Goldman Sachs ETF Trust
Prospectus
December 29, 2023
GOLDMAN SACHS ETF TRUST
             
THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND IS NOT A BANK DEPOSIT AND IS NOT INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT
INSURANCE CORPORATION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY. AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND
INVOLVES INVESTMENT RISKS, AND YOU MAY LOSE MONEY IN THE FUND.
Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.: GCLN
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.: GSEW
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: GVIP
Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: GINN
Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: JUST
Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.: GPOW
Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: GDEF
Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF
NYSE Arca, Inc.: GSC

Table of Contents
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Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF —Summary
Ticker: GCLN  Stock Exchange: Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF  (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Global Clean Energy Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee
0.45%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fee
0.00%
Other Expenses
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.45%

Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning Shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$46
$144
$252
$567

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may pay transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2023 was 23% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to deliver exposure to companies that are expected to have a significant impact on energy decarbonization through their exposure to clean energy which includes, but is not limited to, clean power infrastructure (generation, transmission and distribution), solar energy, wind energy, energy storage, hydrogen energy, energy digitalization and bioenergy. The Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to identify relevant companies using curated data acquired from a variety of sources by Bloomberg Professional Services (the “Index Provider”). Some of the clean energy companies in which the Fund invests may have operations that involve traditional energy facilities (including oil, gas or other hydrocarbons). The Index Provider constructs the Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves three steps.
Step 1
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In the first step, the Index Provider defines a universe of potential index constituents (the “Universe”) by identifying securities that are constituents of the Bloomberg Global Equity Index and classified to be within clean energy sectors by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (“BNEF”). BNEF is a strategic research provider covering global commodity markets and the disruptive technologies driving the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Step 2
In the second step, the Index Provider screens the Universe for thematic relevance to clean energy and estimates the proportion of an issuer’s value attributable to clean energy activities. The Index Provider’s estimates are based on quarterly data reviews by sector specialists using reported segment revenues, along with any other available metrics such as segmented earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”), alignment with the European Union’s Taxonomy Regulation, current and planned activities of the issuer, and expected growth of clean energy-relevant business lines relative to other business lines.
Thematic relevance is then divided into four categories based on percentage of a company’s value attributed to clean energy activities: A4 (Minor Driver of Decarbonization) – 10% or Less, A3 (Moderate Driver of Decarbonization) – 10% to 24%, A2 (Considerable Driver of Decarbonization) – 25% to 49% and A1 (Main Driver of Decarbonization) – 50% to 100%. Securities of issuers within category A4 (Minor) or Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”)-controversial securities, and securities with high carbon impact and poor mitigation plans are excluded from the Index.
Step 3
In the third step, the Index constituents are grouped by thematic relevance categories to maximize relevance and impact. Each thematic category is assigned a weighting to maximize exposure to securities with the greatest impact to de-carbonization as follows:
60% of the Index weight is in securities classified as A1 (Main Driver of Decarbonization).
30% of the Index weight is in securities classified as A2 (Considerable Driver of Decarbonization).
10% of the index weight is in securities classified as A3 (Moderate Driver of Decarbonization).
Within each category, the weight for a single security is capped at a specified level that varies by category. Any excess weight resulted from capping is redistributed proportionally across the remaining uncapped securities in the Index.
The Index is normally rebalanced and reconstituted quarterly in March, June, September, and December.
As of December 1, 2023, the Index consisted of 206 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $553.3 million and $768.2 billion. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any country or geographic region will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and the Fund may not be invested in each country or geographic region at all times.
The Index is comprised of equity securities, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. The Fund may purchase a sample of securities in its Index. There may also be instances in which Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM” or the “Investment Adviser”) may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
The Fund is classified as “diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). However, the Fund may become “non-diversified” solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. A non-diversified fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified funds.
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
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Clean Energy Sector Risk. The Fund may concentrate its investments in the clean energy group of industries to the extent the Index is concentrated in such group of industries, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, business, social, political, environmental, regulatory or other developments affecting that group of industries. Clean energy companies may be more volatile than companies operating in more established industries. Certain valuation methods used to value clean energy companies have not been in widespread use for a significant period of time and may further increase the volatility of certain clean energy company share prices. Clean energy companies and other companies operating in the clean energy group of industries are subject to specific risks, including, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices and/or interest rates; changes in governmental or environmental regulation; reduced availability of clean energy sources or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; slowdowns in new construction; seasonal weather conditions, extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on certain clean energy assets. Clean energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, particular energy products, which may result in overproduction or underproduction. Additionally, changes in the regulatory environment for clean energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. Obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants and general economic conditions can significantly affect companies in the clean energy group of industries. Certain investments may be dependents on U.S. and foreign government policies, including tax incentives and subsidies.
Depositary Receipts Risk. Foreign securities may trade in the form of depositary receipts, which include ADRs and GDRs (collectively “Depositary Receipts”). To the extent the Fund acquires Depositary Receipts through banks which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there may be an increased possibility that the Fund would not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted. The issuers of Depositary Receipts may discontinue issuing new Depositary Receipts and withdraw existing Depositary Receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance.
Foreign and Emerging Countries Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation; less public information; less stringent investor protections; less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards; and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund invests. The imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict. For example, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, cause a decline in the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country and increase market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and performance. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. These risks are more pronounced in connection with the Fund’s investments in securities of issuers located in, or otherwise economically tied to, emerging countries.
Index Risk. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble, and the Fund does not take defensive positions in declining markets. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of any such third party data, and there is also no guarantee with respect to the accuracy, availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group of industries.
Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity (i.e., a seed investor) may invest in the Fund and hold its investment solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. Any such investment may be held for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing
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requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (“Cboe”) and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund  invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Market Trading Risk. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly,  in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. In addition, because liquidity in certain underlying securities may fluctuate, Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV than shares of other kinds of ETFs. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the stock exchange on which the Fund's Shares are listed. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Fund's listing exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares' NAV may widen.
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Risk. Investments in mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
Seed Investor Risk. GSAM and/or its affiliates may make payments to one or more investors that contribute seed capital to the Fund. Such payments may continue for a specified period of time and/or until a specified dollar amount is reached. Those payments will be made from the assets of GSAM and/or such affiliates (and not the Fund). Seed investors may contribute all or a majority of the assets in the Fund. There is a risk that such seed investors may redeem their investments in the Fund, particularly after payments from GSAM and/or its affiliates have ceased. As with redemptions by other large shareholders, such redemptions could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity and the market price of the Fund’s Shares.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. The Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the Investment Company Act, to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies,  or as a result of local market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates.  As the Index may consist of relatively few securities or issuers, tracking error may be heightened at times that the Fund is limited by restrictions on potential investments.
Valuation Risk. The sale price 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. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise.  NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.
Performance
As the Fund had not operated for a full calendar year as of the date of the Prospectus, there is no performance information quoted for the Fund. Updated performance information is available at no additional cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
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Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund.
Portfolio Manager: Raj Garigipati, Managing Director, has managed the Fund since February 2022.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at market price. Because Shares trade at market prices, rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a premium) or less than NAV (i.e., a discount).
You may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market.
Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s website at www.gsamfunds.com.
Tax Information
For important tax information, please see “Tax Information” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see “Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
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Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF—Summary
Ticker: GSEW  Stock Exchange: Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Solactive US Large Cap Equal Weight Index (GTR) (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee
0.09%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fee
0.00%
Other Expenses
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.09%

Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning Shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates any applicable fee waiver and/or expense limitation arrangements for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$9
$29
$51
$115

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may pay transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2023 was 44% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of large capitalization U.S. issuers. The Index is an equal-weight version of the Solactive US Large Cap Index, a market capitalization-weighted index that includes equity securities of approximately 500 of the largest U.S. companies. The Index includes the same constituents as the Solactive US Large Cap Index. However, unlike the Solactive US Large Cap Index, in which each security is weighted based on its market value, each security in the Index is given the same weight, approximately 0.2% of the Index, at each rebalance.
As of December 1, 2023, the Index consisted of 497 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $277.8 million and $3 trillion, and an average market capitalization of approximately $83.8 billion. The Index is reconstituted on a semi-annual basis in May and November to reflect changes in the constituents of the Solactive US Large Cap Index. New securities from initial public offerings are also added on a semi-annual basis in February and August, subject to fulfillment of certain eligibility criteria. The Index is normally rebalanced on a monthly basis to weight all constituents equally.
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Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the securities in the Index in the approximate Index weight. In these circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
The Index is owned and calculated by Solactive AG (“Solactive” or the “Index Provider”).
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Index Risk. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble, and the Fund does not take defensive positions in declining markets. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of any such third party data, and there is also no guarantee with respect to the accuracy, availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group of industries.
Investment Style Risk. The Index is intended to provide exposure to the large cap U.S. equity markets on an equal-weighted basis, and as a result the Index may be more volatile than a more broadly based conventional index. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity (i.e., a seed investor) may invest in the Fund and hold its investment solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. Any such investment may be held for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (“Cboe”) and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund  invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Market Trading Risk. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly,  in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may
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result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. In addition, because liquidity in certain underlying securities may fluctuate, Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV than shares of other kinds of ETFs. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. The Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies,  or as a result of local market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates.  As the Index may consist of relatively few securities or issuers, tracking error may be heightened at times that the Fund is limited by restrictions on potential investments.
Valuation Risk. The sale price 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. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise.  NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.
Performance
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing: (a) changes in the performance of the Fund’s Shares from year to year; and (b) how the average annual total returns of the Fund’s Shares compare to those of the Fund’s Index and a broad-based securities market index. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
CALENDAR YEAR
 
Returns
Quarter ended
Year-to-Date Return
4.21%
September 30, 2023
During the periods shown in the chart above:
Returns
Quarter ended
Best Quarter Return
23.02%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter Return
-24.74%
March 31, 2020
8

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
For the period ended December 31, 2022
 
 
 
 
1 Year
5 Years
Since
Inception
Inception
Date
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
9/12/2017
Returns Before Taxes
-17.50%
7.77%
8.75%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions
-17.84%
7.33%
8.03%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-10.12%
6.05%
6.64%
Solactive US Large Cap Equal Weight Index (GTR) (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses)
-17.33%
7.95%
8.92%
S&P 500 Index (Total Return, unhedged, USD) (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses)
-18.11%
9.42%
10.39%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Fund Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).
Portfolio Manager: Raj Garigipati, Managing Director, has managed the Fund since September 2017.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at market price. Because Shares trade at market prices, rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a premium) or less than NAV (i.e., a discount).
You may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market.
Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s website at www.gsamfunds.com.
Tax Information
For important tax information, please see “Tax Information” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see “Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
9

Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF—Summary
Ticker: GVIP  Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP IndexTM (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee
0.45%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fee
0.00%
Other Expenses
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.45%

Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning Shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates any applicable fee waiver and/or expense limitation arrangements for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$46
$144
$252
$567

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may pay transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2023 was 120% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities whose performance is expected to influence the long portfolios of hedge funds. Such equity securities are defined as those that appear most frequently among the top ten equity holdings of U.S. hedge fund managers that select their investments based upon fundamental analysis. Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Index Provider”) is the provider of the Index, which is constructed in accordance with a rules-based methodology. Hedge fund managers report their U.S. equity holdings, which are made public 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter. The Index is normally reconstituted and rebalanced on a quarterly basis once the information has been fully disseminated. The construction of the Index involves accessing the identifiers and share counts of U.S. equity holdings disclosed by hedge fund managers in their quarterly 13F filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Index is constructed to then apply share prices at the time of data collection to the numbers of shares listed in each 13F disclosure filing to calculate the dollar market value of each reported position. U.S. hedge fund managers that select their investments based upon fundamental analysis are assumed to be U.S. hedge fund managers
10

with no fewer than 10 and no more than 200 distinct U.S. equity positions, as reported in the hedge fund managers’ most recent Form 13F filings. Managers with less than $10 million of disclosed equity assets are excluded. The equity positions are then ranked within each individual hedge fund manager’s portfolio by descending market value. The approximately 50 stocks that appear most frequently in the top 10 holdings of this universe then become the Index constituents. Constituents are equal dollar-weighted at each rebalance. Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
The Index does not include hedge funds (i.e., unlisted, privately offered funds) and is not designed to approximate the performance of any hedge fund manager, hedge fund or group of hedge fund managers or hedge funds. The Index should not be considered a hedge fund replication strategy. As December 1, 2023, the Index consisted of 49 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $5.5 billion and $3 trillion. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any asset class will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and the Fund may not be invested in each asset class at all times.
The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the securities in the Index in the approximate Index weight. In these circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
THE FUND IS NOT A HEDGE FUND AND DOES NOT INVEST IN HEDGE FUNDS.
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Depositary Receipts Risk. Foreign securities may trade in the form of depositary receipts, which include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) (collectively “Depositary Receipts”). To the extent the Fund acquires Depositary Receipts through banks which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there may be an increased possibility that the Fund would not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted. The issuers of Depositary Receipts may discontinue issuing new Depositary Receipts and withdraw existing Depositary Receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance.
Form Filings and Public Data Risk. The public filings (including Form 13F filings) used in the construction of the Index, which disclose holdings as of the end of each calendar quarter, are filed up to 45 days after the end of the calendar quarter, rendering certain information stale. Accordingly, a given investor may have already exited positions disclosed on a form by the time the filing is available to the Fund. Further, Form 13F filings may only disclose a subset of a particular investor’s holdings, as not all securities are required to be reported. As a result, a Form 13F may not provide a complete picture of the holdings of a given investor. Because Form 13F filings are publicly available, it is possible that other investors are also monitoring these filings and investing accordingly, which could result in inflation of the share price of securities included in the Index.
Index Risk. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble, and the Fund does not take defensive positions in declining markets. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the
11

required levels in order to track the Index. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of any such third party data, and there is also no guarantee with respect to the accuracy, availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group of industries.
Investment Style Risk. The Index is intended to provide exposure to equity securities whose performance is expected to influence the long portfolios of hedge funds, and as a result the Index may be more volatile and/or underperform relative to a more broadly based conventional index. The Index is not intended to provide exposure to the entire investment portfolio of any hedge fund manager, hedge fund or group of hedge funds or to the investment techniques or strategies employed by hedge fund managers. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity (i.e., a seed investor) may invest in the Fund and hold its investment solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. Any such investment may be held for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund  invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Market Trading Risk. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly,  in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. In addition, because liquidity in certain underlying securities may fluctuate, Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV than shares of other kinds of ETFs. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk. A high rate of portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and may also result in short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders, but this risk is expected to be mitigated by in-kind redemptions.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. The Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies,  or as a result of local market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates.  As the Index may consist of relatively few securities or issuers, tracking error may be heightened at times that the Fund is limited by restrictions on potential investments.
Valuation Risk. The sale price 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. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares.
12

The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise.  NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.
Performance
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing: (a) changes in the performance of the Fund’s Shares from year to year; and (b) how the average annual total returns of the Fund’s Shares compare to those of the Fund’s Index and a broad-based securities market index. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
CALENDAR YEAR
 
Returns
Quarter ended
Year-to-Date Return
23.09%
September 30, 2023
During the periods shown in the chart above:
Returns
Quarter ended
Best Quarter Return
28.97%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter Return
-23.65%
June 30, 2022
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
For the period ended December 31, 2022
 
 
 
 
1 Year
5 Years
Since
Inception
Inception
Date
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF
11/1/2016
Returns Before Taxes
-31.85%
5.92%
9.73%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions
-31.85%
5.85%
8.79%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-18.85%
4.62%
7.07%
Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP Index™ (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses)
-31.57%
6.42%
10.25%
S&P 500 Index (Unhedged; reflects no deduction for fees or expenses)
-18.11%
9.42%
12.21%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Fund Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).
Portfolio Manager: Raj Garigipati, Managing Director, has managed the Fund since November 2016.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at market price. Because Shares trade at market prices, rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a premium) or less than NAV (i.e., a discount).
You may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market.
13

Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s website at www.gsamfunds.com.
Tax Information
For important tax information, please see “Tax Information” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see “Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
14

Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF—Summary
Ticker: GINN  Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Solactive Innovative Global Equity Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee
0.50%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fee
0.00%
Other Expenses
0.00%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses1
0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.52%
1
The “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” do not correlate to the ratios of the total expenses to average net assets provided in the Financial Highlights, which reflect the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning Shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$53
$167
$291
$653

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may pay transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2023 was 45% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to deliver exposure to companies that may benefit from technological innovation and the resulting changes in the economy across five key themes (the “Themes”) that are potential drivers of changes in the economy. Each Theme is divided into multiple sub-themes (the “Sub-Themes”). The Themes are:
Data-Driven World Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from the unprecedented proliferation of data, capitalizing on data storage, security and analysis, as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Finance Reimagined Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from the evolving financial landscape, from the digitization of traditional financial services to the development of blockchain technology.
15

Human Evolution Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from advances in medical treatment and technology, from robotic surgery and precision medicine to gene therapy and care for an older population.
Manufacturing Revolution Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from the technology-driven transformation of the manufacturing industry, including the emergence of new processes, products and energy sources.
New Age Consumer Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from structural shifts in the way we consume goods and services, due to changes in demographics, technology and consumer preferences.
The Index is comprised entirely of securities that compose the Solactive Data Driven World Index, the Solactive Finance Reimagined Index, the Solactive Human Evolution Index, the Solactive Manufacturing Revolution Index, and the Solactive New Age Consumer Index (the “Solactive Thematic Indexes”), which are designed to provide exposure to the Data Driven World Theme, the Finance Reimagined Theme, the Human Evolution Theme, the Manufacturing Revolution Theme and the New Age Consumer Theme, respectively. The weight of each index constituent within the Index is equal to the average weight of such index constituent across the Solactive Thematic Indexes, subject to specified minimum and maximum weights.
Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”) determines the components of each Solactive Thematic Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves four steps. The following index methodology applies to each Solactive Thematic Index.
Step 1:
In the first step, the Index Provider defines a universe of potential index constituents (the “Universe”). The Universe is comprised of companies that meet all the below criteria:
The company’s primary listing must be on a regulated stock exchange approved by the Index Provider;
The company’s stock must have an average daily trading volume over the most recent 1-month period (“ADTV”) of at least $1,000,000 in U.S. dollars;
The company must have a total market capitalization of at least $500,000,000 in U.S. dollars; and
The company must not be classified as within certain industries by the FactSet Industries and Economic Sectors classification in order to minimize non-theme-relevant exposures in the Index.
Step 2:
In the second step, the Index Provider screens publicly available information such as financial news, business profiles, and company publications using keywords that describe the Theme and its proprietary natural language processing algorithm to identify companies within the Universe that have or are expected to have significant exposure to a Sub-Theme. In addition, additional company and/or third-party information is screened in order to verify a company’s relevance to at least one of the Sub-Themes. Securities of issuers whose relevance to at least one of the Sub-Themes cannot be verified is removed from the Universe.
Step 3:
In the third step, each company identified in Step 2 is assigned a thematic relevance score with respect to each Sub-Theme. For each Sub-Theme, the Index Provider identifies 50 companies with the highest thematic relevance scores. The Index Provider then combines the thematic relevance scores for all Sub-Themes of each company identified to calculate such company’s overall score. The top 100 companies with the highest overall scores are included in the Solactive Thematic Index. In addition, certain buffer rules are applied to prevent excessive turnover.
Step 4:
In the fourth step, the Index Provider calculates a thematic beta for each index constituent, which is a quantitative measurement of the exposure of the index constituents to the applicable Theme. Index constituents are then weighted according to a function of its market capitalization and thematic beta, subject to specified minimum and maximum weights.
The Index is normally rebalanced quarterly on the third Friday of each January, April, July and October.
As of December 1, 2023, the Index was comprised of 469 securities that had a market capitalization range of between approximately $445.9 million and $3 trillion from issuers primarily located in Asia, North America and Western Europe.
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. Also, unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
The Index is comprised of equity securities, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. The Fund may purchase a sample of securities in its Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM” or the “Investment Adviser”) believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
16

The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Asian Investment Risk. Investing in certain Asian issuers may involve a higher degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in issuers from more established economies or securities markets. The Fund’s investments in Asian issuers increase the risks to the Fund of conditions and developments that may be particular to Asian countries, such as: volatile economic cycles and/or securities markets; adverse changes to exchange rates; social, political, military, regulatory, economic or environmental developments; or natural disasters.
Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Depositary Receipts Risk. Foreign securities may trade in the form of depositary receipts, which include ADRs and GDRs (collectively “Depositary Receipts”). To the extent the Fund acquires Depositary Receipts through banks which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there may be an increased possibility that the Fund would not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted. The issuers of Depositary Receipts may discontinue issuing new Depositary Receipts and withdraw existing Depositary Receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance.
European Investment Risk. The Fund is more exposed to the regulatory, economic and political risks of Europe and of the European countries in which it invests than funds whose investments are more geographically diversified. Adverse regulatory, economic and political events in Europe may cause the Fund’s investments to decline in value. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have significant operations in, member countries of the European Union (“EU”) that are subject to economic and monetary controls that can adversely affect the Fund’s investments. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years and these events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (“UK”) withdrew from the EU (commonly known as “Brexit”), which has resulted in ongoing market volatility and caused additional market disruption on a global basis. The UK and the EU signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”), which is an agreement on the terms governing certain aspects of the EU’s and UK’s relationship post Brexit. However, under the TCA, many aspects of the EU-UK relationship remain subject to further negotiation. The full effects of Brexit are unknown at this time and could negatively impact the value of the Fund’s investments.
Foreign Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation; less public information; less stringent investor protections; less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards; and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund invests. The imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict. For example, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, cause a decline in the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country and increase market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and performance.  Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.
17

Geographic Risk. If the Fund focuses its investments in issuers located in a particular country or geographic region, the Fund may be subjected to a greater extent than if investments were less focused, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that country or region, such as: adverse securities markets; adverse exchange rates; adverse social, political, regulatory, economic, business, environmental or other developments; or natural disasters.
Index Risk. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble, and the Fund does not take defensive positions in declining markets. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of any such third party data, and there is also no guarantee with respect to the accuracy, availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group of industries.
Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity (i.e., a seed investor) may invest in the Fund and hold its investment solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. Any such investment may be held for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund  invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Market Trading Risk. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly,  in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. In addition, because liquidity in certain underlying securities may fluctuate, Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV than shares of other kinds of ETFs. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the stock exchange on which the Fund's Shares are listed. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Fund's listing exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares' NAV may widen.
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Risk. Investments in mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Technology Industry Group Risk. The stock prices of technology and technology-related companies and therefore the value of the Fund may experience significant price movements as a result of intense market volatility, worldwide competition, consumer preferences, product compatibility, product obsolescence, government regulation, excessive investor optimism or pessimism, or other factors.
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Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of themes and sub-themes and its performance may suffer if such themes or sub-themes are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme-relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. The Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies,  or as a result of local market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates.  As the Index may consist of relatively few securities or issuers, tracking error may be heightened at times that the Fund is limited by restrictions on potential investments.
Valuation Risk. The sale price 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. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise.  NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.
Performance
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing: (a) changes in the performance of the Fund’s Shares from year to year; and (b) how the average annual total returns of the Fund’s Shares compare to those of the Fund’s Index, a broad-based securities market index. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
CALENDAR YEAR
 
Returns
Quarter ended
Year-to-Date Return
14.26%
September 30, 2023
During the periods shown in the chart above:
Returns
Quarter ended
Best Quarter Return
9.15%
June 30, 2021
Worst Quarter Return
-21.97%
June 30, 2022
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
For the period ended December 31, 2022
 
 
 
1 Year
Since
Inception
Inception
Date
Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF
11/6/2020
Returns Before Taxes
-32.26%
-8.41%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions
-32.36%
-10.37%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-19.01%
-7.65%
Solactive Innovative Global Equity Index
-32.41%
-8.27%
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After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Fund Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).
Portfolio Manager: Raj Garigipati, Managing Director, has managed the Fund since November 2020.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at market price. Because Shares trade at market prices, rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a premium) or less than NAV (i.e., a discount).
You may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market.
Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s website at www.gsamfunds.com.
Tax Information
For important tax information, please see “Tax Information” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see “Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
20

Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF—Summary
Ticker: JUST  Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee
0.20%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fee
0.00%
Other Expenses
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.20%

Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning Shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates any applicable fee waiver and/or expense limitation arrangements for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$20
$64
$113
$255

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may pay transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2023 was 9% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of large capitalization U.S. issuers that engage in “just business behavior” based on rankings produced by JUST Capital Foundation, Inc. (the “Index Provider”). The Index Provider publishes an annual ranking of issuers in the Russell 1000® Index (the “Reference Index”) based on their quantitative performance assessment of certain issue areas which, for the rankings published in 2023, were: how they treat their workers, their customers, the communities they interact with, the environment, and their shareholders.
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The Index Provider seeks to encourage greater accountability in the business community and drive positive change among large publicly-traded U.S. corporations by (a) defining business behaviors that the American public cares most about (through extensive qualitative and quantitative survey research), (b) developing metrics that correspond to these issues in accordance with a robust, transparent methodology, (c) ranking the largest publicly traded U.S. companies on the basis of these metrics, and (d) developing tools and products that allow investors to direct capital towards more “just” companies.
The Index is a market capitalization-weighted index that consists of the top-ranked 50% of companies in the Reference Index by industry, based on the most recent rankings by the Index Provider. On the annual Index reconstitution date, Index constituent weights are adjusted such that the Index is industry neutral and matches the Reference Index’s industry weights, based on the Industry Classification Benchmark (“ICB”) industry classification.
As of December 1, 2023, the Index consisted of 457 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $792.8 million and $3 trillion. The Index is normally reconstituted annually in December and rebalanced in March, June and September on dates corresponding to the rebalance dates for the Reference Index. The components of the Index may change over time. The Index Provider determines whether an issuer is a U.S. issuer by reference to the index methodology of the Reference Index. FTSE Russell, which constructs the Reference Index, will deem an issuer to be a U.S. issuer if it is incorporated in, has a stated headquarters in, and trades in the U.S.; if any of these do not match, the Reference Index methodology provides for consideration of certain additional factors.
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the securities in the Index in the approximate Index weight. In these circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
The Index is calculated by Frank Russell Company (“Russell” or the “Calculation Agent”) in accordance with the methodology and constituent list developed and provided by the Index Provider.
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index (or the Reference Index), including fundamental information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Index Risk. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble, and the Fund does not take defensive positions in declining markets. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of any such third party data, and there is also no guarantee with respect to the accuracy, availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group of industries.
“Just” Investing Risk. The Index is intended to provide exposure to the large cap U.S. equity markets on the basis of “just business behavior,” which limits the issuers included in the Index. As a result, the Index may be more volatile than a more conventional index. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles. In
22

construction of the Index, the methodology may weigh certain characteristics of “just business behavior” of an issuer more heavily than the issuer’s performance or returns, which may result in underperformance. There is no guarantee that the construction methodology of the Index will accurately provide exposure to companies that engage in “just business behavior.”
Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity (i.e., a seed investor) may invest in the Fund and hold its investment solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. Any such investment may be held for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund  invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Market Trading Risk. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly,  in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. In addition, because liquidity in certain underlying securities may fluctuate, Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV than shares of other kinds of ETFs. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. The Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies,  or as a result of local market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates.  As the Index may consist of relatively few securities or issuers, tracking error may be heightened at times that the Fund is limited by restrictions on potential investments.
Valuation Risk. The sale price 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. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise.  NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.
23

