ck0001467831-20220930
ETFMG Prime Cyber Security ETF
(HACK)
ETFMG Prime Mobile Payments ETF
(IPAY)
ETFMG Sit Ultra Short ETF
(VALT)
ETFMG Treatments, Testing and Advancements
ETF (GERM)
each
listed on NYSE Arca, Inc.
Each
Fund is a series of ETF Managers Trust
PROSPECTUS
January 31,
2023
THE
SEC HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY
OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL
OFFENSE.
The
ETFMG Sit Ultra Short ETF offered through this Prospectus is not a money market
fund and
does
not seek to maintain a fixed or stable NAV of $1.00 per share.
About
This Prospectus
This
prospectus has been arranged into different sections so that you can easily
review this important information. For detailed information about the Funds,
please see:
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ETFMG
Prime Cyber Security ETF - FUND SUMMARY |
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ETFMG
Prime Mobile Payments ETF - FUND SUMMARY |
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ETFMG
Sit Ultra Short ETF - FUND SUMMARY |
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ETFMG
Treatments, Testing and Advancements ETF - FUND SUMMARY |
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Additional
Information about the Ultra Short ETF’s Investment Strategies |
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ETFMG
PRIME CYBER SECURITY ETF — FUND SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The ETFMG Prime Cyber Security
ETF (the “Fund” or the “Cyber Security ETF”) seeks to provide investment results
that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return
performance of the Prime Cyber Defense Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses
The
following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold,
and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example
below.
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment) |
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Management
Fee |
0.60 |
% |
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Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
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Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.60 |
% |
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Example
This Example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the
Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the
end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5%
return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. This
Example does not take into account the brokerage commissions that you may pay on
your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher
or lower, based on these assumptions your cost would be:
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1
Year |
| 3
Years |
| 5
Years |
| 10
Years |
$61 |
| $192 |
| $335 |
| $750 |
Portfolio
Turnover
The Fund pays transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over”
its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction
costs and may result in higher taxes when the Fund shares are held in a taxable
account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses
or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 51% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal Investment
Strategies
The
Fund 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
“beat” the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets
decline or appear overvalued.
The
Fund generally expects to use a replication strategy. A replication strategy is
an indexing strategy that involves investing in the securities of the Index in
approximately the same proportions as in the Index. However, the Fund may
utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a
replication strategy might be detrimental to shareholders, such as when there
are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a
portfolio of equity securities to follow the Index, in instances in which a
security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid,
or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification
requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index.
The
Index tracks the performance of the exchange-listed equity securities (or
corresponding American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) or Global Depositary
Receipts (“GDRs”)) of companies across the globe that (i) engage in providing
cyber defense applications or services as a vital component of its overall
business (“Cyber Defense Architecture Providers”) or (ii) provide hardware or
software for cyber defense activities as a vital component of its overall
business (“Cyber Defense Application Providers”). Cyber defense refers to
products (hardware/software) and services designed to protect computer hardware,
software, networks and data from unauthorized access, vulnerabilities, attacks
and other security breaches. The categories of Cyber Defense Architecture
Providers and Cyber Defense Application Providers are referred to herein as
“sectors”.
Companies
in the Cyber Defense Architecture Providers and Cyber Defense Application
Providers sectors are identified by Prime Indexes (the “Index Provider”), an
independent index provider that is not affiliated with the Fund’s investment
adviser. The Index Provider utilizes issuer financial statements and other
public filings and reports, as well as third-party industry research, reports,
and analyses, to identify Cyber Defense Architecture Providers and Cyber Defense
Application Providers around the world that meet the Index’s criteria for
inclusion.
The
Index Provider may exclude companies that meet the criteria for inclusion in the
Index or include companies that do not meet such criteria if it determines that
including or excluding them would be contrary to the objective of the Index
(e.g.,
their inclusion would negatively affect the investibility of the Index, the
company’s economic fortunes are predominantly driven by a business not related
to cybersecurity, the company is expected to meet the inclusion criteria in the
immediate future and plays an important role in the cybersecurity industry).
The
Index has a quarterly review in March, June, September, and December of each
year at which times the Index is reconstituted and rebalanced by the Index
Provider. The composition of the Index and the constituent weights are
determined on the two Thursdays before the second Friday of each March, June,
September, and December (or the next business day if this is a non-business day)
(the “Selection Day”). Component changes are made after the market close on the
third Friday of March, June, September, and December (or the next business day
if the third Friday is not a business day) and become effective at the market
opening on the next trading day. The Index is developed and owned by the Index
Provider, and the Index is calculated and maintained by Solactive AG. The Index
Provider is independent of Solactive AG, the Fund, and the Fund’s investment
adviser.
Companies
meeting the sector criteria are screened as of the Selection Day for
investibility (e.g.,
must not be listed on an exchange in a country which employs certain
restrictions on foreign capital investment), a minimum market capitalization of
$100 million at the time of selection, and an operating company structure
(as opposed to a pass-through security). The Index Provider may include
companies in the Index with a market capitalization within 5% of the above
threshold as of the Selection Date to account for short term fluctuations in
market capitalization resulting from changes in a security’s price.
The
components of the Index will be weighted based on market capitalization, subject
to a maximum weight of 4.5% (the “Weighting Cap”).
The
weight of any individual Index constituent whose weight is reduced due to the
Weighting Cap will be redistributed pro rata among all other Index constituents
whose weights have not been reduced due to the Weighting Cap based on the market
capitalization of such constituents.
As
of January 10, 2023 the Index had 58 constituents.
The
Fund invests at least 80% of its total assets, exclusive of collateral held from
securities lending, in the component securities of the Index and in ADRs and
GDRs based on the component securities in the Index. The Fund may invest up to
20% of its total assets in securities that are not in the Fund’s Index to the
extent that the Fund’s adviser believes such investments should help the Fund’s
overall portfolio track the Index.
The
Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial
organizations. These loans, if and when made, may not exceed 33 1/3% of the
total asset value of the Fund (including the loan collateral). By lending its
securities, the Fund may increase its income by receiving payments from the
borrower.
The
Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with its Index, and, therefore, any
changes to the Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes
to the Fund’s rebalance schedule.
Correlation:
Correlation
is the extent to which the values of different types of investments move in
tandem with one another in response to changing economic and market conditions.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation, while the Fund is an actual
investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Index may vary
somewhat due to transaction costs, asset valuations, foreign currency
valuations, market impact, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs),
legal restrictions or limitations, illiquid or unavailable securities, and
timing variances.
The
Fund’s investment adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the
Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will exceed
95%. A correlation percentage of 100% would indicate perfect correlation. If the
Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation
to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.
Industry
Concentration: The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its net assets) in a
particular industry or group of related industries to approximately the same
extent that the Index is concentrated. As of January 10, 2023, the Index was
concentrated in companies in the software
industry.
Principal Risks
As with all funds, a shareholder is subject to the risk
that his or her investment could lose money. The principal risks
affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.
An investment in the Fund is not a
bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency.
Cyber
Security Companies Risk: Companies
in the cyber security field, including companies in the Cyber Defense
Architecture Providers and Cyber Defense Application Providers sectors, face
intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an
adverse effect on profit margins. Cyber security companies may have limited
product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of cyber
security companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments
and frequent new product introduction, and such companies may face unpredictable
changes in growth rates, competition for the services of qualified personnel and
competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Companies in
the cyber security field are
heavily
dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of
these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Foreign
Investment Risk:
Returns on investments in foreign stocks could be more volatile than, or trail
the returns on, investments in U.S. stocks. Since foreign exchanges may be open
on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of the securities in
the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to
purchase or sell the Shares. Conversely, Shares may trade on days when foreign
exchanges are closed. Because securities held by the Fund trade on foreign
exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the
Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of
domestic ETFs. Each of these factors can make investments in the Fund more
volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
Currency
Risk:
Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk
that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency
rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of
time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the
imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or
abroad.
Depositary
Receipts Risk:
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts. Investment in ADRs and GDRs may be less
liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and GDRs, many
of which are issued by companies in emerging markets, may be more volatile and
less liquid than depositary receipts issued by companies in more developed
markets.
Emerging
Markets Securities Risk:
The Fund’s investments may expose the Fund’s portfolio to the risks of investing
in emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets are subject to greater risk
of loss than investments in developed markets. This is due to, among other
things, greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic
instability, greater risk of market shutdown and more governmental limitations
on foreign investments than typically found in developed markets.
Foreign
Market and Trading Risk:
The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S.
markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight. Foreign markets
also may have clearance and settlement procedures that make it difficult for the
Fund to buy and sell securities. These factors could result in a loss to the
Fund by causing the Fund to be unable to dispose of an investment or to miss an
attractive investment opportunity, or by causing Fund assets to be uninvested
for some period of time.
Foreign
Securities Risk:
The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets directly in securities of
issuers based outside of the U.S., or in depositary receipts that represent such
securities. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks
that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as
risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic
instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to
investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly
available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also
be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting
and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers.
Political
and Economic Risk:
The Fund is subject to foreign political and economic risk not associated with
U.S. investments, meaning that political events, social and economic events and
natural disasters occurring in a country where the Fund invests could cause the
Fund’s investments in that country to experience gains or losses. The Fund also
could be unable to enforce its ownership rights or pursue legal remedies in
countries where it invests.
Privatization
Risk:
Several
foreign countries in which the Fund invests have begun a process of privatizing
certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be
re-nationalized.
Smaller
Companies Risk:
The Fund’s Index may be composed primarily of, or have significant exposure to,
securities of smaller companies. Smaller companies may be more vulnerable to
adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies, and
may underperform other segments of the market or the equity market as a whole.
The securities of smaller companies also are often traded in the
over-the-counter market and tend to be bought and sold less frequently and at
significantly lower trading volumes than the securities of larger companies. As
a result, it may be more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell a significant
amount of the securities of a smaller company without an adverse impact on the
price of the company’s securities, or the Fund may have to sell such securities
in smaller quantities over a longer period of time, which may increase the
Fund’s tracking error.
Technology
Companies Risk:
Companies in the technology field, including companies in the computers,
telecommunications and electronics industries, face intense competition, which
may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Technology companies may have
limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products
of technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological
developments and frequent new product introduction, and such companies may face
unpredictable changes in growth rates, competition for the services of qualified
personnel and competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs.
Companies in the technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and
intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may
adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
The
remaining risks are presented in alphabetical order. Each risk summarized below
is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the
order in which it appears.
Concentration
Risk: The
Fund’s investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to
the extent the Index is so concentrated. To the extent the Fund invests more
heavily in particular industries, groups of industries, or sectors of the
economy, its
performance
will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those
industries, groups of industries, or sectors of the economy, and the value of
Fund shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares that invest in
securities of companies in a broader range of industries or sectors.
Equity
Market Risk:
The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden,
unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur
because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting
specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests such as
political, market and economic developments, as well as events that impact
specific issuers. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread
disease or other public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or other events
could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
ETF
Risks:
Absence
of an Active Market: Although
the Fund’s shares are approved for listing on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the
“Exchange”), there can be no assurance that an active trading market will
develop and be maintained for Fund shares. There can be no assurance that the
Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the
Fund may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would
at higher asset levels or the Fund may ultimately liquidate.
Authorized
Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers
Concentration: The
Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In
addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity
providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events
occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value (“NAV”) and
possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Costs
of Buying or Selling Shares: Investors
buying or selling Fund shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage
commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker.
Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant
proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts
of shares.
Fluctuation
of NAV: The
NAV of Fund shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of
the Fund’s securities holdings. The market prices of shares will generally
fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of
shares on the Exchange. It cannot be predicted whether Fund shares will trade
below, at or above their NAV. During periods of unusual volatility or market
disruptions, market prices of Fund shares may deviate significantly from the
market value of the Fund’s securities holdings or the NAV of Fund shares. As a
result, investors in the Fund may pay significantly more or receive
significantly less for Fund shares than the value of the Fund’s underlying
securities or the NAV of Fund shares.
Market
Trading:
An investment in the Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the
potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in
secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the
creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of these factors, among others, may
lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV. Because
securities held by the Fund may trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when
the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, there may be deviations between the
current price of a security and the security’s last quoted price from the closed
foreign market. This may result in premiums and discounts that are greater than
those experienced by purely domestic ETFs.
Trading
Issues:
Although
Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance
that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained.
Trading in Fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons
that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. There can
be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the
listing of any Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that the
shares will trade with any volume, or at all. Further, secondary markets may be
subject to erratic trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade
settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and APs may
step away from making a market in Fund shares and in executing creation and
redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund’s market
price from its NAV.
Management
Risk: While
the Fund is not actively managed, the Fund is subject to the risks associated
with decisions made by the Fund’s investment adviser if the Fund utilizes a
representative sampling strategy or to the extent the Fund’s investment adviser
makes decisions regarding the investment of collateral from securities on loan.
Models
and Data Risk: The
Index relies heavily on proprietary models as well as information and data
supplied by third parties (“Models and Data”). When Models and Data prove to be
incorrect or incomplete, any decisions by the Index made in reliance thereon
expose the Fund to potential risks as the Fund tracks the Index.
Natural
Disaster/Epidemic Risk:
Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods,
hurricanes, tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and
widespread disease, including pandemics and epidemics, have been and may be
highly disruptive to economies and markets, adversely impacting individual
companies, sectors, industries, markets, currencies, interest and inflation
rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value
of the Fund’s investments. Given the increasing interdependence among global
economies and markets, conditions in one country, market, or region are
increasingly likely
to
adversely affect markets, issuers, and/or foreign exchange rates in other
countries, including the U.S. Any such events could have a significant adverse
impact on the value of the Fund’s investments.
Passive
Investment Risk:
The Fund is not actively managed and therefore would not sell an equity security
due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector,
unless that security is removed from the Index. Unlike with an actively managed
fund, the Fund’s investment adviser does not use techniques or defensive
strategies designed to lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the
impact of periods of market decline. This means that, based on market and
economic conditions, the Fund’s performance could be lower than other types of
funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market
opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline.
Reliance
on Trading Partners Risk:
The Fund invests in some economies that are heavily dependent upon trading with
key partners. Any reduction in this trading may cause an adverse impact on the
economy in which the Fund invests.
Securities
Lending Risk:
The Fund may engage in securities lending. The Fund may lose money if the
borrower of the loaned securities delays returning in a timely manner or fails
to return the loaned securities. Securities lending involves the risk that the
Fund could lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral
provided for loaned securities. In addition, the Fund bears the risk of loss in
connection with its investment of the cash collateral it receives from a
borrower. To the extent that the value or return of the Fund’s investment of the
cash collateral declines below the amount owed to the borrower, the Fund may
incur losses that exceed the amount it earned on lending the security.
Tax
Risk:
To qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to regulated
investment companies (“RICs”), the Fund must satisfy certain diversification
requirements under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
In particular, the asset diversification requirements will be satisfied if (i)
at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets are represented by cash and
cash items, U.S. government securities, the securities of other RICs and “other
securities,” provided that such “other securities” of any one issuer do not
represent more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets or greater than 10% of the
outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) no more than 25% of the
value of the Fund’s assets are invested in securities of any one issuer (other
than U.S. government securities and securities of other RICs), the securities
(other than securities of other RICs) of any two or more issuers that are
controlled by the Fund and are engaged in the same or similar or related trades
or business, or the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded
partnerships.” When the Index is concentrated in a relatively small number of
securities, it may not be possible for the Fund to fully implement a replication
strategy or a representative sampling strategy while satisfying these
diversification requirements. The Fund’s efforts to satisfy the diversification
requirements may cause the Fund’s return to deviate from that of the Index, and
the Fund’s efforts to replicate the Index may cause it inadvertently to fail to
satisfy the diversification requirements. If the Fund were to fail to qualify as
a RIC, it would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates on its
income, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the
Fund in computing its taxable income. In addition, distributions to a Fund’s
shareholders would generally be taxed as ordinary dividends.
Under
certain circumstances, a Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC,
but in order to do so such Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may
be forced to dispose of certain assets. Relief is provided for certain de
minimis failures of the diversification requirements where a Fund corrects the
failure within a specified period. If a Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC in
any taxable year, such Fund would be required to pay out its earnings and
profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a
subsequent year. If a Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than
two taxable years, such Fund would generally be required to pay U.S. federal
income tax at corporate rates on any net built-in gains with respect to certain
of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying
as a RIC in a subsequent year.
Tracking
Error Risk:
The Fund’s return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the
return of the Index. To the extent the Fund utilizes a sampling approach, it may
experience tracking error to a greater extent than if the Fund sought to
replicate the Index. In addition, in order to minimize the market impact of an
Index rebalance, the Fund may begin trading to effect the rebalance in advance
of the effective date of the rebalance and continue trading after the effective
date of the rebalance, which may contribute to tracking error.
Valuation
Risk: The sales price that the Fund could
receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security and
may differ from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities that
trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value
methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio
may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the
Fund’s shares.
Performance
Information
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the
Fund. The bar chart shows the annual return for the Fund. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one year, five years, and
since inception compare with those of the Index and a broad measure of market
performance. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available on the Fund’s website at www.etfmg.com.
Calendar Year Total Returns as of December
31,
During the period of time shown
in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest return for a calendar
quarter was 23.97% (quarter ended June 30, 2020) and the
Fund’s lowest return for a calendar
quarter was -21.81% (quarter ended June 30,
2022).
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Average
Annual Total Returns (for
the periods ended
December 31, 2022) |
1
Year |
5
Years |
Since
Inception
11/11/2014 |
ETFMG
Prime Cyber Security ETF |
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Return Before
Taxes |
-28.17% |
7.40% |
7.74% |
Return After Taxes on
Distributions |
-28.21% |
7.26% |
7.61% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and
Sale of Fund Shares |
-16.64% |
5.80% |
6.20% |
ISE
Cyber Security™
Index
/ Prime Cyber Defense Index
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes)1 |
-28.04% |
7.76% |
8.15% |
S&P
500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
-18.11% |
9.42% |
10.15% |
1 The table reflects
performance of the ISE Cyber SecurityTM
Index through August 1, 2017 and the Prime Cyber Defense Index thereafter.
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local
taxes.
