking by affected banks may also result in greater overall risk in the U.S. and global financials sector. The impact of changes in capital requirements, or recent or future regulation in various countries, on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted.

 

Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector are exposed directly to the credit risk of their borrowers and counterparties, who may be leveraged to an unknown degree, including through swaps and other derivatives products. Financial services companies may have significant exposure to the same borrowers and counterparties, with the result that a borrower’s or counterparty’s inability to meet its obligations to one company may affect other companies with exposure to the same borrower or counterparty. This interconnectedness of risk may result in significant negative impacts to companies with direct exposure to the defaulting counterparty as well as adverse cascading effects in the markets and the financials sector generally. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates. The financials sector is also a target for cyberattacks, and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have reportedly caused losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

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Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Index. The Fund invests in bonds included in, or representative of, the Index, regardless of their investment merits. BIM generally does not attempt to invest the Fund’s assets in defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets or changing interest rate environments.

 

Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, are near maturity or are called, bonds in the Index are substituted, or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Index’s stated maturity guidelines.

 

Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security prior to its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.

 

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities will be unable or unwilling to make its timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor its obligations. There are varying degrees of credit risk, depending on an issuer’s or counterparty’s financial condition and on the terms of an obligation, which may be reflected in the issuer’s or counterparty’s credit rating. There is the chance that the Fund’s portfolio holdings will have their credit ratings downgraded or will default (i.e., fail to make scheduled interest or principal payments), or that the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may worsen, potentially reducing the Fund’s income level or share price.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation is a sustained rise in overall price levels. Moderate inflation is associated with economic growth, while high inflation can signal an overheated economy. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of the Fund’s assets can decline). Inflation poses a “stealth” threat to investors because it reduces savings and investment returns. Central banks, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, generally attempt to control inflation by regulating the pace of economic activity. They typically attempt to affect economic activity by raising and lowering short-term interest rates. At times, governments may attempt to manage inflation through fiscal policy, such as by raising taxes or reducing spending, thereby reducing economic activity; conversely, governments can attempt to combat deflation with tax cuts and increased spending designed to stimulate economic activity. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies, and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund shareholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income instruments with longer maturities.

 

Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. The Fund may be adversely affected if an issuer of underlying securities held by the Fund is unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, credit deterioration of the issuer, adverse regulatory changes or other factors. Changes to the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. An issuer may also be subject to risks associated with the countries, states and regions in which the issuer resides, invests, sells products, or otherwise conducts operations.

 

Geographic Risk. Some of the companies in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas or business operations of companies in these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.

 

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Risk of Investing in the U.S. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations, inflation, and/or an economic recession in the U.S. 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 U.S. are changing many aspects of financial, commercial, public health, environmental, and other regulation and may have a significant effect on U.S. markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities. Government agencies project that the U.S. will continue to maintain elevated public debt levels for the foreseeable future. Although elevated debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, elevated public debt service costs may constrain future economic growth.

 

The U.S. has developed increasingly strained relations with a number of foreign countries. If relations with certain countries continue deteriorate, it could adversely affect U.S. issuers as well as non-U.S. issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. The U.S. has also experienced increased internal unrest and discord, as well as significant challenges in managing and containing the outbreak of COVID-19. If these trends were to continue, it may have an adverse impact on the U.S. economy and the issuers in which the Fund invests.

 

Non-U.S. Issuers Risk. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, restrictions or limitations on trade, including export controls and tariffs, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, uncertainties of transnational litigation, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital, including the possible seizure or nationalization of the securities issued by non-U.S. issuers held by the Fund. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. Unfavorable political, economic or governmental developments in non-U.S. countries could affect the payment of a security’s principal and interest. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers may also be less liquid than, and more difficult to value than, securities of U.S. issuers. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.

 

Infectious Illness Risk. A widespread outbreak of an infectious illness, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may adversely affect the economies of many nations and the global economy and may impact individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot be foreseen.

 

An infectious illness outbreak may result in travel restrictions, closed international borders, disruption of healthcare services, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, temporary and permanent closures of businesses, layoffs, defaults and other significant economic, social and political impacts, as well as general concern and uncertainty.

 

An infectious illness outbreak may result in extreme volatility, severe losses, credit deterioration of issuers, and disruptions in markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments, including impairing any hedging activity.