Performance
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing: (a) changes in the performance of the Fund’s Shares from year to year; and (b) how the average annual total returns of the Fund’s Shares compare to those of the Fund’s Index and a broad-based securities market index. The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
CALENDAR YEAR
 
Returns
Quarter ended
Year-to-Date Return
11.25%
September 30, 2023
During the periods shown in the chart above:
Returns
Quarter ended
Best Quarter Return
21.63%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter Return
-19.49%
March 31, 2020
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
For the period ended December 31, 2022
 
 
 
1 Year
Since
Inception
Inception
Date
Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
6/7/2018
Returns Before Taxes
-17.77%
9.05%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions
-18.06%
9.15%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-10.31%
7.50%
JUST U.S. Large Cap Diversified Index (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses)
-17.66%
9.29%
Russell 1000® Index (Total Return, Unhedged, USD) (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses)
-19.13%
8.93%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Fund Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).
Portfolio Manager: Raj Garigipati, Managing Director, has managed the Fund since June 2018.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at market price. Because Shares trade at market prices, rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a premium) or less than NAV (i.e., a discount).
You may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market.
Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s website at www.gsamfunds.com.
24

Tax Information
For important tax information, please see “Tax Information” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see “Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
25

Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF—Summary
Ticker: GPOW  Stock Exchange: Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Solactive Energy Infrastructure Enhanced Index (the “Index”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee
0.55%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fee
0.00%
Other Expenses1
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.55%
1
The Fund’s “Other Expenses” have been estimated to reflect expenses expected to be incurred during the first fiscal year.
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning Shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
$56
$176

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may pay transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the period since the commencement of operations on July 11, 2023 through the period ended August 31, 2023 was 0% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of U.S. and Canadian listed companies, including companies structured as master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), operating in the pipelines and power universe. The universe of pipelines and power companies will include those that are classified by a third party as operating within the “Midstream Energy,” “Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Propane and Other Distributors,” or “Oil and Gas Transportation and Infrastructure” subsector or industry groups or derive a specified percentage of revenue from certain “Alternative Wholesale Power” sub-industries (subject to certain exclusions).
Investments in MLP securities taxed as partnerships will not exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets as measured at the time of investment.
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Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track its Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
 The Index is owned and calculated by Solactive AG (“Solactive” or the “Index Provider”). Solactive constructs the Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves three steps.
Step 1: The starting universe (“Universe”) is made up of listed equity securities primarily listed on an exchange in the United States or Canada issued by pipelines and power companies. Under the Index methodology, pipelines and power companies are those assigned by FactSet RBICS to the Midstream Energy, LPG, Propane & Other Distributors, or Oil and Gas Transportation and Infrastructure subsectors or industry groups or deriving a cumulative revenue above 50% from certain Alternative Wholesale Power RBICS sub-industries, in each case subject to certain additional screens and filters.
Step 2: The Index Provider removes constituents with average daily market capitalizations and trading values below specific thresholds from the Universe. As of December 1, 2023, the Index includes issuers with public stock market capitalizations of at least $562.7 million.
Step 3: The remaining securities are weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization in the Index. The securities are then measured by two fundamental factors, Growth and Quality. The Index determines Growth and Quality rankings using various sub-factors designed to measure a security’s performance based on these factors (for example, earnings per share growth for Growth and return on investment capital for Quality). The Index Provider ranks each security based on the two fundamental factors, and the index is then reweighted in proportion to scoring on these fundamental factors with higher scores having higher weights in the index. The weights of the constituents are adjusted at each rebalance to ensure compliance by the Fund with the diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as applicable to regulated investment companies (“RICs”).
The Index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis. The components of the Index may change over time. The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. The Fund may purchase a sample of securities in its Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Index is concentrated. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Index is concentrated in the energy sector. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
The Fund is structured as a RIC under the Code.
THE FUND IS NON-DIVERSIFIED UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940, AS AMENDED (THE “INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT”), AND MAY INVEST A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF ITS ASSETS IN FEWER ISSUERS THAN DIVERSIFIED FUNDS.
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Calculation Methodology Risk.  The Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Energy Sector Risk.  The Fund will be susceptible to adverse economic, business, social, political, environmental, regulatory or other developments affecting the energy sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. Energy infrastructure companies and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices and/or interest rates; increased governmental or environmental regulation; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; declines in domestic or foreign production; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, particular energy products (such as oil and natural gas), which may result in overproduction or underproduction. Additionally, changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies. During periods of heightened volatility, energy producers that are burdened with debt may seek
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bankruptcy relief. Bankruptcy laws may permit the revocation or renegotiation of contracts between energy producers and energy infrastructure companies, which could have a dramatic impact on the ability of energy infrastructure companies to pay distributions to its investors, including the Fund, which in turn could impact the ability of the Fund to pay dividends and dramatically impact the value of the Fund’s investments.
Foreign Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation; less public information; less stringent investor protections; less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards; and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund invests. The imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict. For example, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, cause a decline in the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country and increase market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and performance.  Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.
Index Risk. The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble, and the Fund does not take defensive positions in declining markets. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Index Provider relies on third party data it believes to be reliable in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of any such third party data, and there is also no guarantee with respect to the accuracy, availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Industry Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group of industries.
Infrastructure Company Risk. Infrastructure companies are susceptible to various factors that may negatively impact their businesses or operations, including costs associated with compliance with and changes in environmental, governmental and other regulations, rising interest costs in connection with capital construction and improvement programs, government budgetary constraints that impact publicly funded projects, the effects of general economic conditions throughout the world, surplus capacity and depletion concerns, increased competition from other providers of services, uncertainties regarding the availability of fuel and other natural resources at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation policies, unfavorable tax laws or accounting policies and high leverage. Infrastructure companies will also be affected by innovations in technology that could render the way in which a company delivers a product or service obsolete and natural or man-made disasters.
Investment Style Risk. The Index is intended to provide exposure to equity securities of North American energy infrastructure companies in the midstream universe, and as a result the Index may be more volatile than a more broadly based conventional index. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity (i.e., a seed investor) may invest in the Fund and hold its investment solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. Any such investment may be held for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (“Cboe”) and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Liquidity Risk.  The Fund may invest in securities or instruments that trade in lower volumes and may make investments, that are less liquid than other investments or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Also, the Fund may make investments that are illiquid. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. When there is no willing buyer and investments cannot be readily sold at the desired time or price, the Fund may have to accept a lower price or may not be able to sell the security or instrument at all. An inability to sell one or more portfolio positions can adversely affect the Fund’s value. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities or the lack of an active market. The potential for liquidity
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risk may be magnified by a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal, potentially causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity. Redemptions by large shareholders (including seed investors) may have a negative impact on the Fund’s liquidity.
If the Fund is forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions, such sales may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund  invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Market Trading Risk. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly,  in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. In addition, because liquidity in certain underlying securities may fluctuate, Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV than shares of other kinds of ETFs. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
Master Limited Partnership Risk. Investments in securities of an MLP involve risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and lower market liquidity. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments that generally rely on capital markets to finance capital expenditures and growth opportunities. During periods of interest rate volatility, limited capital markets access and/or low commodities pricing, these investments may not provide attractive returns.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified, meaning that it is permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in one or more issuers or in fewer issuers than diversified funds. Thus, the Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
Seed Investor Risk. GSAM and/or its affiliates may make payments to one or more investors that contribute seed capital to the Fund. Such payments may continue for a specified period of time and/or until a specified dollar amount is reached. Those payments will be made from the assets of GSAM and/or such affiliates (and not the Fund). Seed investors may contribute all or a majority of the assets in the Fund. There is a risk that such seed investors may redeem their investments in the Fund, particularly after payments from GSAM and/or its affiliates have ceased. As with redemptions by other large shareholders, such redemptions could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity and the market price of the Fund’s Shares.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Tax Risk. Tax risks associated with investments in the Fund include but are not limited to the following:
MLP Tax Risk. MLPs are generally treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Partnerships do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. This would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP and could result in a reduction in the value of the Fund’s investment in the MLP and lower income to the Fund.
Distributions from an MLP in excess of the Fund’s basis in the MLP will generally be treated as capital gain. However, a portion of the gain may instead be treated as ordinary income to the extent attributable to certain assets held by the MLP the sale of which would produce ordinary income. To the extent a distribution received by the Fund from an MLP is treated as a return of capital, the Fund’s adjusted tax basis in the interests of the MLP may be reduced, which will result in an increase in an amount of income or gain (or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the Fund for tax purposes upon the sale of any such interests or upon subsequent distributions in respect of such interests. Furthermore, any return of capital distribution received from the MLP may require the Fund to restate the character of its distributions and amend any shareholder tax reporting previously issued. Moreover, a change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP, could result in an MLP investment being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could result in a reduction of the value of the Fund’s investment in the MLP and lower income to the Fund.
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Individuals and certain other noncorporate entities are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to certain taxable income from MLPs through 2025. Currently, there is not a mechanism for RICs to pass-through the special character of this income to shareholders. It is uncertain whether future legislation or other guidance will enable RICs to pass through the special character of this income to shareholders. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in MLPs would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction with respect to income from such investments, while investors investing in MLPs indirectly through the Fund would not be so eligible.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to the Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions. The Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the Investment Company Act, to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended   (the “Code”), applicable to regulated investment companies,  or as a result of local market restrictions or other legal reasons, including regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates.  As the Index may consist of relatively few securities or issuers, tracking error may be heightened at times that the Fund is limited by restrictions on potential investments.
Valuation Risk. The sale price 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. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise.  NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.
Performance
Because the Fund had not yet commenced investment operations as of the date of the Prospectus, there is no performance information quoted for the Fund. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be available at no additional cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).
Portfolio Manager:  Raj Garigipati, Managing Director, has managed the Fund since 2023.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at market price. Because Shares trade at market prices, rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a premium) or less than NAV (i.e., a discount).
You may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market.
Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads (when available), is included on the Fund’s website at www.gsamfunds.com.
Tax Information
For important tax information, please see “Tax Information” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see “Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
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Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF—Summary
Ticker: GDEF   Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term growth of capital with lower volatility than equity markets.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee
0.55%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fee
0.00%
Other Expenses
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.55%

Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning Shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$56
$176
$307
$689

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may pay transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal period January 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023 was 160% of the average value of its portfolio. However, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated without regard to transactions involving certain short-term instruments or derivatives. If such transactions were included in the calculation, the Fund would have a higher portfolio turnover rate.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (“Net Assets”) in a diversified portfolio of equity securities and other instruments with similar economic exposures. The Fund will typically invest in equity securities of U.S. issuers with public stock market capitalizations between $150 million and $3 trillion and employ a “Put Spread Collar” overlay strategy.
The Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments. The Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Investment Adviser’s proprietary models, at the discretion of the Investment Adviser. In addition, the Investment Adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Investment Adviser’s proprietary research.
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The Fund constructs a Put Spread Collar by buying a put option on an index or exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) at a higher strike price and writing (or selling) a put option on the same index or ETF at a relatively lower strike price, resulting in what is known as a put option spread, while simultaneously selling a call option on that index or ETF. For this purpose, the Fund may also use options on futures referencing an index. The difference between strike prices in the put option spread is designed to provide the Fund with downside protection to the extent of the difference between the strike prices of the near-the-money put option bought and the out-of-the-money put option sold.
In addition to the use of the Put Spread Collar strategy described above, the Fund may use future contracts, primarily futures on indexes, options on futures, and total return swaps to more effectively gain targeted equity exposure from its cash positions and to hedge the Fund’s portfolio if it is unable to purchase or write the necessary options for its overlay strategy. Derivative positions may be listed or over-the-counter (“OTC”) and may or may not be centrally cleared.
As the seller of call options, the Fund will receive cash (the “premium”) from the purchaser. If the purchaser exercises the option, the Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the underlying asset and the exercise price of the option. Additionally, as the seller of put options, the Fund will also receive a premium from the purchaser. If the purchaser exercises the option, the Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the exercise price of the option and the price of the underlying asset. The premium, the exercise price and the market price of the underlying asset determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund as the seller of call and put options.
During periods in which the U.S. equity markets are generally unchanged or falling, a diversified portfolio with limited downside protection from its put spread collar strategy may outperform the same portfolio without such an options strategy. However, in strong rising markets where the aggregate appreciation of the underlying asset exceeds the exercise price of the short call, a portfolio with a put spread collar strategy could significantly underperform the same portfolio without these options. The Fund’s investments in fixed income securities are limited to cash equivalents (including money market funds) and U.S. Treasury Securities.
The Fund is an actively managed ETF, which is a fund that trades like other publicly-traded securities. The Fund is not an index fund and does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index.
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Counterparty Risk. Many of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security afforded by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions. Therefore, in those instances in which the Fund enters into uncleared OTC transactions, the Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparty will not perform its obligations under the transactions and that the Fund will sustain losses.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund's use of options, futures, forwards, swaps and other derivative instruments may result in losses, including due to adverse market movements. These instruments, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other assets and instruments, may increase market exposure and be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying assets or instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Fund. Certain derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments.
Investment Style Risk. Different investment styles (e.g., “growth”, “value” or “quantitative”) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund employs a “quantitative” style, and may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity (i.e., a seed investor) may invest in the Fund and hold its investment solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. Any such investment may be held for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Management Risk. A strategy used by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results. The Investment Adviser attempts to execute a complex strategy for the Fund using proprietary quantitative models. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight placed on each factor, changes from the
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factors’ historical trends, and technical issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, for example, data problems and/or software issues). There is no guarantee that the Investment Adviser’s use of these quantitative models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. Additionally, commonality of holdings across quantitative money managers may amplify losses.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund  invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Market Trading Risk. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly,  in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. In addition, because liquidity in certain underlying securities may fluctuate, Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV than shares of other kinds of ETFs. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
Options Risk. Writing (selling) call options limits the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of stocks in exchange for up-front cash (the premium) at the time of selling the call options. Writing (selling) put options may obligate the Fund to buy a stock at a price that exceeds its market value. In addition, the Fund risks losing all or part of the cash (the premium) paid for purchasing put options. The Fund’s options-based overlay strategy may not fully protect it against market declines because the Fund will continue to bear the risk of a decline in the value of its portfolio securities. Creations and redemptions of shares could impact the results of the Fund’s options-based overlay strategy. Furthermore, unusual market conditions or the lack of a ready market for any particular option at a particular time may reduce the effectiveness of the Fund’s options-based overlay strategy.
Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk. A high rate of portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and may also result in short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders, but this risk is expected to be mitigated by in-kind redemptions.
Seed Investor Risk. GSAM and/or its affiliates may make payments to one or more investors that contribute seed capital to the Fund. Such payments may continue for a specified period of time and/or until a specified dollar amount is reached. Those payments will be made from the assets of GSAM and/or such affiliates (and not the Fund). Seed investors may contribute all or a majority of the assets in the Fund. There is a risk that such seed investors may redeem their investments in the Fund, particularly after payments from GSAM and/or its affiliates have ceased. As with redemptions by other large shareholders, such redemptions could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity and the market price of the Fund’s Shares.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Swaps Risk. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on the “notional amount” of predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged and subject to counterparty risk (e.g., the risk of a counterparty’s defaulting on the obligation or bankruptcy), credit risk and pricing risk (i.e., swaps may be difficult to value). Swaps may also be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. The U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S. Government Securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government Securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise.  NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.
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Performance
The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Before the Fund commenced operations, the assets of another investment company advised by the Investment Adviser, Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity Fund (the “predecessor fund”), were transferred to the Fund in a tax-free reorganization on January 20, 2023. The Fund and the predecessor fund have identical investment objectives and fundamental investment policies and have substantially similar investment strategies.
The bar chart and table show: (a) changes in the performance of the Fund’s Shares (represented by the performance of the predecessor fund’s Institutional Shares) from year to year; and (b) how the average annual total returns of the Fund (represented by the average annual total returns of the predecessor fund’s Institutional Shares) compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. The Index does not include the fees and expenses of the mutual funds in the Index. The performance of the predecessor fund has not been restated to reflect the annual operating expenses of the Fund, which are lower than those of the predecessor fund. Because the Fund has different fees and expenses than the predecessor fund, the Fund would also have had different performance results. The Fund’s (and the predecessor fund’s) past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown.
CALENDAR YEAR (INSTITUTIONAL)
 
Returns
Quarter ended
Year-to-Date Return
4.48%
September 30, 2023
During the periods shown in the chart above:
Returns
Quarter ended
Best Quarter Return
5.90%
December 31, 2022
Worst Quarter Return
-8.71%
June 30, 2022
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
For the period ended December 31, 2022
 
 
 
1 Year
Since
Inception
Inception
Date
Institutional Shares
9/30/2020
Returns Before Taxes
-12.19%
1.07%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions
-12.38%
-0.46%
Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
-7.08%
0.33%
S&P 500 (TR, unhedged, USD)
-18.11%
7.71%
The after-tax returns for Institutional Shares will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Fund Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”) and the predecessor fund.
Portfolio Managers: Raj Garigipati, Managing Director; Oliver Bunn, Vice President; and Patrick Hartnett, Vice President, have managed the Fund since January 2023 and Sergio Calvo de Leon, Vice President has managed the Fund since December 2023. Mr. Bunn and Mr. Hartnett also were the predecessor fund’s portfolio managers since 2023 and 2022, respectively.
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Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at market price. Because Shares trade at market prices, rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a premium) or less than NAV (i.e., a discount).
You may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market.
Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads (when available), is included on the Fund’s website at www.gsamfunds.com.
Tax Information
For important tax information, please see “Tax Information” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see “Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
35

Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF—Summary
Ticker: GSC  Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Investment Objective
The Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF (the “Fund”) seeks long-term growth of capital.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee
0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fee
0.00%
Other Expenses1
0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.80%
Fee Waiver2
(0.05)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver
0.75%
1
The Fund’s “Other Expenses” have been estimated to reflect expenses expected to be incurred during the first fiscal year.
2
The Investment Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to achieve a net management fee rate of 0.75% as an annual percentage for the Fund’s average daily net assets. This arrangement will remain in effect through at least December 29, 2024, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees.
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning Shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates the fee waiver arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
$77
$250

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may pay transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., “turns over” its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund had not commenced operations as of the end of the Fund’s fiscal year, there is no portfolio turnover information quoted for the Fund.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (“Net Assets”) in a portfolio of equity investments in small-cap issuers. Small-cap issuers will generally have public stock market capitalizations between $100 million and $8 billion. The Fund may also invest in securities outside of this capitalization range.
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The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, in companies that are considered by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”) to be positioned for long-term growth. Although the Fund invests primarily in publicly traded U.S. securities, it may invest up to 25% of its Net Assets in foreign securities, including securities of issuers in countries with emerging markets or economies (“emerging countries”) and securities quoted in foreign currencies. The Fund may also invest in companies that only recently began to trade publicly.
The Fund’s fundamental equity investment process involves evaluating potential investments based on specific characteristics believed to indicate a high-quality business with sustainable growth, including strong business franchises, favorable long-term prospects, and excellent management. The Investment Adviser will also consider valuation of companies when determining whether to buy and/or sell securities. The Investment Adviser may integrate environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors with traditional fundamental factors as part of its fundamental research process. No one factor or consideration is determinative in the stock selection process. The Investment Adviser may decide to sell a position for various reasons, including when a company’s fundamental outlook deteriorates, because of valuation and price considerations, for risk management purposes, or when a company is deemed to be misallocating capital or a company no longer fits within the Fund’s definition of a small-cap company.
Equity investments may include common stock, preferred stock, warrants and other rights to acquire stock, American depositary receipts (“ADRs”), European depositary receipts (“EDRs”), and global depositary receipts (“GDRs”), real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), underlying funds (including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”)), and futures, forwards, options and other instruments with similar economic exposures. The Fund may invest in underlying ETFs, exchange-traded products (“ETPs”) and/or money market funds, including those that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future for which the Investment Adviser or an affiliate now or in the future acts as investment adviser or principal underwriter.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Net Assets in fixed income securities, such as government, corporate and bank debt obligations.
The Fund’s benchmark index is the Russell 2000® Index (Total Return, USD).
THE FUND IS NON-DIVERSIFIED UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940, AS AMENDED (THE “INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT”), AND MAY INVEST A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF ITS ASSETS IN FEWER ISSUERS THAN DIVERSIFIED FUNDS.
The Fund is an actively managed ETF, which is a fund that trades like other publicly-traded securities. The Fund is not an index fund and does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index.
Principal Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing. The Fund's principal risks are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure.
Goldman Sachs (as defined herein) and its affiliates advise accounts and funds which have investment objectives, investment strategies and/or policies similar to those of the Fund, and such accounts and funds will have portfolio holdings that overlap with the Fund. Due to differences in tax management considerations and implementation techniques, trades of the Fund’s portfolio are generally executed after those of such accounts and funds. As a result, the Fund’s investment results may be higher or lower, and potentially significantly lower, than those of such accounts and funds.
Foreign and Emerging Countries Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation; less public information; less stringent investor protections; less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards; and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund invests. The imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, may also result in losses. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict. For example, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, cause a decline in the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country and increase market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and performance. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. These risks are more pronounced in connection with the Fund’s investments in securities of issuers located in, or otherwise economically tied to, emerging countries.
Investment Style Risk. Different investment styles (e.g., “growth”, “value” or “quantitative”) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
37

Large Shareholder Risk. Certain shareholders, including other funds advised by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity (i.e., a seed investor) may invest in the Fund and hold its investment solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. Any such investment may be held for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including on the Fund’s liquidity. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Market Risk. The value of the securities in which the Fund  invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. Events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also significantly impact the Fund and its investments.
Market Trading Risk. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly,  in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. Any of these factors, among others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV. In addition, because liquidity in certain underlying securities may fluctuate, Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to NAV than shares of other kinds of ETFs. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the stock exchange on which the Fund’s Shares are listed. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Fund’s listing exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV may widen.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified, meaning that it is permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in one or more issuers or in fewer issuers than diversified funds. Thus, the Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
REIT Risk. REITs whose underlying properties are concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region are subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. The securities of REITs involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements because of interest rate changes, economic conditions and other factors. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the  Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price.
Small-Cap Risk. Investments in small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise.  NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.
Performance
Because the Fund had not yet commenced investment operations as of the date of the Prospectus, there is no performance information quoted for the Fund. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be available at no additional cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of the Prospectus.
Portfolio Management
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).
38

Portfolio Managers: Raj Garigipati, Managing Director, Greg Tuorto, Managing Director and Robert Crystal, Managing Director have managed the Fund since October 2023.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at market price. Because Shares trade at market prices, rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a premium) or less than NAV (i.e., a discount).
You may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market.
Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads (when available), is included on the Fund’s website at www.gsamfunds.com.
Tax Information
For important tax information, please see “Tax Information” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
For important information about financial intermediary compensation, please see “Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries” on page 40 of the Prospectus.
39

Goldman Sachs Equity ETFs –
Additional Summary Information
Tax Information
The Funds' distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may become taxable upon withdrawal from such arrangements.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Shares of a Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), GSAM or other related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund Shares or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend a Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
40

Investment Management Approach
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Each Fund (except the Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF) seeks to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Index. The Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF seeks long-term growth of capital with lower volatility than equity markets. The Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF seeks long-term growth of capital. A Fund’s investment objective may be changed without shareholder approval.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index. Shareholders will be provided with sixty days’ notice in the manner prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) before any change in the Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in securities included in its underlying index.
The Index is comprised of equity securities, including ADRs and GDRs. The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. The Fund may purchase a sample of securities in its Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques. The Fund may sell securities that are represented in the Index in anticipation of their removal from the Index or purchase securities not represented in the Index in anticipation of their addition to the Index. The Fund may also, in order to comply with the tax diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), temporarily invest in securities not included in the Index that are expected to be correlated with the securities included in the Index.
The Index is designed to deliver exposure to companies that are expected to have a significant impact on energy decarbonization through their exposure to clean energy which includes, but is not limited to, clean power infrastructure (generation, transmission and distribution), solar energy, wind energy, energy storage, hydrogen energy, energy digitalization and bioenergy. The Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to identify relevant companies using curated data acquired from a variety of sources by the Index Provider. Some of the clean energy companies in which the Fund invests may have operations that involve traditional energy facilities (including oil, gas or other hydrocarbons).
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. Also, unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
The Index Provider constructs the Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves three steps.
Step 1:
In the first step, the Index Provider defines the Universe by identifying securities that are constituents of the Bloomberg Global Equity Index and classified to be within clean energy sectors by BNEF. BNEF is a strategic research provider covering global commodity markets and the disruptive technologies driving the transition to a low-carbon economy:
Step 2:
In the second step, the Index Provider screens the Universe for thematic relevance to clean energy and estimates the proportion of an issuer’s value attributable to clean energy activities. The Index Provider’s estimates are based on quarterly data reviews by sector specialists using reported segment revenues, along with any other available metrics such as segmented EBITDA, alignment with the European Union’s Taxonomy Regulation, current and planned activities of the issuer, and expected growth of clean energy-relevant business lines relative to other business lines.
Thematic relevance is then divided into four categories based on percentage of a company’s value attributed to clean energy activities: A4 (Minor Driver of Decarbonization) – 10% or Less, A3 (Moderate Driver of Decarbonization) – 10% to 24%, A2 (Considerable Driver of Decarbonization) – 25% to 49% and A1 (Main Driver of Decarbonization) – 50% to 100%. Securities of issuers within category A4 (Minor) or ESG-controversial securities, and securities with high carbon impact and poor mitigation plans are excluded from the Index.
41