Actual after-tax returns
depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not
relevant if you hold your shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as
401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
Investment
Advisers
ETF
Managers Group LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio
Managers
Samuel
R. Masucci, III, Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, has been the Fund’s
portfolio manager since January 2018. Frank Vallario, Chief Investment Officer
of the Adviser, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since September 2019.
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax
information, and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary
Information about Purchases, Sales, Taxes, and Financial Intermediary
Compensation” on page 26 of the Prospectus.
ETFMG
PRIME MOBILE PAYMENTS ETF — FUND SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The ETFMG Prime Mobile
Payments ETF (the “Fund” or the “Mobile Payments ETF”) seeks to provide
investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the
total return performance of the Prime Mobile Payments Index (the
“Index”).
Fees and Expenses
The
following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold,
and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example
below.
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment) |
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Management
Fee |
0.75 |
% |
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Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
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Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
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Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.75 |
% |
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Example
This Example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the
Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the
end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5%
return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. This
Example does not take into account the brokerage commissions that you may pay on
your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher
or lower, based on these assumptions your cost would be:
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1
Year |
| 3
Years |
| 5
Years |
| 10
Years |
$77 |
| $240 |
| $417 |
| $930 |
Portfolio
Turnover
The Fund pays transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over”
its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction
costs and may result in higher taxes when the Fund shares are held in a taxable
account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses
or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 35% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal Investment
Strategies
The
Fund 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
“beat” the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets
decline or appear overvalued.
The
Fund generally expects to use a replication strategy. A replication strategy is
an indexing strategy that involves investing in the securities of the Index in
approximately the same proportions as in the Index. However, the Fund may
utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a
replication strategy might be detrimental to shareholders, such as when there
are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a
portfolio of equity securities to follow the Index, in instances in which a
security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid,
or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification
requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index.
The
Index tracks the performance of the exchange-listed equity securities (or
corresponding American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) or Global Depositary
Receipts (“GDRs”)) of companies across the globe that (i) engage in providing
payment processing services or applications, (ii) provide payment solutions,
(iii) build or provide payment industry architecture, infrastructure or
software, or (iv) provide services as a credit card network (collectively,
“Mobile Payment Companies”).
Mobile
Payment Companies are identified by Prime Indexes (the “Index Provider”), an
independent index provider that is not affiliated with the Fund’s investment
adviser. The Index Provider utilizes issuer financial statements and other
public filings and reports, as well as third-party industry research, reports,
and analyses, to identify Mobile Payment Companies around the world that meet
the Index’s criteria for inclusion. Mobile Payment Companies are then screened
for investibility (e.g.,
must not be listed on an exchange in a country which employs certain
restrictions on foreign capital investment), a minimum market capitalization of
$500 million for new component companies and $100 million for existing component
companies, and an operating company structure (as opposed to a pass-through
security).
The
Index Provider may exclude companies that meet the criteria for inclusion in the
Index or include companies that do not meet such criteria if it determines that
including or excluding them would be contrary to the objective of the Index
(e.g.,
their inclusion would negatively affect the investibility of the Index, the
company’s economic fortunes are predominantly driven by a business not
related
to that of a Mobile Payments Company, the company is expected to meet the
inclusion criteria in the immediate future and plays an important role in the
mobile payments industry).
The
Index has a quarterly review in March, June, September, and December of each
year at which times the Index is reconstituted and rebalanced by the Index
Provider. The composition of the Index and the constituent weights are
determined on the two Thursdays before the second Friday of each March, June,
September, and December (or the next business day if this is a non-business day)
(the “Selection Day”). Component changes are made after the market close on the
third Friday of March, June, September, and December (or the next business day
if the third Friday is not a business day) and become effective at the market
opening on the next trading day. The Index is developed and owned by the Index
Provider, and the Index is calculated and maintained by Solactive AG. The Index
Provider is independent of Solactive AG, the Fund, and the Fund’s investment
adviser.
The
Index constituents are weighted according to a modified market capitalization
weighting methodology. Constituent weightings are “modified” in that each
constituent weighting is capped at 6% of the Index and the cumulative weight of
all constituents with an individual weight of 5% or greater may not in the
aggregate account for more than 50% of the weight of the Index as of the
Selection Day. In addition, constituents with a market capitalization of less
than US $1 billion as of the Selection Day will have their weight reduced
by 55–85% depending on their specific market capitalization. The weight of any
individual Index constituent whose weight is reduced due to the above-described
limits will be redistributed equally among all other Index constituents whose
weights are not in excess of such limits.
As
of January 10, 2023, the Index had 51 constituents.
The
Fund invests at least 80% of its total assets, exclusive of collateral held from
securities lending, in the component securities of the Index and in ADRs and
GDRs based on the component securities in the Index. The Fund may invest up to
20% of its total assets in securities that are not in the Fund’s Index to the
extent that the Fund’s adviser believes such investments should help the Fund’s
overall portfolio track the Index.
The
Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial
organizations. These loans, if and when made, may not exceed 33 1/3% of the
total asset value of the Fund (including the loan collateral). By lending its
securities, the Fund may increase its income by receiving payments from the
borrower.
The
Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with its Index, and, therefore, any
changes to the Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes
to the Fund’s rebalance schedule.
Correlation:
Correlation
is the extent to which the values of different types of investments move in
tandem with one another in response to changing economic and market conditions.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation, while the Fund is an actual
investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Index may vary
somewhat due to transaction costs, asset valuations, foreign currency
valuations, market impact, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs),
legal restrictions or limitations, illiquid or unavailable securities, and
timing variances.
The
Fund’s investment adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the
Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will exceed
95%. A correlation percentage of 100% would indicate perfect correlation. If the
Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation
to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.
Industry
Concentration: The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its net assets) in a
particular industry or group of related industries to approximately the same
extent that the Index is concentrated. As of January 10, 2023, the Index was
concentrated in companies in the information technology services
industry.
Principal Risks
As with all funds, a shareholder is subject to the risk
that his or her investment could lose money. The principal risks
affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.
An investment in the Fund is not a
bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency.
Mobile
Payment Companies Risk: Mobile
Payment Companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, and are subject to increasing regulatory constraints,
particularly with respect to fees, competition and anti-trust matters,
cybersecurity and privacy. Mobile Payment Companies may be highly dependent on
their ability to enter into agreements with merchants and other third parties to
utilize a particular payment method, system, software or service, and such
agreements may be subject to increased regulatory scrutiny. Additionally,
certain Mobile Payment Companies have recently faced increased costs related to
class-action litigation challenging such agreements. Such factors may adversely
affect the profitability and value of such companies.
Non-Diversification
Risk:
Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may
invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer
or a small number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a
decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a small number of
issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than
if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s
volatility and have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Foreign
Investment Risk:
Returns on investments in foreign stocks could be more volatile than, or trail
the returns on, investments in U.S. stocks. Since foreign exchanges may be open
on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of the securities in
the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to
purchase or sell the Shares. Conversely, Shares may trade on days when foreign
exchanges are closed. Because securities held by the Fund trade on foreign
exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, the
Fund is likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of
domestic ETFs. Each of these factors can make investments in the Fund more
volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of
investments.
Currency
Risk:
Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk
that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency
rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of
time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the
imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or
abroad.
Depositary
Receipts Risk:
The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts. Investment in ADRs and GDRs may be less
liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and GDRs, many
of which are issued by companies in emerging markets, may be more volatile and
less liquid than depositary receipts issued by companies in more developed
markets.
Emerging
Markets Securities Risk:
The Fund’s investments may expose the Fund’s portfolio to the risks of investing
in emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets are subject to greater risk
of loss than investments in developed markets. This is due to, among other
things, greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic
instability, greater risk of market shutdown and more governmental limitations
on foreign investments than typically found in developed markets.
Foreign
Market and Trading Risk:
The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S.
markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight. Foreign markets
also may have clearance and settlement procedures that make it difficult for the
Fund to buy and sell securities. These factors could result in a loss to the
Fund by causing the Fund to be unable to dispose of an investment or to miss an
attractive investment opportunity, or by causing Fund assets to be uninvested
for some period of time.
Foreign
Securities Risk:
The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets directly in securities of
issuers based outside of the U.S., or in depositary receipts that represent such
securities. Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks
that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as
risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic
instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to
investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly
available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also
be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting
and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. .
Political
and Economic Risk:
The Fund is subject to foreign political and economic risk not associated with
U.S. investments, meaning that political events, social and economic events and
natural disasters occurring in a country where the Fund invests could cause the
Fund’s investments in that country to experience gains or losses. The Fund also
could be unable to enforce its ownership rights or pursue legal remedies in
countries where it invests.
Privatization
Risk:
Several
foreign countries in which the Fund invests have begun a process of privatizing
certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be
re-nationalized.
Smaller
Companies Risk:
The Fund’s Index may be composed primarily of, or have significant exposure to,
securities of smaller companies. Smaller companies may be more vulnerable to
adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies, and
may underperform other segments of the market or the equity market as a whole.
The securities of smaller companies also are often traded in the
over-the-counter market and tend to be bought and sold less frequently and at
significantly lower trading volumes than the securities of larger companies. As
a result, it may be more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell a significant
amount of the securities of a smaller company without an adverse impact on the
price of the company’s securities, or the Fund may have to sell such securities
in smaller quantities over a longer period of time, which may increase the
Fund’s tracking error.
Technology
Companies Risk:
Companies in the technology field, including companies in the computers,
telecommunications and electronics industries, face intense competition, which
may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Technology companies may have
limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products
of technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological
developments and frequent new product introduction, and such companies may face
unpredictable changes in growth rates, competition for the services of qualified
personnel and competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs.
Companies in the technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and
intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may
adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
The
remaining risks are presented in alphabetical order. Each risk summarized below
is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the
order in which it appears.
Concentration
Risk: The
Fund’s investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to
the extent the Index is so concentrated. To the extent the Fund invests more
heavily in particular industries, groups of industries, or sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those industries, groups of industries, or sectors of
the
economy, and the value of Fund shares may rise and fall more than the value of
shares that invest in securities of companies in a broader range of industries
or sectors.
Equity
Market Risk:
The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden,
unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur
because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting
specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests such as
political, market and economic developments, as well as events that impact
specific issuers. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread
disease or other public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or other events
could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
ETF
Risks:
Absence
of an Active Market: Although
the Fund’s shares are approved for listing on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the
“Exchange”), there can be no assurance that an active trading market will
develop and be maintained for Fund shares. There can be no assurance that the
Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the
Fund may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would
at higher asset levels or the Fund may ultimately liquidate.
Authorized
Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers
Concentration: The
Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In
addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity
providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events
occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value (“NAV”) and
possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Costs
of Buying or Selling Shares: Investors
buying or selling Fund shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage
commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker.
Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant
proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts
of shares.
Fluctuation
of NAV: The
NAV of Fund shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of
the Fund’s securities holdings. The market prices of shares will generally
fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of
shares on the Exchange. It cannot be predicted whether Fund shares will trade
below, at or above their NAV. During periods of unusual volatility or market
disruptions, market prices of Fund shares may deviate significantly from the
market value of the Fund’s securities holdings or the NAV of Fund shares. As a
result, investors in the Fund may pay significantly more or receive
significantly less for Fund shares than the value of the Fund’s underlying
securities or the NAV of Fund shares.
Market
Trading:
An investment in the Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the
potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in
secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the
creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of these factors, among others, may
lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV. Because
securities held by the Fund may trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when
the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, there may be deviations between the
current price of a security and the security’s last quoted price from the closed
foreign market. This may result in premiums and discounts that are greater than
those experienced by purely domestic ETFs.
Trading
Issues:
Although
Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance
that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained.
Trading in Fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons
that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. There can
be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the
listing of any Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that the
shares will trade with any volume, or at all. Further, secondary markets may be
subject to erratic trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade
settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and APs may
step away from making a market in Fund shares and in executing creation and
redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund’s market
price from its NAV.
Management
Risk: While
the Fund is not actively managed, the Fund is subject to the risks associated
with decisions made by the Fund’s investment adviser if the Fund utilizes a
representative sampling strategy or to the extent the Fund’s investment adviser
makes decisions regarding the investment of collateral from securities on loan.
Models
and Data Risk: The
Index relies heavily on proprietary models as well as information and data
supplied by third parties (“Models and Data”). When Models and Data prove to be
incorrect or incomplete, any decisions by the Index made in reliance thereon
expose the Fund to potential risks as the Fund tracks the Index.
Natural
Disaster/Epidemic Risk:
Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods,
hurricanes, tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and
widespread disease, including pandemics and epidemics, have been and may be
highly disruptive to economies and markets, adversely impacting individual
companies, sectors, industries, markets, currencies, interest and inflation
rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value
of the Fund’s investments. Given the increasing interdependence among global
economies and markets, conditions in one country, market, or region are
increasingly likely to adversely affect markets, issuers, and/or foreign
exchange rates in other countries, including the U.S. Any such events could have
a significant adverse impact on the value of the Fund’s investments.
Passive
Investment Risk:
The Fund is not actively managed and therefore would not sell an equity security
due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector,
unless that security is removed from the Index. Unlike with an actively managed
fund, the Fund’s investment adviser does not use techniques or defensive
strategies designed to lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the
impact of periods of market decline. This means that, based on market and
economic conditions, the Fund’s performance could be lower than other types of
funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market
opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline.
Securities
Lending Risk:
The Fund may engage in securities lending. The Fund may lose money if the
borrower of the loaned securities delays returning in a timely manner or fails
to return the loaned securities. Securities lending involves the risk that the
Fund could lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral
provided for loaned securities. In addition, the Fund bears the risk of loss in
connection with its investment of the cash collateral it receives from a
borrower. To the extent that the value or return of the Fund’s investment of the
cash collateral declines below the amount owed to the borrower, the Fund may
incur losses that exceed the amount it earned on lending the security.
Tax
Risk:
To qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to RICs, the Fund
must satisfy certain diversification requirements under the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). In particular, the asset diversification
requirements will be satisfied if (i) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s
total assets are represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities,
the securities of other RICs and “other securities,” provided that such “other
securities” of any one issuer do not represent more than 5% of the Fund’s total
assets or greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer,
and (ii) no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s assets are invested in
securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and
securities of other RICs), the securities (other than securities of other RICs)
of any two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and are engaged in
the same or similar or related trades or business, or the securities of one or
more “qualified publicly traded partnerships.” When the Index is concentrated in
a relatively small number of securities, it may not be possible for the Fund to
fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy
while satisfying these diversification requirements. The Fund’s efforts to
satisfy the diversification requirements may cause the Fund’s return to deviate
from that of the Index, and the Fund’s efforts to replicate the Index may cause
it inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements. If the
Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC, it would be subject to U.S. federal
income tax at corporate rates on its income, and distributions to its
shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable
income. In addition, distributions to a Fund’s shareholders would generally be
taxed as ordinary dividends.
Under
certain circumstances, a Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC,
but in order to do so such Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may
be forced to dispose of certain assets. Relief is provided for certain de
minimis failures of the diversification requirements where a Fund corrects the
failure within a specified period. If a Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC in
any taxable year, such Fund would be required to pay out its earnings and
profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a
subsequent year. If a Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than
two taxable years, such Fund would generally be required to pay U.S. federal
income tax at corporate rates on any net built-in gains with respect to certain
of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying
as a RIC in a subsequent year.
Tracking
Error Risk:
The Fund’s return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the
return of the Index. To the extent the Fund utilizes a sampling approach, it may
experience tracking error to a greater extent than if the Fund sought to
replicate the Index. In addition, in order to minimize the market impact of an
Index rebalance, the Fund may begin trading to effect the rebalance in advance
of the effective date of the rebalance and continue trading after the effective
date of the rebalance, which may contribute to tracking error.
Valuation
Risk: The sales price that the Fund could
receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security and
may differ from the value used by the Index, particularly for securities that
trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value
methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio
may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the
Fund’s shares.
Performance
Information
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the
Fund. The bar chart shows the annual return for the Fund. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one year, five years, and
since inception compare with those of the Index and a broad measure of market
performance. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available on the Fund’s website at www.etfmg.com.
Calendar Year Total Returns as of December
31,
During the period of time shown
in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest return for a calendar
quarter was 31.11% (quarter ended June 30, 2020) and the
Fund’s lowest return for a calendar
quarter was -25.20% (quarter ended June 30,
2022).
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Average
Annual Total Returns
(for periods ended
December 31, 2022) |
1
Year |
5
Years |
Since
Inception
7/15/2015 |
ETFMG
Prime Mobile Payments ETF |
|
| |
Return Before
Taxes |
-32.20% |
2.64% |
6.45% |
Return After Taxes on
Distributions |
-32.20% |
2.61% |
6.41% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and
Sale of Fund Shares |
-19.06% |
2.03% |
5.12% |
ISE
Mobile PaymentsTM
Index/Prime
Mobile Payments Index1
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
-32.29% |
3.10% |
7.00% |
S&P
500 Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
-18.11% |
9.42% |
10.43% |
1 The table reflects
performance of the ISE Mobile PaymentsTM Index through August 1, 2017 and the Prime
Mobile Payments Index thereafter.
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local
taxes.
Actual after-tax returns
depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not
relevant if you hold your shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as
401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
In some cases, the return
after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit
from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement
period.
Investment
Adviser
ETF
Managers Group LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio
Managers
Samuel
R. Masucci, III, Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, has been the Fund’s
portfolio manager since January 2018. Frank Vallario, Chief Investment Officer
of the Adviser, has been the Fund’s portfolio manager since September 2019.
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax
information, and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary
Information about Purchases, Sales, Taxes, and Financial Intermediary
Compensation” on page 26 of the Prospectus.
ETFMG
SIT ULTRA SHORT ETF — FUND SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The ETFMG Sit Ultra Short ETF
(the “Fund” or the “Ultra Short ETF”) seeks maximum current income to the extent
consistent with preserving capital and maintaining liquidity.
Fees and Expenses
The
following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold,
and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example
below.