 

Certain local markets may be subject to closures. Any suspension of trading in markets in which the Fund invests will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and will impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities in such markets. Market or economic disruptions could result in elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Additionally, an outbreak could impair the operations of the Fund’s service providers, including BIM, which could adversely impact the Fund.

 

Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world may respond to an outbreak and any resulting economic disruptions with a variety of fiscal and monetary policy changes, including direct capital infusions into companies and other issuers, new monetary policy tools, and changes in interest rates. A reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of such policies, is likely to increase market volatility, which could adversely affect the Fund’s investments.

 

An outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally, which could adversely affect the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Despite the development of vaccines, the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects cannot be predicted with certainty.

 

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Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, sector, sub-sector, market segment, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, region or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities and/or other assets, may experience increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities and/or other assets than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. The Funds are classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Accordingly, a Fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a single issuer than if it were a “diversified” fund. To the extent that a Fund invests a higher percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer, the Fund is subject to a higher degree of risk associated with and developments affecting that issuer than a fund that invests more widely.

 

Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. An investment may be illiquid due to, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in securities or instruments or the lack of an active market for such securities or instruments. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities or instruments with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have increased exposure to the risks associated with illiquid investments. Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. There can be no assurance that a security or instrument that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund, and any security or instrument held by the Fund may be deemed an illiquid investment pursuant to the Fund’s liquidity risk management program. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets. Although the Fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the Fund on an in-kind basis, if the Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where redemptions from the Fund may be greater than normal. Other market participants may be attempting to liquidate holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply of the Fund’s underlying investments in the market and contributing to illiquid investments risk and downward pricing pressure. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.

 

Privately Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S under the 1933 Act. Privately issued securities typically may be resold only to qualified institutional buyers, or in a privately negotiated transaction, or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met for an exemption from registration. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund may find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held and traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s NAV due to the absence of an active trading market. There can be no assurance that a privately-issued security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund, and its value may decline as a result.

 

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Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and Authorized Participants are not obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable or unwilling to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is willing or able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting. Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened because ETFs, such as the Fund, that invest in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that are less widely traded often involve greater settlement and operational issues and capital costs for Authorized Participants, which may limit the availability of Authorized Participants.

 

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) and Other Investment Company Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies and ETFs. Shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses and similar expenses of the underlying investment company or ETF when the Fund invests in shares of another investment company or ETF. The Fund is subject to the risks associated with the ETF or investment company’s investments. The price and movement of an ETF designed to track an index may not track the index and may result in a loss. In addition, ETFs may trade at a price above (premium) or below (discount) their net asset value, especially during periods of significant market volatility or stress, causing investors to pay significantly more or less than the value of the ETF’s underlying portfolio. Certain ETFs traded on exchanges may be thinly traded and experience large spreads between the “ask” price quoted by a seller and the “bid” price offered by a buyer.

 

Management Risk. Because BIM uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may not be able to fully replicate the Index and may hold securities not included in the Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BIM’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, Authorized Participants, market makers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and computer, technology or systems failures. The Fund and BIM seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Valuation Risk. The debt securities in which the Fund may invest typically are valued by a pricing service utilizing a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such instruments, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able to sell a portfolio security at the price established by the pricing service, which could result in a loss to the Fund. Pricing services generally price debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, but some trades may occur in smaller, “odd lot” sizes, often at lower prices than institutional round lot trades. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. Because non-U.S. stock exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the Fund not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by a lack of current market prices, technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

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Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the internet to conduct business, the Fund, Authorized Participants, service providers and the relevant listing exchange are susceptible to operational, information security and related “cyber” risks both directly and through their service providers. Similar types of cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose value. Unlike many other types of risks faced by the Fund, these risks typically are not covered by insurance. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber incidents include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to computer or digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, “ransomware” attacks (a form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable), corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyberattacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). The rapidly-evolving nature of both technologies and of cyberattacks makes preventing and mitigating cybersecurity risks or resolving cybersecurity incidents especially challenging, and the cost of prevention, responses and mitigation efforts may be substantial. Recently, geopolitical tensions may have increased the scale and sophistication of deliberate attacks, particularly those from nation-states or from entities with nation-state backing.

 

Cybersecurity failures by, or breaches of, the systems of the Fund’s adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index and benchmark providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in: financial losses, theft of assets, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, disclosure of confidential trading information, impediments to trading, submission of erroneous trades or erroneous creation or redemption orders, the inability of the Fund or its service providers to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, cyberattacks may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to the functioning of the Fund inaccessible or inaccurate or incomplete. Substantial costs may be incurred by the Fund in order to resolve or prevent cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified and that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful or that cyberattacks will go undetected. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, the Index Provider, market makers or Authorized Participants. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

A Further Discussion of Other Risks

 

Each Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated with its investments and investment strategies.