Step 3:
In the third step, the Index constituents are grouped by thematic relevance categories to maximize relevance and impact. Each thematic category is assigned a weighting to maximize exposure to securities with the greatest impact to de-carbonization as follows:
60% of the Index weight is in securities classified as A1 (Main Driver of Decarbonization).
30% of the Index weight is in securities classified as A2 (Considerable Driver of Decarbonization).
10% of the index weight is in securities classified as A3 (Moderate Driver of Decarbonization).
Within each category, the weight for a single security is capped at a specified level that varies by category. Any excess weight resulted from capping is redistributed proportionally across the remaining uncapped securities in the Index
The Index is normally rebalanced and reconstituted quarterly in March, June, September, and December. The Index Provider may delay or change a scheduled rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index or the implementation of certain rules at its sole discretion.
As of December 1, 2023, the Index consisted of 206 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $553.3 million and $768.2 billion. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any country or geographic region will vary from time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and the Fund may not be invested in each country or geographic region at all times.
The Index was developed and is maintained and calculated by the Index Provider. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components in the Index. As a user of the Index, GSAM may, from time to time, provide feedback or make suggestions that may result in changes to the Index. However, ultimate decision-making authority regarding index methodology changes will be retained by the Index Provider. The Fund may hire an affiliate of the Fund and/or the Investment Adviser to serve as calculation agent and/or index provider.
The Fund is classified as “diversified” under the Investment Company Act. However, the Fund may become “non-diversified” solely as a result of a change in the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. A non-diversified fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified funds.
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index. Shareholders will be provided with sixty days’ notice in the manner prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) before any change in the Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in securities included in its underlying index.
The Index consists of equity securities of large capitalization U.S. issuers. The Index is an equal-weight version of the Solactive US Large Cap Index, a market capitalization-weighted index that includes equity securities of approximately 500 of the largest U.S. companies. The Index includes the same constituents as the Solactive US Large Cap Index. However, unlike the Solactive US Large Cap Index, in which each security is weighted based on its market value, each security in the Index is given the same weight, approximately 0.2% of the Index, at each rebalance.
As of December 1, 2023, the Index consisted of 497 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $277.8 million and $3 trillion, and an average market capitalization of approximately $83.8 billion. The Index is reconstituted on a semi-annual basis in May and November to reflect changes in the constituents of the Solactive US Large Cap Index. New securities from initial public offerings are also added on a semi-annual basis in February and August, subject to fulfillment of certain eligibility criteria. The Index is rebalanced on a monthly basis to weight all constituents equally. The Index Provider may delay or change a scheduled rebalancing or reconstitution of an Index or the implementation of certain rules at its sole discretion.
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. Also, unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index that it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the securities in the Index in the approximate Index weight. In these circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques. The Fund may sell securities that are represented in the Index
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Investment Management Approach
in anticipation of their removal from the Index or purchase securities not represented in the Index in anticipation of their addition to the Index. The Fund may also, in order to comply with the tax diversification requirements of the Code, temporarily invest in securities not included in the Index that are expected to be correlated with the securities included in the Index.
The Index is owned and calculated by Solactive.
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index.
The Investment Adviser anticipates that, generally, the Fund will hold all of the securities that comprise the Index in approximate proportion to their weightings in such Index. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of those securities in those weightings. In these circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Index. There also may be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in the Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques. The Fund may sell securities that are represented in the Index in anticipation of their removal from the Index or purchase securities not represented in the Index in anticipation of their addition to the Index. The Fund may also, in order to comply with the tax diversification requirements of the Code, temporarily invest in securities not included in the Index that are expected to be correlated with the securities included in the Index.
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. Also, unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index that it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
The Index is constructed using a rules-based portfolio construction process.
The Index is owned and maintained by the Index Provider and calculated by the Calculation Agent. The Fund may hire an affiliate of the Fund and/or the Investment Adviser to serve as calculation agent.
Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index. Shareholders will be provided with sixty days’ notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in securities included in its underlying index.
The Investment Adviser anticipates that, generally, the Fund will hold all of the components that comprise the Index in approximate proportion to their weightings in the Index. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of those components in those weightings. In these circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Index. There also may be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a component in the Index, purchase securities not in the Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain components in the Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques. The Fund may sell securities that are represented in the Index in anticipation of their removal from the Index or purchase securities not represented in the Index in anticipation of their addition to the Index. The Fund may also, in order to comply with the tax diversification requirements of the Code, temporarily invest in securities not included in the Index that are expected to be correlated with the securities included in the Index.
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. Also, unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
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The Index is designed to deliver exposure to companies that may benefit from technological innovation and the resulting changes in the economy across five key Themes that are potential drivers of changes in the economy. Each Theme is divided into multiple Sub-Themes, which are further described in the “Additional Information about the Themes and Sub-Themes” section below. The Themes are:
Data-Driven World Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from the unprecedented proliferation of data, capitalizing on data storage, security and analysis, as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Finance Reimagined Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from the evolving financial landscape, from the digitization of traditional financial services to the development of blockchain technology.
Human Evolution Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from advances in medical treatment and technology, from robotic surgery and precision medicine to gene therapy and care for an older population.
Manufacturing Revolution Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from the technology-driven transformation of the manufacturing industry, including the emergence of new processes, products and energy sources.
New Age Consumer Theme—Companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from structural shifts in the way we consume goods and services, due to changes in demographics, technology and consumer preferences.
The Index is comprised entirely of securities that compose the Solactive Data Driven World Index, the Solactive Finance Reimagined Index, the Solactive Human Evolution Index, the Solactive Manufacturing Revolution Index, and the Solactive New Age Consumer Index (the “Solactive Thematic Indexes”), which are designed to provide exposure to the Data Driven World Theme, the Finance Reimagined Theme, the Human Evolution Theme, the Manufacturing Revolution Theme and the New Age Consumer Theme, respectively. The weight of each index constituent within the Index is equal to the average weight of such index constituent across the Solactive Thematic Indexes. In addition, a minimum weight of 0.025% and a maximum weight of the lesser of 2% or the ADTV of such index constituent multiplied by 10-9 (for example, an ADTV of $10 million would correspond to a maximum weight of 1%) are applied to each index constituent.
The Index Provider determines the components of each Solactive Thematic Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves four steps. The following index methodology applies to each Solactive Thematic Index.
Step 1:
In the first step, the Index Provider defines the Universe. The Universe is comprised of companies that meet all the below criteria:
The company’s primary listing must be a regulated stock exchange approved by the Index Provider;
The company’s stock must have an ADTV of at least $1,000,000 in U.S. dollars;
The company must have a total market capitalization of at least $500,000,000 in U.S. dollars; and
The company must not be classified as within certain industries by the FactSet Industries and Economic Sectors classification in order to minimize non-theme-relevant exposures in the Index.
Step 2:
In the second step, the Index Provider screens publicly available information such as financial news, business profiles, and company publications using keywords that describe the Theme and its proprietary natural language processing algorithm to identify companies within the Universe that have or are expected to have significant exposure to a Sub-Theme. In addition, additional company and/or third-party information is screened in order to verify a company’s relevance to at least one of the Sub-Themes. Securities of issuers whose relevance to at least one of the Sub-Theme cannot be verified is removed from the Universe.
Step 3:
In the third step, each company identified in Step 2 is assigned a thematic relevance score with respect to each Sub-Theme. For each Sub-Theme, the Index Provider identifies 50 companies with the highest thematic relevance scores. The Index Provider then combines the thematic relevance scores for all Sub-Themes of each company identified to calculate such company’s overall score. The top 100 companies with the highest overall scores are included in the Solactive Thematic Index. In addition, certain buffer rules are applied to prevent excessive turnover.
Step 4:
In the fourth step, the Index Provider calculates a thematic beta for each index constituent, which is a quantitative measurement of the exposure of the index constituents to the applicable Theme. Index constituents are then weighted according to a function of its market capitalization and thematic beta, subject to minimum and maximum weight requirements.
The Index is normally rebalanced quarterly on the third Friday of each January, April, July and October. The Index Provider may delay or change a scheduled rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index or the implementation of certain rules at its sole discretion.
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Investment Management Approach
The Index was developed and is maintained and calculated by the Index Provider. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components in the Index. As a user of the Index, GSAM may, from time to time, provide feedback or make suggestions that may result in changes to the Index. However, ultimate decision-making authority regarding index methodology changes will be retained by the Index Provider. The Fund may hire an affiliate of the Fund and/or the Investment Adviser to serve as calculation agent and/or index provider.
As of December 1, 2023, the Index was comprised of 469 securities that had a market capitalization range of between approximately $445.9 million and $3 trillion from issuers primarily located in Asia, North America and Western Europe. The components of the Index may change over time. The percentage of the portfolio exposed to any industry, country or geographic region will vary from time to time as the weightings of the components within the Index change, and the Fund may not be invested in each industry, country or geographic region at all times.
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index. Shareholders will be provided with sixty days’ notice in the manner prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) before any change in the Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in securities included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of large capitalization U.S. issuers that engage in “just business behavior” based on rankings produced by the Index Provider. The Index Provider publishes an annual ranking of issuers in the Reference Index based on their quantitative performance assessment of certain issue areas which, for the rankings published in 2023, were: how they treat their workers, their customers, the communities they interact with, the environment, and their shareholders.
The Index Provider seeks to encourage greater accountability in the business community and drive positive change among large publicly-traded U.S. corporations by (a) defining business behaviors that the American public cares most about (through extensive qualitative and quantitative survey research), (b) developing metrics that correspond to these issues in accordance with a robust, transparent methodology, (c) ranking the largest publicly traded U.S. companies on the basis of these metrics, and (d) developing tools and products that allow investors to direct capital towards more “just” companies.
To construct the annual ranking, the Index Provider conducts representative surveys of the American public on a regular basis in order to understand what issues represent “just” corporate behavior, how these issues should be described, and the relative importance of each issue. For the ranking published in 2022, the Index Provider utilized the following “drivers” (weighted as indicated), as an indication of “just” corporate behavior based on its survey research:
Workers (39%)—Components include payment of living and fair wages, safety in the workplace, and access to benefits
Customers (11%)—Components include non-discrimination policies and customer privacy
Communities (20%)—Components include U.S. job creation and avoidance of business relationships with oppressive or abusive entities
Environment (10%)—Components include development and support of sustainable products and minimization of pollution and efficient use of resources
Shareholders and Governance (19%)—Components include accountability to all shareholders, acting ethically, and investor returns
The Index Provider develops metrics and collects data on how the companies in the Reference Index perform across these issues. To assess each metric, the Index Provider utilizes data derived from various sources, including publicly available company reports, third-party data vendors, government data, academic and not-for-profit data, press coverage, and crowd-sourced data. The Index Provider constructs a ranking model that ranks each company based on these metrics.
The Index is a market capitalization-weighted index that consists of the top-ranked 50% of companies in the Reference Index by industry, based on the most recent rankings by the Index Provider. On the annual Index reconstitution date, Index constituent weights are adjusted such that the Index is industry neutral and matches the Reference Index’s industry weights, based on the ICB industry classification. The Index Provider determines whether an issuer is a U.S. issuer by reference to the index methodology of the Reference Index.
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As of December 1, 2023, the Index consisted of 457 securities with a market capitalization range of between approximately $792.8 million and $3 trillion. The Index is reconstituted annually in December and rebalanced in March, June and September on dates corresponding to the rebalance dates for the Reference Index. The Index Provider may delay or change a scheduled rebalancing or reconstitution of an Index or the implementation of certain rules at its sole discretion. The components of the Index may change over time. FTSE Russell, which constructs the Reference Index, will deem an issuer to be a U.S. issuer if it is incorporated in, has a stated headquarters in, and trades in the U.S.; if any of these do not match, the Reference Index methodology provides for consideration of certain additional factors.
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track the Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors. Also, unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index that it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to purchase all of the securities in the Index in the approximate Index weight. In these circumstances, the Fund may purchase a sample of securities in the Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques. The Fund may sell securities that are represented in the Index in anticipation of their removal from the Index or purchase securities not represented in the Index in anticipation of their addition to the Index. The Fund may also, in order to comply with the tax diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), temporarily invest in securities not included in the Index that are expected to be correlated with the securities included in the Index.
The Index is calculated by Russell in accordance with the methodology and constituent list developed and provided by the Index Provider.
The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is concentrated. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in securities included in its underlying index, in depositary receipts representing securities included in its underlying index and in underlying stocks in respect of depositary receipts included in its underlying index. Shareholders will be provided with sixty days’ notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its assets in securities included in its underlying index.
The Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of U.S. and Canadian listed companies, including companies structured as MLPs, operating in the pipelines and power universe. The universe of pipelines and power companies will include those that are classified by a third party as operating within the “Midstream Energy,” “Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Propane and Other Distributors,” or “Oil and Gas Transportation and Infrastructure” subsector or industry groups or derive a specified percentage of revenue from certain “Alternative Wholesale Power” subsectors, industry groups or sub-industries (subject to certain exclusions).
Investments in MLP securities taxed as partnerships will not exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets as measured at the time of investment.
Given the Fund’s investment objective of attempting to track its Index, the Fund does not follow traditional methods of active investment management, which may involve buying and selling securities based upon analysis of economic and market factors.
The Index is owned and calculated by Solactive. Solactive constructs the Index in accordance with a rules-based methodology that involves three steps.
Step 1: The starting universe (“Universe”) is made up of listed equity securities primarily listed on an exchange in the United States or Canada issued by pipelines and power companies. Under the Index methodology, pipelines and power companies are those assigned by FactSet RBICS to the Midstream Energy, LPG, Propane & Other Distributors, or Oil and Gas Transportation and Infrastructure subsectors or industry groups or deriving a cumulative revenue above 50% from certain Alternative Wholesale Power RBICS sub-industries, in each case subject to certain additional screens and filters.
Step 2: The Index Provider removes constituents with average daily market capitalizations and trading values below specific thresholds from the Universe. As of December 1, 2023, the Index includes issuers with public stock market capitalizations of at least $562.7 million.
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Investment Management Approach
Step 3: The remaining securities are weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization in the Index. The securities are then measured by two fundamental factors, Growth and Quality. The Index determines Growth and Quality rankings using various sub-factors designed to measure a security’s performance based on these factors (for example, earnings per share growth for Growth and return on investment capital for Quality). The Index Provider ranks each security based on the two fundamental factors, and the index is then reweighted in proportion to scoring on these fundamental factors with higher scores having higher weights in the index. The weights of the constituents are adjusted at each rebalance to ensure compliance by the Fund with the diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as applicable to RICs.
The Index is rebalanced on a quarterly basis. The components of the Index may change over time. The Fund seeks to invest in the Index components in approximately the same weighting that such components have within the Index at the applicable time. The Fund may purchase a sample of securities in its Index. There may also be instances in which the Investment Adviser may choose to underweight or overweight a security in the Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s Index that the Investment Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available investment techniques.
 The Fund may concentrate its investments (i.e., hold more than 25% of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Index is concentrated. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Index is concentrated in the energy sector. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.
The Fund is structured as a RIC under the Code.
THE FUND IS NON-DIVERSIFIED UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT, AND MAY INVEST A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF ITS ASSETS IN FEWER ISSUERS THAN DIVERSIFIED FUNDS.
Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF
The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a diversified portfolio of equity securities and other instruments with similar economic exposures. The Fund will typically invest in equity securities of U.S. issuers with public stock market capitalizations between $150 million and $3 trillion and employ a “Put Spread Collar” overlay strategy. Shareholders will be provided with sixty days’ notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in the particular type of investment suggested by its name.
The Fund uses a variety of quantitative techniques, in combination with a qualitative overlay, when selecting investments. The Fund may make investment decisions that deviate from those generated by the Investment Adviser’s proprietary models, at the discretion of the Investment Adviser. In addition, the Investment Adviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the Investment Adviser’s proprietary research.
The Fund constructs a Put Spread Collar by buying a put option on an index or ETF at a higher strike price and writing (or selling) a put option on the same index or ETF at a relatively lower strike price, resulting in what is known as a put option spread, while simultaneously selling a call option on that index or ETF. For this purpose, the Fund may also use options on futures referencing an index. The difference between strike prices in the put option spread is designed to provide the Fund with downside protection to the extent of the difference between the strike prices of the near-the-money put option bought and the out-of-the-money put option sold.
In addition to the use of the Put Spread Collar strategy described above, the Fund may use future contracts, primarily futures on indexes, options on futures, and total return swaps to more effectively gain targeted equity exposure from its cash positions and to hedge the Fund’s portfolio if it is unable to purchase or write the necessary options for its overlay strategy. Derivative positions may be listed or OTC and may or may not be centrally cleared.
As the seller of call options, the Fund will receive the premium from the purchaser. If the purchaser exercises the option, the Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the underlying asset and the exercise price of the option. Additionally, as the seller of put options, the Fund will also receive a premium from the purchaser. If the purchaser exercises the option, the Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the exercise price of the option and the price of the underlying asset. The premium, the exercise price and the market price of the underlying asset determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund as the seller of call and put options.
During periods in which the U.S. equity markets are generally unchanged or falling, a diversified portfolio with limited downside protection from its put spread collar strategy may outperform the same portfolio without such an options strategy. However, in strong rising markets where the aggregate appreciation of the underlying asset exceeds the exercise price of the short call, a portfolio with a put spread collar strategy could significantly underperform the same portfolio without these options.
The Fund’s investments in fixed income securities are limited to cash equivalents (including money market funds) and U.S. Treasury Securities.
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The Fund is an actively managed ETF, which is a fund that trades like other publicly-traded securities. The Fund is not an index fund and does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index.
The Fund may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, political or other conditions. For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its total assets in U.S. Government Securities, commercial paper rated at least A-2 by S&P, P-2 by Moody’s, or having a comparable credit rating by another NRSRO (or if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality), certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, repurchase agreements, non-convertible preferred stocks and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year, certain ETFs and other investment companies providing similar investment exposures and cash items. Cash items are not income-generating and, as a result, the Fund’s current yield may be adversely affected during periods when such positions are held. Cash positions may also subject the Fund to additional risks and costs, such as increased exposure to the custodian bank holding the assets and any fees imposed for large cash balances. When the Fund’s assets are invested in such instruments, the Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.
Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF
The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Net Assets in a portfolio of equity investments in small-cap issuers. Small-cap issuers will generally have public stock market capitalizations between $100 million and $8 billion. The Fund may also invest in securities outside of this capitalization range. Shareholders will be provided with sixty days’ notice in the manner prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) before any change in the Fund’s policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in the particular type of investment suggested by its name.
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, in companies that are considered by the Investment Adviser to be positioned for long-term growth. Although the Fund invests primarily in publicly traded U.S. securities, it may invest up to 25% of its Net Assets in foreign securities, including securities of issuers in emerging countries and securities quoted in foreign currencies. The Fund may also invest in companies that only recently began to trade publicly.
The Fund’s fundamental equity investment process involves evaluating potential investments based on specific characteristics believed to indicate a high-quality business with sustainable growth, including strong business franchises, favorable long-term prospects, and excellent management. The Investment Adviser will also consider valuation of companies when determining whether to buy and/or sell securities. The Investment Adviser may integrate ESG factors with traditional fundamental factors as part of its fundamental research process. No one factor or consideration is determinative in the stock selection process. The Investment Adviser may decide to sell a position for various reasons, including when a company’s fundamental outlook deteriorates, because of valuation and price considerations, for risk management purposes, or when a company is deemed to be misallocating capital or a company no longer fits within the Fund’s definition of a small-cap company.
Equity investments may include common stock, preferred stock, warrants and other rights to acquire stock, ADRs, EDRs, and GDRs, REITs, underlying funds (including ETFs), and futures, forwards, options and other instruments with similar economic exposures. The Fund may invest in underlying ETFs, ETPs and/or money market funds, including those that currently exist or that may become available for investment in the future for which the Investment Adviser or an affiliate now or in the future acts as investment adviser or principal underwriter.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Net Assets in fixed income securities, such as government, corporate and bank debt obligations.
The Fund’s benchmark index is the Russell 2000® Index (Total Return, USD).
THE FUND IS NON-DIVERSIFIED UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT, AND MAY INVEST A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF ITS ASSETS IN FEWER ISSUERS THAN DIVERSIFIED FUNDS.
The Fund is an actively managed ETF, which is a fund that trades like other publicly-traded securities. The Fund is not an index fund and does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index.
The Fund’s portfolio management team may integrate ESG factors alongside traditional fundamental factors as part of its fundamental research process to seek to assess overall business quality and valuation, as well as potential risks. Traditional fundamental factors that the Fund’s portfolio management team may consider include, but are not limited to, cash flows, balance sheet leverage, return on invested capital, industry dynamics, earnings quality and profitability. ESG factors that the Fund’s portfolio management team may consider include, but are not limited to, carbon intensity and emissions profiles, workplace health and safety, community impact, governance practices and stakeholder relations, employee relations, board structure, transparency and management incentives. The identification of a risk related to an ESG factor will not necessarily exclude a particular security or sector that, in the Fund’s portfolio management team’s view, is otherwise suitable and attractively priced for investment, and the Fund’s portfolio management team may invest in a security or sector without integrating ESG factors or considerations into its fundamental investment process. The relevance
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Investment Management Approach
of specific traditional fundamental factors and ESG factors to the fundamental investment process varies across asset classes, sectors and strategies. The Fund’s portfolio management team may utilize data sources provided by third-party vendors and/or engage directly with issuers when assessing the above factors.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE INNOVATE EQUITY ETF THEMES AND SUB-THEMES
The Data-Driven World Theme is separated into the following Sub-Themes.
Internet of Things Sub-Theme: refers to companies that enable the collection of consumer and industrial network-connected devices beyond traditional appliances.
Data Infrastructure Sub-Theme: refers to companies that produce the range of hardware components needed for transmission and storage of large quantities of data, such as routers and switches, wired and wireless transmission networks, and high-density storage.
Cybersecurity Sub-Theme: refers to companies offering products or services that ensure the integrity, confidentiality and availability of information.
Digital Enterprise Sub-Theme: refers to companies developing software technologies associated with the storage, processing and analytics of large-scale structured and unstructured data, or to companies enabling the ability of a machine to perform cognitive tasks typically associated with human brains, such as perception, reasoning, learning, interacting with the environment and problem solving.
The Finance Reimagined Theme is separated into the following Sub-Themes.
Asset Management Makeover Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from low cost, often passive investments such as ETFs and index funds, or high cost, often complex investments such as private equity and hedge funds.
Blockchain Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from the technology underlying distributed ledgers, applicable to payments, currencies and to other fields and industries that depend on a trusted intermediary.
Digitization of Finance Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from the impact of technological changes on the support and delivery of traditional financial services, such as payments, lending and insurance.
The Human Evolution Theme is separated into the following Sub-Themes.
Genomics Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from the study of genomes, including genome sequencing and bioinformatics, and its application to healthcare as genomic medicine and pharmacogenomics, including gene therapy, gene editing and the use of biomarkers.
Robotic Surgery Sub-Theme: refers to companies developing technology that enables minimally invasive surgery, as well as the use of miniaturized surgical instruments and robotic systems to assist in surgical procedures.
Digital Health Sub-Theme: refers to companies that enable the use of electronic data and software tools of analysis to assist in healthcare treatment and the development of drugs.
Human Evolution Theme Life Extension and Precision Medicine Sub-Theme: refers to companies developing medical treatments or techniques that are either physically precise, targeting a specific group or type of cells, or tailored to a group of patients, or companies developing medical products and services geared towards managing the health of an aging population.
The Manufacturing Revolution Theme is separated into the following Sub-Themes.
Robotics Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from the ability of a machine to perform physical tasks that previously either were not possible or required a human.
3D Printing Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from the additive process of manufacturing a three-dimensional object from a digital design.
Future Mobility Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from road vehicles, including automobiles and trucks that apply one or both of electrification and partially or fully autonomous driving capabilities.
Drones Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from the development of aerial, land or sea-based unmanned vehicles, either remotely operated or autonomous, used in military, consumer or industrial applications.
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Clean Energy Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from the development of renewable resources of energy, such as solar, wind and biofuel, as well as battery technology needed for the storage of intermittent power sources.
The New Age Consumer Theme is separated into the following Sub-Themes.
E-commerce Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from the purchase and delivery of goods and services over the internet.
Social Media Sub-Theme: refers to companies that offer online platforms that connect people and allow members to interact with one another.
Online Gaming Sub-Theme: refers to companies offering games that are either partially or primarily played through the internet, including video games and games that may have traditionally been delivered in person, such as betting.
Online Music and Video Sub-Theme: refers to companies offering the digital distribution of music or video.
Experiences over Goods Sub-Theme: refers to companies that may benefit from the demand for experiences, and the goods that relate to those experiences, relative to the demand for physical goods unrelated to those experiences.
Evolution of Education Sub-Theme: refers to companies delivering educational materials over the internet, such as interactive and non-interactive multimedia content, the streaming of lectures and the delivery of teaching and tutoring services online, and for-profit education services in emerging markets.
Health and Wellness Sub-Theme: refers to companies offering consumer health-related goods and services outside of traditional healthcare, for example relating to nutrition, exercise and health tracking.
OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES AND SECURITIES
Although the Funds’ principal investment strategies are described in the Funds’ Summary—Principal Investment Strategies and Investment Management Approach – Principal Investment Strategies sections of the Prospectus, the Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in securities and other instruments not included in its Index but which the Investment Adviser believes are correlated to its Index, as well as in, among other instruments, futures (including index futures), swaps, other derivatives, investment companies (including ETFs), preferred stocks, warrants and rights, cash and cash equivalents and money market instruments. In addition, the following tables identify some of the investment techniques that may (but are not required to) be used by the Funds in seeking to achieve their investment objective. The Funds may be subject to additional limitations on its investments not shown here. Numbers in these tables show allowable usage only; for actual usage, consult the Funds’ annual/semi-annual reports (when available). For more information about these and other investment practices and securities, see Appendix A. On each business day, before commencement of trading in Fund Shares on NYSE Arca or Cboe, the Funds will disclose on its website (http://www.gsamfunds.com) the identities and quantities of the portfolio securities and other assets held by the Funds that will form the basis for the Funds’ calculation of NAV at the end of the business day. In addition, a 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”).
50

Investment Management Approach
10Percent of total assets (including securities lending collateral) (italic
type)
10Percent of net assets (excluding borrowings for investment
purposes) (roman type)
•No specific percentage limitation on usage; limited only by the
objective and strategies of the Fund. The Fund may only invest up to
20% of its assets in securities and other instruments not included in its
underlying index.
Bloomberg Clean
Energy Equity ETF
Equal Weight U.S.
Large Cap
Equity ETF
Hedge Industry
VIP ETF
Innovate
Equity ETF
JUST U.S.
Large Cap
Equity ETF
North American
Pipelines & Power
Equity ETF
Defensive
Equity ETF
Small Cap
Core Equity ETF
Investment Practices
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Borrowings
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
Credit, Currency, Equity, Index, Interest Rate, Total Return
and Mortgage Swaps and Options on Swaps
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cross Hedging of Currencies
 
 
 
 
 
 
Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates
 
 
 
 
 
 
Derivatives, including futures, options and swaps
 
 
Direct Equity Investments
 
 
 
 
Equity Swaps
 
 
 
 
 
 
Foreign Currency Transactions (including forward
contracts)*
 
 
 
 
 
Futures
 
20
20
20
20
 
 
 
Futures Contracts and Options and Swaps on Futures
Contracts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Illiquid Investments**
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
Interest Rate Caps, Floors and Collars
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Investment Company Securities (including ETFs)***
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
Mortgage Dollar Rolls
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Options on Foreign Currencies1
 
 
 
 
 
 
Options on Futures2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Options on Securities and Securities Indices
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Options2
 
 
 
 
 
 
Preferred Stock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights
 
 
Repurchase Agreements
Reverse Repurchase Agreements (for investment purposes)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities Lending
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
33 13
Short Sales
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Short Sales Against the Box
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25
Unseasoned Companies
 
 
 
 
 
 
Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights
 
 
 
When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments
 
 
 
 
 
 
*
Limited by the amount the Fund may invest in foreign securities, if applicable.
**
Illiquid investments are any investments that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.
***
This percentage limitation does not apply to the Fund’s investments in other investment companies (including ETFs) where a higher percentage limitation is permitted under the Investment Company Act or rules, regulations or exemptive relief thereunder.
1
The Fund may purchase and sell call and put options on foreign currencies.
2
The Fund may sell call and put options and purchase call and put options on securities and securities indices in which they may invest.
51

10Percent of net assets (excluding borrowings for investment
purposes) (roman type)
•No specific percentage limitation on usage; limited only by the
objective and strategies of the Fund.
Bloomberg Clean
Energy Equity ETF
Equal Weight U.S.
Large Cap
Equity ETF
Hedge Industry
VIP ETF
Innovate
Equity ETF
JUST U.S.
Large Cap
Equity ETF
North American
Pipelines & Power
EquityETF
Defensive
Equity ETF
Small Cap
Core Equity ETF
Investment Securities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
American Depositary Receipts
 
 
 
 
 
 
American, European, and Global Depositary Receipts
 
 
 
 
 
 
Asset-Backed and Mortgage-Backed Securities1
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bank Obligations1
 
 
 
 
 
 
20
Commodity-Linked Derivative Instruments3
 
 
 
 
 
 
Convertible Securities4
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate Debt Obligations1
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate Debt Obligations and Trust Preferred Securities
 
 
 
 
 
 
20
 
Emerging Country Securities2
 
 
 
 
25
Equity Investments
80+
80+
Fixed Income Securities
 
 
 
 
 
 
20
20
Foreign Government Securities1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Foreign Securities2
 
 
Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25
Master Limited Partnerships
 
 
 
 
 
 
Municipal Securities1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Non-Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities5
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pre-IPO Investments (including late-stage private equity
securities)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20
Preferred Stock, Warrants, and Stock Purchase Rights
 
 
Private Investments in Public Equity (“PIPEs”)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPACs”)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Structured Securities (which may include equity-linked
notes)6
 
 
 
 
 
Subsidiary Shares
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Temporary Investments
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S. Government Securities1
 
 
 
 
 
Yield Curve Options and Inverse Floating Rate Securities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
Limited by the amount the Fund invests in fixed income securities, if applicable.
2
Limited by the amount the Fund may invest in foreign securities, if applicable.
3
The Fund may invest in commodity-linked derivative instruments only to the extent permissible under applicable law then in effect or in reliance upon a private letter ruling from the IRS or an opinion of counsel, or other applicable guidance or relief provided by the IRS or other agencies.
4
Convertible securities purchased by the Fund use the same rating criteria for convertible and non-convertible debt securities.
5
May be BB+ or lower by S&P Global Ratings or Ba1 or lower by Moody’s or have a comparable credit rating by another NRSRO at the time of investment.
6
Structured securities are not subject to the same minimum credit quality requirements as the Fund’s investments in fixed income securities.
52

Risks of the Fund
Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund (which, for the remainder of this Prospectus, refers to one or more of the Funds offered in this Prospectus). An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other governmental agency. The principal risks of the Fund are discussed in the Summary section of the Prospectus. The following section provides additional information on the risks that apply to the Fund, which may result in a loss of your investment. The risks applicable to the Fund are presented below in alphabetical order, and not in the order of importance or potential exposure. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. With respect to the Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF, the Fund may be more volatile and/or underperform relative to broad stock market indices. The Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF is not intended to provide exposure to the entire investment portfolio, including any short positions, of any hedge fund manager, hedge fund or group of hedge funds or to the investment techniques or strategies employed by hedge fund managers. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Investments in the Fund involve substantial risks which prospective investors should consider carefully before investing.
The Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF are each an actively managed ETF, which is a fund that trades like other publicly-traded securities. These Fund are not an index fund and does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index.