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|
|
|
| |
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment) |
|
Management
Fee |
0.30 |
% |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
Acquired
Fund Fees and Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.30 |
% |
Example
This Example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the
Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the
end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5%
return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. This
Example does not take into account the brokerage commissions that you may pay on
your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher
or lower, based on these assumptions your cost would be:
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1
Year |
|
3
Years |
| 5
Years |
| 10
Years |
$31 |
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$97 |
| $169 |
| $381 |
Portfolio
Turnover
The Fund pays transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over”
its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction
costs and may result in higher taxes when the Fund shares are held in a taxable
account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses
or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 70% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal Investment
Strategies
The
Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve
its investment objective by investing in a diversified portfolio of high-quality
short-term U.S. dollar denominated domestic and foreign debt securities and
other instruments.
The
Fund will, under normal circumstances, invest primarily in fixed-income
securities. These include:
•Commercial
paper of domestic and foreign banks and corporations;
•Obligations
of domestic and foreign banks and corporations, including both fixed rate and
floating rate securities;
•Obligations
of the U.S. government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored
enterprises;
•Mortgage
and other asset-backed securities including automobile and credit card
receivables, utilities, equipment trust certificates, railway authorities,
single-family rentals, manufactured home loans, home improvement loans, and home
equity loans; and
•Repurchase
agreements relating to the above instruments.
The
Fund invests in investment grade domestic debt obligations (i.e.,
obligations rated within the top four rating categories by a Nationally
Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”) or of comparable quality as
determined by the Fund’s Sub-Adviser (as defined below)).
The
Fund is not a money market fund, does not seek to maintain a fixed or stable net
asset value of $1, is not subject to the rules that govern the quality,
maturity, liquidity, and other features of securities that money market funds
may purchase, and does not have the tax advantages of a money market fund.
Sit
Fixed Income Advisors II, LLC (“Sit Investment” or the “Sub-Adviser”) may invest
in debt obligations of maturities with a dollar weighted average maturity of no
more than 3 years and may invest in debt obligations with a maximum maturity of
4 years. During normal market circumstances the average portfolio effective
duration for the Fund is expected be more than 2 months, but less than 1 year.
The Sub-Adviser attempts to diversify the Fund’s portfolio by holding debt
obligations of many different issuers and choosing issuers in a variety of
sectors. The Fund is a “diversified” fund, which means that it may not, with
respect to 75% of its total assets, invest more than 5% of its total assets in
the securities of a single issuer (other than cash and cash items, U.S.
government securities or securities of other investment companies) or purchase
more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of an issuer.
In
determining which debt obligations to buy for the Fund, the Sub-Adviser attempts
to achieve the Fund’s investment objective primarily in three ways:
•Yield
curve positioning:
The Sub-Adviser selects debt obligations with maturities and yields that it
believes have the greatest potential for achieving the Fund’s
objectives.
•Sector
allocation:
The
Sub-Adviser invests in debt obligations in those sectors which it believes
represent the greatest potential for achieving the Fund’s
objectives.
•Security
selection:
The Sub-Adviser determines which issuers it believes offer the best relative
value within each sector and then decides which available debt obligations of
that issuer to purchase.
The
Fund may also invest in shares of stable value money market funds and ETFs that
principally invest in the same types of securities in which the Fund may invest
directly.
The Fund is actively-managed and does not
seek to track the performance of any particular index.
Principal Risks
As with all funds, a shareholder is subject to the risk
that his or her investment could lose money. The principal risks
affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.
An investment in the Fund is not a
bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency.
Active
Management Risk:
The Fund may not meet its investment objective based on the success or failure
of the Fund’s investment adviser (“ETF Managers Group LLC” or the “Adviser”) or
Sub-Adviser to implement investment strategies for the Fund.
Call
Risk:
Many bonds may be redeemed (“called”) at the option of the issuer before their
stated maturity date. In general, an issuer will call its bonds if they can be
refinanced by issuing new bonds which bear a lower interest rate. The Fund would
then be forced to invest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates,
resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income.
Collateralized
Mortgage Obligation Risk:
The Fund may invest in collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), which are a
type of mortgage-backed security. CMOs are created by dividing the principal and
interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages into several revenue streams
(tranches) with different priority rights to portions of the underlying mortgage
payments.
Credit
Risk:
Debt issuers and other counterparties may not honor their obligations or may
have their debt downgraded by ratings agencies.
ETF
Risks:
Absence
of an Active Market: Although
the Fund’s shares are approved for listing on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the
“Exchange”), there can be no assurance that an active trading market will
develop and be maintained for Fund shares. There can be no assurance that the
Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the
Fund may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would
at higher asset levels or the Fund may ultimately liquidate.
Authorized
Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers
Concentration: The
Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In
addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity
providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events
occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value (“NAV”) and
possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash
Transactions:
The Fund may effect its creations and redemptions primarily for cash, rather
than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through
in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or
sell portfolio investments at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to
distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to incur certain costs
such as brokerage costs, and to recognize gains or losses that it might not have
incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out
higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem
in-kind. In addition, the costs imposed on the Fund will decrease the Fund’s NAV
unless the costs are offset by a transaction fee payable by an AP.
Costs
of Buying or Selling Shares: Investors
buying or selling Fund shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage
commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker.
Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant
proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts
of shares.
Fluctuation
of NAV: The
NAV of Fund shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of
the Fund’s securities holdings. The market prices of shares will generally
fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of
shares on the Exchange. It cannot be predicted whether Fund shares will trade
below, at or above their NAV. During periods of unusual volatility or market
disruptions, market prices of Fund shares may deviate significantly from the
market value of the Fund’s securities holdings or the NAV of Fund shares. As a
result, investors in the Fund may pay significantly more or receive
significantly less for Fund shares than the value of the Fund’s underlying
securities or the NAV of Fund shares.
Market
Trading:
An investment in the Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the
potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in
secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the
creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of these factors, among others, may
lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV.
Trading
Issues:
Although
Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance
that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained.
Trading in Fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons
that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. There can
be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the
listing of any Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that the
shares will trade with any volume, or at all. Further, secondary markets may be
subject to erratic trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade
settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and APs may
step away from making a market in Fund shares and in executing creation and
redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund’s market
price from its NAV.
Extension
Risk:
When interest rates rise, certain obligations may be paid off by the obligor
more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall.
Fixed-Income
Instruments Risks:
The market price of the Fund’s fixed-income instruments may change, sometimes
rapidly or unpredictably, in response to changes in interest rates, factors
affecting securities markets generally, and other factors. Generally, when
interest rates rise, the values of fixed-income instruments fall, and vice
versa. The obligor of a fixed-income instrument may not be able or willing to
pay interest or to repay principal when due in accordance with the terms of the
associated agreement. Fixed-income instruments may also be subject to call risk,
which is the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed-income
security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities
prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g.,
declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads, and improvements in the
issuer's credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has
invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment
and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with
greater credit risks, or securities with other, less favorable features.
Floating
or Variable Rate Securities Risk:
Floating or variable rate securities pay interest at rates that adjust in
response to changes in a specified interest rate or reset at predetermined dates
(such as the end of a calendar quarter). Securities with floating or variable
interest rates are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than
securities with fixed interest rates but may decline in value if their interest
rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as comparable market interest rates.
Although floating or variable rate securities are generally less sensitive to
interest rate risk than fixed rate securities, they are subject to credit,
liquidity and default risk and may be subject to legal or contractual
restrictions on resale, which could impair their value.
Foreign
Debt Securities Risk:
The
Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated debt obligations of foreign issuers.
Foreign debt obligations are generally determined based on the ultimate parent
country of risk which consists of the following four factors: management
location, country of primary listing, country of revenue and reporting currency
of the issuer. Debt obligations issued by a foreign entity that are subject to a
guarantee of a U.S. corporate parent or other U.S. entity are generally not
regarded as foreign securities.
Illiquid
Securities Risk:
The
Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid
securities may be difficult to dispose of at a fair price at the times when the
Fund believes it is desirable to do so. Investment of the Fund’s assets in
illiquid securities may restrict the Fund’s ability to take advantage of market
opportunities. Additionally, the Fund may have to forego all or a portion of the
interest earned on a security. Liquidity risk may impact the Fund’s ability to
meet shareholder redemptions and as a result, the Fund may be forced to sell
securities at inopportune prices.
Large
Shareholder Transactions Risk:
Shares of the Fund are offered to certain other investment companies, large
retirement plans and other large investors. As a result, the Fund is subject to
the risk that those shareholders may purchase or redeem a large amount of shares
of the Fund. To satisfy such large shareholder redemptions, the Fund may have to
sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may
negatively impact the Fund’s NAV and liquidity. In addition, large purchases of
Fund shares could adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the
Fund does not immediately invest cash it receives and
therefore
holds more cash than it ordinarily would. Large shareholder activity could also
generate increased transaction costs and cause adverse tax consequences.
Mortgage-
and Asset-Backed Securities Risk:
The Fund may invest in U.S. government agency mortgage- and asset-backed
securities. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are subject to interest rate
risk. Modest movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may
quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain types of these securities.
When interest rates fall, mortgage- and asset-backed securities may be subject
to prepayment risk. When interest rates rise, certain types of mortgage- and
asset-backed securities are subject to extension risk. Mortgage- and
asset-backed securities can also be subject to the risk of default on the
underlying residential or commercial mortgage(s) or other assets.
Municipal
Securities Risk:
From time to time the Fund may invest a substantial amount of its assets in
taxable or tax-exempt municipal securities whose interest is paid solely from
revenues of similar projects. If the Fund concentrates its investments in this
manner, it assumes the economic risks relating to such projects and this may
have a significant impact on the Fund’s investment performance. Municipal
securities risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the
relative lack of information about certain issuers of municipal securities, and
the possibility of future legislative changes which could affect the market for
and value of municipal securities. Certain municipal securities, including
private activity bonds, are not backed by the full faith, credit and taxing
power of the issuer. Additionally, if events occur after the security is
acquired that impact the security’s tax-exempt status, the Fund and its
shareholders could be subject to substantial tax liabilities.
Natural
Disaster/Epidemic Risk:
Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods,
hurricanes, tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and
widespread disease, including pandemics and epidemics, have been and may be
highly disruptive to economies and markets, adversely impacting individual
companies, sectors, industries, markets, currencies, interest and inflation
rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value
of the Fund’s investments. Given the increasing interdependence among global
economies and markets, conditions in one country, market, or region are
increasingly likely to adversely affect markets, issuers, and/or foreign
exchange rates in other countries, including the U.S. Any such events could have
a significant adverse impact on the value of the Fund’s investments.
Other
Investment Companies Risk:
The Fund will incur higher and duplicative expenses when it invests in other
investment companies. There is also the risk that the Fund may suffer losses due
to the investment practices of the underlying funds. When the Fund invests in
other investment companies, the Fund will be subject to substantially the same
risks as those associated with the direct ownership of securities held by such
investment companies.
Portfolio
Turnover Risk:
The
Fund may buy and sell investments frequently. Such a strategy often involves
higher expenses, including brokerage commissions, and may increase the amount of
capital gains (in particular, short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders
at ordinary income rates) realized by the Fund.
Prepayment
Risk:
When interest rates decline, fixed income securities with stated interest rates
may have the principal paid earlier than expected, requiring the Fund to invest
the proceeds at generally lower interest rates.
Rating
Agencies Risks:
Rating
agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer’s
current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. In
addition, rating agencies are subject to an inherent conflict of interest
because they are often compensated by the same issuers whose securities they
grade.
Reinvestment
Risk:
Income from the Fund’s debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the
Fund invest the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities
with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the
Fund’s portfolio.
Repurchase
Agreement Risks:
Repurchase agreements typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of
fixed-income securities from a selling financial institution such as a bank or
broker-dealer. The Fund may incur a loss if the other party to a repurchase
agreement is unwilling or unable to fulfill its contractual obligations to
repurchase the underlying security.
Reverse
Repurchase Agreement Risks:
A reverse repurchase agreement is the sale by the Fund of a debt obligation to a
party for a specified price, with the simultaneous agreement by the Fund to
repurchase that debt obligation from that party on a future date at a higher
price. Similar to borrowing, reverse repurchase agreements provide the Fund with
cash for investment purposes, which creates leverage and subjects the Fund to
the risks of leverage. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that
the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all.
The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and/or if
the value of collateral held by the Fund, including the value of the investments
made with cash collateral, is less than the value of securities.
Rule
144A Securities Risk:
Rule 144A securities are restricted securities that can be purchased only by
“qualified institutional buyers,” as defined under the Securities Act. The
market for Rule 144A securities typically is less active than the market for
publicly-traded securities. As such, investing in Rule 144A securities may
reduce the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, and the Fund may be unable to
sell the security at the desired time or price, if at all. The purchase price
and subsequent valuation of Rule 144A securities normally reflect a discount,
which may be significant, from the market price of comparable unrestricted
securities
for
which a liquid trading market exists. A restricted security that was liquid at
the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline
as a result. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted
securities than for more liquid securities. The Fund may also have to bear the
expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial
delays in effecting the registration.
Temporary
Investment Risk:
The Fund may hold cash and/or invest all or a portion of its assets in
short-term obligations in response to adverse market, economic or other
conditions when the investment management team believes that it is in the best
interest of the Fund to pursue such a defensive strategy. The investment
management team may, however, choose not to make such temporary investments even
in very volatile or adverse conditions. The Fund may not achieve its investment
objective when it holds cash or invests its assets in short-term obligations.
The Fund also may miss investment opportunities and have a lower total return
during these periods.
To-be-announced
transactions (“TBAs”)
Securities
and Rolls Risk:
TBA transactions are subject to increased credit risk and increased overall
investment exposure. TBA rolls involve the risk that the Fund’s counterparty
will be unable to deliver the mortgage-backed securities underlying the TBA roll
at the fixed time. If the buyer files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent,
the buyer or its representative may ask for and receive an extension of time to
decide whether to enforce the Fund’s repurchase obligation. In addition, the
Fund earns interest by investing the transaction proceeds during the roll
period. TBA roll transactions may have the effect of creating leverage in the
Fund’s portfolio.
U.S.
Government Securities Risk:
U.S. government securities are not guaranteed against price movement and may
decrease in value. Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government
agencies and instrumentalities are supported by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. Treasury. Other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies are
supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase
certain obligations of the federal agency, while other obligations issued by or
guaranteed by federal agencies are supported by the right of the issuer to
borrow from the U.S. Treasury. While the U.S. government provides financial
support to such U.S. government agencies, no assurance can be given that the
U.S. government will always do so because the U.S. government is not so
obligated by law.
Valuation
Risk:
The Fund may hold securities for which prices from pricing services may be
unavailable or are deemed unreliable, in which case the Fund’s procedures for
valuing investments provide that the sub-adviser shall use the fair value of
such securities for valuing investments. There is a risk that the fair value
determined by the sub-adviser or the price determined by the pricing service may
be different than the actual sale prices of such
securities.
Performance
Information
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the
Fund. The bar chart shows the annual return for the Fund. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one year, five years, and
since inception compare with those of the Index and a broad measure of market
performance. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available on the Fund’s website at www.etfmg.com.
Calendar Year Total Returns as of December
31,
During the period of time shown
in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest return for a calendar
quarter was 3.54% (quarter ended June 30, 2020) and the
Fund’s lowest return for a calendar
quarter was -3.64% (quarter ended March 31,
2020).
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Average
Annual Total Returns (for
the periods ended
December 31, 2022) |
1
Year |
Since
Inception
10/8/2019 |
ETFMG
Sit Ultra Short ETF |
| |
Return Before
Taxes |
-0.77% |
0.26% |
Return After Taxes on
Distributions |
-1.54% |
-0.30% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and
Sale of Fund Shares |
-0.46% |
-0.03% |
Bloomberg
Barclays U.S. Treasury Bills Index: 1-3-month
Index
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
1.52% |
10.98% |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local
taxes.
Actual after-tax returns
depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not
relevant if you hold your shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as
401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts. In some cases, the return
after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit
from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement
period.
Investment
Adviser and Sub-Adviser
ETF
Managers Group LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Sit
Fixed Income Advisors II, LLC serves as the sub-adviser to the
Fund.
The
Adviser has retained the Sub-Adviser to be responsible for the day-to-day
management of the Fund, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the
Board.
Portfolio
Managers
Bryce
A. Doty, Mark H. Book, CFA, CMA, and Christopher M. Rasmussen, CFA
have
been the Fund’s portfolio managers since its inception in 2019.
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax
information, and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary
Information about Purchases, Sales, Taxes, and Financial Intermediary
Compensation” on page 26 of the Prospectus.
ETFMG
TREATMENTS, TESTING AND ADVANCEMENTS ETF — FUND SUMMARY
Investment Objective
The ETFMG Treatments, Testing
and Advancements ETF (the “Fund” or the “Treatments ETF”) seeks to provide
investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the
total return performance of the Prime Treatments, Testing and Advancements Index
(the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses
The
following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold,
and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example
below.
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment) |
|
Management
Fee |
0.68 |
% |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.68 |
% |
Example
This Example is
intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of
investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the
Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the
end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5%
return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. This
Example does not take into account the brokerage commissions that you may pay on
your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher
or lower, based on these assumptions your cost would be:
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1
Year |
| 3
Years |
| 5
Years |
| 10
Years |
$69 |
| $218 |
| $379 |
| $847 |
Portfolio
Turnover
The Fund pays transaction
costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over”
its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction
costs and may result in higher taxes when the Fund shares are held in a taxable
account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses
or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 30% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal Investment
Strategies
The
Fund 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
“beat” the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets
decline or appear overvalued.
The
Fund will use a replication strategy. A replication strategy is an indexing
strategy that involves investing in the securities of the Index in approximately
the same proportions as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a
representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication
strategy might be detrimental to shareholders, such as when there are practical
difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity
securities to follow the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index
becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of
legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements)
that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Fund rebalances its portfolio in
accordance with its Index, and, therefore, any changes to the Index’s rebalance
schedule will result in corresponding changes to the Fund’s rebalance schedule.
The
Fund invests at least 80% of its total assets, exclusive of collateral held from
securities lending, in the component securities of the Index. The Fund may
invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities that are not in the Fund’s
Index to the extent that the Fund’s adviser believes such investments should
help the Fund’s overall portfolio track the Index. The Fund may also invest in
other investment companies that principally invest in the types of instruments
allowed by the investment strategies of the Fund.