 

Additional Information on Sector Risks. The industries in which the Index components, and thus the Fund’s investments, may be concentrated will vary as the composition of the Index changes over time. As a result, depending on the composition of the Index, the Fund may be exposed to the following risks:

 

Consumer Goods Industry Risk. Companies in the consumer goods sub-sector may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Governmental regulation affecting the use of various food additives may affect the profitability of certain consumer goods companies represented in the Underlying Index. Many consumer goods in the U.S. may also be marketed globally, and such consumer goods companies may be affected by the demand and market conditions in non-U.S. countries.

 

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Consumer Services Industry Risk. The success of firms in the consumer services industry and certain retailers (including food and beverage, general retailers, media, and travel and leisure companies) is tied closely to the performance of the domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates and consumer confidence. The consumer services industry depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Companies in the consumer services industry may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Companies in the consumer services industry are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action. Changes in consumer demographics and preferences in the countries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund are located and in the countries to which they export their products may affect the success of consumer products.

 

Healthcare Sector Risk. The healthcare sector consists of numerous sub-sectors, including the health facilities, health services, managed care, medical products, and pharmaceuticals sub-sectors. The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be adversely affected by the following factors, among others: extensive government regulations, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient and tele-health services, changes in the demand for medical products and services, a limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection. The expiration of a company’s patents, or regulations restricting the ability of healthcare companies to enforce its patents, may adversely affect that company’s profitability. Many healthcare companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly, and such efforts ultimately may be unsuccessful. In addition, many healthcare products and services may be impacted by changes in healthcare insurance coverage practices and regulations.

 

Industrials Sector Risk. The industrial sector consists of numerous sub-sectors, including the basic materials, capital goods, transportation and services sub-sectors. Industrial companies are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events, exchange rates and economic conditions, technological developments and liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities will likewise affect the performance of these companies. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrial sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this sector rely, to a significant extent, on U.S. and foreign government demand for their products and services. Transportation securities, a component of the industrial sector, are cyclical and have occasional sharp price movements which may result from changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements and insurance costs.

 

Oil and Gas Industry Risk. Companies in the oil and gas sub-sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, oil and gas supply and demand, government regulations and policies, oil and gas production and conservation efforts and technological change. The oil and gas sub-sector 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 may not be available on commercially reasonable terms. Prices and supplies of oil and gas may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to national and international political changes, OPEC policies, changes in relationships among OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economies of key energy-consuming countries. Disruptions in the oil and gas sub-sector or shifts in energy consumption may significantly impact companies in this sub-sector.

 

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Telecom, Media and Technology Sector Risk. The telecom, media and technology sector consists of a number of sub-sectors, including the telecommunications, technology and electronics and media sub-sectors. These sectors are subject to the risks of rapid innovation and obsolescence cycles, intellectual property theft, government regulation, cybersecurity incidents and labor force challenges, among others. There is significant competition for technological advances, and issuers that fail to innovate will be adversely impacted. In addition, issuers in certain sub-sectors require substantial capital investments to develop products and services. While all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the telecom, media and technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses. The telecom, media and technology sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition for market share, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications, product compatibility and standardization, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, research and development of new products, lack of standardization or compatibility with existing technologies, and a dependency on patent and copyright protections.

 

Utilities Sector Risk. The utilities sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest rate fluctuations and changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities sector is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, including hacks and cyber-security attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens associated with the operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a company’s access to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Countries. Investment in developed country issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, demographic, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries generally tend to rely on services sectors (e.g., the financial services sector) as the primary means of economic growth. A prolonged slowdown in one or more services sectors is likely to have a negative impact on economies of certain developed countries, although economies of individual developed countries can be impacted by slowdowns in other sectors. In the past, certain developed countries have been targets of terrorism, and some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, defense concerns and other resource or security concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the financial markets in these countries or geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. Heavy regulation of certain markets, including labor and product markets, may have an adverse effect on certain issuers. Such regulations may negatively affect economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. Many developed countries are heavily indebted and face rising healthcare and retirement expenses, often associated with aging populations and adverse demographic trends. In addition, price fluctuations of certain commodities and regulations impacting the import of commodities may negatively affect developed country economies.