Goldman Sachs (as defined herein) and its affiliates advise accounts and funds which have investment objectives, investment strategies and/or policies similar to those of the Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF, and such accounts and funds will have portfolio holdings that overlap with the Fund. Due to differences in tax management considerations and implementation techniques, trades of the Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF's portfolio are generally executed after those of such accounts and funds. As a result, the Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF's investment results may be higher or lower, and potentially significantly lower, than those of such accounts and funds.
53

✓Principal Risk
•Additional Risk
Bloomberg Clean
Energy
Equity ETF
Equal Weight
U.S. Large Cap
Equity ETF
Hedge Industry
VIP ETF
Innovate
Equity ETF
JUST U.S.
Large Cap
Equity ETF
North American
Pipelines & Power
Equity ETF
Defensive
Equity ETF
Small Cap
Core Equity ETF
Absence of Active Market Risk
Asian Investment Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk
Calculation Methodology Risk
 
 
Clean Energy Sector Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Commodity Sector Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Counterparty Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Credit/Default Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cybersecurity Risk
Depositary Receipts Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Derivatives Risk
Emerging Countries Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Energy Sector Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ESG Integration
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
European Investment Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Expenses Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Financial Services Industry Group Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Foreign Risk
 
 
Foreign Custody Risk
 
 
 
Form Filings and Public Data Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Geographic Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Index Risk
 
 
Industry Concentration Risk
 
 
Infrastructure Company Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest Rate Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Just” Investing Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Investment Style Risk
 
 
 
Large Shareholder Risk
Liquidity Risk
Management Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Market Risk
Market Trading Risk
Master Limited Partnership Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Risk
 
 
 
Non-Diversification Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Non-Investment Grade Fixed Income Investments Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Options Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PIPEs Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pre-IPO Investments Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REIT Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Secondary Listing Risk
Seed Investor Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Small-Cap Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SPACs Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stock Risk
Swaps Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tax Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Technology Industry Group Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thematic Investing Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tracking Error Risk
 
 
Trading Issues Risk
 
U.S. Government Securities Risk
 
 
 
 
Valuation Risk
54

Risks of the Fund
Absence of Active Market Risk—There can be no assurance that active trading markets for the Shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or authorized participants, and there are no obligations of market makers to make a market in the Fund’s Shares or of authorized participants to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. ALPS Distributors, Inc., the distributor of the Shares (the “Distributor”), does not maintain a secondary market in the Shares.
Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the trading price of Fund Shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. Decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or “step away” from market making or creation/redemption activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying value of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intraday bid/ask spreads for Shares. Market makers and authorized participants may be less willing to create or redeem Fund Shares if there is a lack of an active market for the Shares or its underlying investments, which may also contribute to the Fund’s Shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV.
Asian Investment Risk—Investing in certain Asian issuers may involve a higher degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in issuers from more established economies or securities markets. Many Asian countries can be characterized as either developing or newly industrialized economies and tend to experience more volatile economic cycles than developed countries. Some countries in the region have in the past experienced currency devaluations that resulted in high interest rate levels, sharp reductions in economic activity and significant drops in securities prices. Some countries in the region have in the past imposed restrictions on converting local currency which prevented foreign firms from selling assets and repatriating funds. Many countries in the region have historically encountered political uncertainty, corruption, military intervention, social unrest and regional armed conflict. Examples include territorial disputes with China, ethnic and sectarian violence in Indonesia and India, armed conflict between India and Pakistan and between North Korea and South Korea, and insurgencies in the Philippines.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk—Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as authorized participants. None of those authorized participants is obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that those authorized participants exit the business or are unable to or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create and redeem Shares, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for Shares. As a result, Shares may trade at a discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or de-listing.
Calculation Methodology Risk—An index (the “Index”) relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index(or the applicable reference index), including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund,  the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the  Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.
Clean Energy Sector Risk—The Fund concentrates its investments in the clean energy group of industries to the extent the Index is concentrated in such group of industries, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, business, social, political, environmental, regulatory or other developments affecting that group of industries. Clean energy companies may be more volatile than companies operating in more established industries. Certain valuation methods used to value clean energy companies have not been in widespread use for a significant period of time and may further increase the volatility of certain clean energy company share prices. Clean energy companies and other companies operating in the clean energy group of industries are subject to specific risks, including, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices and/or interest rates; changes in governmental or environmental regulation; reduced availability of clean energy sources or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; slowdowns in new construction; seasonal weather conditions, extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on certain clean energy assets. Clean energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, particular energy products, which may result in overproduction or underproduction. Additionally, changes in the regulatory environment for clean energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. Obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants and general economic conditions can significantly affect companies in the clean energy group of industries. Certain investments may be dependent on U.S. and foreign government policies, including tax incentives and subsidies. Adhering to the clean energy company criteria and applying the Investment Adviser’s supplemental clean energy analysis may also affect the Fund’s performance relative to other energy sector-focused funds that do not adhere to such criteria or apply such analysis.
Because many clean energy infrastructure companies enter into long-term contracts for energy off-put, if their counterparties experience economic stress, there could be subsequent concerns regarding such long-term contracts. In addition, worsening or extreme weather conditions, such as droughts, severe storms, and floods, could lead to lower utilization of clean energy assets than anticipated at the signing of long-term contracts. Further, as increased capital enters the renewable energy space, combined with
55

decreasing costs, there may be pressure on power pricing, which in turn could result in lower rates of returns on certain projects. The clean energy sector can also be significantly affected by changes in the prices and supplies of other energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, tax and other government regulations.
Certain factors may result negatively contribute to the growth of the clean energy group of industries, including changes in government policy to no longer focus on clean energy could result in reduced capital investment in the sector. In addition, long-term clean energy infrastructure growth is largely dependent on battery storage technology, which today is insufficient to meet long-term policy goals. Moreover, due to the volume of clean energy infrastructure needed to meet such policy goals, construction slowdowns or the inability to construct projects on time could result in reduced growth for the clean energy group of industries.
Commodity Sector Risk—Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in more traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or sectors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, business, political and regulatory developments. The prices of energy, industrial metals, precious metals, agriculture and livestock sector commodities may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies. The energy sector can be significantly affected by changes in the prices and supplies of oil and other energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, and tax and other government regulations, policies of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and relationships among OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations. The metals sector can be affected by sharp price volatility over short periods caused by global economic, financial and political factors, resource availability, government regulation, economic cycles, changes in inflation or expectations about inflation in various countries, interest rates, currency fluctuations, metal sales by governments, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation and fluctuations in industrial and commercial supply and demand. Commodity-linked investments are often offered by companies in the financial services sector, including the banking, brokerage and insurance sectors. As a result, events affecting issuers in the financial services sector may cause the Fund’s share value to fluctuate. Although investments in commodities typically move in different directions than traditional equity and debt securities, when the value of those traditional securities is declining due to adverse economic conditions, there is no guarantee that these investments will perform in that manner, and at certain times the price movements of commodity-linked investments have been parallel to those of debt and equity securities.
Counterparty Risk—Many of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security afforded by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with certain OTC transactions. Therefore, in those instances in which the Fund enters into certain OTC transactions, the Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparty will not perform its obligations under the transactions and that the Fund will sustain losses. However, recent regulatory developments require margin on certain uncleared OTC transactions which may reduce, but not eliminate, this risk.
Credit/Default Risk—An issuer or guarantor of fixed income securities or instruments held by the Fund may default on its obligation to pay interest and repay principal or default on any other obligation. The credit quality of the Fund’s portfolio securities or instruments may meet the Fund’s credit quality requirements at the time of purchase but then deteriorate thereafter, and such a deterioration can occur rapidly. In certain instances, the downgrading or default of a single holding or guarantor of the Fund’s holdings may impair the Fund’s liquidity and have the potential to cause significant NAV deterioration. These risks are heightened in market environments where interest rates are rising as well as in connection with the Fund's investments in non-investment grade fixed income securities.
Cybersecurity Risk—The Fund may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among others, stealing or corrupting confidential information and other data that is maintained online or digitally for financial gain, denial-of-service attacks on websites causing operational disruption, and the unauthorized release of confidential information and other data. Cyber-attacks have the ability to cause significant disruptions and impact business operations; to result in financial losses; to prevent shareholders from transacting business; to interfere with the Fund’s calculation of NAV; and to lead to violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs and/or additional compliance costs. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund or its Investment Adviser, custodian, Transfer Agent, or other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders.
Depositary Receipts Risk—Foreign securities may trade in the form of depositary receipts, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and Taiwanese Depositary Receipts (“TDRs”) (collectively “Depositary Receipts”). To the extent the Fund acquires Depositary Receipts through banks which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there may be an increased possibility that the Fund would not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary
56

Risks of the Fund
Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted. The Fund will not invest in any Depositary Receipts that the Investment Adviser deems to be illiquid or for which pricing information is not readily available.The issuers of Depositary Receipts may discontinue issuing new Depositary Receipts and withdraw existing Depositary Receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance.
Derivatives Risk—The Fund’s use of derivatives and other similar instruments (collectively referred to in this paragraph as “derivatives”) may result in losses, including due to adverse market movements. Derivatives, which may pose risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, currencies or other assets and instruments, may increase market exposure and be illiquid or less liquid, volatile, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of the underlying assets or instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Fund. Certain derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill, or lacks the capacity or authority to fulfill, its contractual obligations, liquidity risk, which includes the risk that the Fund will not be able to close its derivatives position when it is advantageous to do so, and risks arising from margin requirements, which include the risk that the Fund will be required to pay additional margin or set aside additional collateral to maintain open derivative positions.
The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with investments in more traditional securities and instruments, and there is no guarantee that the use of derivatives will achieve their intended result. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of the timing or level of fluctuation in securities prices, interest rates, currency prices or other variables, the use of derivatives could result in losses, which in some cases may be significant. A lack of correlation between changes in the value of derivatives and the value of the portfolio assets (if any) being hedged could also result in losses. In addition, there is a risk that the performance of the derivatives or other instruments used by the Investment Adviser to replicate the performance of a particular asset class may not accurately track the performance of that asset class. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by shareholders.
The use of derivatives is also subject to operational and legal risks. Operational risks generally refer to risks related to potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, system failures, inadequate controls, and human error. Legal risks generally refer to risks of loss resulting from insufficient documentation or legality or enforceability of a contract.
Many of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security afforded by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions. Therefore, in those instances in which the Fund enters into OTC transactions, the Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparty will not perform its obligations under the transactions and that the Fund will sustain losses.
Emerging Countries Risk—Investments in securities of issuers located in, or otherwise economically tied to, emerging countries are subject to the risks associated with investments in foreign securities. The securities markets of most emerging countries are less liquid, developed and efficient, are subject to greater price volatility, and have smaller market capitalizations. In addition, emerging markets and frontier countries may have more or less government regulation and generally do not impose as extensive and frequent accounting, auditing, financial and other reporting requirements as the securities markets of more developed countries. As a result, there could be less information available about issuers in emerging and frontier market countries, which could negatively affect the Investment Adviser’s ability to evaluate local companies or their potential impact on the Fund’s performance. Further, investments in securities of issuers located in certain emerging countries involve the risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, substantial economic, political and social disruptions and the imposition of sanctions or exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions). The legal remedies for investors in emerging and frontier markets may be more limited than the remedies available in the U.S., and the ability of U.S. authorities (e.g., SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice) to bring actions against bad actors may be limited. These risks are not normally associated with investments in more developed countries. These risks may be greater for frontier markets. For more information about these risks, see Appendix A.
Energy Sector Risk—The Fund concentrates its investments in the energy sector, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, business, social, political, environmental, regulatory or other occurrences affecting that sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. At times, the performance of these investments may lag the performance of other sectors or the market as a whole. MLPs, energy infrastructure companies and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices and/or interest rates; increased governmental or environmental regulation; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; declines in domestic or foreign production; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, particular energy products (such as oil and natural gas), which may result in overproduction or underproduction. Additionally, changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies.
57

During periods of heightened volatility, energy producers that are burdened with debt may seek bankruptcy relief. Bankruptcy laws may permit the revocation or renegotiation of contracts between energy producers and MLPs/energy infrastructure companies, which could have a dramatic impact on the ability of MLPs/energy infrastructure companies to pay distributions to their investors, including the Fund, which in turn could impact the ability of the Fund to pay dividends and dramatically impact the value of such Fund’s investments.
MLPs may incur environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle. Changes in existing laws, regulations or enforcement policies governing the energy sector could significantly increase the compliance costs of MLPs. Certain MLPs could, from time to time, be held responsible for implementing remediation measures, the cost of which may not be recoverable from insurance. The Fund will select its investments in MLPs from the current small pool of issuers. Demand for investment opportunities in MLPs that operate energy-related businesses may exceed supply, which could make it difficult to operate the Fund.
ESG Integration Risk—The Investment Adviser employs a fundamental investment process that may integrate ESG factors with traditional fundamental factors. The relevance and weightings of specific ESG factors to or within the fundamental investment process varies across asset classes, sectors and strategies and no one factor or consideration is determinative. When integrating ESG factors into the investment process, the Investment Adviser may rely on third-party data that it believes to be reliable, but it does not guarantee the accuracy of such third-party data. ESG information from third-party data providers may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, which may adversely impact the investment process. Moreover, ESG information, whether from an external and/or internal source, is, by nature and in many instances, based on a qualitative and subjective assessment. An element of subjectivity and discretion is therefore inherent to the interpretation and use of ESG data. The process for conducting ESG assessments and implementation of ESG views in client/fund portfolios, including the format and content of such analysis and the tools and/or data used to perform such analysis, may also vary among the Investment Adviser’s portfolio management teams. While the Investment Adviser believes that the integration of material ESG factors into the Fund’s investment process has the potential to identify financial risks and contribute to the Fund’s long-term performance, ESG factors may not be considered for each and every investment decision, and there is no guarantee that the integration of ESG factors will result in better performance. Investors can differ in their views of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics. Moreover, the current lack of common standards may result in different approaches to integrating ESG factors. As a result, the Fund may invest in companies that do not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor. The Investment Adviser’s approach to ESG integration may evolve and develop over time, both due to a refinement of investment decision-making processes to address ESG factors and risks, and because of legal and regulatory developments.
European Investment Risk—Adverse regulatory, economic and political events in Europe may cause the Fund’s investments to decline in value. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have significant operations in, member countries of the European Union (“EU”) that are subject to economic and monetary controls that can adversely affect the Fund’s investments. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years and these events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (“UK”) withdrew from the EU (commonly known as “Brexit”), which has resulted in ongoing market volatility and caused additional market disruption on a global basis. The UK and the EU signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”), which is an agreement on the terms governing certain aspects of the EU’s and UK’s relationship post Brexit. However, under the TCA, many aspects of the UK-EU relationship remain subject to further negotiation. Although the full effects of Brexit are unknown at this time, Brexit may continue to result in fluctuations of exchange rates, increased illiquidity, inflation, and changes in legal and regulatory regimes to which certain of the Fund’s assets are subject. These and other effects of Brexit could negatively impact the value of the Fund’s investments.
Expenses Risk—By investing in pooled investment vehicles (including ETFs) indirectly through the Fund, the investor will incur not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the other pooled investment vehicles held by the Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also expenses of the Fund.
Financial Services Industry Group Risk—An adverse development in the financial services industry group, including U.S. and foreign banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies, finance companies (e.g., automobile finance) and related asset-backed securities, may affect the value of the Fund's investments more than if the Fund were not invested to such a degree in this industry group. Companies in the financial services industry group may be particularly susceptible to certain economic factors such as interest rate changes, fiscal, regulatory and monetary policy and general economic cycles. For example, deteriorating economic and business conditions can disproportionately impact companies in the financial services industry group due to increased defaults on payments by borrowers. Moreover, political and regulatory changes can affect the operations and financial results of companies in the financial services industry group, potentially imposing additional costs and expenses or restricting the types of business activities of these companies.
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Risks of the Fund
Foreign Risk—When the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to risk of loss not typically associated with U.S. issuers. Loss may result because of more or less foreign government regulation; less public information; less stringent investor protections; less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards; less liquid, developed or efficient trading markets; greater volatility; and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund invests. Loss may also result from, among other things, deteriorating economic and business conditions in other countries, including the United States, regional and global conflicts, the imposition of sanctions, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), foreign taxes, confiscation of assets and property, trade restrictions (including tariffs), expropriations and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, higher transaction costs, difficulty enforcing contractual obligations or from problems in share registration, settlement or custody. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict. These types of measures may include, but are not limited to, banning a sanctioned country from global payment systems that facilitate cross-border payments, restricting the settlement of securities transactions by certain investors, and freezing the assets of particular countries, entities, or persons. The imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, cause a decline in the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country, downgrades in the credit ratings of the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country, devaluation of the sanctioned country’s currency, and increased market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and performance. The Fund or the Investment Adviser may determine not to invest in, or may limit its overall investment in, a particular issuer, country or geographic region due to, among other things, heightened risks regarding sanctions, repatriation restrictions, confiscation of assets and property, expropriation or nationalization. Such actions may increase the Fund’s tracking error relative to its Index. Geopolitical developments in certain countries in which the Fund may invest have caused, or may in the future cause, significant volatility in financial markets. For example, Brexit has resulted in ongoing market volatility and caused additional market disruption on a global basis. The UK and the EU signed the TCA, which is an agreement on the terms governing certain aspects of the EU's and UK's relationship post Brexit. However, under the TCA, many aspects of the EU-UK relationship remain subject to further negotiation. Although the full effects of Brexit are unknown at this time, Brexit may continue to result in fluctuations of exchange rates, increased illiquidity, inflation, and changes in legal and regulatory regimes to which certain of the Fund’s assets are subject. These and other geopolitical developments, including ongoing regional armed conflict in Europe, could negatively impact the value of the Fund’s investments.
The Fund or the Investment Adviser may determine not to invest in, or may limit its overall investment in, a particular issuer, country or geographic region due to, among other things, heightened risks regarding sanctions, repatriation restrictions, confiscation of assets and property, expropriation or nationalization. Such actions may increase the Fund’s (except the Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF) tracking error relative to its Index. In addition, the Fund's investments in foreign securities may also be subject to foreign currency risk, as described above, the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund may have exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value.  Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.  Foreign risks will normally be greatest when the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in emerging countries. For more information about these risks, see Appendix A.
Foreign Custody Risk—The Fund may hold foreign securities and cash with foreign banks, agents, and securities depositories appointed by the Fund’s custodian (each a “Foreign Custodian”). Some Foreign Custodians may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In some countries, Foreign Custodians may be subject to little or no regulatory oversight over or independent evaluation of their operations. Further, the laws of certain countries may place limitations on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a Foreign Custodian enters bankruptcy. Investments in emerging markets may be subject to even greater custody risks than investments in more developed markets. Custody services in emerging countries are very often under-developed and may be considerably less well regulated than in more developed countries, and thus may not afford the same level of investor protection as would apply in developed countries.
Form Filings and Public Data Risk—The public filings (including Form 13F filings) used in the construction of the Index, which disclose holdings as of the end of each calendar quarter, are filed up to 45 days after the end of the calendar quarter, rendering certain information stale. Accordingly, a given investor may have already exited positions disclosed on a form by the time the filing is available to the Fund. Further, Form 13F filings may only disclose a subset of a particular investor’s holdings, as not all securities are required to be reported. As a result, a Form 13F may not provide a complete picture of the holdings of a given investor. Because Form 13F filings are publicly available, it is possible that other investors are also monitoring these filings and investing accordingly, which could result in inflation of the share price of securities included in the Index.
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Geographic Risk—If the Fund focuses its investments in securities of issuers located in a particular country or geographic region, it will subject the Fund, to a greater extent than if its investments were less focused, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that country or region, such as: adverse securities markets; adverse exchange rates; adverse social, political, regulatory, economic, business, environmental or other developments; or natural disasters.
Index Risk—The Fund will be negatively affected by general declines in the securities and asset classes represented in the Index. In addition, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Index. The Fund also does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Neither the Fund, the Investment Adviser nor the Index Provider guarantee the accuracy, availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. The Index Provider may utilize third party data in constructing the Index, but it does not guarantee the quality, accuracy or availability of such third party data. Errors in index data, index computation or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders.  For example, during a period where an Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Index’s other constituents.  Unusual market conditions may also cause the Index Provider to modify, postpone or cancel a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. The modification, postponement, or cancellation of a scheduled rebalance could mean that Index constituents that would otherwise be removed at a rebalance due to changes in market capitalizations, issuer credit ratings, or other reasons in accordance with the Index's methodology may remain in the Index and the Fund, causing the performance and constituents of the Index and the Fund to vary from those expected under normal conditions.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When an Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and its Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing may be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider or its agents to the Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund. In addition, any gains from errors by the Index Provider will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from errors by the Index Provider will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Industry Concentration Risk—In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group of industries.
The risks generally associated with the sectors in which a Fund is or is expected to be concentrated are further described below.
Communication Services Sector Risk—Companies in the communication services sector may be subject to the risks of industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulations and obsolescence of communications products and services due to rapidly-changing technological landscape.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk—Companies engaged in the consumer discretionary sector are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be adversely affected by changes in consumer spending trends as a result of world events, political and economic conditions, volatility in commodity price, fluctuations in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relation issues.
Financials Sector Risk—Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive government regulations that affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge for products and services, and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financials sector may be particularly susceptible to changes in interest rates, increased default risk during economic downturns, and credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector has undergone, and may continue to undergo, changes, including continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, increased government involvement in the financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could adversely affect a Fund’s investments in financial institutions.
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Risks of the Fund
Health Care Sector Risk—Companies in the health care sector may be affected by extensive government regulations, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection and are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims.
Information Technology Sector Risk—Companies in the information technology sector face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may adversely affect their performance. Information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent protection and the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Industrials Sector Risk—Companies in the industrials sector maybe adversely affected by changes in government regulations, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Infrastructure Company Risk—Infrastructure companies are susceptible to various factors that may negatively impact their businesses or operations, including costs associated with compliance with and changes in environmental, governmental and other regulations, rising interest costs in connection with capital construction and improvement programs, government budgetary constraints that impact publicly funded projects, the effects of general economic conditions throughout the world, surplus capacity and depletion concerns, increased competition from other providers of services, uncertainties regarding the availability of fuel and other natural resources at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation policies, unfavorable tax laws or accounting policies and high leverage.
Infrastructure companies will also be affected by innovations in technology that could render the way in which a company delivers a product or service obsolete, significant changes to the number of ultimate end-users of a company’s products, inexperience with and potential losses resulting from a developing deregulatory environment, increased susceptibility to terrorist attacks and natural or man-made disasters and other natural risks (including earthquakes, floods, lightning, hurricanes, tsunamis and wind). Infrastructure companies also face operating risks, including the risk of fire, explosions, leaks, mining and drilling accidents or other catastrophic events.
Initial Public Offering Risk—The Fund may invest in shares issued in an IPO. The market value of shares issued in an IPO will fluctuate considerably due to factors such as the absence of a prior public market, unseasoned trading, the small number of shares available for trading and limited information about a company’s business model, quality of management, earnings growth potential and other criteria used to evaluate its investment prospects. The purchase of IPO shares may involve high transaction costs. Investments in IPO shares, which are subject to market risk and liquidity risk, involve greater risks than investments in shares of companies that have traded publicly on an exchange for extended periods of time. When a Fund’s asset base is small, a significant portion of the Fund’s performance could be attributable to investments in IPOs, because such investments would have a magnified impact on the Fund. As a Fund’s assets grow, the effect of the Fund’s investments in IPOs on the Fund’s performance probably will decline, which could reduce the Fund’s performance.
Interest Rate Risk—When interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by the Fund (which may include inflation protected securities) will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments. A wide variety of market factors can cause interest rates to rise, including central bank monetary policy, rising inflation and changes in general economic conditions. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates and/or volatility. In addition, changes in monetary policy may exacerbate the risks associated with changing interest rates. Funds with longer average portfolio durations will generally be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than funds with a shorter average portfolio duration. Fluctuations in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of fixed income securities and instruments held by the Fund.
It is difficult to predict the magnitude, timing or direction of interest rate changes and the impact these changes will have on the markets in which the Fund invests.
“Just” Investing Risk—The JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index (the “JUST Index”) is intended to provide exposure to the large cap U.S. equity markets on the basis of “just business behavior,” which limits the issuers included in the JUST Index. As a result, the JUST Index may be more volatile than a more conventional index. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles. In construction of the JUST Index, the methodology may weigh certain characteristics of “just business behavior” of an issuer more heavily than the issuer’s performance or returns, which may result in underperformance. There is no guarantee that the construction methodology of the JUST Index will accurately provide exposure to companies that engage in “just business behavior.”
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Investment Style Risk—The Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF's Index is intended to provide exposure to the large cap U.S. equity markets on an equal-weighted basis, and as a result the Index may be more volatile than a more conventional index. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
The Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF's Index is intended to provide exposure to equity securities whose performance is expected to influence the long portfolios of hedge funds, and as a result the Index may be more volatile and/or underperform relative to a more broad-based conventional index. The Index is not intended to provide exposure to the entire investment portfolio of any hedge fund.

 The Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF’s Index is intended to provide exposure to equity securities of North American energy infrastructure companies, and as a result the Index may be more volatile than a more broadly based conventional index. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.