The
Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial
organizations. These loans, if and when made, may not exceed 33 1/3% of the
total asset value of the Fund (including the loan collateral). By lending its
securities, the Fund may increase its income by receiving payments from the
borrower.
Prime
Treatments, Testing and Advancements Index
The
Index tracks the performance of U.S.-listed equity securities or depositary
receipts of companies that (i) perform research, development, and
commercialization of treatments or vaccines for infectious diseases or (ii)
engage in the research, development,
manufacturing,
and provision of biological tests for patients. Such companies are identified by
Prime Indexes (the “Index Provider”), an independent index provider that is not
affiliated with the Fund’s investment adviser, based on the rules of the Index.
The
Index is comprised of two groups of companies, as described below: “Treatment
Companies” and “Testing Companies”. “Treatment Companies” are companies that (i)
have one or more vaccines or treatments for infectious diseases in pre-clinical
research, in any phase of U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical trials, or
in a commercial stage and (ii) are classified by the North American Industry
Classification System as either “Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing” or
“Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences”.
“Testing Companies” are companies that derive more than 50% of their revenue
from the research, development, manufacturing, and provision of biological tests
for patients.
To
qualify for inclusion in the Index, Treatments Companies and Testing Companies
must have an operating company structure (as opposed to being a pass-through
security). To be added to the Index, Treatments Companies and Testing Companies
must have a minimum market capitalization of US$100 million and an average daily
value traded over the prior three month period of $250,000. Companies already
included in the Index must have a minimum market capitalization of US$50
million.
The
Index has a quarterly review in each March, June, September, and December, at
which times the Index is reconstituted and rebalanced by the Index Provider. The
composition of the Index and the constituent weights are determined on the two
Thursdays before the second Friday of each March, June, September, and December
(or the next business day if this is a non-business day). Component changes are
made after the market close on the third Friday of each March, June, September,
and December (or the next business day if the third Friday is not a business
day) and become effective at the market opening on the next trading day.
The
five largest constituents with a market capitalization under US$15 billion are
each weighted at 6% (30% in the aggregate). The remaining constituents with a
market capitalization under US$15 billion are weighted bases on their market
capitalization subject to a 4% limit per security. Constituents with a market
capitalization of US$15 billion or more will be equally weighted with an
aggregate weighting of 10%.
The
Index is developed and owned by Prime Indexes, and the Index is calculated and
maintained by Solactive AG. The Index Provider is not affiliated with Solactive
AG, the Fund, or the Fund’s investment adviser.
As
of January 10, 2023, the Index had 68 components.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its net assets) in
a particular industry or group of related industries to approximately the same
extent that the Index is concentrated. As of January 10, 2023, the Index was
concentrated in the biotechnology industry.
The
Fund rebalances its portfolio in accordance with its Index, and, therefore, any
changes to the Index’s rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes
to the Fund’s rebalance schedule.
Correlation:
Correlation is the extent to which the values of different types of investments
move in tandem with one another in response to changing economic and market
conditions. An index is a theoretical financial calculation, while the Fund is
an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Index may
vary somewhat due to transaction costs, asset valuations, foreign currency
valuations, market impact, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs),
legal restrictions or limitations, illiquid or unavailable securities, and
timing variances.
The Fund’s investment adviser expects that,
over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index,
before fees and expenses, will exceed 95%. A correlation percentage of 100%
would indicate perfect correlation. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it
can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a
representative sampling strategy.
Principal Risks
As with all funds, a shareholder is subject to the risk
that his or her investment could lose money. The principal risks
affecting shareholders’ investments in the Fund are set forth below.
An investment in the Fund is not a
bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency.
Treatment
Companies and Testing Companies Risk:
Treatment Companies and Testing Companies are involved in discovering,
developing and commercializing novel drugs or tests with significant market
potential. These companies face challenges including pre‑clinical testing and
clinical trial stages of development. Clinical trials may be delayed and certain
programs may never advance in the clinic or may be more costly to conduct than
anticipated. Such companies may be dependent on their ability to secure
significant funding for research, development, and commercialization of
therapeutics, vaccines, tests, and other health care products or services. If
there are delays in obtaining required regulatory and marketing approvals for
products, the ability of such companies to generate revenue may be materially
impaired. If regulatory approval is obtained, products will still remain subject
to regulatory scrutiny with regulatory authorities having the ability to impose
significant restrictions on the indicated uses or marketing. Lastly, even if a
licensed product is achieved, such companies may encounter difficulties in
manufacturing, product release, shelf life, testing, storage, supply chain
management, or shipping.
Equity
Market Risk:
The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden,
unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur
because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting
specific
issuers,
industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests such as political, market and
economic developments, as well as events that impact specific issuers.
Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other
public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or other events could result in
increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
The
remaining risks are presented in alphabetical order. Each risk summarized below
is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the
order in which it appears.
Concentration
Risk: The
Fund’s investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to
the extent the Index is so concentrated. To the extent the Fund invests more
heavily in particular industries, groups of industries, or sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those industries, groups of industries, or sectors of the
economy, and the value of Fund shares may rise and fall more than the value of
shares that invest in securities of companies in a broader range of industries
or sectors.
Depositary
Receipts Risk:
The Fund may invest in depositary receipts, including American Depositary
Receipts (“ADRs”). ADRs are U.S. dollar-denominated receipts representing shares
of foreign-based corporations. ADRs are issued by U.S. banks or trust companies,
and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on
the underlying foreign shares. Investment in ADRs may be less liquid than the
underlying shares in their primary trading market.
ETF
Risks:
Absence
of an Active Market: Although
the Fund’s shares are approved for listing on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the
“Exchange”), there can be no assurance that an active trading market will
develop and be maintained for Fund shares. There can be no assurance that the
Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the
Fund may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would
at higher asset levels or the Fund may ultimately liquidate.
Authorized
Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers
Concentration: The
Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In
addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity
providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events
occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to net asset value (“NAV”) and
possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
Cash
Transactions:
The Fund may effect its creations and redemptions primarily for cash, rather
than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through
in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or
sell portfolio investments at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to
distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to incur certain costs
such as brokerage costs, and to recognize gains or losses that it might not have
incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out
higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem
in-kind. In addition, the costs imposed on the Fund will decrease the Fund’s NAV
unless the costs are offset by a transaction fee payable by an AP.
Costs
of Buying or Selling Shares: Investors
buying or selling Fund shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage
commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker.
Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant
proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts
of shares.
Fluctuation
of NAV: The
NAV of Fund shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of
the Fund’s securities holdings. The market prices of shares will generally
fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of
shares on the Exchange. It cannot be predicted whether Fund shares will trade
below, at or above their NAV. During periods of unusual volatility or market
disruptions, market prices of Fund shares may deviate significantly from the
market value of the Fund’s securities holdings or the NAV of Fund shares. As a
result, investors in the Fund may pay significantly more or receive
significantly less for Fund shares than the value of the Fund’s underlying
securities or the NAV of Fund shares.
Market
Trading:
An investment in the Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the
potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in
secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the
creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of these factors, among others, may
lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV.
Trading
Issues:
Although
Fund shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance
that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained.
Trading in Fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons
that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. There can
be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the
listing of any Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that the
shares will trade with any volume, or at all. Further, secondary markets may be
subject to erratic trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade
settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and APs may
step away from making a market in Fund shares and in executing creation and
redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund’s market
price from its NAV.
Management
Risk: While
the Fund is not actively managed, the Fund is subject to the risks associated
with decisions made by the Fund’s investment adviser if the Fund utilizes a
representative sampling strategy or to the extent the Fund’s investment adviser
makes decisions regarding the investment of collateral from securities on loan.
Models
and Data Risk: The
Index relies heavily on proprietary models as well as information and data
supplied by third parties (“Models and Data”). When Models and Data prove to be
incorrect or incomplete, any decisions by the Index made in reliance thereon
expose the Fund to potential risks as the Fund tracks the Index.
Natural
Disaster/Epidemic Risk:
Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods,
hurricanes, tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and
widespread disease, including pandemics and epidemics, have been and may be
highly disruptive to economies and markets, adversely impacting individual
companies, sectors, industries, markets, currencies, interest and inflation
rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value
of the Fund’s investments. Given the increasing interdependence among global
economies and markets, conditions in one country, market, or region are
increasingly likely to adversely affect markets, issuers, and/or foreign
exchange rates in other countries, including the U.S. Any such events could have
a significant adverse impact on the value of the Fund’s investments.
Non-Diversification
Risk:
Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may
invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer
or a small number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a
decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a small number of
issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than
if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase the Fund’s
volatility and have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.
Passive
Investment Risk:
The Fund is not actively managed and therefore would not sell an equity security
due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector,
unless that security is removed from the Index. Unlike with an actively managed
fund, the Fund’s investment adviser does not use techniques or defensive
strategies designed to lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the
impact of periods of market decline. This means that, based on market and
economic conditions, the Fund’s performance could be lower than other types of
funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market
opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline.
Securities
Lending Risk:
The Fund may engage in securities lending. The Fund may lose money if the
borrower of the loaned securities delays returning in a timely manner or fails
to return the loaned securities. Securities lending involves the risk that the
Fund could lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral
provided for loaned securities. In addition, the Fund bears the risk of loss in
connection with its investment of the cash collateral it receives from a
borrower. To the extent that the value or return of the Fund’s investment of the
cash collateral declines below the amount owed to the borrower, the Fund may
incur losses that exceed the amount it earned on lending the security.
Tracking Error
Risk: The Fund’s return may not match or
achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the Index. To the extent
the Fund utilizes a sampling approach, it may experience tracking error to a
greater extent than if the Fund sought to replicate the Index. In addition, in
order to minimize the market impact of an Index rebalance, the Fund may begin
trading to effect the rebalance in advance of the effective date of the
rebalance and continue trading after the effective date of the rebalance, which
may contribute to tracking error.
Performance
Information
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the
Fund. The bar chart shows the annual return for the Fund. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one year, and since
inception compare with those of the Index and a broad measure of market
performance. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available on the Fund’s website at www.etfmg.com.
Calendar Year Total Return as of December
31,
During the period of time shown
in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest return for a calendar
quarter was 13.75% (quarter ended March 31, 2021) and the
Fund’s lowest return for a calendar
quarter was -23.42% (quarter ended March 31,
2022).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Average
Annual Total Returns (for
the periods ended
December 31, 2022) |
1
Year |
Since
Inception
6/17/2020 |
ETFMG
Treatments, Testing and Advancements ETF |
| |
Return Before
Taxes |
-34.90% |
-2.42% |
Return After Taxes on
Distributions |
-35.00% |
-2.63% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and
Sale of Fund Shares |
-20.60% |
-1.86% |
Prime
Treatments, Testing and Advancements
Index
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
-35.13% |
-2.74% |
S&P
500 Total Return
Index
(reflects
no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
-18.11% |
10.30% |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local
taxes.
Actual after-tax returns
depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not
relevant if you hold your shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as
401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
Investment
Adviser
ETF
Managers Group LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio
Managers
Samuel
R. Masucci, III, Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, and Frank Vallario,
Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser, have been the Fund’s portfolio managers
since the Fund’s inception in June, 2020.
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund shares, tax
information, and financial intermediary compensation, please turn to “Summary
Information about Purchases, Sales, Taxes, and Financial Intermediary
Compensation” on page 26 of the Prospectus.
Summary
Information about Purchases, Sales, Taxes, and Financial Intermediary
Compensation
Purchase
and Sale of Fund Shares
Shares
are listed on the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in
the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because
Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price
greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
Each
Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation
Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. Each
Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of
securities (the “Deposit Securities” and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Investors
may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer
is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is
willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the
secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Funds,
including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is
available on the Funds’ website at www.etfmg.com.
Except
when aggregated in Creation Units, each Fund’s shares are not redeemable
securities.
Tax
Information
The
distributions made by each Fund generally are taxable to the Fund’s
shareholders, and will be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income,
or capital gains (or a combination thereof), unless your investment is in an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such IRA
or other tax-advantaged account may be subject to federal income tax. You should
consult your tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
Financial
Intermediary Compensation
If
you purchase shares of the Funds through a broker-dealer or other financial
intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates
may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Funds, including
participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more
knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Funds, or for other
activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related
to the sale or promotion of a Fund’s shares. These payments may create a
conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend the Funds over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result
in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s
website for more information.
Additional
Information about the Funds’ Investment Objectives and Strategies
Each
Fund, with the exception of the Ultra Short ETF, uses an “indexing” investment
approach, and seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and
expenses, corresponds generally to the price and yield performance of its Index.
A number of factors may affect a Fund’s ability to achieve a high correlation
with its Index, including the degree to which the Fund utilizes a sampling
methodology. There can be no guarantee that the Funds will achieve a high degree
of correlation. A Fund’s investment adviser (“Adviser”) may sell securities that
are represented in such Fund’s Index or purchase securities not yet represented
in the Index, in anticipation of their removal from or addition to the Index.
There may also be instances in which the Adviser may choose to overweight
securities in such Fund’s Index, thus causing the Fund to purchase or sell
securities not in the Index, but which the Adviser believes are appropriate to
substitute for certain securities in the Index. The Funds will not take
defensive positions.
Each
Fund, with the exception of the Ultra Short ETF, will invest at least 80% of its
total assets, exclusive of collateral held from securities lending, in the
component securities of its respective Index and in American Depositary Receipts
(“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the component
securities in the Index (the “80% Policy”). Each Fund, with the exception of the
Ultra Short ETF, may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities that are
not in the Fund’s Index to the extent that the Fund’s Adviser believes that such
investments should help the applicable Fund’s overall portfolio track its Index.
Each Fund, with the exception of the Ultra Short ETF, will also concentrate its
investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its net assets) in a particular industry or group of related
industries to approximately the same extent that its Index is concentrated.
Each
Fund, with the exception of the Ultra Short ETF, as part of its securities
lending program, may invest collateral in an affiliated series of ETF Managers
Trust, the Ultra Short ETF. Other investment companies, including Ultra Short
ETF, in which a Fund may invest cash collateral can be expected to incur fees
and expenses for operations, such as investment advisory and administration
fees, which would be in addition to those incurred by the Fund, and which, with
respect to Ultra Short ETF, will be received in full or in part by the
Adviser.
Each
Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment
policy and may be changed without shareholder approval upon reasonable notice to
shareholders. Additionally, in accordance with rules under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), each Fund’s 80% Policy has
been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without
shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.
The
Treatments ETF has adopted the following policy to comply with Rule 35d-1 under
the Investment Company Act of 1940. Such policy has been adopted as a
non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without shareholder
approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders. Under normal
circumstances, the Treatments ETF will not invest less than 80% of its net
assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in companies
that are “Treatment Companies” or “Testing Companies”. The Treatments ETF
defines Treatment Companies as companies that (i) have one or more vaccines or
treatments for infectious diseases in pre-clinical research, in any phase of
U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical trials, or in a commercial stage and
(ii) are classified by the North American Industry Classification System as
either “Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing” or “Research and Development
in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences”. The Treatments ETF defines
Testing Companies as companies that derive more than 50% of their revenue from
the research, development, manufacturing, and provision of biological tests for
patients.
Additional
Information about the Ultra Short ETF’s Principal Investment
Strategies
To
achieve the Ultra Short ETF’s investment objective, the Sub-Adviser may invest
in debt obligations of maturities with a dollar weighted average maturity of no
more than 3 years and may invest in debt obligations with a maximum maturity of
4 years. During normal market circumstances the average portfolio effective
duration for the Ultra Short ETF is expected be more than 2 months, but less
than 1 year. The Sub-Adviser considers effective duration to be a more accurate
assessment of interest rate risk.
The
stated maturity of a bond is the date when the issuer must repay the bond’s
entire principal value to an investor. Some types of bonds may also have an
“effective maturity” that is shorter than the stated maturity due to prepayment
or call provisions. Debt obligations without prepayment or call provisions
generally have an effective maturity equal to their expected maturity.
Dollar‑weighted effective maturity is calculated by averaging the effective
maturity of bonds held by the Ultra Short ETF with each effective maturity
“weighted” according to the percentage of net assets that it
represents.
The
Sub-Adviser seeks to control credit quality risk by purchasing primarily
investment grade, U.S. dollar‑denominated debt obligations. The Ultra Short ETF
may invest in debt obligations of all maturities.
The
Ultra Short ETF invests primarily in investment grade domestic debt obligations
(i.e.,
obligations rated within the top four rating categories by a Nationally
Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”) or of comparable quality as
determined by the Sub-Adviser).
While
the Ultra Short ETF may invest in debt obligations of maturities with a dollar
weighted average maturity of no more than 3 years and debt obligations with a
maximum maturity of 4 years, during normal market circumstances the average
portfolio effective duration for the Ultra Short ETF is expected be more than 2
months, but less than 1 year. Effective duration takes into account several
variables, including the possibility that a bond may have prepayments or may be
called by the issuer before its stated maturity date.
Duration
is a measure of total price sensitivity relative to changes in interest rates.
Portfolios with shorter durations are typically less sensitive to changes in
interest rates. Duration measures how much the value of a security is expected
to change with a given change in interest rates. Effective duration is one means
used to measure interest rate risk. The longer a security’s effective duration,
the more sensitive its price is to changes in interest rates. For example, if
interest rates rise by 1%, the market value of a security with an effective
duration of 3 years would decrease by 3%, with all other factors being constant.
The Sub-Adviser uses several methods to compute duration estimates appropriate
for particular securities held in the Ultra Short ETF’s portfolio. Duration
estimates are based on assumptions by the Sub-Adviser and subject to a number of
limitations. Duration is most useful when interest rate changes are small and
occur equally in short-term and long-term securities. In addition, it is
difficult to calculate precisely for bonds with prepayment options, such as
mortgage-related securities, because the calculation requires assumptions about
prepayment rates.
The
Sub-Adviser generally will sell a security when, on a relative basis and in the
Sub-Adviser’s opinion, it will no longer help the Ultra Short ETF attain its
objective(s). This could include, but is not limited to, changes in credit
characteristics or outlook, as well as changes in portfolio strategy or cash
flow needs. A security may also be sold based on relative value considerations
and could be replaced with a security that presents a better value or
risk/reward profile.