 

Geographic Risk. Some of the companies in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas or business operations of companies in these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.

 

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Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of many countries or regions in which the Fund invests are highly dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on products and services by these key trading partners, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a slowdown in the economies of key trading partners may adversely affect the performance of any company in which the Fund invests and have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s performance.

 

European Economic Risk. The Economic and Monetary Union (the “eurozone”) of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance by member states that are members of the eurozone with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates and debt levels, as well as fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the eurozone. Additionally, European countries outside of the eurozone may present economic risks that are independent of the indirect effects that eurozone policies have on them. In particular, the United Kingdom’s (the “U.K.”) economy may be affected by global economic, industrial and financial shifts. Changes in imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of eurozone countries), changes in interest rates or other monetary policy changes, the default or threat of default by an EU member state on its sovereign debt and/or an economic recession in an EU member state may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other EU member states and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries, and these consequences may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Responses to financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest, may limit future growth and economic recovery or may have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The United Kingdom U.K. left the EU (“Brexit”) on January 31, 2020. The U.K. and EU have reached an agreement on the terms of their future trading relationship effective January 1, 2021, which principally relates to the trading of goods rather than services, including financial services. Further discussions are to be held between the U.K. and the EU in relation to matters not covered by the trade agreement, such as financial services. The Fund will face risks associated with the potential uncertainty and consequences that may follow Brexit, including with respect to volatility in exchange rates and interest rates. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Brexit has also led to legal uncertainty and could lead to politically divergent national laws and regulations as a new relationship between the U.K. and EU is defined and the U.K. determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Any of these effects of Brexit could adversely affect any of the companies to which the Fund has exposure and any other assets in which the Fund invests. The political, economic and legal consequences of Brexit are not yet fully known. In the short term, financial markets may experience heightened volatility, particularly those in the U.K. and Europe, but possibly worldwide. The U.K. and Europe may be less stable than they have been in recent years, and investments in the U.K. and the EU may be difficult to value, or subject to greater or more frequent volatility. In the longer term, there is likely to be a period of significant political, regulatory and commercial uncertainty as the U.K. continues to negotiate the terms of its future trading relationships.

 

Secessionist movements, such as the Catalan movement in Spain and the independence movement in Scotland, as well as governmental or other responses to such movements, may also create instability and uncertainty in the region. In addition, the national politics of countries in the EU have been unpredictable and subject to influence by disruptive political groups and ideologies. The governments of EU countries may be subject to change and such countries may experience social and political unrest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. The occurrence of terrorist incidents throughout Europe or war in the region could also impact financial markets. The impact of these events is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments.

 

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The EU and its member states have also experienced increased internal unrest and discord, as well as significant challenges in managing and containing the outbreak of COVID-19. If these trends were to continue, it may have an adverse impact on European economies and many of the issuers in which the Fund invests.

 

Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in its stock markets and the value of the ruble against the U.S. dollar in the region are impossible to predict, but could be significant. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (e.g., cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on Russian entities or individuals, including politicians, could have a severe adverse effect on the region, including significant negative impacts on the economy and the markets for certain securities and commodities, such as oil and natural gas, as well as other sectors. How long such military action and related events will last cannot be predicted. These and any related events could have significant impact on Fund performance and the value of an investment in the Fund.

 

Close-Out Risk for Qualified Financial Contracts. Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators require counterparties that are part of U.S. or foreign global systemically important banking organizations to include contractual restrictions on close-out and cross-default in agreements relating to qualified financial contracts. Qualified financial contracts include agreements relating to swaps, currency forwards and other derivatives as well as repurchase agreements and securities lending agreements. The restrictions prevent the Fund from closing out a qualified financial contract during a specified time period if the counterparty is subject to resolution proceedings and also prohibit the Fund from exercising default rights due to a receivership or similar proceeding of an affiliate of the counterparty. These requirements may increase credit risk and other risks to the Fund.

 

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives involve the risk that changes in their value may not move as expected relative to changes in the value of the underlying reference they are designed to track. The Fund may invest in derivatives to generate income, for investment purposes and for hedging and risk management purposes. Derivatives risk is generally more significant when derivatives are used to enhance return or as a substitute for a cash investment option, rather than solely to hedge the risk of a position held by the Fund.