 Different investment styles (e.g., “growth,” “value” or “quantitative”) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions and investor sentiment. The Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF employ a “quantitative” style, and each Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles.
Large Shareholder Risk—Certain large shareholders, including other funds advised by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, a third party investor, the Investment Adviser or an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity (i.e., a seed investor) may invest in the Fund and hold its investment solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. Any such investment may be held for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment. Dispositions of a large number of Shares by these shareholders, which may occur rapidly or unexpectedly, may adversely affect the Fund’s liquidity and net assets to the extent such transactions are executed directly with the Fund in the form of redemptions through an authorized participant, rather than executed in the secondary market. To the extent effected in cash, these redemptions may also force the Fund to sell portfolio securities when it might not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund’s NAV and increase the Fund’s brokerage costs. Such cash redemptions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders, which could make investments in Shares less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that is able to effect redemptions in-kind. Similarly, large Fund share purchases through an authorized participant may adversely affect the performance of the Fund to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash or otherwise maintains a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. To the extent these large shareholders transact in Shares on the secondary market, such transactions may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on NYSE Arca or Cboe and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Shares.
Liquidity Risk—The Fund may invest in securities or instruments that trade in lower volumes, that are less liquid than other investments and/or that may become illiquid or less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. When there is no willing buyer and investments cannot be readily sold at the desired time or price, the Fund may have to accept a lower price or may not be able to sell the security or instrument at all. An inability to sell one or more portfolio positions can adversely affect the Fund’s value.
Illiquidity can be caused by a drop in overall market trading volume, an inability to find a willing buyer, or legal restrictions on the securities’ resale. To the extent the Fund engages in cash redemptions, then liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period or without significant dilution to remaining investors’ interests because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, a redemption request by a large shareholder (such as a seed investor) or other reasons. If the Fund is forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions, such sales may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV and dilute remaining investors’ interests.

 Because the Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF may invest in non-investment grade fixed income securities and emerging country issuers, the Fund may be especially subject to the risk that during certain periods, the liquidity of particular issuers or industries, or all securities within a particular investment category, may shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse economic, market or political events (including periods of rapid interest rate changes), or adverse investor perceptions, whether or not accurate.
Management Risk—A strategy used by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results.
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Risks of the Fund
Market Risk—The value of the securities in which the Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world. Price changes may be temporary or last for extended periods. The Fund's investments may be overweighted from time to time in one or more sectors  or countries, which will increase the Fund's exposure to risk of loss from adverse developments affecting those sectors  or countries.
Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Furthermore, local, regional and global events such as war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, sanctions, the spread of infectious illness or other public health threats could also adversely impact issuers, markets and economies, including in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. The Fund could be negatively impacted if the value of a portfolio holding were harmed by such political or economic conditions or events. In addition, governmental and quasi-governmental organizations have taken a number of unprecedented actions designed to support the markets. Such conditions, events and actions may result in greater market risk.
Market Trading Risk—The NAV of the Fund and the value of your investment may fluctuate. Market prices of Shares may fluctuate, in some cases significantly, in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay more for, or receive less than, the underlying value of the Shares, respectively. The Investment Adviser cannot predict whether 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 Fund's Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s Shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund’s NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances, perception of unreliability of disclosed NAV, and other factors. Any of these factors, among others, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV, which will be reflected in the intraday bid/ask spreads and/or the closing price of Shares as compared to NAV.  During such periods, you may be unable to sell your Shares or may incur significant losses if you sell your Shares.  Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
An investor that buys or sells Shares through a broker will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charge imposed by the broker. In addition, the market price of Shares, like other exchange-traded securities, includes a “bid-ask spread” (the difference between the price at which investors are willing to buy Shares and the price at which investors are willing to sell Shares). The bid-ask spread will vary over time based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity and may increase as a result of a decrease in the Fund’s trading volume, the spread of the Fund’s underlying securities, or market liquidity. The bid-ask spread may increase significantly in times of market disruption, meaning that Shares may trade at a discount to the Fund’s NAV and that discount is likely to be greatest during significant market volatility.  During such periods, you may be unable to sell your Shares or may incur significant losses if you sell your Shares.
Shares of the Fund, like other publicly-traded securities, may be sold short. Shares are therefore subject to the risk of price decreases and increased volatility associated with being sold short.
Master Limited Partnership Risk—Investments in securities of an MLP involve risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP’s general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partner’s right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price, resulting from regulatory changes or other reasons. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations. Accordingly, those MLPs may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Investment in those MLPs may restrict the Fund’s ability to take advantage of other investment opportunities. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns.
Individuals and certain other noncorporate entities are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to taxable income from MLPs through 2025. Currently, there is not a regulatory mechanism for regulated investment companies such as the Funds to pass through the 20% deduction to shareholders. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in MLPs would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction for such taxable income from these investments while investors investing in MLPs held indirectly if any through the Funds would not be eligible for the 20% deduction for their share of such taxable income.
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Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Risk—The securities of mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Both mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies often have narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio. Generally, the smaller the company size, the greater these risks become.
Non-Diversification Risk—The Fund is non-diversified, meaning that  it is  permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in one or more issuers or in fewer issuers than diversified funds. Thus, the  Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in  its portfolio , and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
Non-Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities Risk—Non-investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”) are considered speculative and are subject to the increased risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific issuer developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less liquidity.
Options RiskWriting (selling) call options limits the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of stocks in exchange for up-front cash (the premium) at the time of selling the call options. Writing (selling) put options may obligate the Fund to buy a stock at a price that exceeds its market value. In addition, the Fund risks losing all or part of the cash (the premium) paid for purchasing put options. The Fund’s options-based overlay strategy may not fully protect it against market declines because the Fund will continue to bear the risk of a decline in the value of its portfolio securities. Creations and redemptions of shares could impact the results of the Fund’s options-based overlay strategy.  Furthermore, unusual market conditions or the lack of a ready market for any particular option at a particular time may reduce the effectiveness of the Fund’s options-based overlay strategy.
Private Investments in Public Equities Risk—The Fund may purchase equity securities in a private placement that are issued by issuers who have outstanding, publicly-traded equity securities of the same class (“private investments in public equity” or “PIPEs”). Shares in PIPEs generally are not registered with the SEC until after a certain time period from the date the private sale is completed. This restricted period can last many months. Until the public registration process is completed, PIPEs are restricted as to resale and the Fund cannot freely trade the securities. Generally, such restrictions cause the PIPEs to be illiquid during this time. PIPEs may contain provisions that the issuer will pay specified financial penalties to the holder if the issuer does not publicly register the restricted equity securities within a specified period of time, but there is no assurance that the restricted equity securities will be publicly registered, or that the registration will remain in effect.
Portfolio Turnover Rate Risk—The Fund may engage in frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its principal investment strategy. A high rate of portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses borne by the Fund and its shareholders, and may also result in short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders, but this risk is expected to be mitigated by in-kind redemptions.
Pre-IPO Investments Risk—The Fund may invest in privately held companies, including companies that may issue shares in IPOs. Investments in pre-IPO shares involve greater risks than investments in shares of companies that have traded publicly on an exchange for extended periods of time. Investments in these companies are less liquid and difficult to value, and there is significantly less information available about these companies’ business models, quality of management, earnings growth potential, and other criteria used to evaluate their investment prospects. Although there is a potential the pre-IPO shares that the Fund buys may increase in value if the company does issue shares in an IPO, IPOs are risky and volatile and may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decrease significantly. Moreover, because pre-IPO shares are generally not freely or publicly tradeable, the Fund may not have access to purchase or the ability to sell these shares in the amounts or at the prices the Fund desires. The companies that the Fund anticipates holding successful IPOs may not ever issue shares in an IPO and a liquid market for their shares may never develop, which may negatively affect the price at which the Fund can sell these shares and make it more difficult to sell these shares, which could also adversely affect the Fund’s liquidity.
REIT Risk— Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. REITs whose underlying properties are concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region are also subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. The securities of REITs involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements because of interest rate changes, economic conditions and other factors. For example, the value of these securities may decline when interest rates rise and will also be affected by the real estate market and by the management or development of the underlying properties. The underlying properties may be subject to mortgage loans, which may also be subject to the risks of default.  REITs may also fail to qualify for tax free pass-through of income or may fail to maintain their exemptions from investment company registration.  Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable  the Fund  to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price.
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Risks of the Fund
Secondary Listing Risk—The Fund’s Shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund’s primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s Shares will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s Shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund’s Shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade Fund Shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient. Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market outside of the trading hours of the Fund’s primary exchange. At such times, Shares may trade with more significant premiums or discounts than might be experienced otherwise.
Seed Investor Risk—GSAM and/or its affiliates may make payments to one or more investors that contribute seed capital to the Fund. Such payments may continue for a specified period of time and/or until a specified dollar amount is reached. Those payments will be made from the assets of GSAM and/or such affiliates (and not the Fund). Seed investors may contribute all or a majority of the assets in the Fund. There is a risk that such seed investors may redeem all or part of their investments in the Fund, particularly after payments from GSAM and/or its affiliates have ceased. The timing of a redemption by a seed investor could benefit the seed investor. As with redemptions by other large shareholders, such redemptions could have a significant negative impact on the Fund, including by reducing the Fund's liquidity, causing the Fund to realize gains that will be distributed and taxable to remaining shareholders and increasing the Fund's transaction costs. A large redemption may also have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Fund's Shares.
Small-Cap Risk—The securities of small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Small-capitalization companies often have narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio. Generally, the smaller the company size, the greater these risks become.
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies Risk—The Fund may invest in stock, warrants, and other securities of SPACs. A SPAC is typically a publicly traded company that raises funds through an IPO for the purpose of acquiring or merging with another company to be identified subsequent to the SPAC’s IPO. Because SPACs and similar entities are in essence blank check companies without operating history or ongoing business other than seeking acquisitions, the value of their securities is particularly dependent on the ability of the entity’s management to identify and complete a profitable acquisition. An investment in a SPAC is subject to a variety of risks, including that (i) prior to any acquisition or merger, a SPAC’s assets are typically invested in U.S. government securities, money market funds and similar investments whose returns or yields may be significantly lower than those of the Fund’s other investments; (ii) the Fund generally will not receive significant income from its investments in SPACs (both prior to and after any acquisition or merger) and, therefore, the Fund’s investments in SPACs will not significantly contribute to the Fund’s distributions to shareholders; (iii) attractive acquisition or merger targets may become scarce if the number of SPACs seeking to acquire operating businesses increases; (iv) an attractive acquisition or merger target may not be identified at all, in which case the SPAC will be required to return any remaining monies to shareholders (unless such shareholders approve alternative arrangements), and the Fund may be subject to opportunity costs to the extent that alternative investments would have produced higher returns; (v) if an acquisition or merger target is identified, the Fund may elect not to participate in, or vote to approve, the proposed transaction or the Fund may be required to divest its interests in the SPAC, due to regulatory or other considerations, in which case the Fund may not reap any resulting benefits; (vi) an acquisition or merger once effected may prove unsuccessful and an investment in the SPAC may lose value; (vii) an investment in a SPAC may be diluted by additional, later offerings of securities by the SPAC or by other investors exercising existing rights to purchase securities of the SPAC; (viii) a significant portion of the funds raised by the SPAC may be expended during the search for a target acquisition or merger; (ix) only a thinly traded market for shares of or interests in a SPAC may develop, or there may be no market at all, leaving the Fund unable to sell its interest in a SPAC or to sell its interest only at a lower price; and (x) the values of investments in SPACs may be highly volatile and may depreciate significantly over time. In addition, the Fund may obtain certain private rights and other interests issued by a SPAC (commonly referred to as “founder shares”), which may be subject to forfeiture or expire worthless and which generally have more limited liquidity than SPAC shares issued in an IPO.
Stock Risk—Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future. Stock prices may fluctuate from time to time in response to the activities of individual companies and in response to general market and economic conditions. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments, and the stock prices of such companies may suffer a decline in response.
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Swaps Risk—The use of swaps is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques, risk analyses and tax planning different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund’s transactions in swaps may be significant. These transactions can result in sizeable realized and unrealized capital gains and losses relative to the gains and losses from the Fund’s direct investments in securities and short sales.
Transactions in swaps can involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in securities directly since, in addition to general market risks, swaps may be leveraged and subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk and pricing risk. Regulators also may impose limits on an entity’s or group of entities’ positions in certain swaps. However, certain risks are reduced (but not eliminated) if the Fund invests in cleared swaps, which are transacted through futures commission merchant (“FCM”) and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty. Because uncleared, bilateral swap agreements are two-party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, these swaps may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap counterparty. Many swaps are complex and valued subjectively. Swaps and other derivatives may also be subject to pricing or “basis” risk, which exists when the price of a particular derivative diverges from the price of corresponding cash market instruments. Under certain market conditions it may not be economically feasible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position in time to avoid a loss or take advantage of an opportunity. If a swap transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
The value of swaps can be very volatile, and a variance in the degree of volatility or in the direction of securities prices from the expectations of the Fund’s Investment Adviser may produce significant losses in the Fund’s investments in swaps. In addition, a perfect correlation between a swap and a security position may be impossible to achieve. As a result, the Investment Adviser’s use of swaps may not be effective in fulfilling the Investment Adviser’s investment strategies and may contribute to losses that would not have been incurred otherwise.
Tax Risk—Tax risks associated with investments in the Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF include but are not limited to the following:

MLP Tax Risk. MLPs are generally treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Partnerships do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. This would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP and could result in a reduction in the value of the Fund’s investment in the MLP and lower income to the Fund.

Distributions from an MLP in excess of the Fund’s basis in the MLP will generally be treated as capital gain. However, a portion of the gain may instead be treated as ordinary income to the extent attributable to certain assets held by the MLP the sale of which would produce ordinary income. To the extent a distribution received by the Fund from an MLP is treated as a return of capital, the Fund’s adjusted tax basis in the interests of the MLP may be reduced, which will result in an increase in an amount of income or gain (or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the Fund for tax purposes upon the sale of any such interests or upon subsequent distributions in respect of such interests. Furthermore, any return of capital distribution received from the MLP may require the Fund to restate the character of its distributions and amend any shareholder tax reporting previously issued. Moreover, a change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP, could result in an MLP investment being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could result in a reduction of the value of the Fund’s investment in the MLP and lower income to the Fund.

Under recent tax legislation, individuals and certain other noncorporate entities are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to certain taxable income from MLPs. Currently, there is not a mechanism for RICs to pass-through the special character of this income to shareholders. It is uncertain whether future legislation or other guidance will enable RICs to pass through the special character of this income to shareholders. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in MLPs would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction with respect to income from such investments, while investors investing in MLPs indirectly through the Fund would not be so eligible.
Technology Industry Group Risk—The stock prices of technology and technology-related companies and therefore the value of the Fund may experience significant price movements as a result of intense market volatility, worldwide competition, consumer preferences, product compatibility, product obsolescence, government regulation, excessive investor optimism or pessimism, or other factors. Many of the products and services offered by technology companies are subject to the risk of short product cycles. Certain technology-related companies may face special risks that their products or services may not prove to be commercially
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Risks of the Fund
successful. Such companies also may be subject to risks relating to research and development costs and the availability and price of components. As product cycles shorten and manufacturing capacity increases, these companies could become increasingly subject to aggressive pricing and competition, which hampers profitability.
Thematic Investing Risk—The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of themes and sub-themes and its performance may suffer if such themes or sub-themes are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Indexes do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. A failure to correctly identify themes or sub-themes or a failure of a theme or sub-theme to develop in the manner expected by the Index Provider may result from many causes, including government or other oppositions to certain themes or sub-themes, incorrect or incomplete demographic or economic data, social and political changes or natural disasters. In addition, certain themes or sub-themes may go in and out of favor, which could cause the Fund to outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment strategies. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme-relevant exposures in an Index. There is no guarantee that an Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.
Tracking Error Risk—Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Index. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index for a number of reasons. Tracking error may occur because of transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in accrual of dividends, changes to its Index or the need to meet new or existing regulatory requirements. Unlike the Fund, the returns of the Index are not reduced by investment and other operating expenses, including the trading costs associated with implementing changes to its portfolio of investments. The frequency at which the Index is rebalanced may result in higher trading costs for the Fund and, as a result, greater tracking error. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions.  With respect to the Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, this heightened tracking error risk may be a result of the methodology used by the Index Provider to rebalance the Fund's Index, which may cause the Fund to execute corresponding rebalancing trades at prices that differ materially from the prices used by the Index Provider to calculate the value of the Fund's Index.  To the extent that the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on securities’ closing prices (i.e., the value of the Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Index may be adversely affected. The Fund may be required to deviate its investments from the securities and relative weightings of the Index to comply with the Investment Company Act, to meet the issuer diversification requirements of the Code applicable to regulated investment companies, or as a result of market restrictions or other legal reasons. The Fund’s investments may vary from the securities of the Index due to the Fund’s inability to invest in certain securities as a result of legal and compliance restrictions applicable to the Fund and/or the Investment Adviser and regulatory limits or other restrictions on securities that may be purchased by the Investment Adviser and its affiliates. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities to realize losses, which will result in a deviation from the Index.
Trading Issues Risk—Trading in ETF Shares on NYSE Arca or Cboe may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in ETF Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in ETF Shares on NYSE Arca or Cboe is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to NYSE Arca's or Cboe's “circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated closing of the exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell ETF Shares. There can be no assurance that the requirements of NYSE Arca or Cboe necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund, including the required number of shareholders, will continue to be met or will remain unchanged, which may cause the Fund to be delisted from NYSE Arca or Cboe. If the Fund were delisted from NYSE Arca or Cboe, the value of the Fund may decline and performance may be negatively impacted. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund may cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs and result in negative tax consequences for its shareholders.
U.S. Government Securities Risk—The U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S. Government Securities  issued by those agencies, instrumentalities and sponsored enterprises, including those issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government Securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been operating under conservatorship, with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) acting as their conservator, since September 2008. The entities are dependent upon the continued support of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and FHFA in order to continue their business operations. These factors, among others, could affect the future status and role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the value of their securities and the securities which they guarantee. Additionally, the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market values of their securities, which may fluctuate. U.S. Government Securities include U.S. Treasury Securities.
Valuation Risk—The sale price 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 Fund's (except the Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core
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Equity ETF) Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology.Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities or assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when investors will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's Shares. The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The information may be provided by third parties that are believed to be reliable, but the information may not be accurate due to errors by such pricing sources, technological issues or otherwise. NAV calculation may also be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology.
More information about the Fund’s portfolio securities and investment techniques, and their associated risks, is provided in Appendix A. You should consider the investment risks discussed in this section and in Appendix A. Both are important to your investment choice.
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Tax Advantaged Product Structure
Unlike many conventional mutual funds which are only bought and sold at closing NAVs, the Shares of the Fund, like Shares of certain other ETFs, have been designed to be redeemed principally in-kind in Creation Units at each day’s market close. These in-kind arrangements are designed to mitigate adverse effects on the Fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions that affect the NAV of the Fund. Moreover, in contrast to conventional mutual funds, where frequent redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders because of the need to sell portfolio securities which, in turn, may generate taxable gain, the in-kind redemption mechanism of the Fund, as applicable, to the extent used, generally is not expected to lead to a tax event for shareholders whose Shares are not being redeemed. There is no guarantee that these tax advantages will be realized or will materially reduce the amount of taxable capital gains distributed by the Fund to shareholders. Further, the Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF may still realize gains related to cash redemptions or portfolio turnover which may need to be distributed.
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Service Providers
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Investment Adviser
Fund
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”)
200 West Street
New York, NY 10282
Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF
Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF
Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF
GSAM has been registered as an investment adviser with the SEC since 1990 and is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman Sachs”). Founded in 1869, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a publicly-held financial holding company and a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. As of September 30, 2023, GSAM, including its investment advisory affiliates, had assets under supervision of approximately $2.19 trillion.
The Investment Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and places purchase and sale orders for the Fund’s portfolio transactions in U.S. and foreign markets. As permitted by applicable law, these orders may be directed to any executing brokers, dealers, futures commission merchants (“FCMs”) or other counterparties, including Goldman Sachs and its affiliates. While the Investment Adviser is ultimately responsible for the management of the Fund, it is able to draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to managing certain portfolio securities. In addition, the Investment Adviser has access to proprietary tools developed by Goldman Sachs (subject to legal, internal, regulatory and Chinese wall restrictions), and will apply quantitative and qualitative analysis in determining the appropriate allocations among categories of issuers and types of securities.
The Investment Adviser also performs the following additional services for the Fund, to the extent such services are not required to be performed by others pursuant to the fund administration and accounting agreement, the custodian agreement, the transfer agency agreement, distribution agreement or such other agreements with service providers to the Fund that the Board has approved:
Supervises non-advisory operations of the Fund, including oversight of vendors hired by the Fund, oversight of Fund liquidity and risk management, oversight of regulatory inquiries and requests with respect to the Fund made to the Investment Adviser, valuation and accounting oversight and oversight of ongoing compliance with federal and state securities laws, tax regulations, and other applicable law
Provides personnel to perform such executive, administrative and clerical services as are reasonably necessary to provide effective administration of the Fund
Arranges for: (a) the preparation of all required tax returns, (b) the preparation and submission of reports to existing shareholders, (c) the periodic updating of prospectuses and statements of additional information and (d) the preparation of reports to be filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities
Maintains the records of the Fund
Provides office space and necessary office equipment and services for the Investment Adviser
Markets the Fund
An investment in the Fund may be negatively impacted because of the operational risks arising from factors such as processing errors and human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology, changes in personnel, and errors caused by third-party service providers or trading counterparties. The use of certain investment strategies that involve manual or additional processing, such as over-the-counter derivatives, increases these risks. Although the Fund attempts to minimize such failures through controls and oversight, it is not possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls that completely eliminate or mitigate the occurrence of such failures. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
GSAM may manage other funds, accounts, additional pooled vehicles and/or separate accounts that have similar investment strategies to those of the Fund. These funds, pooled vehicles or accounts may perform differently than the Fund despite their similar strategies. Because the pooled vehicles may not be registered under the Investment Company Act, they are subject to fewer regulatory restraints than the Fund (e.g., fewer trading constraints) and may employ strategies that are not subject to the same constraints as the Fund.
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Service Providers
GSAM and/or its affiliates expect to make payments to one or more investors that contribute seed capital to the Fund. Such payments may continue for a specified period of time and/or until a specified dollar amount is reached. Those payments will be made from the assets of GSAM and/or such affiliates (and not the Fund). Seed investors may contribute all or a majority of the assets in the Fund. There is a risk that such seed investors may redeem their investments in the Fund. As with redemptions by other large shareholders, such redemptions could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.
From time to time, Goldman Sachs or any of its affiliates may purchase and hold Shares of the Fund. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates reserve the right to redeem or sell at any time some or all of the Shares acquired for their own accounts.
MANAGEMENT FEE AND OTHER EXPENSES
Pursuant to the Fund’s Management Agreement, as compensation for its services to the Fund, the Investment Adviser is entitled to a management fee, computed daily and payable monthly, at an annual rate listed below (as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets). Under the Management Agreement, the Investment Adviser is responsible for substantially all the expenses of the Fund, excluding payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage fees, costs of holding shareholder meetings and litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses.
Fund
Fee as a
Percentage of
Average Daily
Net Assets
Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF
0.45%
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
0.09%
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF
0.45%
Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF
0.50%
Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
0.20%
Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF
0.55%
Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF1
0.55%
Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF
0.80%
1
For the period January 23, 2023 through August 31, 2023. From January 1, 2023 to January 23, 2023, the effective management rate and net management rate for the predecessor fund with GSAM was 0.53% and 0.52%, respectively.
The Investment Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to achieve a net management fee rate of 0.75% as an annual percentage of the average daily net assets of the Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF through at least December 29, 2024, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