The
Ultra Short ETF’s investments are based on, although do not replicate, the
securities composition of the Ultra Short ETF’s benchmark index. Consequently,
the Ultra Short ETF’s portfolio composition and risks will differ from those of
the benchmark index.
In
determining which debt obligations to buy for the Ultra Short ETF, the
Sub-Adviser attempts to achieve the Ultra Short ETF’s investment objective
primarily in three ways:
Yield
curve positioning:
The Sub-Adviser selects debt obligations with maturities and yields that it
believes have the greatest potential for achieving the Ultra Short ETF’s
objectives. The yield curve is a graphic representation of the actual or
projected yields of debt obligations in relation to their maturities and
durations. The Sub-Adviser selects debt obligations with maturities and yields
that it believes have the greatest potential for achieving the Ultra Short ETF’s
objective. The debt obligations in the Ultra Short ETF, though, will not be
identical to the debt obligations in the benchmark. Because the yield curve is
constantly changing, the Sub-Adviser regularly adjusts the Ultra Short ETF’s
portfolio to purchase debt obligations that it believes will best assist the
Ultra Short ETF in achieving its objective.
Sector
allocation: The
Sub-Adviser next evaluates the return potential of each sector (including:
asset‑backed debt obligations, mortgage‑backed debt obligations, government and
other public‑sector bonds, and corporate bonds. The Sub-Adviser invests in
debt
obligations in those sectors which it believes represent the greatest potential
for achieving the Ultra Short ETF’s objectives. The Sub-Adviser regularly
adjusts the portfolio in order to address changes in yields and underlying risks
in various sectors.
Security
selection:
The Sub-Adviser then focuses on selecting individual debt obligations. The
Sub-Adviser determines which issuers it believes offer the best relative value
within each sector and then decides which available debt obligations of that
issuer to purchase.
The
Ultra Short ETF is an actively managed ETF that seeks to achieve its investment
objective by primarily investing in a diversified portfolio of high-quality
short-term U.S. dollar denominated domestic and foreign debt securities and
other instruments.
The
Ultra Short ETF will, under normal circumstances, invest primarily in
fixed-income securities. These include:
•Commercial
paper of domestic and foreign banks and corporations;
•Obligations
of domestic and foreign banks and corporations, including both fixed rate and
floating rate securities;
•Obligations
of the U.S. government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored
enterprises;
•Mortgage
and other asset-backed securities; and
•Repurchase
agreements relating to the above instruments.
The
Ultra Short ETF primarily invests in debt obligations with fixed rates of
interest but may also invest in floating or variable rate debt obligations.
Other public‑sector entities include, but are not limited to, U.S., state and
local (municipal) governments and their agencies and authorities, foreign
government entities, and non‑governmental organizations. The types of municipal
obligations in which the Ultra Short ETF may invest include, but are not limited
to, taxable and, to some extent, tax‑exempt general obligation and revenue
bonds, as well as advance refunded and escrowed‑to‑maturity bonds. Asset‑backed
obligations in which the Fund may invest are backed with underlying assets such
as credit card receivables, auto receivables, student loans, utilities,
equipment trust certificates, railway authorities, reimbursement/rate increase
allowances and certain residential home loans. Money market instruments in which
the Ultra Short ETF may invest include, among other things, U.S. government
obligations, repurchase agreements, cash, bank obligations, commercial paper,
variable amount master demand notes and corporate bonds with remaining
maturities of 13 months or less. The Ultra Short ETF may invest in
Rule 144A securities, which are not registered under the federal securities
laws and cannot be sold to the U.S. public because of SEC regulations (known as
“restricted securities”). The Ultra Short ETF generally considers Rule 144A
securities to be liquid unless the Sub-Adviser determines otherwise. The Ultra
Short ETF may also invest in other investment companies that principally invest
in the types of instruments allowed by the investment strategies of the Ultra
Short ETF.
Additional
Risk Information
The
following section provides additional information regarding the principal risks
identified under “Principal Risks” in each Fund’s summary.
Active
Management Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
The Fund is actively managed, and its performance may reflect the Sub-Adviser’s
ability to make decisions which are suited to achieving the Fund’s investment
objective. Due to its active management, the Fund could under perform other
funds with similar investment objectives.
Call
Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
Many bonds may be redeemed (“called”) at the option of the issuer before their
stated maturity date. In general, an issuer will call its bonds if they can be
refinanced by issuing new bonds which bear a lower interest rate. The Fund would
then be forced to invest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates,
resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income.
Collateralized
Mortgage Obligation Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
The Fund may invest in collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), which are a
type of mortgage-backed security. CMOs are created by dividing the principal and
interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages into several revenue streams
(tranches) with different priority rights to portions of the underlying mortgage
payments.
Concentration
Risk (each Fund except Ultra Short ETF): Each
Fund’s investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to
the extent the Index is so concentrated. To the extent a Fund invests more
heavily in particular industries, groups of industries, or sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those industries, groups of industries, or sectors of the
economy, and the value of Shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares
that invest in securities of companies in a broader range of industries or
sectors.
Credit
Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
Credit
risk is the risk that an issuer or guarantor of debt instruments 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 or to otherwise honor its obligations. Debt
instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be
reflected in their credit ratings. 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), potentially reducing the
Fund’s income level or share price.
Cyber
Security Companies Risk (Cyber Security ETF only):
Companies in the cyber security field, including companies in the Cyber Defense
Architecture Providers and Cyber Defense Application Providers sectors, face
intense competition, both domestically and
internationally,
which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Cyber security companies may
have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The
products of cyber security companies may face obsolescence due to rapid
technological developments and frequent new product introduction, and such
companies may face unpredictable changes in growth rates, competition for the
services of qualified personnel and competition from foreign competitors with
lower production costs. Companies in the cyber security field are heavily
dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of
these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Additionally, companies in the cyber security field may be the target of
cyber-attacks, which, if successful, could significantly or permanently damage a
company’s reputation, financial condition and ability to conduct business in the
future.
Equity
Market Risk (each Fund except Ultra Short ETF):
An investment in a Fund involves risks of investing in equity securities, such
as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political
developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities
prices. The values of equity securities could decline generally or could
underperform other investments. Different types of equity securities tend to go
through cycles of out-performance and under-performance in comparison to the
general securities markets. In addition, securities may decline in value due to
factors affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets generally.
Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and
debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, have
generally inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with
the rights of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks
issued by, the issuer. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters,
widespread disease or other public health issues, war, acts of terrorism or
other events could result in increased premiums or discounts to a Fund’s NAV.
ETF
Risks:
Absence
of an Active Market Risk: Although
a Fund’s shares are approved for listing on the Exchange, there can be no
assurance that an active trading market will develop and be maintained for Fund
shares. There can be no assurance that a Fund will grow to or maintain an
economically viable size, in which case a Fund may experience greater tracking
error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels or a Fund may
ultimately liquidate.
APs,
Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk:
A Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs, none
of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. In
addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity
providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events
occur, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for Fund shares
and shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting:
(i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or
redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or
(ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly
reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform
their functions. The risks associated with limited APs may be heightened in
scenarios where APs have limited or diminished access to the capital required to
post collateral.
Cash
Transactions Risk (Ultra Short ETF and Treatments ETF only):
Each Fund may effect its creations and redemptions primarily for cash, rather
than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through
in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the fund to dispose of or
sell portfolio investments at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to
distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to incur certain costs
such as brokerage costs, and to recognize gains or losses that it might not have
incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out
higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem
in-kind. In addition, the costs imposed on the Fund will decrease the Fund’s NAV
unless the costs are offset by a transaction fee payable by an AP.
Costs
of Buying or Selling Shares Risk: Investors
buying or selling a Fund’s shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage
commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by the applicable
broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant
proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts
of shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of
the difference between the price that an investor is willing to pay for shares
(the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell shares
(the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as
the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for shares
based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if a Fund’s
shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if a Fund’s
shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased
market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of
buying or selling shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares
may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not
be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Fluctuation
of NAV Risk: The
NAV of a Fund’s shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value
of such Fund’s securities holdings. The market prices of shares will generally
fluctuate in accordance with changes in a Fund’s NAV and supply and demand of
shares on the Exchange. It cannot be predicted whether a Fund’s shares will
trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part,
to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading
market for shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same
forces influencing the prices of the securities of the Index trading
individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. The market prices of a
Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from the NAV of the shares during
periods of market volatility. While the creation/redemption feature is designed
to make it likely that a Fund’s shares normally will trade close to such Fund’s
NAV, disruptions to creations and redemptions may result in trading prices
that
differ significantly from the Fund’s NAV. As a result, investors in a Fund may
pay significantly more or receive significantly less for Fund shares than the
value of such Fund’s underlying securities or the NAV of Fund shares. If an
investor purchases a Fund’s shares at a time when the market price is at a
premium to the NAV of the shares or sells at a time when the market price is at
a discount to the NAV of the shares, then the investor may sustain losses.
Market
Trading Risk:
An investment in a Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the
potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in
secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the
creation/redemption process of such Fund. Any of these factors, among others,
may lead to a Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV.
Trading
Issues Risk:
Although
a Fund’s shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no
assurance that an active trading market for such shares will be maintained.
Trading in a Fund’s shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons
that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. In
addition, trading in shares is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary
market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules, which
temporarily halt trading on the Exchange when a decline in the S&P 500 Index
during a single day reaches certain thresholds (e.g.,
7%., 13% and 20%). Additional rules applicable to the Exchange may halt trading
in Fund shares when extraordinary volatility causes sudden, significant swings
in the market price of Fund shares. There can be no assurance that the
requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of a Fund will
continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that the shares will trade with
any volume, or at all. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of a Fund’s
shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of such Fund’s underlying portfolio
holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than the Fund’s shares,
potentially causing the market price of the Fund’s shares to deviate from their
NAV.
Further,
secondary markets may be subject to erratic trading activity, wide bid/ask
spreads and extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because
market makers and APs may step away from making a market in Fund shares and in
executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation
in a Fund’s market price from its NAV. Decisions by market makers or APs to
reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress
could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the
relationship between the underlying value of a Fund’s portfolio securities and
such Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund shares
trading at a price which differs materially from NAV and also in greater than
normal intraday bid/ask spreads for Fund shares. During a “flash crash,” the
market prices of a Fund’s shares may decline suddenly and significantly. Such a
decline may not reflect the performance of the portfolio securities held by a
Fund. Flash crashes may cause APs and other market makers to limit or cease
trading in a Fund’s shares for temporary or longer periods. Shareholders could
suffer significant losses to the extent that they sell shares at these
temporarily low market prices.
Extension
Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
When
interest rates rise, certain obligations may be paid off by the obligor more
slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to
fall.
Fixed-Income
Instruments Risks (Ultra Short ETF only):
Changes
in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income instruments
held by the Fund to vary inversely to such changes. Prices of longer-term
fixed-income instruments generally fluctuate more than the prices of
shorter-term fixed income instruments as interest rates change. Fixed-income
instruments that are fixed-rate are generally more susceptible than floating
rate loans to price volatility related to changes in prevailing interest rates.
The prices of floating rate fixed-income instruments tend to have less
fluctuation in response to changes in interest rates, but will have some
fluctuation, particularly when the next interest rate adjustment on such
security is further away in time or adjustments are limited in amount over time.
The Fund may invest in short-term securities that, when interest rates decline,
affect the Fund’s yield as these securities mature or are sold and the Fund
purchases new short-term securities with lower yields. An obligor’s willingness
and ability to pay interest or to repay principal due in a timely manner may be
affected by, among other factors, its cash flow.
Floating
or Variable Rate Securities Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
Floating or variable rate securities pay interest at rates that adjust in
response to changes in a specified interest rate or reset at predetermined dates
(such as the end of a calendar quarter). Securities with floating or variable
interest rates are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than
securities with fixed interest rates but may decline in value if their interest
rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as comparable market interest rates.
Conversely, floating or variable rate securities will not generally increase in
value if interest rates decline. The impact of interest rate changes on floating
or variable rate securities is typically mitigated by the periodic interest rate
reset of the investments. Floating or variable rate securities are often subject
to restrictions on resale, which can result in reduced liquidity.
Foreign
Investment Risk (each Fund except Ultra Short ETF):
Returns on investments in foreign stocks could be more volatile than, or trail
the returns on, investments in U.S. stocks. Since foreign exchanges may be open
on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the value of the securities in a
Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to
purchase or sell the Shares. Conversely, Shares may trade on days when foreign
exchanges are closed. Because securities held by a Fund trade on foreign
exchanges that are closed when a Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, a Fund
is likely to experience premiums and discounts
greater
than those of domestic ETFs. Each of these factors can make investments in a
Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
Currency
Risk:
Indirect and direct exposure to foreign currencies subjects a Fund to the risk
that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency
rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of
time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the
imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or
abroad. A Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars and, therefore,
a Fund may lose value if the local currency of a foreign market depreciates
against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of a Fund’s holdings
goes up.
Depositary
Receipts Risk:
A Fund may invest in depositary receipts. Depositary receipts include ADRs and
GDRs. ADRs are U.S. dollar-denominated receipts representing shares of
foreign-based corporations. ADRs are issued by U.S. banks or trust companies,
and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on
the underlying foreign shares. GDRs are depositary receipts which are similar to
ADRs, but are shares of foreign-based corporations generally issued by
international banks in one or more markets around the world. Investment in ADRs
and GDRs may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading
market and GDRs, many of which are issued by companies in emerging markets, may
be more volatile and less liquid than depositary receipts issued by companies in
more developed markets.
Depositary
receipts may be sponsored or unsponsored. Sponsored depositary receipts are
established jointly by a depositary and the underlying issuer, whereas
unsponsored depositary receipts may be established by a depositary without
participation by the underlying issuer. Holders of an unsponsored depositary
receipt generally bear all the costs associated with establishing the
unsponsored depositary receipt. In addition, the issuers of the securities
underlying unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose
material information in the United States and, therefore, there may be less
information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation
between such information and the market value of the depositary receipts.
Depositary
receipts may be unregistered and unlisted. A Fund’s investments also may include
ADRs and GDRs that are not purchased in the public markets and are restricted
securities that can be offered and sold only to “qualified institutional buyers”
under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Adviser will
determine the liquidity of such investments pursuant to the Funds’ liquidity
risk management program. If a particular investment in such ADRs or GDRs is
deemed illiquid, that investment will be included within a Fund’s limitation on
investment in illiquid securities. Moreover, if adverse market conditions were
to develop during the period between a Fund’s decision to sell these types of
ADRs or GDRs and the point at which a Fund is permitted or able to sell such
security, a Fund might obtain a price less favorable than the price that
prevailed when it decided to sell.
Emerging
Markets Securities Risk (Cyber Security ETF and Mobile Payments ETF
only):
A Fund’s investments may expose a Fund’s portfolio to the risks of investing in
emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets are subject to greater risk of
loss than investments in developed markets. This is due to, among other things,
greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic
instability, greater risk of market shutdown and more governmental limitations
on foreign investments than typically found in developed markets. In addition,
less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing
and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and
depositories.
Foreign
Market and Trading Risk (Cyber Security ETF and Mobile Payments ETF
only):
The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S.
markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight. Foreign markets
also may have clearance and settlement procedures that make it difficult for a
Fund to buy and sell securities. These factors could result in a loss to a Fund
by causing the Fund to be unable to dispose of an investment or to miss an
attractive investment opportunity, or by causing Fund assets to be uninvested
for some period of time. Where all or a part of a Fund’s underlying securities
trade in a market that is closed when the Exchange is open, there may be changes
between the last quotation from its closed foreign market and the value of such
securities during a Fund’s domestic trading day. This could lead to differences
between the market price of a Fund’s shares and the value of a Fund’s underlying
securities.
Foreign
Securities Risk:
A Fund invests in foreign securities, including non-U.S. dollar-denominated
securities traded outside of the United States and U.S. dollar-denominated
securities of foreign issuers traded in the United States. Investment in foreign
securities may involve higher costs than investment in U.S. securities,
including higher transaction and custody costs as well as the imposition of
additional taxes by foreign governments. Foreign investments may also involve
risks associated with the level of currency exchange rates, less complete
financial information about the issuers, less market liquidity, more market
volatility and political instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements
applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. Future political and economic
developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes on dividend income,
the possible seizure or nationalization of foreign holdings, the possible
establishment of exchange controls or freezes on the convertibility of currency,
or the adoption of other governmental restrictions might adversely affect an
investment in foreign securities. Additionally, foreign issuers may be subject
to less stringent regulation, and to different accounting, auditing and
recordkeeping requirements.
Political
and Economic Risk:
A Fund is subject to foreign political and economic risk not associated with
U.S. investments, meaning that political events (civil unrest, national
elections, changes in political conditions and foreign relations, imposition of
exchange controls and repatriation restrictions), social and economic events
(labor strikes, rising inflation) and natural disasters
occurring
in a country where a Fund invests could cause the Fund’s investments in that
country to experience gains or losses. A Fund also could be unable to enforce
its ownership rights or pursue legal remedies in countries where it invests.
Privatization
Risk
(Cyber
Security ETF and Mobile Payments ETF only):
Some countries in which a Fund invests have begun a process of privatizing
certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be
re-nationalized.
Foreign
Debt Securities Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
The
Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated debt obligations of foreign issuers.
Foreign debt obligations are generally determined based on the ultimate parent
country of risk which consists of the following four factors: management
location, country of primary listing, country of revenue and reporting currency
of the issuer. Debt obligations issued by a foreign entity that are subject to a
guarantee of a U.S. corporate parent or other U.S. entity are generally not
regarded as foreign securities.
Illiquid
Securities Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
The
Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, such as
repurchase agreements with a term greater than seven days. Illiquid securities
may be difficult to dispose of at a fair price at the times when the Fund
believes it is desirable to do so. Investment of the Fund’s assets in illiquid
securities may restrict the Fund’s ability to take advantage of market
opportunities. Additionally, the Fund may have to forego all or a portion of the
interest earned on a repurchase agreement or pay a penalty to terminate such
agreement prior to its contractual end date. Liquidity risk may impact the
Fund’s ability to meet shareholder redemptions and as a result, the Fund may be
forced to sell securities at inopportune prices.