 

The use of derivatives involves risks that are in addition to, and potentially greater than, the risks of investing directly in securities and other more traditional assets. Derivatives also present other risks, including market risk, illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and currency risk. OTC derivatives are generally highly illiquid. Many derivatives, in particular OTC derivatives, are complex and their valuation often requires modeling and judgment, which increases the risk of mispricing or improper valuation. Valuation risk is generally more pronounced when the Fund enters into OTC derivatives because there is generally less reliable, objective data available about the value of such derivatives. Incorrect valuations may result in increased cash payments to, or decreased cash payments from, counterparties than would otherwise have been required if the correct valuation were used, undercollateralization and/or errors in the calculation of the Fund’s NAV.

 

The Fund’s use of OTC derivatives exposes it to the risk that the counterparties will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor their obligations. An OTC derivatives contract typically can be closed only with the consent of the other party to the contract. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund will still have contractual remedies but may not be able to enforce them. Because the contract for each OTC derivative is individually negotiated, the counterparty may interpret contractual terms differently than the Fund, and if it does, the Fund may decide not to pursue its claims against the counterparty to avoid incurring the cost and unpredictability of legal proceedings. The Fund, therefore, may be unable to obtain payments BIM believes are owed to it under OTC derivatives contracts, or those payments may be delayed or made only after the Fund has incurred the costs of litigation.

 

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Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk of an investment position by offsetting that investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes, including to enhance returns. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there can be no assurance that a hedging strategy will be effective to reduce risk. If a hedging counterparty is unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations under a derivative used for hedging, the relevant Fund will have unhedged exposure to the underlying investment that the Fund intended to hedge, which could adversely impact the Fund. While hedging can reduce or eliminate the risk of losses, it can also reduce or eliminate the opportunity for gains, and hedging may cause or increase losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments.

 

The Fund may invest a significant portion of its investments in derivatives with a limited number of counterparties, and events affecting the creditworthiness of any of those counterparties may have a pronounced effect on the Fund. The Fund may be required to provide more margin for its derivatives investments during periods of market disruptions or stress.

 

The Fund’s use of derivatives may not be effective or have the desired results. Moreover, suitable derivatives will not be available in all circumstances. BIM may decide not to use derivatives to hedge or otherwise reduce the Fund’s risk exposures, potentially resulting in losses for the Fund.

 

Because many derivatives have embedded leverage (i.e., a notional value in excess of the assets needed to establish and/or maintain the derivative position), adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying reference asset may result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself.

 

The Fund’s use of derivatives may be subject to special tax rules, which are in some cases uncertain under current law and could affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders. See “Dividends and Distributions” below.

 

Specific risks involved in the use of certain types of derivatives in which the Funds may invest include:

 

Futures Risk. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in the futures contracts and in the securities or index positions underlying them. Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when the Fund seeks to close out a futures contract, and the Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed.

 

Options Risk. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived and well-executed options program may be adversely affected by market behavior or unexpected events. Successful options strategies may require the anticipation of future movements in securities prices or other economic factors of the underlying investments. No assurances can be given that BIM’s judgment in this respect will be correct.

 

The market price of written options will be affected by many factors, including changes in the market price or other economic attributes of the underlying investment; changes in the realized or perceived volatility of the relevant market and underlying investment; and the time remaining before an option’s expiration.

 

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The market price of options, particularly OTC options, may be adversely affected if the market for the options becomes less liquid or smaller. The Fund may close out a written option position by buying the option instead of letting it expire or be exercised. There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist when the Fund seeks to close out an option position by buying or selling the option. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or clearinghouse may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) a regulator or one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options) at some future date. If trading were discontinued, the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist.

 

The Fund’s options positions will be marked to market on each day that the Fund strikes its NAV. The Fund’s options transactions will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded. These limitations govern the maximum number of options in each class that may be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities or are held or written in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options that the Fund may sell or purchase may be affected by options sold or purchased by other investment advisory clients of BIM. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits and may impose certain other sanctions.

 

Swaps Risk. The use of swaps involves investment techniques and risks that are different from those associated with portfolio security transactions. These instruments typically are not traded on exchanges; under recently adopted rules and regulations, however, transactions in some types of swaps (including interest rate swaps and credit default swaps on North America and European indices) are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared swaps”). For OTC swaps, there is a risk that the other party to certain of these instruments will not perform its obligations to the Fund or that the Fund may be unable to enter into offsetting positions to terminate its exposure or liquidate its position under certain of these instruments when it wishes to do so. Such occurrences could result in losses to the Fund.