 In addition to the management fee waivers described above, the Investment Adviser may waive a portion of its management fee, including fees earned as the Investment Adviser to any of the affiliated funds in which the Fund invests, except those management fees it earns from the Fund’s investments of cash collateral received in connection with securities lending transactions in affiliated funds, from time to time, and may discontinue or modify any such waivers in the future, consistent with the terms of any fee waiver arrangements that may be in place.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Management Agreement for the Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF, Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF is available in the Funds' semi-annual report dated February 28, 2023. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Management Agreement for the Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF is available in the Fund’s annual report dated August 31, 2023. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Management Agreement for the Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF will be available in the Fund’s first semi-annual report dated February 28, 2024.
FUND MANAGERS
The individuals jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are listed below. The Fund’s portfolio managers' individual responsibilities may differ and may include, among other things, oversight and maintenance of allocations to index securities (except for the Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF), selecting the
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composition of creation and redemption baskets, general oversight of the implementation processes and management of the Fund’s portfolio. The Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF’s and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF's portfolio managers’ individual responsibilities may also include security selection, asset allocation and risk budgeting.
Name and Title
Fund Responsibility
Years
Primarily
Responsible
Five Year
Employment
History
Raj Garigipati
Managing Director
Portfolio Manager—
Bloomberg Clean Energy
Equity ETF
Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap
Equity ETF
Hedge Industry VIP ETF
Innovate Equity ETF
JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
North American Pipelines &
Power Equity ETF
Since
2021
2017
2016
2020
2018
2023
Mr. Garigipati is the global head of the ETF Portfolio Management
team. He joined Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) in 2011 as
Chief Risk Officer and subsequently became head of the ETF PM
team in 2016.
Greg Tuorto
Managing Director
Portfolio Manager—
Small Cap Core Equity ETF
Since
2023
Mr. Tuorto is a portfolio manager on the Fundamental Equity Team
focused on the Small/Mid Cap Growth strategy. He joined the
Investment Adviser in 2019. Prior to joining the Investment Adviser,
Mr. Tuorto had worked at JPMorgan Asset Management since 2008.
Robert Crystal
Managing Director
Portfolio Manager—
Small Cap Core Equity ETF
Since
2023
Mr. Crystal joined the Investment Adviser as a portfolio manager in
March 2006.
Oliver Bunn
Vice President
Portfolio Manager—
Defensive Equity ETF
Since
2023
Mr. Bunn is head of the Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS)
Alternatives team within GSAM. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2014.
Patrick Hartnett
Vice President
Portfolio Manager—
Defensive Equity ETF
Since
2023
Mr. Hartnett is a portfolio manager and researcher on the
Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) Alternatives team within
GSAM. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2019. Previously, he worked at
Jefferies and PNC bank.
Sergio Calvo de Leon
Vice President
Portfolio Manager—
Defensive Equity ETF
Since
2023
Mr. Calvo de Leon is a portfolio manager and researcher on the
Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) Alternatives team within
GSAM. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2021. Previously, he worked at
The McKinsey Investment Office (MIO Partners) and Investec Bank.
For information about portfolio manager compensation, other accounts managed by a portfolio manager and portfolio manager ownership of securities in the Fund, see the SAI.
DISTRIBUTOR
ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203, serves as the exclusive distributor of Creation Units of Shares of the Fund pursuant to a “best efforts” arrangement as provided by a distribution agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund. Shares of the Fund are offered and sold on a continuous basis by the Distributor, acting as agent. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in the Fund’s Shares.
TRANSFER AGENT, CUSTODIAN AND
PROVIDER OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”), 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286, serves as the Trust’s transfer and dividend disbursing agent. Under its transfer agency agreement with the Trust, BNYM has undertaken with the Trust to provide the following services with respect to the Fund: (i) perform and facilitate the performance of purchases and redemptions of Creation Units, (ii) prepare and transmit by means of Depository Trust Company’s (“DTC”) book-entry system payments for dividends and distributions on or with respect to the Shares declared by the Trust on behalf of the Fund, as applicable, (iii) prepare and deliver reports, information and documents as specified in the transfer agency agreement, (iv) perform the customary services of a transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent, and (v) render certain other miscellaneous services as specified in the transfer agency agreement or as otherwise agreed upon.
BNYM is the custodian of the Trust’s portfolio securities and cash. The custodian of the Trust may change from time to time. BNYM also maintains the Trust’s accounting records. BNYM may appoint domestic and foreign sub-custodians and use depositories from time to time to hold securities and other instruments purchased by the Trust in foreign countries and to hold cash and currencies for the Trust.
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Service Providers
BNYM provides administrative services pursuant to a fund administration agreement with the Trust (the “Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement”) pursuant to which BNYM provides certain services, including, among others, (i) preparation of certain shareholder reports and communications; (ii) preparation of certain reports and filings with the SEC; (iii) certain NAV computation services; and (iv) such other services for the Trust as may be mutually agreed upon between the Trust and BNYM. For its services under the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement, BNYM receives such fees based on a stated percentage of net assets as are agreed upon from time to time between the parties. In addition, BNYM is reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with the Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement. In addition, an affiliate of BNYM will also provide certain other services for the Trust, including, (i) providing foreign exchange transaction services and (ii) executing trades in connection with certain creation and redemption transactions effected partially in cash. For these services, the BNYM affiliate will receive compensation based on levels that are negotiated with the Trust and/or the Investment Adviser. BNYM also provides certain middle office services to GSAM pursuant to a service agreement.
ACTIVITIES OF GOLDMAN SACHS AND ITS AFFILIATES AND OTHER
ACCOUNTS MANAGED BY GOLDMAN SACHS
The involvement of the Investment Adviser, Goldman Sachs and their affiliates in the management of, or their interest in, other accounts and other activities of Goldman Sachs will present conflicts of interest with respect to the Fund and will, under certain circumstances, limit the Fund’s investment activities. Goldman Sachs is a worldwide, full service investment banking, broker dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. As such, it acts as a broker-dealer, investment adviser, investment banker, underwriter, research provider, administrator, financier, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, derivatives dealer, clearing agent, lender, counterparty, agent, principal, distributor, investor or in other commercial capacities for accounts or companies or affiliated or unaffiliated investment funds (including pooled investment vehicles and private funds) in which one or more accounts, including the Fund, invest. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates advise and deal with clients and third parties in all markets and transactions and purchase, sell, hold and recommend a broad array of investments, including securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps, indices, baskets and other financial instruments and products for their own accounts or for the accounts of their customers and have other direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loans and other markets in which the Fund directly and indirectly invests. Thus, it is expected that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from entities for which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates perform or seek to perform investment banking or other services. The Investment Adviser and/or certain of its affiliates are the managers of the Goldman Sachs Funds. The Investment Adviser and its affiliates earn fees from this and other relationships with the Fund. Although management fees paid by the Fund to the Investment Adviser and certain other fees paid to the Investment Adviser’s affiliates are based on asset levels, the fees are not directly contingent on Fund performance, and the Investment Adviser and its affiliates will still receive significant compensation from the Fund even if shareholders lose money. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds which have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund. The results of the Fund’s investment activities, therefore, will likely differ from those of Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and other accounts managed by Goldman Sachs, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates and other accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. In addition, the Fund may enter into transactions in which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates or their other clients have an adverse interest. For example, the Fund may take a long position in a security at the same time that Goldman Sachs and its affiliates or other accounts managed by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates take a short position in the same security (or vice versa). These and other transactions undertaken by Goldman Sachs, its affiliates or Goldman Sachs-advised clients may, individually or in the aggregate, adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Goldman Sachs-advised clients or the Investment Adviser may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund. The Fund’s activities will, under certain circumstances, be limited because of regulatory restrictions applicable to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a global financial services firm, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates also provide a wide range of investment banking and financial services to issuers of securities and investors in securities. Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and others associated with it are expected to create markets or specialize in, have positions in and/or effect transactions in, securities of issuers held by the Fund, and will likely also perform or seek to perform investment banking and financial services for one or more of those issuers. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates are expected to have business relationships with and purchase or distribute or sell services or products from or to distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund.
For more information about conflicts of interest, see the section entitled “Potential Conflicts of Interest” in the SAI.
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The Fund will, from time to time, make brokerage and other payments to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates in connection with the Fund’s portfolio investment transactions, in accordance with applicable law.
The Fund’s Board of Trustees may approve a securities lending program where an affiliate of the Investment Adviser is retained to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund engages in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent would receive a fee from the Fund, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for the loaned securities.
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Distributions
The Fund pays distributions from its investment income and from net realized capital gains.
Distributions from net investment income, if any, are normally declared and paid quarterly for the Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF, semi-annually for the Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF and annually for the Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF and Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF and distributions from net capital gains, if any, are normally declared and paid annually for the Funds. In addition, the Funds may occasionally make a distribution at a time when it is not normally made.
In addition to the net investment income dividends paid quarterly, semi-annually or annually, as applicable, the Fund may also earn additional net investment income throughout the year. Any additional net investment income will be distributed annually as a declared event and paid to shareholders of record for such events.
From time to time a portion of the Fund’s distributions may constitute a return of capital for tax purposes, and/or may include amounts in excess of the Fund’s net investment income for the period calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”).
Dividends and other distributions on Shares of the Fund are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such Shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants (each as described in the Book Entry section below) to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.
No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Fund. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service for use by beneficial owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market.
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Shareholder Guide
Buying and Selling Shares
Shares of the Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the Creations and Redemptions section of the Prospectus. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section below) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, Shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day at market price like shares of other publicly traded companies. However, there can be no guarantee that an active trading market will develop or be maintained, or that the Fund Shares listing will continue or remain unchanged. The Trust does not impose any minimum investment for Shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. Buying or selling the Fund’s Shares involves certain costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling Shares of the Fund through a financial intermediary, you may incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your financial intermediary. Due to these brokerage costs, if any, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns. In addition, you may also incur the cost of the spread (the difference between the bid price and the ask price). The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of Shares. The spread varies over time for Shares of the Fund based on its trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally less if the Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and more if the Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity.
The primary listing exchange for Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF, Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap ETF, Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF is NYSE Arca, and the primary listing exchange for Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF is Cboe. NYSE Arca and Cboe are open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
A “business day” with respect to the Fund is each day the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Arca or Cboe, and the Trust are open and includes any day that the Fund is required to be open under Section 22(e) of the Investment Company Act. Orders from Authorized Participants to create or redeem Creation Units will only be accepted on a business day. On days when NYSE Arca or Cboe closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to create or redeem Creation Units to be placed earlier in the day. See the SAI for more information.
The Trust’s Board of Trustees has not adopted a policy of monitoring for frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares (“frequent trading”) that appear to attempt to take advantage of potential arbitrage opportunities presented by a lag between a change in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities after the close of the primary markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities and the reflection of that change in the Fund’s NAV (“market timing”). The Trust believes this is appropriate because ETFs, such as the Fund, are intended to be attractive to arbitrageurs, as trading activity is critical to ensuring that the market price of Fund Shares remains at or close to NAV. Since the Fund issues and redeems Creation Units at NAV plus applicable transaction fees, and the Fund’s Shares may be purchased and sold on NYSE Arca or Cboe at prevailing market prices, the risks of frequent trading are limited.
Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act restricts investments by registered investment companies and companies relying on Sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act in the securities of other investment companies. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust.
The Fund and the Distributor will have the sole right to accept orders to purchase Shares and reserve the right to reject any purchase order in whole or in part.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
GSAM and/or the Distributor (upon direction of the Fund) may make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers or other financial intermediaries (each, a “Financial Intermediary”) related to activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about the Fund or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support or purchase of technology platforms/software and/or reporting systems. GSAM and/or the Distributor (upon direction of the Fund) may also make payments to Financial Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to exchange-traded funds in general and/or for the provision of analytical or other data to GSAM or its affiliates relating to marketing of the Fund mailing
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Shareholder Guide
costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to exchange-traded funds in general and/or for the provision of analytical or other data to GSAM or its affiliates relating to the sales of Fund Shares. In addition, GSAM and/or the Distributor may make payments to Financial Intermediaries that make Fund Shares available to their clients or for otherwise promoting the Fund, including through provision of consultative services to GSAM or its affiliates relating to marketing of the Fund and/or sale of Fund Shares. Such payments, which may be significant to the Financial Intermediary, are not made by the Fund. Rather, such payments are made by GSAM and/or the Distributor from their own resources, which may come directly or indirectly in part from management fees paid by the Fund. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as marketing support or revenue-sharing payments. A Financial Intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the marketing support payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to a Financial Intermediary create conflicts of interest between the Financial Intermediary and its customers and may cause the Financial Intermediary to recommend the Fund over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the SAI. A shareholder should contact his or her Financial Intermediary’s salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments the Financial Intermediary firm may receive from GSAM and/or the Distributor.
Net Asset Value
The Fund generally calculates its NAV as follows:
NAV =
(Value of Assets of the Fund)
– (Liabilities of the Fund)
 
Number of Outstanding Shares of the Fund
The Fund’s NAV per share is generally calculated by the Fund’s provider of administrative services on each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) or such other times as the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ market may officially close. The Fund’s investments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value on the basis of quotations provided by pricing sources. If accurate quotations are not readily available, if the Fund’s provider of administrative services is unable for other reasons to facilitate pricing of individual securities or calculate the Fund’s NAV, or if the Investment Adviser believes that such quotations do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Fund’s investments may be determined in good faith under valuation procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. Thus, such pricing may be based on subjective judgments and it is possible that the prices resulting from such valuation procedures may differ materially from the value realized on a sale. Cases where there is no clear indication of the value of the Fund’s investments include, among others, situations where a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source or a price is unavailable.
Equity securities listed on an exchange are generally valued at the last available sale price on the exchange on which they are principally traded.
Fixed income securities are generally valued on the basis of prices (including evaluated prices) and quotations provided by pricing services or securities dealers. Pricing services may use matrix pricing or valuation models, which utilize certain inputs and assumptions, including, but not limited to, yield or price with respect to comparable fixed income securities, to determine current value. Pricing services generally value fixed income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller odd lot sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots.
Investments in other open-end registered investment companies (if any), excluding investments in ETFs, are valued based on the NAV of those open-end registered investment companies (which may use fair value pricing as discussed in their prospectuses). Investments in ETFs will generally be valued at the last sale price or official closing price on the exchange on which they are principally traded.
In addition, the Investment Adviser, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may (but need not) determine to make an adjustment to the previous closing prices of securities in light of significant events, to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining the Fund’s NAV. Significant events that could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: situations relating to one or more single issuers in a market sector; significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions or unscheduled market closings; equipment failures; natural or man-made disasters or acts of God; armed conflicts; governmental actions or other developments; as well as the same or similar events which may affect specific issuers or the securities markets even though not tied directly to the securities markets. Other significant events that could relate to a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; corporate announcements, including those relating to earnings, products and regulatory news; significant litigation; ratings downgrades; bankruptcies; and trading limits or suspensions.
Fair valuation involves the risk that the values used by the Fund to price its investments may be different from those used by other investment companies and investors to price the same investments.
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Foreign securities may trade in their local markets on days the Fund is closed. As a result, if the Fund holds foreign securities, its NAV may be impacted on days when investors may not purchase or sell Fund Shares on the secondary market or purchase or redeem Creation Units through the Fund.
The Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAV. The ability of the Fund’s provider of administrative services to calculate the NAV per share of the Fund is subject to operational risks associated with processing or human errors, systems or technology failures, cyber attacks and errors caused by third party service providers, data sources, or trading counterparties. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of the Fund’s NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures. In addition, if the third party service providers and/or data sources upon which the Fund directly or indirectly relies to calculate its NAV or price individual securities are unavailable or otherwise unable to calculate the NAV correctly, it may be necessary for alternative procedures to be utilized to price the securities at the time of determining the Fund’s NAV.
Book Entry
DTC serves as securities depository for the Shares. (The Shares may be held only in book-entry form; stock certificates will not be issued.) DTC, or its nominee, is the record or registered owner of all outstanding Shares. Beneficial ownership of Shares will be shown on the records of DTC or its participants (described below). Beneficial owners of Shares are not entitled to have Shares registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificates in definitive form and are not considered the registered holder thereof. Accordingly, to exercise any rights of a holder of Shares, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of: (i) DTC; (ii) “DTC Participants,” i.e., securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC; and (iii) “Indirect Participants,” i.e., brokers, dealers, banks and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly, through which such beneficial owner holds its interests. The Trust understands that under existing industry practice, in the event the Trust requests any action of holders of Shares, or a beneficial owner desires to take any action that DTC, as the record owner of all outstanding Shares, is entitled to take, DTC would authorize the DTC Participants to take such action and that the DTC Participants would authorize the Indirect Participants and beneficial owners acting through such DTC Participants to take such action and would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners owning through them. As described above, the Trust recognizes DTC or its nominee as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.
Creations and Redemptions
Prior to trading in the secondary market, Shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or “Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund’s Distributor.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by BNYM, as the Trust’s transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units.
Similarly, Shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units, generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Please note the following with respect to the price at which transactions are processed:
NAV per Share is generally calculated by the Fund's fund accounting agent on each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) or such other times as the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ market may officially close. Fund Shares will generally not be priced on any day the New York Stock Exchange is closed.
The Trust reserves the right to reprocess creation and redemption transactions that were processed at a NAV that is subsequently adjusted, and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) Authorized Participants accordingly based on the official closing NAV, as adjusted.
The Trust reserves the right to advance the time by which creation and redemption orders must be received for same business day credit, as otherwise permitted by the SEC.
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Shareholder Guide
Consistent with industry practice, investment transactions not settling on the same day are recorded and factored into the Fund’s NAV on the business day following trade date (T+1). The use of T+1 accounting generally does not, but may, result in a NAV that differs materially from the NAV that would result if all transactions were reflected on their trade dates.
Note: The time at which transactions and Shares are priced and the time by which orders must be received may be changed in case of an emergency or if regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange is stopped at a time other than its regularly scheduled closing time. In the event the New York Stock Exchange does not open for business, the Trust may, but is not required to, open the Fund for creation and redemption transactions if the Federal Reserve wire payment system is open. To learn whether the Fund is open for business during this situation, please call the appropriate phone number located on the back cover of the Prospectus.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund’s instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
Creations and redemptions must be made through a firm that is either a member of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation or a DTC Participant and has executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) and the applicable transaction fees is included in the Fund’s SAI.
79

Taxation
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in the Fund will be taxed. The tax information below is provided as general information. More tax information is available in the SAI. You should consult your tax adviser about the federal, state, local or foreign tax consequences of your investment in the Fund. Except as otherwise noted, the tax information provided assumes that you are a U.S. citizen or resident.
Unless your investment is through an IRA or other tax-advantaged account, you should carefully consider the possible tax consequences of Fund distributions and the sale of your Fund Shares.
DISTRIBUTIONS
The Fund contemplates declaring as dividends each year all or substantially all of its taxable income. Distributions you receive from the Fund are generally subject to federal income tax, and may also be subject to state or local taxes. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund Shares or receive them in cash. For federal tax purposes, the Fund’s distributions attributable to net investment income and short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income while distributions of long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, no matter how long you have owned your Fund Shares.
Under current provisions of the Code, the maximum individual rate applicable to long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individual's income exceeds certain threshold amounts. Fund distributions to non-corporate shareholders attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. and certain qualified foreign corporations will generally be taxed at the long-term capital gain rate, as long as certain other requirements are met. For these lower rates to apply, the non-corporate shareholder must own their Fund Shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Fund’s ex-dividend date. The amount of the Fund’s distributions that would otherwise qualify for this favorable tax treatment will be reduced as a result of the Fund’s securities lending activities or high portfolio turnover rate and may also be reduced as a result of certain derivative transactions entered into by the Fund.
Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of your investment to the extent of your basis in the Shares, and generally as capital gain thereafter. A return of capital, which for tax purposes is treated as a return of your investment, reduces your basis in Shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition of Shares. A distribution will reduce the Fund’s NAV per share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gain even though, from an economic standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
The Fund’s transactions in derivatives (such as futures contracts and swaps) will be subject to special tax rules, the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities and convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to you. The Fund’s use of derivatives may result in the Fund realizing more short-term capital gains and ordinary income subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates than it would if it did not use derivatives.
Although distributions are generally treated as taxable to you in the year they are paid, distributions declared in October, November or December but paid in January are taxable as if they were paid in December. A percentage of the Fund’s dividends paid to corporate shareholders may be eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction. This percentage may, however, be reduced as a result of the Fund’s securities lending activities or high portfolio turnover rate. Character and tax status of all distributions will be available to shareholders after the close of each calendar year.
The Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes on income or gain from certain foreign securities. In general, the Fund may deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Rather than deducting these foreign taxes, if more than 50% of the Fund’s total assets at the close of a taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may make an election to treat a proportionate amount of those taxes as constituting a distribution to each shareholder, which would generally allow you either (i) to credit (subject to certain holding period and other limitations) that proportionate amount of taxes against your U.S. Federal income tax liability as a foreign tax credit or (ii) to take that amount as an itemized deduction. 
If you buy Shares of the Fund before it makes a distribution, the distribution will be taxable to you even though it may actually be a return of a portion of your investment. This is known as “buying into a dividend.”
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Taxation
TAXES ON CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS OF CREATION UNITS
A person who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the amount of any cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received. The Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of primarily securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities for Creation Units or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax adviser with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible and the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
Under current U.S. federal income tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon a redemption (or creation) of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for one year or less.
SALES OF FUND SHARES
Your sale of Fund Shares is a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes, and may also be subject to state and local taxes. When you sell your Shares, you will generally recognize a capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between your adjusted tax basis in the Shares and the amount received. Generally, this capital gain or loss is long-term or short-term depending on whether your holding period exceeds one year, except that any loss realized on Shares held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain dividends that were received on the Shares. Additionally, any loss realized on a sale, exchange or redemption of Shares of the Fund may be disallowed under “wash sale” rules to the extent the Shares disposed of are replaced with other Shares of that Fund within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of disposition (such as pursuant to a dividend reinvestment in Shares of the Fund). If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of the Shares acquired.
OTHER INFORMATION
You may be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% with respect to taxable distributions if you do not provide your correct taxpayer identification number, or certify that it is correct, or if you have been notified by the IRS that you are subject to backup withholding.
Non-U.S. investors are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax and may be subject to estate tax with respect to their Fund shares. However, withholding is generally not required on properly reported distributions to non-U.S. investors of long-term capital gains. Non-U.S. investors generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding on certain distributions of interest income and/or short-term capital gains that are reported by the Fund. It is expected that the Fund will generally report  short-term gains, to the extent permitted, but the Fund does not intend to report any distributions attributable to interest income. Therefore, all distributions of interest income will be subject to withholding when paid to non-U.S. investors.
Withholding of U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) is required with respect to payments of taxable dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the applicable withholding agent to determine whether withholding is required.
Reporting to you and the IRS is required annually on Form 1099-B with respect to not only the gross proceeds of Fund Shares you sell or redeem but also their cost basis. Shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections with respect to their accounts. You should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the applicable intermediary and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on your federal income tax returns.
81