Large
Shareholder Transactions Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
Shares of the Fund are offered to certain other investment companies, large
retirement plans and other large investors. As a result, the Fund is subject to
the risk that those shareholders may purchase or redeem a large amount of shares
of the Fund. To satisfy such large shareholder redemptions, the Fund may have to
sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may
negatively impact the Fund’s NAV and liquidity. In addition, large purchases of
Fund shares could adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the
Fund does not immediately invest cash it receives and therefore holds more cash
than it ordinarily would. Large shareholder activity could also generate
increased transaction costs and cause adverse tax consequences.
Management
Risk (each Fund expect Ultra Short ETF): While
the Fund is not actively managed, the Fund is subject to the risks associated
with decisions made by the Adviser if the Fund utilizes a representative
sampling strategy or to the extent the Adviser makes decisions regarding the
investment of collateral from securities on loan.
Mobile
Payment Companies Risk (Mobile Payments ETF only):
Mobile Payment Companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Mobile
Payment Companies are also subject to increasing regulatory constraints,
particularly with respect to fees, competition and anti-trust matters,
cybersecurity and privacy. In addition to the costs of complying with such
constraints, the unintended disclosure of confidential information, whether
because of an error or a cybersecurity event, could adversely affect the
profitability and value of these companies. Mobile Payment Companies may be
highly dependent on their ability to enter into agreements with merchants and
other third parties to utilize a particular payment method, system, software or
service, and such agreements may be subject to increased regulatory scrutiny.
Additionally, certain Mobile Payment Companies have recently faced increased
costs related to class-action litigation challenging such agreements, and the
cost of such litigation, particularly for a company losing such litigation,
could significantly affect the profitability and value of the company. Mobile
Payment Companies may also be active in acquiring other companies, and their
ability to successfully integrate such acquisitions would negatively affect the
profitability and value of such Mobile Payment Companies.
Models
and Data Risk (each Fund expect Ultra Short ETF):
When models and data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in
reliance thereon expose the Fund to potential risks as the Fund tracks the
Index. For example, by relying on models and data, the Index, and consequently
the Fund, may add or remove certain investments at prices that are too high or
too low or to miss favorable opportunities altogether.
Models
may have aspects that are predictive in nature. The use of predictive models has
inherent risks. For example, such models may incorrectly forecast future
behavior, leading to potential losses on a cash flow and/or a mark-to-market
basis. In addition, in unforeseen or certain low-probability scenarios (often
involving a market disruption of some kind), such models may produce unexpected
results, which can result in losses for the Fund. Furthermore, because
predictive models are usually constructed based on historical data supplied by
third parties, the success of relying on such models may depend heavily on the
accuracy and reliability of the supplied historical data.
All
models rely on correct market data inputs. If incorrect market data is entered
into even a well-founded model, the resulting information will be incorrect.
However, even if market data is input correctly, “model prices” will often
differ substantially from market prices, especially for instruments with complex
characteristics, such as derivative instruments.
Mortgage-
and Asset-Backed Securities Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are more sensitive to interest rate risk
than other types of fixed income securities. Modest movements in interest rates
(both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of
certain types of these securities. When interest rates fall, mortgage- and
asset-backed securities may be subject to prepayment risk. Prepayment risk is
the risk that the borrower will prepay some or the entire principal owed to the
investor. If that happens, the Fund may have to replace the security by
investing the proceeds in a security with a lower yield. This could reduce the
share price and income distributions of the Fund. When interest rates rise,
certain types of mortgage- and
asset-backed
securities are subject to extension risk. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
can also be subject to the risk of default on the underlying residential or
commercial mortgage(s) or other assets. Weakening real estate markets may cause
default rates to rise, which would result in a decline in the value of
mortgage-backed securities.
Certain
mortgage-backed securities may be secured by pools of mortgages on
single-family, multi-family properties, as well as commercial properties.
Similarly, asset-backed securities may be secured by pools of loans, such as
corporate loans, student loans, automobile loans and credit card receivables.
The credit risk on such securities is affected by homeowners or borrowers
defaulting on their loans. The values of assets underlying mortgage-backed and
asset-backed securities may decline and therefore may not be adequate to cover
underlying investors. Some mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities have
experienced extraordinary weakness and volatility in recent years.
Municipal
Securities Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
Municipal
securities risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the
relative lack of information about certain issuers of municipal securities, and
the possibility of future legislative changes which could affect the market for
and value of municipal securities. These risks include:
General
Obligation Bonds Risks:
The
full faith, credit and taxing power of the municipality that issues a general
obligation bond secures payment of interest and repayment of principal. Timely
payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues
and ability to maintain an adequate tax base.
Revenue
Bonds Risks:
Payments
of interest and principal on revenue bonds are made only from the revenues
generated by a particular facility, class of facilities or the proceeds of a
special tax or other revenue source. These payments depend on the money earned
by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues
derived from another source.
Private
Activity Bonds Risks:
Municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to
finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise.
The private enterprise pays the principal and interest on the bond, and the
issuer does not pledge its full faith, credit and taxing power for repayment. If
the private enterprise defaults on its payments, the Fund may not receive any
income or get its money back from the investment.
Moral
Obligation Bonds Risks:
Moral
obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a
state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations,
repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation,
of the state or municipality.
Municipal
Notes Risks:
Municipal
notes are shorter term municipal debt obligations. They may provide interim
financing in anticipation of, and are secured by, tax collection, bond sales or
revenue receipts. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes
may not be fully repaid, and the Fund may lose money.
Municipal
Lease Obligations Risks:
In
a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the
lease obligation. The issuer will generally appropriate municipal funds for that
purpose but is not obligated to do so. Although the issuer does not pledge its
unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease obligation, the lease obligation
is secured by the leased property. However, if the issuer does not fulfill its
payment obligation it may be difficult to sell the property and the proceeds of
a sale may not cover the Fund’s loss.
Tax
Risk:
Investments
in tax-exempt municipal securities rely on the opinion of the issuer’s bond
counsel that the interest paid on those securities will not be subject to
U.S.
federal
income tax. Tax opinions are generally provided at the time the municipal
security is initially issued. However, after the Fund buys a security, the
Internal Revenue Service may determine that a bond issued as tax-exempt should
in fact be taxable, and the Fund’s dividends with respect to that bond
might be subject to U.S.
federal
income tax. Changes in tax laws or adverse determinations by the Internal
Revenue Service may make the income from some municipal obligations taxable.
Municipal obligations that are backed by the issuer’s taxing authority, known as
general obligation bonds, may partially depend for payment on legislative
appropriation and/or aid from other governments. These municipal obligations may
be vulnerable to legal limits on a government’s power to raise revenue or
increase taxes. Other municipal obligations, known as special revenue
obligations, are payable from revenues earned by a particular project or other
revenue source. These obligations are subject to greater risk of default than
general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue
generated by the project or private company, rather than to the credit of the
state or local government issuer of the obligations.
Natural
Disaster/Epidemic Risk:
Natural
or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes,
tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and widespread
disease, including pandemics and epidemics, have been and may be highly
disruptive to economies and markets, adversely impacting individual companies,
sectors, industries, markets, currencies, interest and inflation rates, credit
ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value of a Fund’s
investments. Given the increasing interdependence among global economies and
markets, conditions in one country, market, or region are increasingly likely to
adversely affect markets, issuers, and/or foreign exchange rates in other
countries, including the U.S. Any such events could have a significant adverse
impact on the value of a Fund’s investments.
Non-Diversification
Risk (Mobile Payments ETF and Treatments ETF only):
Because
each Fund is “non-diversified,” a Fund may invest a greater percentage of its
assets in the securities of a single issuer or a small number of issuers than if
it was a diversified fund.
As
a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a small
number of issuers could cause a Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater
degree than if such Fund held a more diversified portfolio. This may increase a
Fund’s volatility and have a greater impact on such Fund’s performance.
Other
Investment Companies Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
The Fund may invest in shares of investment companies. The risks of investment
in these securities typically reflect the risks of the types of instruments in
which the investment company invests. When the Fund invests in investment
company securities, shareholders of the Fund bear indirectly their proportionate
share of their fees and expenses, as well as their share of the Fund’s fees and
expenses. As a result, an investment by the Fund in an investment company could
cause the Fund's operating expenses (taking into account indirect expenses such
as the fees and expenses of the investment company) to be higher and, in turn,
performance to be lower than if it were to invest directly in the instruments
underlying the investment company.
Passive
Investment Risk (each Fund except the Ultra Short ETF):
Each Fund is not actively managed. Therefore, unless a specific security is
removed from a Fund's Index, such Fund generally would not sell a security
because the security's issuer was in financial trouble. If a specific security
is removed from a Fund's Index, such Fund may be forced to sell such security at
an inopportune time or for a price other than the security's current market
value. An investment in a Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in
any equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused
by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest
rates and perceived trends in security prices. It is anticipated that the value
of Fund shares will decline, more or less, in correspondence with any decline in
value of such Fund's respective Index. The Index may not contain the appropriate
mix of securities for any particular economic cycle, and the timing of movements
from one type of security to another in seeking to replicate the Index could
have a negative effect on a Fund. Unlike with an actively managed fund, the
Adviser does not use techniques or defensive strategies designed to lessen the
effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of market
decline. This means that, based on market and economic conditions, a Fund's
performance could be lower than other types of funds that may actively shift
their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen
the impact of a market decline.
Portfolio
Turnover Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
The
Fund may buy and sell investments frequently. Such a strategy often involves
higher expenses, including brokerage commissions, and may increase the amount of
capital gains (in particular, short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders
at ordinary income rates) realized by the Fund.
Prepayment
Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
When interest rates decline, fixed income securities with stated interest rates
may have the principal paid earlier than expected, requiring the Fund to invest
the proceeds at generally lower interest rates.
Rating
Agencies Risks (Ultra Short ETF only):
Ratings
are not an absolute standard of quality, but rather general indicators that
reflect only the view of the originating rating agencies from which an
explanation of the significance of such ratings may be obtained. There is no
assurance that a particular rating will continue for any given period of time or
that any such rating will not be revised downward or withdrawn entirely. Such
changes may negatively affect the liquidity or market price of the securities in
which the Fund invests. The ratings of securitized assets may not adequately
reflect the credit risk of those assets due to their structure.
Reinvestment
Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
Income from the Funds’ debt securities portfolios will decline if and when the
Fund invest the proceeds from matured, traded or called securities in securities
with market interest rates that are below the current earnings rate of the
Fund’s portfolio.
Repurchase
Agreement Risks (Ultra Short ETF only):
Repurchase agreements typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of
fixed-income securities from a selling financial institution such as a bank or
broker-dealer. The agreement provides that the Fund will sell the securities
back to the institution at a fixed time in the future. Repurchase agreements
involve the risk that a seller will become subject to bankruptcy or other
insolvency proceedings or fail to repurchase a security from the Fund. In such
situations, the Fund may incur losses including as a result of (i) a
possible decline in the value of the underlying security during the period while
the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, (ii) a possible lack of
access to income on the underlying security during this period, and
(iii) expenses of enforcing its rights.
Reverse
Repurchase Agreement Risks (Ultra Short ETF only):
A reverse repurchase agreement is the sale by the Fund of a debt obligation to a
party for a specified price, with the simultaneous agreement by the Fund to
repurchase that debt obligation from that party on a future date at a higher
price. Similar to borrowing, reverse repurchase agreements provide the Fund with
cash for investment purposes, which creates leverage and subjects the Fund to
the risks of leverage. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk
that the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at
all. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and the
value of collateral held by the Fund, including the value of the investments
made with cash collateral, is less than the value of securities. Reverse
repurchase agreements also create Fund expenses and require that the Fund have
sufficient cash available to purchase the debt obligations when required.
Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the market value of the
debt obligation that is the subject of the reverse repurchase agreement could
decline significantly below the price at which the Fund is obligated to
repurchase the security.
Rule
144A Securities Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
Rule 144A securities are restricted securities that can be purchased only by
“qualified institutional buyers,” as defined under the Securities Act. The
market for Rule 144A securities typically is less active than the market for
publicly-traded securities. As such, investing in Rule 144A securities may
reduce the liquidity of the Fund’s
investments,
and the Fund may be unable to sell the security at the desired time or price, if
at all. The purchase price and subsequent valuation of Rule 144A securities
normally reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of
comparable unrestricted securities for which a liquid trading market exists. A
restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently
become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. In addition, transaction
costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities.
The Fund may also have to bear the expense of registering the securities for
resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the
registration.
Securities
Lending Risk (Cyber Security ETF, Mobile Payments ETF, and Treatments ETF
only):
Each
Fund may engage in securities lending. A Fund may lose money if the borrower of
the loaned securities delays returning in a timely manner or fails to return the
loaned securities. Securities lending involves the risk that a Fund could lose
money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned
securities. In addition, the Fund bears the risk of loss in connection with its
investment of the cash collateral it receives from a borrower. When the Fund
invests cash collateral in other investment companies, such investments of cash
collateral will be subject to substantially the same risks as those associated
with the direct ownership of securities held by such investment companies. To
the extent that the value or return of the Fund’s investment of the cash
collateral declines below the amount owed to the borrower, the Fund may incur
losses that exceed the amount it earned on lending the security. The Fund may
borrow money to repay the applicable borrower the amount of cash collateral owed
to the borrower upon return of the loaned securities. This will result in
financial leverage, which may cause the Fund to be more volatile because
financial leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in
the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities.
Smaller
Companies Risk (each Fund except Ultra Short ETF):
Each Fund’s Index may be composed primarily of, or have significant exposure to,
securities of smaller companies. As a result, the Funds may be subject to the
risk that securities of smaller companies represented in the Indexes may
underperform securities of larger companies or the equity market as a whole. In
addition, in comparison to securities of companies with larger capitalizations,
securities of smaller-capitalization companies may experience more price
volatility, greater spreads between their bid and ask prices, less frequent
trading, significantly lower trading volumes, and cyclical or static growth
prospects. As a result of the differences between the securities of smaller
companies and those of companies with larger capitalizations, it may be more
difficult for a Fund to buy or sell a significant amount of the securities of a
smaller company without an adverse impact on the price of the company’s
securities, or a Fund may have to sell such securities in smaller quantities
over a longer period of time, which may increase the Fund’s tracking error.
Smaller-capitalization companies often have limited product lines, markets or
financial resources, and may therefore be more vulnerable to adverse
developments than larger capitalization companies. These securities may or may
not pay dividends.
Tax
Risk (Cyber Security ETF and Mobile Payments ETF only):
To qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to RICs, a Fund
must satisfy certain diversification requirements under the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). In particular, the asset diversification
requirements will be satisfied if (i) at least 50% of the value of a Fund’s
total assets are represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities,
the securities of other RICs and “other securities,” provided that such “other
securities” of any one issuer do not represent more than 5% of the Fund’s total
assets or greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer,
and (ii) no more than 25% of the value of a Fund’s assets are invested in
securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and
securities of other RICs), the securities (other than securities of other RICs)
of any two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and are engaged in
the same or similar or related trades or business, or the securities of one or
more “qualified publicly traded partnerships.” When the Index is concentrated in
a relatively small number of securities, it may not be possible for a Fund to
fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy
while satisfying these diversification requirements. A Fund’s efforts to satisfy
the diversification requirements may cause the Fund’s return to deviate from
that of the Index, and the Fund’s efforts to replicate the Index may cause it
inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements. If a Fund
were to fail to qualify as a RIC, it would be subject to U.S. federal income tax
at corporate rates on its income, and distributions to its shareholders would
not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In addition,
distributions to a Fund’s shareholders would generally be taxed as ordinary
dividends.
Under
certain circumstances, a Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC,
but in order to do so such Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may
be forced to dispose of certain assets. Relief is provided for certain de
minimis failures of the diversification requirements where a Fund corrects the
failure within a specified period. If a Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC in
any taxable year, such Fund would be required to pay out its earnings and
profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a
subsequent year. If a Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than
two taxable years, such Fund would generally be required to pay U.S. federal
income tax at corporate rates on any net built-in gains with respect to certain
of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying
as a RIC in a subsequent year.
TBA
Securities and Rolls Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
The Fund may invest in TBA securities. In a TBA transaction, a seller agrees to
deliver a security at a future date but does not specify the particular security
to be delivered. Instead, the seller agrees to accept any security that meets
specified terms. The principal risks of TBA transactions are increased credit
risk and increased overall investment exposure.
The
Fund may enter into TBA roll transactions, in which the Fund sells
mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously
contracts to purchase substantially similar securities on a specified future
date from the same party. The investor may assume some risk because the
characteristics of the MBS delivered to the investor may be less favorable than
the MBS the
investor
delivered to the dealer. Because the dealer is not obligated to return the
identical MBS collateral that the investor has delivered, both parties usually
transact the dollar roll with generic MBS pools that have the same or less value
than the average TBA-eligible security.
Technology
Companies Risk (Cyber Security ETF and Mobile Payments ETF only):
Companies in the technology field, including companies in the computers,
telecommunications and electronics industries, face intense competition, which
may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Technology companies may have
limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products
of technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological
development expenses, imperfect correlation between the Fund’s investments and
those of its Index, rounding of share prices, changes to the composition of the
Index, regulatory policies, and high portfolio turnover rate. In addition,
mathematical compounding may prevent the Fund from correlating with the monthly,
quarterly, annual or other period performance of its Index. Tracking error may
cause the Fund’s performance to be less than expected.
Temporary
Investment Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
The Fund may hold cash and/or invest all or a portion of its assets in
short-term obligations in response to adverse market, economic or other
conditions when the investment management team believes that it is in the best
interest of the Fund to pursue such a defensive strategy. The investment
management team may, however, choose not to make such temporary investments even
in very volatile or adverse conditions. The Fund may not achieve its investment
objective when it holds cash or invests its assets in short-term obligations.
The Fund also may miss investment opportunities and have a lower total return
during these periods.