 

Swap agreements may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination and they may have terms of greater than seven days. The Fund’s obligations under a swap agreement will generally be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to that Fund under the swap).

 

Portfolio Holdings Information

 

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). Each Fund discloses its portfolio holdings daily at www.bondbloxxetf.com. Fund fact sheets provide information regarding each Fund’s top holdings and may be requested by calling (800) 896-5089.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser. As investment adviser, BIM has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Funds. BIM provides an investment program for the Funds and manages the investment of each Fund’s assets.

 

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Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BIM and the Trust (entered into on behalf of each Fund), BIM is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Funds, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses (as determined by a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust).

 

For its investment advisory services to the Funds, BIM is paid a management fee from each Fund based on a percentage of each Fund’s average daily net assets, at the annual rate of [  ]% for the BondBloxx BBB Rated 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF, [  ]% for the BondBloxx BBB Rated 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF and [  ]% for the BondBloxx BBB Rated 10+ Year Corporate Bond ETF. BIM may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit total annual fund operating expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BIM at any time.

 

BIM is located at 700 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 250, Larkspur, CA 94939. As of [  ], 2023, BIM and its affiliates have provided investment advisory services and have approximately $[  ] million in assets under management. BIM and its affiliates may trade and invest for their own accounts in the actual securities and types of securities in which a Fund may also invest, which may affect the price of such securities.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the approval by the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BIM will available in each Fund’s first Semi-Annual Report for the period ended [  ], 2023.

 

Portfolio Manager. Elya Schwartzman, Portfolio Manager, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds and their investments. Mr. Schwartzman is a co-founder of BIM. Prior to joining BIM in 2021, Mr. Schwartzman was the president & founder of ESIC LLC, a consulting firm specializing in fixed income ETF portfolio management, strategy, and infrastructure. From 2010 to 2019, Mr. Schwartzman was a director at BlackRock, Inc., where he oversaw a portfolio management team and was responsible for over $200 billion in ETFs and other global bond portfolios, while developing systems and technology for the ETF ecosystem. Prior, Mr. Schwartzman was a senior portfolio manager at State Street Global Advisors, where he guided the initial launch of fixed income ETFs and managed active high yield funds. Mr. Schwartzman holds a US patent on a system for processing ETF custom baskets, developed during his time with BlackRock. Mr. Schwartzman received his MBA in quantitative finance from the Sloan School of Management (MIT).

 

The Funds’ SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Manager and the Portfolio Manager’s ownership (if any) of shares in the Funds.

 

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds.

 

Conflicts of Interest. An investment in a Fund is subject to a number of actual or potential conflicts of interest. For example, BIM and/or its affiliates provide a variety of different services to the Funds, for which the Funds compensate them. As a result, BIM and/or its affiliates have an incentive to enter into arrangements with the Funds, and face conflicts of interest when balancing that incentive against the best interests of the Funds. BIM and/or its affiliates also face conflicts of interest in their service as investment adviser to other clients, and, from time to time, make investment decisions that differ from and/or negatively impact those made by BIM on behalf of the Funds. Affiliates of BIM may provide a broad range of services and products to their clients. In certain circumstances by providing services and products to their clients, these affiliates’ activities will disadvantage or restrict and/or benefit these affiliates. BIM may also acquire material non-public information which would negatively affect BIM’s ability to transact in securities for the Funds. BIM and the Funds have adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to appropriately prevent, limit or mitigate conflicts of interest. In addition, many of the activities that create these conflicts of interest are limited and/or prohibited by law, unless an exception is available. For more information about conflicts of interest, see the Potential Conflicts of Interest section in the SAI.

 

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Shareholder Information

 

Additional shareholder information, including how to buy and sell shares of the Funds, is available free of charge by calling toll-free: (800) 896-5089 or visiting our website at www.bondbloxxetf.com.

 

Buying and Selling Shares. Shares of the Funds may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Funds only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Funds. Once created, shares of the Funds generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.

 

Shares of each Fund are listed on a national securities exchange for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly-traded companies. The Trust does not impose any minimum investment for shares of a Fund purchased on an exchange or otherwise in the secondary market.

 

Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange or other secondary market involves two types of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission and other charges. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “bid-ask spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares of a Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). A Fund’s bid-ask spread may also be impacted by the liquidity or illiquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.

 

Because shares of the Funds are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, the Board has adopted a policy of not monitoring for frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares (“frequent trading”) that appear to attempt to take advantage of a potential arbitrage opportunity presented by a lag between a change in the value of each Fund’s portfolio securities after the close of the primary markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities and the reflection of that change in the Fund’s NAV (“market timing”), because the Fund sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions.