Index Provider
Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF
“Bloomberg®” and the Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Global Clean Energy Index are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”), and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by GSAM. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Bloomberg. Bloomberg does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of or counterparties to the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly. The only relationship of Bloomberg to GSAM. is the licensing of certain trademarks, trade names and service marks and of the Index, which is determined, composed and calculated by BISL without regard to GSAM or the Fund. Bloomberg has no obligation to take the needs of GSAM or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. Bloomberg is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued. Bloomberg shall not have any obligation or liability, including, without limitation, to Fund customers, in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
BLOOMBERG DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY GSAM, OWNERS OF THE FUND OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, BLOOMBERG, ITS LICENSORS, AND ITS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS, AND VENDORS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGES—WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHERWISE—ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE FUND OR THE INDEX OR ANY DATA OR VALUES RELATING THERETO—WHETHER ARISING FROM THEIR NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.
Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF
The Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF are not sponsored, promoted, sold or supported in any other manner by Solactive AG nor does Solactive AG offer any express or implicit guarantee or assurance either with regard to the results of using the Solactive US Large Cap Equal Weight Index , Solactive Innovative Global Equity Index or Solactive Energy Infrastructure Enhanced Index (the "Solactive Indexes") and/or Solactive Index trade mark or the Solactive Index Price at any time or in any other respect. The Solactive Indexes are calculated and published by Solactive AG. Solactive AG uses its best efforts to ensure that the Solactive Indexes are calculated correctly. Irrespective of its obligations towards Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF, Solactive AG has no obligation to point out errors in the Solactive Index to third parties including but not limited to investors and/or financial intermediaries of Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF. Neither publication of a Solactive Index by Solactive AG nor the licensing of the Solactive Indexes or Solactive Index trade mark for the purpose of use in connection with the Goldman Sachs Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF, Goldman Sachs Innovate Equity ETF and Goldman Sachs North American Pipelines & Power Equity ETF constitutes a recommendation by Solactive AG to invest capital in said fund nor does it in any way represent an assurance or opinion of Solactive AG with regard to any investment in such fund.
Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF
The Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP IndexTM is owned and maintained by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., an affiliate of the Fund, and calculated by the Calculation Agent. The Calculation Agent publishes information regarding the market value of the Index. The Fund may hire an affiliate of the Fund and/or the Investment Adviser to serve as calculation agent.
GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P., THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC., AND GOLDMAN SACHS & CO. LLC (COLLECTIVELY, “GOLDMAN SACHS”) DOES NOT GUARANTEE NOR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE OWNERS OR SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUND OR ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC REGARDING THE ADVISABILITY OF INVESTING IN SECURITIES GENERALLY OR IN THE FUND PARTICULARLY OR THE ABILITY OF THE INDEX TO TRACK GENERAL MARKET PERFORMANCE. GOLDMAN SACHS,
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Index Provider
IN ITS CAPACITY AS THE INDEX PROVIDER OF THE INDEX, LICENSES CERTAIN TRADEMARKS AND TRADE NAMES TO THE FUND. GOLDMAN SACHS HAS NO OBLIGATION TO TAKE THE NEEDS OF THE FUND OR THE SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUND INTO CONSIDERATION IN DETERMINING, COMPOSING OR CALCULATING THE INDEX. GOLDMAN SACHS, ITS AFFILIATES AND ANY OF THEIR CLIENTS MAY HOLD LONG OR SHORT POSITIONS IN SECURITIES HELD BY THE FUND OR IN RELATED DERIVATIVES, INCLUDING THOSE LINKED TO THE INDEX.
GOLDMAN SACHS DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, TIMELINESS, ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. GOLDMAN SACHS HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN OR IN THE CALCULATION THEREOF. GOLDMAN SACHS MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE MARKS, THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AS TO THE RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE FUND, THE SHAREHOLDERS, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM USE OF THE INDEX
OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, GOLDMAN SACHS HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
JUST Capital Foundation, Inc. (“JUST Capital”), the index provider, is a nonprofit charitable organization that seeks to provide all of society’s stakeholders—employees, concerned citizens, business leaders and others—with the information they need to assess how just companies are in order to build a more just marketplace that better reflects the true priorities of the American people. The Index furthers JUST Capital’s purposes of encouraging greater accountability among business corporations with respect to the issue areas addressed in the Reference Index by providing a practical application of the issues on which JUST Capital seeks to educate the public and supporting development of a platform for investors to demand greater social responsibility from businesses in which the public invests.
Neither JUST Capital nor any of its affiliates (collectively, the “JUST Parties”) in any way sells, sponsors, supports, promotes, or endorses the Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (the “GS ETF”), or has involvement in its operations or distribution. The JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index (the “JUST Index”) has been licensed by Russell on an “as is” basis to Goldman Sachs Asset Management L.P. (“Goldman Sachs”) in connection with Goldman Sachs’ sponsorship of the GS ETF, and JUST Capital’s only relationship with Goldman Sachs is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of JUST Capital or its affiliates. The JUST Parties and any other person or entity involved in or related to compiling, computing, or creating the JUST Index expressly disclaim all representations, warranties, and liabilities relating to or in connection with the GS ETF (including, without limitation, any warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose).
No JUST Party makes any claim, prediction, warranty, or representation whatsoever, expressly or impliedly, either as to (i) the results to be obtained from the use of the JUST Index, the GS ETF, or any of the data included in either of the foregoing, (ii) the level at which the JUST Index or GS ETF is said to stand at any particular time on any particular day or otherwise, (iii) the suitability of the JUST Index for the purpose to which it is being put in connection with the GS ETF, or (iv) the advisability of investing in securities generally or in any index or ETF, including those provided by Goldman Sachs. No JUST Party has provided, nor will any provide, any financial or investment advice or recommendation in relation to the JUST Index or the GS ETF to Goldman Sachs Asset Management or to its clients. No JUST Party shall be (i) liable (whether in negligence or otherwise) to any person for any error in the JUST Index or (ii) under any obligation to advise any person of any error therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any JUST Party have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential (including without limitation lost profits), or any other damages in connection with the JUST Index or the GS ETF.
Data and information regarding the JUST Index is proprietary to JUST Capital or its licensors, and reproduction of such data and information is prohibited except with the prior written permission of JUST Capital. JUST Index® and JUST Capital Index® are trademarks of JUST Capital and have been licensed for use by Goldman Sachs Asset Management L.P. by JUST Capital and/or its agent.
Frank Russell Company (“Russell”) acts solely as calculation agent in respect of the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index and does not in any way sponsor, support, promote or endorse the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index or the Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF. The JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index was provided on an “as is” basis. Russell, its affiliates and any other person or entity involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index (collectively, the “Russell Parties”) expressly disclaim all warranties (including, without limitation, any warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose).
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Russell does not make any claim, prediction, warranty or representation whatsoever, expressly or impliedly, either as to (i) the results to be obtained from the use of the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index (upon which the Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF is based), (ii) the figure at which the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index is said to stand at any particular time on any particular day or otherwise, or (iii) the suitability of the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index for the purpose to which it is being put in connection with the Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF. Russell has not provided and will not provide any financial or investment advice or recommendation in relation to the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index to Goldman Sachs Asset Management or to its clients. The JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index is calculated by Russell or its agent as calculation agent. Russell shall not be (a) liable (whether in negligence or otherwise) to any person for any error in the Index or (b) under any obligation to advise any person of any error therein.
Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any Russell Party have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential (including without limitation lost profits) or any other damages in connection with the JUST US Large Cap Diversified Index or the Goldman Sachs JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF.
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Other Information
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION
Information regarding how often Shares of the Fund, as applicable, traded on NYSE Arca or Cboe at a price above (i.e., premium) or below (i.e., discount) NAV of the Fund during the past calendar year and subsequent quarters (or the life of the Fund, if shorter) can be found at www.gsamfunds.com.
CONTINUOUS OFFERING
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Trust on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur at any point. Broker dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares, and sells such Shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with Shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the Investment Company Act. As a result, broker dealer firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the Shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to Shares are reminded that, under Rule 153 of the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on NYSE Arca or Cboe is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at NYSE Arca or Cboe upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
In addition, certain affiliates of the Fund and the Investment Adviser may purchase and resell Fund Shares pursuant to the Prospectus.
DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLAN
The Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a distribution and service plan (“Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act. Under the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay distribution fees in connection with the sale and distribution of its Shares and pay service fees in connection with the provision of ongoing services to shareholders of the Fund and the maintenance of shareholder accounts in an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year.
No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, these fees will increase the cost of your investment in the Fund. By purchasing Shares subject to distribution fees and service fees, you may pay more over time than you would by purchasing Shares with other types of sales charge arrangements. Long-term shareholders may pay more than the economic equivalent of the maximum front-end sales charge permitted by the rules of FINRA. The net income attributable to Shares will be reduced by the amount of distribution fees and service fees and other expenses of the Fund.
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Appendix A
Additional Information on Portfolio Risks, Securities and Techniques
A. General Portfolio Risks
The Fund will be subject to the risks associated with equity investments. “Equity investments” may include common stocks, preferred stocks, interests in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), convertible debt obligations, convertible preferred stocks, equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures, limited liability companies and similar enterprises, other investment companies (including ETFs), warrants, stock purchase rights and synthetic and derivative instruments (such as swaps and futures contracts) that have economic characteristics similar to equity securities. In general, the values of equity investments fluctuate in response to the activities of individual companies and in response to general market and economic conditions. Accordingly, the values of the equity investments that the Fund holds may decline over short or extended periods. The stock markets tend to be cyclical, with periods when stock prices generally rise and periods when prices generally decline. This volatility means that the value of your investment in the Fund may increase or decrease. In recent years, certain stock markets have experienced substantial price volatility. To the extent the Fund’s net assets decrease or increase in the future due to price volatility or share redemption or purchase activity, the Fund’s expense ratio may correspondingly increase or decrease from the expense ratio disclosed in the Prospectus.
To the extent the Fund invests in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs), partnerships and REITs, the Fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performances of such entities in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund invests therein.
The following sections provide further information on certain types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund, including their associated risks. To the extent the Fund purchases these securities and engages in these investment techniques, the Fund will also be subject to these risks. Additional information is provided in the SAI, which is available upon request. Among other things, the SAI describes certain fundamental investment restrictions that cannot be changed without shareholder approval. You should note, however, that all investment objectives, and all investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental are non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. If there is a change in the Fund’s investment objective, you should consider whether the Fund remains an appropriate investment in light of your then current financial position and needs.
B.  Other Portfolio Risks
Risks of Investing in Mid-Capitalization and Small-Capitalization Companies. The Fund may, to the extent consistent with its investment policies, invest in mid- and small-capitalization companies. Investments in mid- and small-capitalization companies involve greater risk and portfolio price volatility than investments in larger capitalization stocks. Among the reasons for the greater price volatility of these investments are the less certain growth prospects of smaller firms and the lower degree of liquidity in the markets for such securities. Mid- and small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded and may have to be sold at a discount from current market prices or in small lots over an extended period of time. In addition, these securities are subject to the risk that during certain periods the liquidity of particular issuers or industries, or all securities in particular investment categories, will shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse economic or market conditions, or adverse investor perceptions whether or not accurate. Because of the lack of sufficient market liquidity, the Fund may incur losses because it will be required to effect sales at a disadvantageous time and only then at a substantial drop in price. Mid- and small-capitalization companies include “unseasoned” issuers that do not have an established financial history; often have limited product lines, markets or financial resources; may depend on or use a few key personnel for management; and may be susceptible to losses and risks of bankruptcy. Mid- and small-capitalization companies may be operating at a loss or have significant variations in operating results; may be engaged in a rapidly changing business with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence; may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, to finance expansion or to maintain their competitive position; and may have substantial borrowings or may otherwise have a weak financial condition. In addition, these companies may face intense competition, including competition from companies with greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing, and other capabilities, and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel. Transaction costs for these investments are often higher than those of larger capitalization companies. Investments in mid- and small-capitalization companies may be more difficult to price precisely than other types of securities because of their characteristics and lower trading volumes.
Risks of Derivative Investments. The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, including without limitation, options, futures, options on futures, forwards, participation notes, swaps, options on swaps, structured securities and other derivatives relating to foreign currency transactions. Losses from derivative instruments can result from a lack of correlation between changes in the value of derivative instruments and the portfolio assets (if any) being hedged, the potential illiquidity of the markets for derivative instruments, the failure of the counterparty to perform its contractual obligations, or the risks related to leverage factors associated with such
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Appendix A
transactions. Derivatives are also subject to risks arising from margin requirements, which include the risk that the Fund will be required to pay additional margin or set aside additional collateral to maintain open derivative positions and the risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits in the event of the bankruptcy or other similar insolvency with respect to a broker or counterparty with whom the Fund has an open derivative position. Losses may also arise if the Fund receives cash collateral under the transactions and some or all of that collateral is invested in the market. To the extent that cash collateral is so invested, such collateral will be subject to market depreciation or appreciation, and the Fund may be responsible for any loss that might result from its investment of the counterparty’s cash collateral. If cash collateral is not invested, the Fund may be exposed to additional risk of loss in the event of the insolvency of its custodian holding such collateral. The use of these management techniques also involves the risk of loss if the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of the timing or level of fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates, currency prices or other variables. Derivative instruments may be harder to value, subject to greater volatility and more likely subject to changes in tax treatment than other investments.
Risks of Illiquid Investments. The Fund may not acquire any “illiquid investment” if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. An “illiquid investment” is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. In determining whether an investment is an illiquid investment, the Investment Adviser will take into account actual or estimated daily transaction volume of an investment, group of related investments or asset class and other relevant market, trading, and investment-specific considerations. In addition, in determining the liquidity of an investment, the Investment Adviser must determine whether trading varying portions of a position in a particular portfolio investment or asset class, in sizes that the Fund would reasonably anticipate trading, is reasonably expected to significantly affect its liquidity, and if so, the Fund must take this determination into account when classifying the liquidity of that investment or asset class.
Investments purchased by the Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid. If one or more investments in the Fund’s portfolio become illiquid, the Fund may exceed the 15 percent limitation in illiquid investments. In the event that changes in the portfolio or other external events cause the Fund to exceed this limit, the Fund must take steps to bring its illiquid investments that are assets to or below 15% of its net assets within a reasonable period of time. This requirement would not force the Fund to liquidate any portfolio instrument where the Fund would suffer a loss on the sale of that instrument.
In cases where no clear indication of the value of the Fund’s portfolio instruments is available, the portfolio instruments will be valued at their fair value according to the valuation procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. These cases include, among others, situations where a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source, or the secondary markets on which an investment has previously been traded are no longer viable, due to its lack of liquidity. For more information on fair valuation, please see “Shareholder Guide—Net Asset Value.”
Foreign Custody Risk. The Fund may hold foreign securities and cash with Foreign Custodians. Some Foreign Custodians may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In some countries, Foreign Custodians may be subject to little or no regulatory oversight over or independent evaluation of their operations. Further, the laws of certain countries may place limitations on the Fund’s ability to recover assets if a Foreign Custodian enters bankruptcy. Investments in emerging market countries may be subject to even greater custody risks than investments in more developed markets. Custody services in emerging market countries are very often undeveloped and may be considerably less well regulated than in more developed countries, and thus may not afford the same level of investor protection as would apply in developed countries.
Geographic Risk. If the Fund focuses its investments in securities of issuers located in a particular country or geographic region, the Fund may be subjected to a greater extent than if investments were less focused, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that country or region, such as: adverse securities markets; adverse exchange rates; adverse social, political, regulatory, economic, business, environmental or other developments; or natural disasters.
Risks of Investing in the Energy Sector.  Many MLPs in which the Fund may invest operate oil, gas or petroleum facilities, or other facilities within the energy sector. As a result, the Fund will be susceptible to adverse economic, business, social, political, environmental or regulatory occurrences affecting that sector. A downturn in the energy sector could have a larger impact on the Fund than on funds that are broadly diversified across many sectors and industries. At times, the performance of securities of companies in the energy sector may lag behind the performance of other sectors or industries or the broader market as a whole. MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, but not limited to, the following:
Commodity Pricing Risk.  MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector may be affected by fluctuations in the prices of energy commodities, including, for example, natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and coal in the short-term and long-term. Fluctuations in energy commodity prices would directly impact companies that own such energy commodities and could indirectly impact companies that engage in transportation, storage, processing, distribution or marketing of such energy commodities. Fluctuations in energy commodity prices can result from changes in general economic conditions or political circumstances (especially of key energy producing and consuming countries); market conditions; weather patterns; domestic production levels; volume of
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imports; energy conservation; domestic and foreign governmental regulation; international politics; policies of OPEC; taxation; tariffs; and the availability and costs of local, intrastate and interstate transportation methods. The energy sector as a whole may also be impacted by the perception that the performance of energy sector companies is directly linked to commodity prices. High commodity prices may drive further energy conservation efforts, and a slowing economy may adversely impact energy consumption, which may adversely affect the performance of MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector.
Supply and Demand Risk.  MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector may be impacted by the levels of supply and demand for energy commodities. The volume of production of energy commodities and the volume of energy commodities available for transportation, storage, processing or distribution could be affected by a variety of factors, including: depletion of resources; depressed commodity prices; catastrophic events; labor relations; increased environmental or other governmental regulation; equipment malfunctions and maintenance difficulties; import volumes; international politics, policies of OPEC; and increased competition from alternative energy sources. Alternatively, a decline in demand for energy commodities could result from factors such as: adverse economic conditions (especially in key energy-consuming countries); increased taxation; increased environmental or other governmental regulation; increased fuel economy; increased energy conservation or use of alternative energy sources; legislation intended to promote the use of alternative energy sources; or increased commodity prices.
Depletion Risk.  Energy reserves naturally deplete as they are consumed over time. MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector rely on the expansion of reserves through exploration of new sources of supply or the development of existing sources in order to grow or maintain their revenues. The financial performance of MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector may be adversely affected if they, or the companies to whom they provide services, are unable to cost-effectively acquire additional energy deposits sufficient to replace the natural decline of existing reserves. If an energy company is not able to raise capital on favorable terms, it may not be able to add to or maintain its reserves.
Environmental and Regulatory Risk.  The energy sector is highly regulated. MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of nearly every aspect of their operations by federal, state and local governmental agencies. Such regulation can change over time in both scope and intensity. For example, a particular by-product may be declared hazardous by a regulatory agency and unexpectedly increase production costs. Various governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance with these regulations and the permits issued under them, and violators are subject to administrative, civil and criminal penalties, including civil fines, injunctions or both.
There is an inherent risk that MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector may incur environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle. For example, an accidental release from wells or energy assets could subject an MLP to substantial liabilities for environmental cleanup and restoration costs, claims made by neighboring landowners and other third parties for personal injury and property damage, and fines or penalties for related violations of environmental laws or regulations.
Specifically, the operations of wells, gathering systems, pipelines, refineries and other facilities are subject to stringent and complex federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. These include, for example: the Federal Clean Air Act and comparable state laws and regulations that impose obligations related to air emissions; the Federal Clean Water Act and comparable state laws and regulations that impose obligations related to discharges of pollutants into regulated bodies of water; the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and comparable state laws and regulations that impose requirements for the handling and disposal of waste from facilities; and the Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, also known as “Superfund,” and comparable state laws and regulations that regulate the cleanup of hazardous substances that may have been released at properties currently or previously owned or operated by MLPs or at locations to which they have sent waste for disposal.
Pipeline MLPs and other pipeline companies are subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) with respect to tariff rates these companies may charge for interstate pipeline transportation services. An adverse determination by FERC with respect to the tariff rates of a pipeline MLP could have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects of that pipeline MLP and its ability to make cash distributions to its equity owners. Moreover, the possibility exists that stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future that would significantly increase compliance costs and remediation costs, thus adversely affecting the financial performance of MLPs. MLPs may not be able to recover remediation costs from insurance.
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a relatively new technique for releasing and extracting natural gas trapped in underground shale formations. The fracking sector is facing allegations from environmentalists and some landowners that the technique may cause serious difficulties, which has led to uncertainty about the nature, extent, and cost of the environmental regulation to which it may ultimately be subject.
Voluntary initiatives and mandatory controls have been adopted or are being discussed both in the United States and worldwide to reduce emissions of “greenhouse gases” such as carbon dioxide, a by-product of burning fossil fuels, and methane, the major constituent of natural gas, which many scientists and policymakers believe contribute to global climate change. These measures and
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Appendix A
future measures could result in increased costs to certain MLPs and other companies in which the Fund may invest to operate and maintain facilities and administer and manage a greenhouse gas emissions program and may reduce demand for fuels that generate green house gases and that are managed or produced by MLPs in which the Fund may invest.
Weather Risk.  Weather plays a role in the seasonality of some MLPs’ cash flows. MLPs and other companies in the propane sector, for example, rely on the winter season to generate almost all of their earnings. In an unusually warm winter season, propane MLPs experience decreased demand for their product. Although most MLPs can reasonably predict seasonal weather demand based on normal weather patterns, extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, can adversely affect performance and cash flows of the MLPs.
Catastrophic Event Risk.  MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to many dangers inherent in the production, exploration, management, transportation, processing and distribution of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined petroleum and petroleum products and other hydrocarbons. These dangers include leaks, fires, explosions, damage to facilities and equipment resulting from natural disasters, inadvertent damage to facilities and equipment and terrorist acts. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government has issued warnings that energy assets, specifically U.S. pipeline infrastructure, may be targeted in future terrorist attacks. These dangers give rise to risks of substantial losses as a result of loss or destruction of commodity reserves; damage to or destruction of property, facilities and equipment; pollution and environmental damage; and personal injury or loss of life. Any occurrence of such catastrophic events could bring about a limitation, suspension or discontinuation of the operations of MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector. MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector may not be fully insured against all risks inherent in their business operations and therefore accidents and catastrophic events could adversely affect such companies’ financial conditions and ability to pay distributions to shareholders.
Acquisition Risk.  MLPs owned by the Fund may depend on their ability to make acquisitions that increase adjusted operating surplus per unit in order to increase distributions to unit holders. The ability of such MLPs to make future acquisitions is dependent on their ability to identify suitable targets, negotiate favorable purchase contracts, obtain acceptable financing and outbid competing potential acquirers. To the extent that MLPs are unable to make future acquisitions, or such future acquisitions fail to increase the adjusted operating surplus per unit, their growth and ability to make distributions will be limited. There are risks inherent in any acquisition, including: erroneous assumptions regarding revenues, acquisition expenses, operating expenses, cost savings and synergies; assumption of unknown liabilities; indemnification; customer losses; key employee defections; distraction from other business operations; and unanticipated difficulties in operating or integrating new product areas and geographic regions. Furthermore, even if an MLP does consummate an acquisition that it believes will be accretive, the acquisition may instead result in a decrease in free cash flow.
Interest Rate Risk.  Rising interest rates could increase the costs of capital thereby increasing operating costs and reducing the ability of MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector to carry out acquisitions or expansions in a cost-effective manner. As a result, rising interest rates could negatively affect the financial performance of MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector. Rising interest rates may also impact the price of the securities of MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector as the yields on alternative investments increase.
Industry Specific Risks.  MLPs and other companies operating in the energy sector are also subject to risks that are specific to the industry in which they operate.
Pipeline. Pipeline companies are subject to many risks, including varying demand for crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids or refined products in the markets served by the pipeline; changes in the availability of products for gathering, transportation, processing or sale due to natural declines in reserves and production in the supply areas serviced by the companies’ facilities; sharp decreases in crude oil or natural gas prices that cause producers to curtail production or reduce capital spending for exploration activities; and environmental regulation. Specifically, demand for gasoline, which accounts for a substantial portion of refined product transportation, depends on price, prevailing economic conditions in the markets served, and demographic and seasonal factors.
Gathering and processing. Gathering and processing companies are subject to natural declines in the production of oil and natural gas fields, which utilize their gathering and processing facilities as a way to market their production, prolonged declines in the price of natural gas or crude oil, which curtails drilling activity and therefore production, and declines in the prices of natural gas liquids and refined petroleum products, which cause lower processing margins. In addition, some gathering and processing contracts subject the gathering or processing company to direct commodities price risk.
Midstream. Midstream MLPs and other companies that provide crude oil, refined product and natural gas services are subject to supply and demand fluctuations in the markets they serve which may be impacted by a wide range of factors including fluctuating commodity prices, weather, increased conservation or use of alternative fuel sources, increased governmental or environmental regulation, depletion, rising interest rates, declines in domestic or foreign production, accidents or catastrophic events, and economic conditions, among others.
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Exploration and production. Exploration, development and production companies are particularly vulnerable to declines in the demand for and prices of crude oil and natural gas. Reductions in prices for crude oil and natural gas can cause a given reservoir to become uneconomic for continued production earlier than it would if prices were higher, resulting in the plugging and abandonment of, and cessation of production from, that reservoir. In addition, lower commodity prices not only reduce revenues but also can result in substantial downward adjustments in reserve estimates. The accuracy of any reserve estimate is a function of the quality of available data, the accuracy of assumptions regarding future commodity prices and future exploration and development costs and engineering and geological interpretations and judgments. Different reserve engineers may make different estimates of reserve quantities and related revenue based on the same data. Actual oil and gas prices, development expenditures and operating expenses will vary from those assumed in reserve estimates, and these variances may be significant. Any significant variance from the assumptions used could result in the actual quantity of reserves and future net cash flow being materially different from those estimated in reserve reports. In addition, results of drilling, testing and production and changes in prices after the date of reserve estimates may result in downward revisions to such estimates. Substantial downward adjustments in reserve estimates could have a material adverse effect on a given exploration and production company’s financial position and results of operations. In addition, due to natural declines in reserves and production, exploration and production companies must economically find or acquire and develop additional reserves in order to maintain and grow their revenues and distributions.
Oil. In addition to the risks applicable to pipeline companies described above, gathering and processing companies and exploration and production companies, (companies involved in the transportation, gathering, processing, exploration, development or production of crude oil or refined petroleum products) may be adversely affected by increased regulations, increased operating costs and reductions in the supply of and/or demand for crude oil and refined petroleum products. Increased regulation may result in a decline in production and/or increased cost associated with offshore oil exploration in the United States and around the world, which may adversely affect certain MLPs and the oil industry in general.
Propane. Propane companies are subject to earnings variability based upon weather patterns in the locations where they operate and increases in the wholesale price of propane which reduce profit margins. In addition, propane companies are facing increased competition due to the growing availability of natural gas, fuel oil and alternative energy sources for residential heating.
Coal. Coal companies are subject to declines in the demand for and prices of coal. Demand variability can be based on weather conditions, the strength of the domestic economy, the level of coal stockpiles in their customer base, and the prices of competing sources of fuel for electric generation. They are also subject to supply variability based on geological conditions that reduce the productivity of mining operations, the availability of regulatory permits for mining activities and the availability of coal that meets the standards of the Clean Air Act of 1990, as amended.
Power Infrastructure. Power infrastructure companies are subject to many risks, including earnings variability based upon weather patterns in the locations where the company operates, the change in the demand for electricity, the cost to produce power, and the regulatory environment. Further, share prices are partly based on the interest rate environment, the sustainability and potential growth of the dividend, and the outcome of various rate cases undertaken by the company or a regulatory body.
Transportation. Marine transportation (or “tanker”) companies are exposed to the highly cyclical nature of the tanker industry and may be subject to volatile changes in charter rates and vessel values, which may adversely affect the earnings of tanker companies. Fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values result from changes in the supply and demand for tanker capacity and changes in the supply and demand for oil and oil products. Changes in demand for transportation of oil over longer distances and the supply of tankers to carry that oil may materially affect the revenues, profitability and cash flows of tanker companies. The successful operation of vessels in the charter market depends upon, among other things, obtaining profitable spot charters and minimizing time spent waiting for charters and traveling unladen to pick up cargo. The value of tanker vessels may fluctuate and could adversely affect the value of tanker company securities in the Fund’s portfolio. Declining tanker values could affect the ability of tanker companies to raise cash by limiting their ability to refinance their vessels, thereby adversely impacting tanker company liquidity. Tanker company vessels are at risk of damage or loss because of events such as mechanical failure, collision, human error, war, terrorism, piracy, cargo loss and bad weather. In addition, changing economic, regulatory and political conditions in some countries, including political and military conflicts, have from time to time resulted in attacks on vessels, mining of waterways, piracy, terrorism, labor strikes, boycotts and government requisitioning of vessels. These sorts of events could interfere with shipping lanes and result in market disruptions and a significant loss of tanker company earnings.
Risks of Investing in Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”).  Investments in securities of an MLP involve risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP’s general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partner’s right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations. Accordingly, those MLPs may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a
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substantial drop in price. Investment in those MLPs may restrict the Fund’s ability to take advantage of other investment opportunities. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns. Depending on the state of interest rates in general, the use of MLPs could enhance or harm the overall performance of the Fund.
MLPs are subject to various risks related to the underlying operating companies they control, including dependence upon specialized management skills and the risk that those operating companies may lack or have limited operating histories. The success of the Fund’s investments in an MLP will vary depending on the underlying industry represented by the MLP’s portfolio.
Certain MLPs in which the Fund may invest depend upon their parent or sponsor entities for the majority of their revenues. If the parent or sponsor entities fail to make payments or satisfy their obligations to an MLP, the revenues and cash flows of that MLP and ability of that MLP to make distributions to unit holders such as the Fund would be adversely affected. Certain MLPs in which the Fund may invest depend upon a limited number of customers for substantially all of their revenue. Similarly, certain MLPs in which the Fund may invest depend upon a limited number of suppliers of goods or services to continue their operations. The loss of those customers or suppliers could have a material adverse effect on an MLP’s results of operations and cash flow, and on its ability to make distributions to unit holders such as the Fund.
The Fund must recognize income that it receives from underlying MLPs for tax purposes, even if the Fund does not receive cash distributions from the MLPs in an amount necessary to pay such tax liability. In addition, a percentage of a distribution received by the Fund as the holder of an MLP interest may be treated as a return of capital, which would reduce the Fund’s adjusted tax basis in the interests of the MLP, which will result in an increase in the amount of income or gain (or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the Fund for tax purposes upon the sale of any such interests or upon subsequent distributions in respect of such interests. Furthermore, any return of capital distribution received from the MLP may require the Fund to restate the character of its distributions and amend any shareholder tax reporting previously issued.
MLPs do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP, could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP. If any MLP in which the Fund invests were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it could result in a reduction of the value of the Fund’s investment in the MLP and lower income to the Fund.
Tax Risks. Much of the benefit that the Fund may derive from its investment in equity securities of MLPs is a result of MLPs generally being treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Partnerships do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law, or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP, could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. The classification of an MLP as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP. If any MLP in which the Fund invests were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it could result in a reduction of the value of the Fund’s investment in the MLP and lower income to the Fund.
To the extent that the Fund invests in the equity securities of an MLP classified as a partnership, the Fund will be required to include in its taxable income the Fund’s allocable share of the income, gains, losses and deductions recognized by each such MLP and take into account its allocable share of the MLP’s tax credits, regardless of whether the MLP distributes cash to the Fund. Based upon a review of the historic results of the type of MLPs in which the Fund intends to invest, the Fund expects that the cash distributions it will receive with respect its investments in equity securities of MLPs will exceed the taxable income allocated to the Fund from such MLPs. No assurance, however, can be given in this regard. If this expectation is not realized, the Fund will have a larger corporate income tax expense than expected, which will result in less cash available to distribute to shareholders.
The portion of an MLP’s distributions to the Fund which are not derived from the MLP’s taxable income (return of capital distributions) generally will not be taxable to the Fund unless the amount distributed exceeds the Fund’s basis in its interest in the MLP. Distributions received by the Fund from an MLP will reduce the Fund’s adjusted basis in its interest in the MLP, but not below zero. A reduced basis generally will result in an increase in the amount of gain (or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the Fund for tax purposes on the sale of its interest in the MLP. Distributions from an MLP to the Fund in excess of the Fund’s basis in the MLP generally will be taxable to the Fund as capital gain. The Fund will not benefit from current favorable federal income tax rates on long-term capital gains because it will be taxed as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. Furthermore, any return of capital distribution received from the MLP may require the Fund to restate the character of its distributions and amend any shareholder tax reporting previously issued.
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Historically, energy and certain other MLPs have been able to offset a significant portion of their taxable income with tax deductions. The Fund will incur a current income tax liability on the portion of its share of the income and gain from each MLP investment that is not offset by its share of the MLP’s tax deductions, by its share of the MLPs’ tax credits or by the Fund’s net operating losses or net operating loss carryforwards, if any. The percentage of an MLP’s income that is offset by the MLP’s tax deductions will fluctuate over time. For example, new acquisitions of depreciable property by MLPs tend to generate accelerated depreciation and other tax deductions, and therefore a decline in acquisition activity by such MLPs owned by the Fund could increase the Fund’s current tax liability. If the percentage of the income allocated to the Fund that is offset by tax deductions declines, or the Fund’s portfolio turnover increases, the Fund could incur increased tax liabilities and the portion of the distributions paid by the Fund that is treated as tax-deferred return of capital would be reduced and the portion treated as taxable dividend income would be increased. This generally would result in lower after-tax distributions to shareholders. If the amount of the Fund distribution to U.S. shareholders exceeds the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, such excess will be treated first as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of, and in reduction of, U.S. shareholders’ tax basis in the shares, and thereafter as capital gain. Any such capital gain will be long-term capital gain if such U.S. shareholder has held the applicable shares for more than one year. The portion of the distribution received by the U.S. shareholder from the Fund that constitutes a return of capital will decrease the U.S. shareholder’s tax basis in his or her Fund shares (but not below zero), which will result in an increase in the amount of gain (or decrease in the amount of loss) that will be recognized by the U.S. shareholder for tax purposes on the later sale of such Fund shares.
Depreciation or other cost recovery deductions passed through to the Fund from investments in MLPs in a given year generally will reduce the Fund’s taxable income (and earnings and profits), but those deductions may be recaptured in the Fund’s taxable income (and earnings and profits) in subsequent years when the MLPs dispose of their assets or when the Fund disposes of its interests in the MLPs. When deductions are recaptured, distributions to the Fund’s shareholders may be taxable, even though the shareholders at the time of the distribution might not have held shares in the Fund at the time the deductions were taken by the Fund, and even though the Fund’s shareholders at the time of the distribution will not have corresponding economic gain on their shares at the time of the distribution.
The portion of the distributions received by the Fund each year that is considered a return of capital from the MLPs will not be known until the Fund receives a schedule K-1 for that year with respect to each of its MLP investments. The Fund’s tax liability will not be known until the Fund completes its annual tax return. The Fund’s tax estimates could vary substantially from the actual liability and therefore the determination of the Fund’s actual tax liability may have a material impact on the Fund’s NAV. The payment of corporate income taxes imposed on the Fund will decrease cash available for distribution to shareholders.
Individuals and certain other noncorporate entities are generally eligible for a 20% deduction with respect to certain taxable income from MLPs through 2025. Currently, there is not a mechanism for RICs to pass-through the special character of this income to shareholders. It is uncertain whether future legislation or other guidance will enable RICs to pass through the special character of this income to shareholders. As a result, in comparison, investors investing directly in MLPs would generally be eligible for the 20% deduction with respect to income from such investments, while investors investing in MLPs indirectly through the Fund would not be so eligible.
Risks of Emerging Countries. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers located in, or otherwise economically tied to, emerging countries. The risks of foreign investment are heightened when the issuer is located in an emerging country. Emerging countries are generally located in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern and Central Europe, and Central and South America. The Fund’s purchase and sale of portfolio securities in certain emerging countries may be constrained by limitations relating to daily changes in the prices of listed securities, periodic trading or settlement volume and/or limitations on aggregate holdings of foreign investors. Such limitations may be computed based on the aggregate trading volume by or holdings of the Fund, the Investment Adviser, its affiliates and their respective clients and other service providers. The Fund may not be able to sell securities in circumstances where price, trading or settlement volume limitations have been reached.
Foreign investment in the securities markets of certain emerging countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees which may limit investment in such countries or increase the administrative costs of such investments. For example, certain Asian countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer’s outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals. In addition, certain countries may restrict or prohibit investment opportunities in issuers or industries deemed important to national interests. Such restrictions may affect the market price, liquidity and rights of securities that may be purchased by the Fund. The repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of securities sales from certain emerging countries is subject to restrictions such as the need for governmental consents, which may make it difficult for the Fund to invest in such emerging countries. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for such repatriation. In situations where a country restricts direct investment in securities (which may occur in certain Asian and other countries), the Fund may invest in such countries through other investment funds in such countries.
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Emerging market countries may have more or less government regulation and generally do not impose as extensive and frequent accounting, auditing, financial and other reporting requirements as the securities markets of more developed countries. The degree of cooperation between issuers in emerging and frontier market countries with foreign and U.S. financial regulators may vary significantly. Accordingly, regulators may not have sufficient access to audit and oversee issuers, and there could be less information available about issuers in certain emerging market countries. As a result, the Investment Adviser’s ability to evaluate local companies or their potential impact on the Fund’s performance could be inhibited.
Many emerging countries have recently experienced currency devaluations and substantial (and, in some cases, extremely high) rates of inflation. Other emerging countries have experienced economic recessions. These circumstances have had a negative effect on the economies and securities markets of those emerging countries. Economies in emerging countries generally are dependent heavily upon commodity prices and international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade.
Many emerging countries are subject to a substantial degree of economic, political and social instability. Governments of some emerging countries are authoritarian in nature or have been installed or removed as a result of military coups, while governments in other emerging countries have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, among other factors, have also led to social unrest, violence and/or labor unrest in some emerging countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Investing in emerging countries involves greater risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested. As an example, in the past some Eastern European governments have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and many claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that similar expropriations will not occur in other countries.
The Fund’s investment in emerging countries may also be subject to withholding or other taxes, which may be significant and may reduce the return to the Fund from an investment in issuers in such countries.
Settlement procedures in emerging countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States and may involve the Fund’s delivery of securities before receipt of payment for their sale. In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities and could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, to have a portion of its assets uninvested or to incur losses due to the failure of a counterparty to pay for securities the Fund has delivered or the Fund’s inability to complete its contractual obligations because of theft or other reasons.
The creditworthiness of the local securities firms used by the Fund in emerging countries may not be as sound as the creditworthiness of firms used in more developed countries. As a result, the Fund may be subject to a greater risk of loss if a securities firm defaults in the performance of its responsibilities.
The small size and inexperience of the securities markets in certain emerging countries and the limited volume of trading in securities in those countries may make the Fund’s investments in such countries less liquid and more volatile than investments in countries with more developed securities markets (such as the United States, Japan and most Western European countries). The Fund’s investments in emerging countries are subject to the risk that the liquidity of a particular investment, or investments generally, in such countries will shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse economic, market or political conditions or adverse investor perceptions, whether or not accurate. Because of the lack of sufficient market liquidity, the Fund may incur losses because it will be required to effect sales at a disadvantageous time and only then at a substantial drop in price. Investments in emerging countries may be more difficult to value precisely because of the characteristics discussed above and lower trading volumes.
The Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF’s and Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF’s use of foreign currency management techniques in emerging countries may be limited. The Investment Adviser anticipates that a significant portion of the Fund’s currency exposure in emerging countries may not be covered by those techniques.
Risks of Foreign Investment. The Fund may make foreign investments. Foreign investments involve special risks that are not typically associated with U.S. dollar denominated or quoted securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign investments may be affected by changes in currency rates, changes in foreign or U.S. laws or restrictions applicable to such investments and changes in exchange control regulations (e.g., currency blockage). A decline in the exchange rate of the currency (i.e., weakening of the currency against the U.S. dollar) in which a portfolio security is quoted or denominated relative to the U.S. dollar would reduce the value of the portfolio security. In addition, if the currency in which the Fund receives dividends, interest or other payments declines in value against the U.S. dollar before such income is distributed as dividends to shareholders or converted to U.S. dollars, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities to obtain sufficient cash to pay such dividends.
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Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. International trade barriers or economic sanctions against foreign countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals may adversely affect the Fund’s foreign holdings or exposures. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is impossible to predict. These types of measures may include, but are not limited to, banning a sanctioned country from global payment systems that facilitate cross-border payments, restricting the settlement of securities transactions by certain investors, and freezing the assets of particular countries, entities, or persons. The imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, cause a decline in the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country, downgrades in the credit ratings of the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country, devaluation of the sanctioned country’s currency, and increased market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and significantly impact the Fund’s liquidity and performance.
Brokerage commissions, custodial services and other costs relating to investment in international securities markets generally are more expensive than in the United States. In addition, clearance and settlement procedures may be different in foreign countries and, in certain markets, such procedures have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, thus making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
Foreign issuers are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than about a U.S. issuer. In addition, there is generally less government regulation of foreign markets, companies and securities dealers than in the United States, and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the United States. Foreign securities markets may have substantially less volume than U.S. securities markets and securities of many foreign issuers are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable domestic issuers. Furthermore, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, imposition of withholding or other taxes on dividend or interest payments (or, in some cases, capital gains distributions), limitations on the removal of funds or other assets from such countries, and risks of political or social instability or diplomatic developments which could adversely affect investments in those countries.
Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to social, political or market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Certain foreign investments may become illiquid when, for instance, there are few, if any, interested buyers and sellers or when dealers are unwilling to make a market for certain securities. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value, especially in changing markets.
Concentration of the Fund’s assets in one or a few countries and currencies will subject the Fund to greater risks than if the Fund’s assets were not geographically concentrated.
Investments in foreign securities may take the form of sponsored and unsponsored ADRs, GDRs, European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) or other similar instruments representing securities of foreign issuers. ADRs, GDRs and EDRs represent the right to receive securities of foreign issuers deposited in a bank or other depository. ADRs and certain GDRs are traded in the United States. GDRs may be traded in either the United States or in foreign markets. EDRs are traded primarily outside the United States. Prices of ADRs are quoted in U.S. dollars. EDRs and GDRs are not necessarily quoted in the same currency as the underlying security.