Tracking
Error Risk (each Fund except Ultra Short ETF):
Tracking error refers to the risk that the Adviser may not be able to cause such
Fund’s performance to match or correlate to that of the applicable Fund’s Index,
either on a daily or aggregate basis. There are a number of factors that may
contribute to a Fund’s tracking error, such as Fund expenses, imperfect
correlation between such Fund’s investments and those of the Index, rounding of
share prices, changes to the composition of the Index, regulatory policies, and
high portfolio turnover rate. In addition, mathematical compounding may prevent
a Fund from correlating with the monthly, quarterly, annual or other period
performance of the Index. In addition, in order to minimize the market impact of
the Index rebalance, a Fund may begin trading to effect the rebalance in advance
of the effective date of the rebalance and continue trading after the effective
date of the rebalance. This may contribute to tracking error if the weights of a
Fund’s portfolio securities diverge from the weights of the securities in the
Index during the rebalancing. Tracking error in such circumstances may be
greater if a Fund is trading in securities that are less liquid or lightly
traded. Tracking error may cause a Fund’s performance to be less than expected.
Trading
Partners Risk (Cyber Security ETF only):
Each Fund invests in countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon
trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse
impact on a Fund’s investments. Each Fund is specifically exposed to U.S.
economic risk.
Treatment
Companies and Testing Companies Risk (Treatments ETF only):
Treatment Companies and Testing Companies are involved in discovering,
developing and commercializing novel drugs or tests with significant market
potential. These companies face challenges including pre‑clinical testing and
clinical trial stages of development. Clinical trials may be delayed and certain
programs may never advance in the clinic or may be more costly to conduct than
anticipated. Such companies may be dependent on their ability to secure
significant funding for research, development, and commercialization of
therapeutics, vaccines, tests, and other health care products or services. If
there are delays in obtaining required regulatory and marketing approvals for
products, the ability of such companies to generate revenue may be materially
impaired. If regulatory approval is obtained, products will still remain subject
to regulatory scrutiny with regulatory authorities having the ability to impose
significant restrictions on the indicated uses or marketing. Lastly, even if a
licensed product is achieved, such companies may encounter difficulties in
manufacturing, product release, shelf life, testing, storage, supply chain
management, or shipping.
U.S.
Government Securities Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
U.S. government securities are not guaranteed against price movement and may
decrease in value. Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government
agencies and instrumentalities are supported by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. Treasury. Other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies are
supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase
certain obligations of the federal agency, while other obligations issued by or
guaranteed by federal agencies are supported by the right of the issuer to
borrow from the U.S. Treasury. While the U.S. government provides financial
support to such U.S. government agencies, no assurance can be given that the
U.S. government will always do so because the U.S. government is not so
obligated by law. For instance, securities issued by the Government National
Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”) are supported by the full faith and credit
of the United States. Securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have
historically been supported only by the discretionary authority of the U.S.
government. While the U.S. government provides financial support to various U.S.
government-sponsored agencies and instrumentalities, such as those listed above,
no assurance can be given that it will always do so. In September 2008, at the
direction of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
were placed into conservatorship under the Federal Housing Finance Agency
(“FHFA”), an independent regulator, and they remain in such status as of the
date of this Prospectus. The U.S. government also took steps to provide
additional financial support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The
total public debt of the United States as a percentage of gross domestic product
has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008-2009 financial downturn.
Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic
problems, they may create
certain
systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented. A high
national debt can raise concerns that the U.S. government will not be able to
make principal or interest payments when they are due. This increase has also
necessitated the need for the U.S. Congress to negotiate adjustments to the
statutory debt limit to increase the cap on the amount the U.S. government is
permitted to borrow to meet its existing obligations and finance current budget
deficits. Any controversy or ongoing uncertainty regarding the statutory debt
limit negotiations may impact the U.S. long-term sovereign credit rating and may
cause market uncertainty. As a result, market prices and yields of securities
supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government may be adversely
affected.
Valuation
Risk (each Fund except Ultra Short ETF):
The sales price that a Fund could receive for a security may differ from such
Fund’s valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the
Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets
or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the
securities in a Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not
be able to purchase or sell such Fund’s shares.
Valuation
Risk (Ultra Short ETF only):
The Fund may hold securities for which prices from pricing services may be
unavailable or are deemed unreliable, in which case the Fund’s procedures for
valuing investments provide that the Adviser or Sub-adviser shall use the fair
value of such securities for valuing investments. There is a risk that the fair
value determined by the Adviser or Sub-adviser or the price determined by the
pricing service may be different than the actual sale prices of such
securities.
Portfolio
Holdings
Information
about the Funds’ daily portfolio holdings will be available at www.etfmg.com. A
summarized description of the Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the
disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings is available in the Funds’ Statement
of Additional Information (“SAI”).
Fund
Management
Adviser.
ETF
Managers Group LLC, the investment adviser to the Funds, is a Delaware
limited liability company located at 30 Maple Street, 2nd
Floor, Summit, New Jersey 07901. The Adviser provides investment advisory
services to exchange-traded funds. The Adviser serves as investment adviser to
the Funds with overall responsibility for the day-to-day portfolio management of
each Fund, subject to the supervision of the Board. For its services, the
Adviser receives, and, except as otherwise noted, did receive for each Fund’s
most recent fiscal year, a fee that is equal to the percent shown in the table
below per annum of the average daily net assets of each Fund with the fee for
each Fund calculated daily and paid monthly.
|
|
|
|
| |
Fund |
Management
Fee |
Cyber
Security ETF |
0.60% |
Mobile
Payments ETF |
0.75% |
Ultra
Short ETF |
0.30% |
Treatments
ETF |
0.68% |
Under
the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser has overall responsibility for
the general management and administration of the Funds and arranges for transfer
agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending, and all other
non-distribution related services necessary for each Fund to operate.
Additionally, under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser has agreed to
pay all expenses of each Fund, except for: the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant
to the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes,
brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the
purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund
fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses (such
as, among other things and subject to Board approval, certain proxy solicitation
costs and non-standard Board-related expenses and litigation against the Board,
Trustees, Fund, Adviser, and officers of the Adviser), and distribution (12b-1)
fees and expenses (collectively, “Excluded Expenses”).
A
discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment
Advisory Agreement for the Cyber Security ETF, Mobile Payments ETF, Ultra Short
ETF, and Treatments ETF is available in the Funds’ Semi-Annual
Report
for the reporting period ended March 31, 2022.
Sub-Adviser
to the Ultra Short ETF.
Sit Fixed Income Advisors II, LLC, the sub-adviser to the Ultra Short ETF, is a
Delaware Limited Liability Company located at 3300 IDS Center, 80 South
8th
Street, Minneapolis, MN 55402. The Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory
services primarily to public and private institutional investors, pension funds,
corporations, insurance companies, registered investment companies, and high net
worth individuals. The Sub-Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management
of the Fund, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the Board. For its
services, the Sub-Adviser receives an annual fee of 0.10% of the average daily
net assets of the Ultra Short ETF, calculated daily and paid monthly. The Fund
does not directly pay the Sub-Adviser. The Adviser is responsible for paying the
entire amount of the Sub-Adviser’s fee for the Fund.
A
discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment
Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Ultra Short ETF is available in the Funds’
Semi-Annual
Report
for the reporting period ended March 31, 2022.
Manager
of Managers Structure.
The Adviser and the Trust have received an exemptive order (the “Order”) from
the SEC that permits the Adviser to enter into investment sub-advisory
agreements with sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The
Adviser, subject to the review and approval of the Board, may select one or more
sub-advisers for a Fund and supervise, monitor and evaluate the performance of
each sub-adviser.
The
Order also permits the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Board, to replace
sub-advisers and amend investment sub-advisory agreements, including fees,
without shareholder approval whenever the Adviser and the Board believe such
action will benefit a Fund and its respective shareholders. The Adviser thus has
the ultimate responsibility (subject to the ultimate oversight of the Board) to
recommend the hiring and replacement of sub-advisers as well as the discretion
to terminate any sub-adviser and reallocate a Fund’s assets for management among
any other sub-adviser(s) and itself. This means that the Adviser may be able to
reduce the sub-advisory fees and retain a larger portion of the management fee,
or increase the sub-advisory fees and retain a smaller portion of the management
fee. The Adviser will compensate each sub-adviser out of its management fee. A
Fund is required to provide shareholders with certain information regarding any
new sub-adviser within 90 days of the hiring of any new sub-adviser. Such
information generally includes the information that would have been provided to
shareholders in the form of a proxy statement in the absence of the Order.
The
Adviser’s reliance on such Order with respect to a Fund is contingent on the
holders of a majority of such Fund’s outstanding voting securities approving the
Fund’s use of a manager of managers structure and the Adviser’s reliance on such
Order. Prior to the date of this Prospectus, shareholders of each of the Mobile
Payments ETF, Ultra Short ETF, and Treatments ETF approved the use by such Funds
of a manager of managers structure and the Adviser’s reliance on such Order. As
of the date of this Prospectus, shareholders of the Cyber Security ETF had not
yet approved the use by such Funds of a manager of managers structure and the
Adviser’s reliance on such Order.
Portfolio
Managers
The
Funds’ portfolio managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day
management of the Funds. The portfolio managers are responsible for various
functions related to portfolio management, including, but not limited to,
investing cash inflows, implementing investment strategy, researching and
reviewing investment strategy.
Each
Fund, except for the Ultra Short ETF, is managed by Samuel R. Masucci, III,
Chief Executive Officer of the Adviser, and Frank Vallario, Chief Investment
Officer of the Adviser.
Samuel
Masucci, III has more than 25 years’ experience in investment banking,
structured product development, sales and trading. He founded ETF Managers Group
(ETFMG) in 2014. Prior to ETFMG he has held senior positions at Bear Stearns,
UBS, SBC Warburg, and Merrill Lynch and has experience in creating, building and
managing businesses for the issuance, sales and trading of: ETFs, index
products, commodity products, hedge funds, ABS, and OTC structured products in
the U.S. and Europe.
Frank
Vallario serves in the role of Chief Investment Officer for the Adviser. Mr.
Vallario is responsible for the portfolio construction, trading, risk management
and portfolio analysis processes associated with ETF strategies. Prior to his
current role at the Adviser, Mr. Vallario has had a variety of senior roles
over his 25-year career in financial services. He joined Oppenheimer Funds in
2017 where he was Head of Equity Portfolio Management for Smart Beta ETFs. Prior
to that he was a Senior Portfolio Manager at Columbia Threadneedle from
September 2015 to June 2017 where he was responsible for the day to day
management of the firm’s ETF business, which was acquired from his previous
firm, Emerging Global Advisors (EGA). From September 2010 to September 2015, he
was relationship manager at MSCI responsible for providing investment solutions
to complex problems using MSCI Barra’s fundamental models and portfolio
construction tools. Previously, he was a partner in a start-up asset management
firm where he served as the director of portfolio management. Mr. Vallario
began his career at UBS Global Asset Management where he spent over a decade in
various quantitative portfolio management equity roles including equity market
neutral, tactical asset allocation, structured active equities, enhanced index,
passive management and factor research. Mr. Vallario served on the
Investment Committee for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut and was a University
Affiliate at the University of Utah – David Eccles School of Business. He
received a B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and a M.B.A. with a
concentration in Finance from Rutgers University.
The
Ultra Short ETF, is managed by Bryce A. Doty, Senior Vice President and Senior
Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Adviser, Mark H. Book, Vice President and Portfolio
Manager of the Sub-Adviser, and Christopher M. Rasmussen, Vice President and
Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Adviser.
Bryce
A. Doty joined Sit Investment in November 1995. He has been responsible for the
taxable bond portfolio management group since joining Sit
Investment.
Mark
H. Book, CFA, CMA, joined Sit Investment in August 2000 as a Portfolio Manager
and Fixed Income Analyst. He is responsible for taxable bond portfolio
management and credit research.
Christopher
M. Rasmussen, CFA, joined Sit Investment in February 1999. He is responsible for
taxable bond portfolio management and credit research. He has worked in the Sit
Investment mutual fund group as well as the client administration area and moved
to fixed income in August 2002.
The
SAI provides additional information about each Portfolio Manager’s compensation,
other accounts managed, and ownership of the applicable Fund’s shares.
Buying
and Selling the Funds
Each
Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in Creation Units. Only APs may
acquire Shares directly from a Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for
redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV. APs must be a member or participant of
a clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute a Participant
Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor (defined below), and that
has been accepted by the Fund’s transfer agent, with respect to purchases and
redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary
market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.
Each
Fund’s shares are listed for secondary trading on the Exchange. When you buy or
sell a Fund’s shares on the secondary market, you will pay or receive the market
price. You may incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and may pay
some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary
market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. The shares
will trade on the Exchange at prices that may differ to varying degrees from the
daily NAV of the shares. The Exchange is generally open Monday through Friday
and is closed weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth Day,
Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
NAV
per share for a Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the
Fund (i.e.,
the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by its total number of
shares outstanding. Expenses and fees, including management and distribution
fees, if any, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of
determining NAV. NAV is determined each business day, normally as of the close
of regular trading of the New York Stock Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern
time).
When
determining NAV, the value of a Fund’s portfolio securities is based on market
prices of the securities, which generally means a valuation obtained from an
exchange or other market (or based on a price quotation or other equivalent
indication of the value supplied by an exchange or other market) or a valuation
obtained from an independent pricing service. If a security’s market price is
not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of
the security, the security will be valued by another method that the Adviser
believes will better reflect fair value in accordance with the Adviser’s
valuation policies and procedures. The Board has designated the Adviser as the
“valuation designee” for each Fund under Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act, subject to
its oversight. Fair value pricing may be used in a variety of circumstances,
including, but not limited to, situations when the value of a security in a
Fund’s portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the
close of the market on which the security is principally traded but prior to the
close of the Exchange (such as in the case of a corporate action or other news
that may materially affect the price of a security) or trading in a security has
been suspended or halted. Accordingly, a Fund’s NAV may reflect certain
portfolio securities’ fair values rather than their market prices.
Fair
value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value
determination for a security will materially differ from the value that could be
realized upon the sale of the security. In addition, fair value pricing could
result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the
prices used by the Fund’s Index. This may result in a difference between a
Fund’s performance and the desired performance relative to the Fund’s Index.
The
Funds invest in non-U.S. securities. Non-U.S. securities held by a Fund may
trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a
result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when Authorized Participants will not
be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Frequent
Purchases and Redemptions of the Funds’ Shares
Unlike
frequent trading of shares of a traditional open-end mutual fund’s (i.e.,
not exchange-traded) shares, frequent trading of shares of the Funds on the
secondary market does not disrupt portfolio management, increase the Funds’
trading costs, lead to realization of capitalization gains, or otherwise harm
the Funds’ shareholders because these trades do not involve the Funds directly.
Certain institutional investors are authorized to purchase and redeem a Fund’s
shares directly with the Fund. Because these trades are effected in-kind
(i.e.,
for securities, and not for cash), they do not cause any of the harmful effects
noted above that may result from frequent cash trades. Moreover, the Funds
impose transaction fees on in-kind purchases and redemptions of Creation Units
to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Funds in effecting
in-kind trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or
in whole for Creation Units, reflecting the fact that a Fund’s trading costs
increase in those circumstances. For these reasons, the Board has determined
that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter
frequent trading and market-timing in shares of the Funds.
Dividends,
Distributions, and Taxes
Fund
Distributions
Each
Fund, except the Ultra Short ETF, intends to pay out dividends, if any,
quarterly and distribute any net realized capital gains to their shareholders
annually. The Ultra Short ETF intends to pay out dividends, if any, monthly and
distribute any net realized capital gains to shareholders annually.
Dividend
Reinvestment Service
Brokers
may make available to their customers who own a Fund’s shares the DTC book-entry
dividend reinvestment service. If this service is available and used, dividend
distributions of both income and capital gains will automatically be reinvested
in additional whole shares of the applicable Fund. Without this service,
investors would receive their distributions in cash. In order to achieve the
maximum total return on their investments, investors are encouraged to use the
dividend reinvestment service. To determine whether the dividend reinvestment
service is available and whether there is a commission or other charge for using
this service, consult your broker. Brokers may require a Fund’s shareholders 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 issued by the applicable
Fund at NAV per share.
Tax
Information
The
following is a summary of some important tax issues that affect the Funds and
their respective shareholders. The summary is based on current tax laws, which
may be changed by legislative, judicial or administrative action. You should not
consider this summary to be a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the
Funds, or the tax consequences of an investment in the Funds. The summary is
very general, and does not address investors subject to special rules, such as
investors who hold shares through an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged
account. The following summary describes the U.S. federal income tax
consequences to shareholders that are U.S. persons, as defined in the Code, and
that are not partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, unless otherwise
provided. More information about taxes, including a detailed description of the
U.S. federal income tax consequences to shareholders that are not U.S. persons,
as defined in the Code, is located in the SAI. You are urged to consult your tax
adviser regarding specific questions as to U.S. federal, state and local income
taxes.
Tax
Status of the Funds
Each
Fund is treated as a separate entity for U.S. federal tax purposes, and intends
to qualify for the special tax treatment afforded to RIC under the Code. As long
as each Fund qualifies as a RIC, it generally will not be subject to U.S.
federal income tax on any ordinary income or capital gain that it timely
distributes to its shareholders as dividends.
Tax
Status of Distributions
•Each
Fund intends, for each year, to distribute substantially all of its income and
net capital gains.
•Each
Fund’s distributions from income will generally be taxed to you as ordinary
income, qualified dividend income, or capital gain (or a combination thereof).
For non-corporate shareholders, dividends reported by a Fund as qualified
dividend income are generally eligible for reduced tax rates.
•Corporate
shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion
of dividends they receive that are attributable to dividends received by the
Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. A Fund’s strategies
may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible for the
dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.
•Any
distributions of net capital gain (the excess of a Fund’s net long-term capital
gains over its net short-term capital losses) properly reported by the Fund as
“capital gain dividends” that you receive from the Fund are taxable as long-term
capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your shares. Long-term
capital gains are currently taxed to non-corporate shareholders at reduced
maximum rates.
•Dividends
and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash
or in additional shares through a broker’s dividend reinvestment service. If you
receive dividends or distributions in the form of additional shares through a
broker’s dividend reinvestment service, you will be required to pay applicable
U.S. federal, state or local taxes on the reinvested dividends but you will not
receive a corresponding cash distribution with which to pay any applicable
tax.
•A
Fund may be able to pass through to you foreign tax credits for certain taxes
paid by the Fund, provided the Fund meets certain requirements.
•Distributions
paid in January but declared by the Fund in October, November or December of the
previous year may be taxable to you in the previous year.