 

The national securities exchange on which each Fund’s shares are listed is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays (or the days on which they are observed): New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Funds’ primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies, including foreign investment companies, in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of each Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1), the registered investment company must enter into an agreement with the Trust. Foreign investment companies are permitted to invest in the Funds only up to the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to any applicable SEC no-action relief.

 

Book Entry. Shares of the Funds are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of, and holds legal title to, all outstanding shares of the Funds.

 

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

 

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Share Prices. The trading prices of a Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and may be affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for Fund shares and underlying securities held by the Fund, interest rate changes, economic conditions and other factors.

 

Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of each Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, based on prices of the Fund’s assets at the time of closing, provided that (i) any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers and (ii) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. The NAV of each Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund, generally rounded to the nearest cent.

 

The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities held by each Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board and administered by BIM. As of the date of this prospectus, BIM serves as each Fund’s valuation designee for purposes of compliance with Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act.

 

Each Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities at the midpoint between the bid and ask prices, or at current market price quotations provided by dealers, or at prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Fund’s approved independent third-party pricing services, each in accordance with valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. Pricing services may use matrix pricing or valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. An amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless BIM determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value.

 

Generally, trading in money market instruments is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are determined as of such times.

 

When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BIM to be unreliable, the Funds’ investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BIM in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Board. BIM may conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of trading or other reasons, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, when there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation, or if the trading market on which a security is listed is suspended or closed and no appropriate alternative trading market is available. A “significant event” is deemed to occur if BIM determines, in its reasonable business judgment prior to or at the time of pricing the Funds’ assets or liabilities, that the event is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of one or more assets or liabilities held by the Funds.

 

Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by a Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length transaction. Valuing a Fund’s investments using fair value pricing may result in prices that are based on subjective judgments, which may lead to prices that may differ materially from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index. f

 

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Summary of Certain Provisions of the Declaration of Trust

 

The Declaration of Trust requires that before bringing any derivative action on behalf of the Funds, Shareholders must make a pre-suit demand upon the Board to bring the subject action unless such effort is not likely to succeed. A pre-suit demand is shall only be deemed not likely to succeed if a majority of the Board, or a majority of any committee established to consider the merits of such action, is composed of Trustees who are not “independent trustees” (as such term is defined in the Delaware Statutory Trust Act). In addition, unless demand is excused, Shareholders in the aggregate holding at least 10% of the Trust’s outstanding Shares (or at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the Fund to which the action relates) must join the request for the Board to commence such action. In addition to all suits, claims or other actions (collectively, “claims”) that under applicable law must be brought as derivative claims, any claim that affects all shareholders of Fund equally, that is, proportionately based on their number of shares in such Fund, must be brought as a derivative claim irrespective of whether such claim involves a violation of the shareholders’ rights under the Declaration of Trust or any other alleged violation of contractual or individual rights that might otherwise give rise to a direct claim. The foregoing requirements do not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws.

 

The Declaration of Trust provides that any suit, action or proceeding brought by or in the right of any shareholder seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of, or in connection with, the Declaration of Trust, the Trust or any Fund must be brought exclusively in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California or, solely with respect to matters relating to the organization or internal affairs of the Trust or as otherwise required by law, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware to the extent there is subject matter jurisdiction in such court for the claims asserted or, if not, in the Superior Court of Delaware. The foregoing provisions will not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws.

 

Shareholders also waive the right to jury trial to the fullest extent permitted by law. The exclusive jurisdiction provision and the waiver of jury trials limit a shareholder’s ability to litigate a claim in the jurisdiction and in a manner that may be more favorable to the shareholder. A court may choose not to enforce these provisions of the Declaration of Trust.

 

Reference should be made to the Declaration of Trust on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a month by each Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for each Fund. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.

 

Dividends and other distributions on shares of each Fund are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Funds.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service. No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of each Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of a Fund purchased in the secondary market.

 

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Taxes. As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares of a Fund will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information, based on current law. There is no guarantee that shares of the Funds will receive certain regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Funds.

 

Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, in which case your distributions generally will be taxable when withdrawn, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Funds make distributions or you sell Fund shares.