•Each
Fund will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income dividends, qualified
dividend income, foreign tax credits and net capital gain distributions received
from the Fund shortly after the close of each calendar year.
Taxes
on Exchange-Listed Share Sales. A
shareholder generally will recognize gain or loss on the sale, exchange or other
taxable disposition of shares in an amount equal to the difference between the
shareholder’s adjusted basis in the common stock disposed of and the amount
realized on their disposition. Generally, gain recognized by a shareholder on
the disposition of shares will result in capital gain or loss to a shareholder,
and will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for
more than one year at the time of sale, except that any capital loss on the sale
of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss
to the extent of amounts treated as capital gain dividends to the shareholder
with respect to such shares.
Investment
in Foreign Securities.
The Funds may be subject to non-U.S. withholding taxes on income they may earn
from investing in non-U.S. securities, which may reduce the return on such
investments. In addition, the Funds’ investments in non-U.S. securities or
non-U.S. currencies may increase or accelerate the Funds’ recognition of
ordinary income and may affect the timing or amount of their distributions. The
Funds may be eligible to file an election that would permit shareholders who are
U.S. citizens, resident aliens or U.S. corporations to claim a foreign tax
credit or deduction (but not both) on their U.S. federal income tax returns for
their pro rata portions of qualified taxes paid by the Funds to non-U.S.
jurisdiction in respect of non-U.S. securities held for at least the minimum
period specified in the Code. For the purposes of the foreign tax credit, each
such shareholder would include in gross income from non-U.S. sources its pro
rata share of such taxes. Certain limitations imposed by the Code may prevent
shareholders from receiving a full foreign tax credit or deduction for their
allocable amount of such taxes.
Medicare
Tax. U.S.
individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing
jointly) are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on their “net
investment income,” including interest, dividends, and capital gains (including
capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of shares). This 3.8% tax also
applies to all or a portion of the net investment income of certain shareholders
that are estates and trusts which the estate or trust has not distributed to its
beneficiaries.
Non-U.S.
Investors. If
you are not a U.S. person, as defined in the Code, distributions of a Fund’s
ordinary income will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax,
unless a lower treaty rate applies or unless such income is effectively
connected with a U.S. trade or business of such non-U.S. investor (and if
required by an applicable income tax treaty, attributable to a permanent
establishment maintained in the United States by such non-U.S. investor). This
30% withholding tax generally will not apply to capital gain
dividends.
Backup
Withholding. The
Funds or your broker will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup
withholding”) on amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) has provided
either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, (2) is
subject to backup withholding by the Internal Revenue Service for failure to
properly report payments of interest or dividends, (3) has failed to
certify that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding, or
(4) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a
U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup
withholding will not, however, be applied to payments that have been subject to
the 30% withholding tax applicable to shareholders who are neither citizens nor
residents of the United States.
FATCA.
Legislation
commonly referred to as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act,” or “FATCA,”
generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on payments of certain types of income
to foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”) unless such FFIs either: (i) enter
into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to report certain required information
with respect to accounts held by certain specified U.S. persons (or held by
foreign entities that have certain specified U.S. persons as substantial owners)
or (ii) reside in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental
agreement (“IGA”) with the United States to collect and share such information
and are in compliance with the terms of such IGA and any enabling legislation or
regulations. The types of income subject to the tax include U.S. source interest
and dividends. While the Code would also require withholding on payments of the
gross proceeds from the sale of any property that could produce U.S. source
interest or dividends, the U.S. Treasury has indicated its intent to eliminate
this requirement in subsequent proposed regulations, which state that taxpayers
may rely on the proposed regulations until final regulations are issued. The
information required to be reported includes the identity and taxpayer
identification number of each account holder that is a specified U.S. person and
transaction activity within the holder’s account. In addition, subject to
certain exceptions, FATCA also imposes a 30% withholding on certain payments to
certain foreign entities that are not FFIs unless such foreign entities certify
that they do not have a greater than 10% U.S. owner that is a specified U.S.
person or provide the withholding agent with identifying information on each
greater than 10% U.S. owner that is a specified U.S. person. Depending on the
status of a shareholder and the status of the intermediaries through which they
hold their shares, shareholders could be subject to this 30% withholding tax
with respect to distributions on their shares. Under certain circumstances, a
shareholder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such taxes.
Distribution
The
Distributor, ETFMG Financial LLC, an affiliate of the Adviser, is a
broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The
Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis and does
not maintain a secondary market in the Funds’ shares. 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 business address is
30 Maple Street, 2nd
Floor, Summit, New Jersey 07901.
The
Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule
12b-1 under the 1940 Act with respect to each Fund. In accordance with the
Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily
net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder
services.
No
Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and there are no plans to
impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged
in the future, because the fees are paid out of each applicable Fund’s assets,
over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you
more than certain other types of sales charges.
Fund
Service Providers
Eversheds
Sutherland (US) LLP, 700 6th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, serves as legal
counsel to the Funds.
WithumSmith+Brown,
PC, with offices located at 1411 Broadway, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10018,
serves as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm. The
independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the
annual financial statements of the Funds.
Index/Trademark
Licenses/Disclaimers
Prime
Indexes and the Prime Treatments, Testing and Advancements Index are trademarks
of Level ETF Ventures LLC (“Level”) and have been licensed for use by the
Adviser. The Treatments ETF is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by
Level or its Calculation Agent. Level and the Calculation Agent make no
representation regarding the advisability of trading in such
products.
LEVEL
AND THE CALCULATION AGENT DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS
OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AND THEY SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR
ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. LEVEL AND THE CALCULATION AGENT
MAKE NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE
ADVISER, OWNERS OR USERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE
OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. LEVEL AND THE CALCULATION AGENT MAKE
NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO
EVENT SHALL LEVEL OR THE CALCULATION AGENT HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL,
PUNITIVE, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF
NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. The Fund is not sponsored,
endorsed, sold or promoted by Level or the Calculation Agent. Level and the
Calculation Agent make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the
owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of
investing in securities generally or in the Fund in particular or the ability of
the Index to track general stock market performance. The Index is determined,
composed and calculated by Level or its Calculation Agent without regard to the
Adviser or the Fund. Level and the Calculation Agent have no obligation to take
the needs of the Adviser or the owners of the Fund into consideration in
determining, composing or calculating the Index. Level and the Calculation Agent
are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the
prices and amount of the Fund or the timing of the issuance or sale of the Fund
or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is
converted into cash. Level and the Calculation Agent have no obligation or
liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the
Fund.
Shares
of the Trust are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The
Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners
of the shares of the Funds. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it
participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of
the shares of the Funds to be issued, or in the determination or calculation of
the equation by which the shares are redeemable.
The
Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of the Funds in
connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the shares of the
Funds. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange
have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or
consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.
The
Adviser and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to
the owners of shares of the Funds or any members of the public regarding the
advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds
particularly.
Premium/Discount
Information
Information
regarding the number of days each Fund’s market price was a price above
(i.e.,
at a premium) or below (i.e.,
at a discount) its NAV for the most recently completed calendar year and the
most recently completed calendar quarters since that year, are provided, free of
charge, on the Funds’ website at www.etfmg.com.
Litigation
The
Trust, the Adviser, and certain officers and affiliated persons of the Adviser
(together with the Adviser, the “Adviser Defendants”) were named as defendants
in an action filed December 21, 2021, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Union
County, captioned PureShares,
LLC, d/b/a PureFunds et al. v. ETF Managers Group, LLC et al.,
Docket No. UNN-C-152-21 (the “NJ Action”). The NJ Action asserted breach of
contract and other tort claims and sought damages in unspecified amounts and
injunctive relief. On May 25, 2022, the court in the NJ Action dismissed with
prejudice all claims asserted against the Trust, as well as all contract claims
and all except one tort claim asserted against the Adviser
Defendants.
Financial
Highlights
The
financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the Funds’
financial performance for the period of each Fund’s operations. Certain
information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total
returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have gained (or
lost) on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and
distributions). This information has been derived from the financial statements
audited by WithumSmith+Brown, PC, an independent registered public accounting
firm, whose report, along with the Funds’ financial statements, is included in
the Funds’ Annual
Report,
which is available upon request.
ETFMG
Prime Cyber Security ETF
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
For
a capital share outstanding throughout the year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2022 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2021 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2020 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2019 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2018 |
|
Net
Asset Value, Beginning of Year |
$ |
60.97 |
|
| $ |
46.56 |
|
| $ |
37.46 |
|
| $ |
40.08 |
|
| $ |
30.11 |
| |
Income
(Loss) from Investment Operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Net
investment income 1 |
0.06 |
|
| 0.20 |
|
| 0.64 |
|
| 0.07 |
|
| 0.03 |
| |
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
(17.59) |
|
| 14.39 |
|
| 9.10 |
|
| (2.64) |
|
| 9.94 |
| |
Total
from investment operations |
(17.53) |
|
| 14.59 |
|
| 9.74 |
|
| (2.57) |
|
| 9.97 |
| |
Less
Distributions: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Distributions
from net investment income |
(0.06) |
|
| (0.18) |
|
| (0.64) |
|
| (0.05) |
|
|
(0.00) |
2 |
Total
distributions |
(0.06) |
|
| (0.18) |
|
| (0.64) |
|
| (0.05) |
|
|
(0.00) |
2 |
Net
asset value, end of year |
$ |
43.38 |
|
| $ |
60.97 |
|
| $ |
46.56 |
|
| $ |
37.46 |
|
| $ |
40.08 |
| |
Total
Return |
(28.77) |
% |
| 31.34 |
% |
| 26.75 |
% |
| (6.42) |
% |
| 33.16 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Ratios/Supplemental
Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Net
assets at end of year (000’s) |
$ |
1,431,515 |
|
| $ |
2,307,648 |
|
| $ |
1,503,814 |
|
| $ |
1,427,200 |
|
| $ |
1,835,861 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Gross
Expenses to Average Net Assets |
0.60 |
% |
| 0.60 |
% |
| 0.60 |
% |
| 0.60 |
% |
| 0.60 |
% |
|
Net
Investment Income to Average Net Assets |
0.11 |
% |
| 0.35 |
% |
| 1.50 |
% |
| 0.19 |
% |
| 0.07 |
% |
|
Portfolio
Turnover Rate |
51 |
% |
| 34 |
% |
| 33 |
% |
| 36 |
% |
| 41 |
% |
|
1 Calculated
based on average shares outstanding during the year.
2 Per
share amount is less than $0.01.
ETFMG
Prime Mobile Payments ETF
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
For
a capital share outstanding throughout the year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2022 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2021 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2020 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2019 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2018 |
|
Net
Asset Value, Beginning of Year |
$ |
67.82 |
|
| $ |
54.30 |
|
| $ |
46.60 |
|
| $ |
42.86 |
|
| $ |
32.57 |
| |
Income
(Loss) from Investment Operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Net
investment income (loss) 1 |
(0.04) |
|
| (0.13) |
|
| (0.04) |
|
| 0.03 |
|
| 0.07 |
| |
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
(29.93) |
|
| 13.65 |
|
| 7.75 |
|
| 3.93 |
|
| 10.22 |
| |
Total
from investment operations |
(29.97) |
|
| 13.52 |
|
| 7.71 |
|
| 3.96 |
|
| 10.29 |
| |
Less
Distributions: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Distributions
from net investment income |
— |
|
| — |
|
| (0.02) |
|
| (0.05) |
|
| (0.01) |
| |
Net
realized gains |
— |
|
| — |
|
| — |
|
| (0.18) |
|
| — |
|
Total
distributions |
— |
|
| — |
|
| (0.02) |
|
| (0.23) |
|
| (0.01) |
| |
Capital
Share Transactions: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Transaction
fees added to paid-in capital |
— |
|
| — |
|
| 0.01 |
|
| 0.01 |
|
| 0.01 |
| |
Net
asset value, end of year |
$ |
37.85 |
|
| $ |
67.82 |
|
| $ |
54.30 |
|
| $ |
46.60 |
|
| $ |
42.86 |
| |
Total
Return |
(44.18) |
% |
| 24.91 |
% |
| 16.56 |
% |
| 9.49 |
% |
| 31.62 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Ratios/Supplemental
Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Net
assets at end of year (000’s) |
$ |
507,208 |
|
| $ |
1,193,637 |
|
| $ |
798,142 |
|
| $ |
743,198 |
|
| $ |
522,874 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Gross
Expenses to Average Net Assets |
0.75 |
% |
| 0.75 |
% |
| 0.75 |
% |
| 0.75 |
% |
| 0.75 |
% |
|
Net
Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets |
(0.09) |
% |
| (0.20) |
% |
| (0.08) |
% |
| 0.06 |
% |
| 0.16 |
% |
|
Portfolio
Turnover Rate |
35 |
% |
| 27 |
% |
| 19 |
% |
| 28 |
% |
| 16 |
% |
|
1 Calculated
based on average shares outstanding during the year.
ETFMG
Sit Ultra Short ETF
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
For
a capital share outstanding throughout the year/period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Year
Ended September 30, 2022 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2021 |
|
Period
Ended
September
30,
20201 |
|
Net
Asset Value, Beginning of Year/Period |
|
|
|
|
|
| $ |
49.75 |
|
| $ |
49.77 |
|
| $ |
50.00 |
| |
Income
(Loss) from Investment Operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Net
investment income 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 0.51 |
|
| 0.39 |
|
| 0.86 |
| |
Net
realized and unrealized loss on investments |
|
|
|
|
|
| (1.63) |
|
| (0.02) |
|
| (0.27) |
| |
Total
from investment operations |
|
|
|
|
|
| (1.12) |
|
| 0.37 |
|
| 0.59 |
| |
Less
Distributions: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Distributions
from net investment income |
|
|
|
|
|
| (0.51) |
|
| (0.39) |
|
| (0.82) |
| |
Total
distributions |
|
|
|
|
|
| (0.51) |
|
| (0.39) |
|
| (0.82) |
| |
Net
asset value at end of year/period |
|
|
|
|
|
| $ |
48.12 |
|
| $ |
49.75 |
|
| $ |
49.77 |
| |
Total
Return |
|
|
|
|
|
| (2.29) |
% |
| 0.75 |
% |
5 |
1.19 |
% |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Ratios/Supplemental
Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Net
assets at end of year/period (000’s) |
|
|
|
|
|
| $ |
123,898 |
|
| $ |
242,552 |
|
| $ |
105,770 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Gross
Expenses to Average Net Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
| 0.30 |
% |
| 0.30 |
% |
| 0.30 |
% |
4 |
Net
Investment Income to Average Net Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1.03 |
% |
| 0.77 |
% |
| 1.78 |
% |
4 |
Portfolio
Turnover Rate |
|
|
|
|
|
| 70 |
% |
| 55 |
% |
| 132 |
% |
3 |
1 Commencement
of operations on October 8, 2019.
2 Calculated
based on average shares outstanding during the year/period.
3 Not
annualized.
4 Annualized.
5 The
returns reflect the actual performance for the period and do not include the
impact of trades executed on the last business day of the period that were
recorded on the first business day of the next period.
ETFMG
Treatments, Testing and Advancements ETF
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
For
a capital share outstanding throughout the year/period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Year
Ended September 30, 2022 |
| Year
Ended September 30, 2021 |
|
Period
Ended
September
30,
20201 |
|
Net
Asset Value, Beginning Year/Period |
|
|
|
| $ |
40.96 |
|
| $ |
27.71 |
|
| $ |
25.00 |
| |
Income
(Loss) from Investment Operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Net
investment income 2 |
|
|
|
| 0.11 |
|
| 0.36 |
|
| 0.02 |
| |
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
|
|
|
| (20.23) |
|
| 13.28 |
|
| 2.69 |
| |
Total
from investment operations |
|
|
|
| (20.12) |
|
| 13.64 |
|
| 2.71 |
| |
Less
Distributions: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Distributions
from net investment income |
|
|
|
| (0.11) |
|
| (0.39) |
|
| — |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Total
distributions |
|
|
|
| (0.11) |
|
| (0.39) |
|
| — |
| |
Net
asset value at end of year/period |
|
|
|
| $ |
20.73 |
|
| $ |
40.96 |
|
| $ |
27.71 |
| |
Total
Return |
|
|
|
| (49.14) |
% |
| 49.43 |
% |
5 |
10.82 |
% |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Ratios/Supplemental
Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Net
assets at end of year/period (000’s) |
|
|
|
| $ |
21,763 |
|
| $ |
63,481 |
|
| $ |
54,030 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Gross
Expenses to Average Net Assets |
|
|
|
| 0.68 |
% |
| 0.68 |
% |
| 0.68 |
% |
4 |
Net
Investment Income to Average Net Assets |
|
|
|
| 0.37 |
% |
| 0.98 |
% |
| 0.25 |
% |
4 |
Portfolio
Turnover Rate |
|
|
|
| 30 |
% |
| 39 |
% |
| 41 |
% |
3 |
1 Commencement
of operations on June 17, 2020.
2 Calculated
based on average shares outstanding during the year/period.
3 Not
annualized.
4 Annualized.
5 The
returns reflect the actual performance for the period and do not include the
impact of trades executed on the last business day of the period that were
recorded on the first business day of the next period.
ETF
Managers Trust
30
Maple Street, 2nd
Floor
Summit,
New Jersey 07901
ANNUAL/SEMI-ANNUAL
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
Additional
information about the Funds’ investments is available in the Funds’ annual and
semi-annual reports to shareholders (when available). In the Funds’ annual
report,
you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies
that significantly affected the Funds’ performance during its last fiscal
year.
STATEMENT
OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SAI)
The
SAI provides more detailed information about the Funds. The SAI is incorporated
by reference into, and is thus legally a part of, this Prospectus.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION
To
request a free copy of the latest annual or semi-annual report, when available,
the SAI or to request additional information about the Funds or to make other
inquiries, please contact us as follows:
Call: 1-844-383-6477
Monday
through Friday
8:30
a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Write: ETF
Managers Trust
30
Maple Street, 2nd
Floor
Summit,
New Jersey 07901
Visit: www.etfmg.com
INFORMATION
PROVIDED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Reports
and other information about the Funds are available in the EDGAR Database on the
SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, or you can receive copies of this
information, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the
following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.
The
Trust’s Investment Company Act file number: 811-22310