 

Taxes on Distributions. Distributions from a Fund’s net investment income, including distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. The Funds’ distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the shares. Long-term capital gains are eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% or 20% for non-corporate shareholders, depending on whether their income exceeds certain threshold amounts. Distributions from the Funds are subject to a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax on “net investment income,” for individuals with incomes exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts. In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax for the year when they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.

 

If a Fund’s distributions exceed its current and accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Funds’ minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Funds’ earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder’s cost basis and will result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder’s cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds shares of the Funds as capital assets.

 

If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the U.S. or if you are a non-U.S. entity (other than a pass-through entity to the extent owned by U.S. persons), a Fund’s ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net short-term capital gains) will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies provided that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Funds.

 

Separately, a 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items paid to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.

 

If you are a resident or a citizen of the U.S., by law, backup withholding will apply to your distributions and proceeds if you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number and made other required certifications.

 

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Taxes When Shares are Sold. Currently, 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 short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned above.

 

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

 

Creations and Redemptions. Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of each Fund are “created” at their NAV by authorized participants (each an “Authorized Participant”) that have entered into an agreement with the Funds’ distributor, [Foreside Fund Services LLC] (the “Distributor”). Shares are available only in block-size Creation Units or multiples thereof.

 

A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the Distributor and a Fund, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities, assets or other positions (a “creation basket”), and an amount of cash (including any cash representing the value of any substituted securities, assets or other positions), if any, which together approximate the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units, generally for a designated portfolio of securities, assets or other positions (a “redemption basket”) held by the Fund and an amount of cash (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted). The Fund may, in certain circumstances, offer Creation Units partially or solely for cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are generally not redeemable by the Fund. Creation and redemption baskets may differ and the Fund may accept “custom baskets.” More information regarding custom baskets is contained in the Funds’ SAI.

 

The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in proper form under the authorized participant agreement and related AP procedures.

 

Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation Units with a Fund. Authorized Participants may create or redeem Creation Units for their own accounts or for the accounts of customers, including, without limitation, affiliates of the Fund.

 

In the event of a system failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to a Fund’s instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund may not be able to place or change orders.

 

To the extent a Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.

 

Creations and redemptions must be made through a firm that is either a member of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation or a DTC participant that has executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the Funds’ SAI.

 

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Because new shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of a Fund a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be occurring. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.

 

Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.

 

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

 

Distribution

 

The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is [Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101].

 

BIM or its affiliates expect in the future to make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, data provision services, or their making shares of the Funds and certain other BondBloxx funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary or its representatives, are not made by the Funds. Rather, such payments are expected to be made by BIM or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the BondBloxx funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments or other financial incentives it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments or other financial incentives offered or made to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary (or its representatives) and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Funds or other BondBloxx funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the Funds’ SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BIM or its affiliates.

 

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Financial Highlights

 

The Funds are newly organized and have not yet commenced operations. Accordingly, financial highlights are not available as of the date of this prospectus.

 

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Index Provider

 

The Index is owned, maintained and administered by [  ]. [  ] is not affiliated with the Trust, BIM, BBH, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates.

 

BIM or its affiliates have entered into a license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Index. BIM, or its affiliates, sublicenses rights in the Index to the Trust at no charge.

 

Disclaimers

 

[INDEX PROVIDER RELATED DISCLAIMERS TO COME]

 

Shares of the Funds are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by [NYSE Arca]. [NYSE Arca] makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Funds to track the total return performance of the Index or the ability of the Index to track stock market performance. [NYSE Arca] is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Funds to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. [NYSE Arca] has no obligation or liability to owners of shares of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the shares of the Funds.

 

[NYSE Arca] does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein. [NYSE Arca] makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Funds as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of shares of the Funds, or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use.

 

[NYSE Arca] makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall [NYSE Arca] have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

The past performance of the Index is not a guide to future performance. BIM and its affiliates do not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein and BIM and its affiliates shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BIM and its affiliates make no warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Funds from the use of the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BIM or its affiliates have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

 

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Want to know more?

 

www.bondbloxxetf.com 1-800-896-5089

 

Information on each Fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads can be found at www.bondbloxxetf.com. Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.bondbloxxetf.com. For more information about the Funds, you may request a copy of the SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Funds and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of this Prospectus.

 

Additional information about each Fund’s investments will be available in the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.

 

If you have any questions about the Trust or shares of the Funds or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual Report free of charge, please:

 

  Email:  [email protected]

 

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

 

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.

 

©2023 BondBloxx Investment Management Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

Investment Company Act File No.: 811-23731

 

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