Risks of Sovereign Debt.  Investment in sovereign debt obligations by the Fund involves risks not present in debt obligations of corporate issuers. The issuer of the debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt, and the Fund may have limited recourse to compel payment in the event of a default. Periods of economic uncertainty may result in the volatility of market prices of sovereign debt, and in turn the Fund’s NAV, to a greater extent than the volatility inherent in debt obligations of U.S. issuers. A sovereign debtor’s willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign currency reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor’s policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject.
Credit/Default Risks.  Debt securities purchased by the Fund may include U.S. Government Securities (including zero coupon bonds) and securities issued by foreign governments, domestic and foreign corporations, banks and other issuers. Some of these fixed income securities are described in the next section below. Further information is provided in the SAI.
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Debt securities rated BBB– or higher by S&P Global Ratings, or Baa3 or higher by Moody’s or having a comparable credit rating by another NRSRO are considered “investment grade.” Securities rated BBB– or Baa3 are considered medium-grade obligations with speculative characteristics, and adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances may weaken their issuers’ capacity to pay interest and repay principal. For the purpose of determining compliance with any credit rating requirement, the Fund assigns a security, at the time of purchase, the highest rating by an NRSRO if the security is rated by more than one NRSRO. Therefore, a security will be deemed to have met a rating requirement if it receives the minimum required rating from at least one such rating organization even though it has been rated below the minimum rating by one or more other rating organizations, or if unrated by such rating organizations, the security is determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality.
A security satisfies the Fund’s minimum rating requirement regardless of its relative ranking (for example, plus or minus) within a designated major rating category (for example, BBB or Baa). If a security satisfies the Fund’s minimum rating requirement at the time of purchase and is subsequently downgraded below that rating, the Fund will not be required to dispose of the security. If a downgrade occurs, the Investment Adviser will consider which action, including the sale of the security, is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
The Fund may invest in fixed income securities rated BB+ or Ba1 or below (or comparable unrated securities) which are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” Junk bonds are considered speculative and may be questionable as to principal and interest payments.
In some cases, junk bonds may be highly speculative, have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing and be in default. As a result, investment in such bonds will present greater speculative risks than those associated with investment in investment grade bonds. Also, to the extent that the rating assigned to a security in the Fund’s portfolio is downgraded by a rating organization, the market price and liquidity of such security may be adversely affected.
Risks of Initial Public Offerings. The Fund may invest in IPOs. An IPO is a company’s first offering of stock to the public. IPO risk is the risk that the market value of IPO shares will fluctuate considerably due to factors such as the absence of a prior public market, unseasoned trading, the small number of shares available for trading and limited information about a company’s business model, quality of management, earnings growth potential and other criteria used to evaluate its investment prospects. The purchase of IPO shares may involve high transaction costs. Investments in IPO shares, which are subject to market risk and liquidity risk, involve greater risks than investments in shares of companies that have traded publicly on an exchange for extended periods of time. When the Fund’s asset base is small, a significant portion of the Fund’s performance could be attributable to investments in IPOs, because such investments would have a magnified impact on the Fund. As the Fund’s assets grow, the effect of the Fund’s investments in IPOs on the Fund’s performance probably will decline, which could reduce the Fund’s performance. Because of the price volatility of IPO shares, the Fund may choose to hold IPO shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the turnover of the Fund’s portfolio and may lead to increased expenses to the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. By selling IPO shares, the Fund may realize taxable gains it will subsequently distribute to shareholders. In addition, the market for IPO shares can be speculative and/or inactive for extended periods of time. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able to obtain allocable portions of IPO shares. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Investors in IPO shares can be affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by sales of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders.
Risks of Pre-IPO Investments. Privately held companies typically have limited operating histories, narrower, less established product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions, market conditions and consumer sentiment in respect of their products or services, as well as general economic downturns. Such companies may experience operating losses, which may be substantial, and there can be no assurance when or if such companies will operate at a profit. At the time of the Fund’s investment, there is generally little publicly available information about these companies since they are primarily privately owned and the Fund may only have access to the company’s actual financial results as of and for the most recent quarter end or, in certain cases, the quarter end preceding the most recent quarter end. There can be no assurance that the information that the Fund does obtain with respect to any investment is reliable. Privately held companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their existing credit facilities (to the extent that such facilities exist), which may lead to equity financings, possibly at discounted valuations, in which the Fund could be substantially diluted if the Fund does not or cannot participate, bankruptcy or liquidation and the corresponding reduction in value or loss of the Fund’s investment. Privately held companies are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons; therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on the company and, in turn, on the Fund. Continued global economic uncertainty could also result in investors becoming more risk-averse, which in turn could reduce the amount of growth capital available to the companies from both existing and new investors, could adversely affect their operating performance, and could delay liquidity paths (for example, an IPO or strategic sale/merger) for the companies. It may be difficult for the Fund to sell these investments, subjecting the Fund to liquidity risk. Shares of privately held companies are relatively less liquid (and may be illiquid) and difficult to value, and the inability of these portfolio companies to complete an IPO within the targeted time frame will extend the holding period of the Fund’s investments and may adversely affect the value of these investments.
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Risks of Short Selling.  The Fund may engage in short selling. In these transactions, the Fund sells a financial instrument it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the instrument, then must borrow the instrument to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is obligated to replace the financial instrument borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the instrument was sold by the Fund, which may result in a loss or gain, respectively. Unlike purchasing a financial instrument like a stock, where potential losses are limited to the purchase price and there is no upside limit on potential gain, short sales involve no cap on maximum losses, while gains are limited to the price of the stock at the time of the short sale.
The Fund may, during the term of any short sale, withdraw the cash proceeds of such short sale and use these cash proceeds to purchase additional securities or for any other Fund purposes. Because cash proceeds are Fund assets which are typically used to satisfy the collateral requirements for the short sale, the reinvestment of these cash proceeds may require the Fund to post as collateral other securities that it owns. If the Fund reinvests the cash proceeds, the Fund might be required to post an amount greater than its net assets (but less than its total assets) as collateral. For these or other reasons, the Fund might be required to liquidate long and short positions at times that may be disadvantageous to the Fund.
The Fund may also enter into a short derivative position through a futures contract, an option or swap agreement. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Fund’s assets and presents various risks. If the price of the instrument or market which the Fund has taken a short position on increases, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short position was entered into plus any related interest payments or other fees. Taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be disproportionate and may exceed the amount invested.
The Fund may also make short sales against the box, in which the Fund enters into a short sale of a financial instrument which it owns or has the right to obtain at no additional cost.
The SEC and financial industry regulatory authorities in other countries have imposed temporary prohibitions and restrictions on certain types of short sale transactions. These prohibitions and restrictions, or the imposition of other regulatory requirements on short selling in the future, could inhibit the ability of the Investment Adviser to sell securities short on behalf of the Fund.
Short Sales Against-the-Box. The Fund may make short sales against-the-box. A short sale against-the-box means that at all times when a short position is open the Fund will own an equal amount of securities sold short, or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, without payment of any further consideration, an equal amount of the securities of the same issuer as the securities sold short.
Temporary Investment Risks.  The Fund may, for temporary defensive purposes, invest a certain percentage of its total assets in:
U.S. Government Securities
Commercial paper rated at least A-2 by S&P Global Ratings; P-2 by Moody’s or having a comparable rating by another NRSRO (or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality)
Certificates of deposit
Bankers’ acceptances
Repurchase agreements
Non-convertible preferred stocks and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year
ETFs and other investment companies providing similar investment exposures
Cash items
When the Fund’s assets are invested in such instruments, the Fund may not be achieving its investment objective. 
C.  Portfolio Securities and Techniques
This section provides further information on certain types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund, including their associated risks.
The Fund may purchase other types of securities or instruments similar to those described in this section if otherwise consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies. Further information is provided in the SAI, which is available upon request.
Convertible Securities.  The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities are preferred stock or debt obligations that are convertible into common stock. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than nonconvertible securities of similar quality. Convertible securities have both equity and fixed income risk characteristics. Like all fixed income securities, the value of convertible securities is susceptible to the risk of market losses attributable to changes in interest rates. Generally, the market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as
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Appendix A
interest rates decline. However, when the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security exceeds the conversion price of the convertible security, the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security, like a fixed income security, tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis, and thus may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock.
Foreign Currency Transactions.  The Fund may, to the extent consistent with its investment policies, purchase or sell foreign currencies on a cash basis or through forward contracts. A forward contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. The Fund may engage in foreign currency transactions for hedging purposes and to seek to protect against anticipated changes in future foreign currency exchange rates. In addition, the Fund may enter into foreign currency transactions to seek a closer correlation between the Fund’s overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of the Fund’s performance benchmark.
The Fund may also engage in cross-hedging by using forward contracts in a currency different from that in which the hedged security is denominated or quoted. The Fund may hold foreign currency received in connection with investments in foreign securities when, in the judgment of the Investment Adviser, it would be beneficial to convert such currency into U.S. dollars at a later date (e.g., the Investment Adviser may anticipate the foreign currency to appreciate against the U.S. dollar).
The Fund may, from time to time, engage in non-deliverable forward transactions to manage currency risk or to gain exposure to a currency without purchasing securities denominated in that currency. A non-deliverable forward is a transaction that represents an agreement between the Fund and a counterparty (usually a commercial bank) to pay the other party the amount that it would cost based on current market rates as of the termination date to buy or sell a specified (notional) amount of a particular currency at an agreed upon foreign exchange rate on an agreed upon future date. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreement related to the transaction, but the Fund may be delayed or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to non-deliverable forward transactions. Such non-deliverable forward transactions will be settled in cash.
Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time, causing, along with other factors, the Fund’s NAV to fluctuate (when the Fund’s NAV fluctuates, the value of your shares may go up or down). Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by the intervention of U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or the failure to intervene, or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad.
Certain forward foreign currency exchange contracts and other currency transactions are not exchange traded or cleared. The market in such forward foreign currency exchange contracts, currency swaps and other privately negotiated currency instruments offers less protection against defaults by the other party to such instruments than is available for currency instruments traded on an exchange. Such contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to the contract will default on its obligations. Because these contracts are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on a contract would deprive the Fund of unrealized profits, transaction costs or the benefits of a currency hedge or could force the Fund to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price.
The Fund is not required to post cash collateral with its counterparties in certain foreign currency transactions. Accordingly, the Fund may remain more fully invested (and more of the Fund’s assets may be subject to investment and market risk) than if it were required to post collateral with its counterparties (which is the case with certain transactions). Where the Fund’s counterparties are not required to post cash collateral with the Fund, the Fund will be subject to additional counterparty risk.
Commodity-linked Derivative Instruments.  In accordance with existing law or in reliance upon an IRS private letter ruling or an opinion of counsel or other applicable guidance or relief provided by the IRS or other agencies, the Fund may invest in commodity-linked derivative instruments such as commodity-linked swaps, commodity index-linked structured notes and other derivative instruments that provide exposure to the investment returns of the commodity markets without direct investment in physical commodities or commodities futures contracts. Commodity-linked swaps are derivative instruments whereby the cash flows agreed upon between counterparties are dependent upon the price of the underlying commodity or commodity index over the life of the swap. The value of the swap will rise and fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or commodity index. These swaps expose the Fund economically to movements in commodity prices. As noted above under “Taxation,” the Fund’s ability to utilize commodity-linked swaps as part of its investment strategy is limited to a maximum of 10 percent of its gross income. The Fund may also invest in commodity-linked notes that pay a return linked to the performance of a commodities index or basket of futures contracts with respect to all of the commodities in an index. In some cases, the return is based on a multiple of the performance of the relevant index or basket. Structured notes may be structured by the issuer or the purchaser of the note. Structured notes are derivative debt instruments with principal payments generally linked to the value of commodities, commodity futures contracts or the performance of commodity indices and interest and coupon payments pegged to a market-based interest rate, such as LIBOR or a bank’s prime rate. The value of these notes will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or related index or investment. The Fund may also take long and/or short positions in commodities by investing in other investment companies, ETFs or other pooled investment
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vehicles, such as commodity pools. Certain of these other investment vehicles may seek to provide exposure to commodities without actually owning physical commodities, and may therefore produce different results than they would through ownership of the commodities. The Fund pursues its objective without directly investing in commodities.
Commodities are assets such as oil, gas, industrial and precious metals, livestock, and agricultural or meat products, or other items that have tangible properties, as compared to stocks or bonds, which are financial instruments. In choosing investments, the Investment Adviser seeks to provide exposure to various commodities and commodity sectors. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of particular industries or commodities, such as weather, disease, embargoes, acts of war or terrorism, or political and regulatory developments.
The prices of commodity-linked derivative instruments may move in different directions than investments in traditional equity and debt securities when the value of those traditional securities is declining due to adverse economic conditions. As an example, during periods of rising inflation, debt securities have historically tended to decline in value due the general increase in prevailing interest rates. Conversely, during those same periods of rising inflation, the prices of certain commodities, such as oil and metals, have historically tended to increase. Of course, there cannot be any guarantee that these investments will perform in that manner in the future, and at certain times the price movements of commodity-linked derivative instruments have been parallel to those of debt and equity securities.
Commodities have historically tended to increase and decrease in value during different parts of the business cycle than financial assets. Nevertheless, at various times, commodities prices may move in tandem with the prices of financial assets and thus may not provide overall portfolio diversification benefits.
Under favorable economic conditions, the Fund’s investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments may be expected to underperform an investment in traditional securities. Over the long term, the returns on such investments are expected to exhibit low or negative correlation with stocks and bonds.
Structured Securities.  The Fund may invest in structured securities. Structured securities are securities whose value is determined by reference to changes in the value of specific currencies, securities, interest rates, commodities, indices or other financial indicators (the “Reference”) or the relative change in two or more References. Investments in structured securities may provide exposure to certain securities or markets in situations where regulatory or other restrictions prevent direct investments in such issuers or markets.
The interest rate or the principal amount payable upon maturity or redemption may be increased or decreased depending upon changes in the applicable Reference. Structured securities may be positively or negatively indexed, so that appreciation of the Reference may produce an increase or decrease in the interest rate or value of the security at maturity. In addition, changes in the interest rates or the value of the security at maturity may be a multiple of changes in the value of the Reference, effectively leveraging the Fund’s investments so that small changes in the value of the Reference may result in disproportionate gains or losses to the Fund. Consequently, structured securities may present a greater degree of market risk than many types of securities and may be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to price accurately than less complex securities. Structured securities are also subject to the risk that the issuer of the structured securities may fail to perform its contractual obligations. Certain issuers of structured products may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the Investment Company Act. As a result, the Fund’s investments in structured securities may be subject to the limits applicable to investments in other investment companies. Structured securities are considered hybrid instruments because they are derivative instruments the value of which depends on, or is derived from or linked to, the value of an underlying asset, interest rate index or commodity. Commodity-linked notes are hybrid instruments because the principal and/or interest payments on those notes is linked to the value of the individual commodities, futures contracts or the performance of one or more commodity indices.
Structured securities include, but are not limited to, equity linked notes. An equity linked note is a note whose performance is tied to a single stock, a stock index or a basket of stocks. Equity linked notes combine the principal protection normally associated with fixed income investments with the potential for capital appreciation normally associated with equity investments. Upon the maturity of the note, the holder generally receives a return of principal based on the capital appreciation of the linked securities. Depending on the terms of the note, equity linked notes may also have a “cap” or “floor” on the maximum principal amount to be repaid to holders, irrespective of the performance of the underlying linked securities. For example, a note may guarantee the repayment of the original principal amount invested (even if the underlying linked securities have negative performance during the note’s term), but may cap the maximum payment at maturity at a certain percentage of the issuance price or the return of the underlying linked securities. Alternatively, the note may not guarantee a full return on the original principal, but may offer a greater participation in any capital appreciation of the underlying linked securities. The terms of an equity linked note may also provide for periodic interest payments to holders at either a fixed or floating rate. The secondary market for equity linked notes may be limited, and the lack of liquidity in the secondary market may make these securities difficult to dispose of and to value. Equity linked notes will be considered equity securities for purposes of the Fund’s investment objective and policies.
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Appendix A
REITs.  The Fund may invest in REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in either real estate or real estate related loans. The value of a REIT is affected by changes in the value of the properties owned by the REIT or securing mortgage loans held by the REIT. REITs are dependent upon the ability of the REITs’ managers, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and the qualification of the REITs under applicable regulatory requirements for favorable income tax treatment. REITs are also subject to risks generally associated with investments in real estate including possible declines in the value of real estate, general and local economic conditions, environmental problems and changes in interest rates. To the extent that assets underlying a REIT are concentrated geographically, by property type or in certain other respects, these risks may be heightened. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses, including management fees, paid by a REIT in which it invests.
Options on Securities, Securities Indices and Foreign Currencies.  A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell, and the writer (seller) of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying instrument during the option period. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer (seller) of the option the obligation to sell, the underlying instrument during the option period. The Fund may write (sell) call and put options and purchase call and put options, on any securities and other instruments in which it may invest or any index consisting of securities or other instruments in which it may invest. The Fund may also, to the extent consistent with its investment policies, purchase and write (sell) put and call options on foreign currencies.
The writing and purchase of options is a highly specialized activity which involves special investment risks. Options may be used for either hedging or cross-hedging purposes, or to seek to increase total return (which presents additional risk). The successful use of options depends in part on the ability of the Investment Adviser to anticipate future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities (or currency) markets. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in market prices or determination of the correlation between the instruments or indices on which options are written and purchased and the instruments in the Fund’s investment portfolio, the Fund may incur losses that it would not otherwise incur. The use of options can also increase the Fund’s transaction costs. Options written or purchased by the Fund may be traded on either U.S. or foreign exchanges or over the counter. Foreign and over-the-counter options will present greater possibility of loss because of their greater illiquidity and credit risks.
Equity Swaps.  The Fund may invest in equity swaps. Equity swaps allow the parties to a swap agreement to exchange the dividend income or other components of return on an equity investment (for example, a group of equity securities or an index) for another payment stream. An equity swap may be used by the Fund to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in circumstances in which direct investment may be restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise deemed impractical or disadvantageous.
The value of swaps can be very volatile. To the extent that the Investment Adviser does not accurately analyze and predict the potential relative fluctuation of the components swapped with another party, or the creditworthiness of the counterparty, the Fund may suffer a loss, which may be substantial. The value of some components of a swap (such as the dividends on a common stock) may also be sensitive to changes in interest rates. Furthermore, swaps may be illiquid, and the Fund may be unable to terminate its obligations when desired.
Currently, certain standardized swap transactions are subject to mandatory central clearing. Although central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to bilaterally negotiated swaps, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely.
Floating and Variable Rate Obligations.  The Fund may purchase floating and variable rate obligations. The value of these obligations is generally more stable than that of a fixed rate obligation in response to changes in interest rate levels. The issuers of financial intermediaries providing demand features may support their ability to purchase the obligations by obtaining credit with liquidity supports. These may include lines of credit, which are conditional commitments to lend, and letters of credit, which will ordinarily be irrevocable both of which may be issued by domestic banks or foreign banks. The Fund may purchase variable or floating rate obligations from the issuers or may purchase certificates of participation, a type of floating or variable rate obligation, which are interests in a pool of debt obligations held by a bank or other financial institutions.
Floating and variable rate obligations may be transferable among financial institutions, but may not have the liquidity of conventional debt securities and are often subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale. Floating and variable rate obligations are not currently listed on any securities exchange or automatic quotation system. As a result, no active market may exist for some floating and variable rate obligations. To the extent a secondary market exists for other floating and variable rate obligations, such market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods. The lack of a highly liquid secondary market for floating and variable rate obligations may have an adverse effect on the value of such obligations and may make it more difficult to value the obligations for purposes of calculating their respective net asset value.
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For floating and variable rate obligations, there may be a lag between an actual change in the underlying interest rate benchmark and the reset time for an interest payment of such an obligation, which could harm or benefit the Fund, depending on the interest rate environment or other circumstances. In a rising interest rate environment, for example, a floating or variable rate obligation that does not reset immediately would prevent the Fund from taking full advantage of rising interest rates in a timely manner. However, in a declining interest rate environment, the Fund may benefit from a lag due to an obligation’s interest rate payment not being immediately impacted by a decline in interest rates.
Certain floating and variable rate obligations have an interest rate floor feature, which prevents the interest rate payable by the security from dropping below a specified level as compared to a reference interest rate (the “reference rate”), such as SOFR, Term SOFR or another rate determined using SOFR. Such a floor protects the Fund from losses resulting from a decrease in the reference rate below the specified level. However, if the reference rate is below the floor, there will be a lag between a rise in the reference rate and a rise in the interest rate payable by the obligation, and the Fund may not benefit from increasing interest rates for a significant amount of time. At the end of 2021, certain LIBORs were discontinued, but the most widely used LIBORs may continue to be provided on a representative basis until June 30, 2023. The unavailability or replacement of LIBOR may affect the value, liquidity or return on certain Fund investments and may result in costs incurred in connection with closing out positions and entering into new trades. Any pricing adjustments to the Fund’s investments resulting from a substitute reference rate may also adversely affect the Fund’s performance and/or NAV.
SOFR is a measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight, collateralized by the U.S. Treasury securities, and is based on directly observable U.S. Treasury-backed repurchase transactions.
Zero Coupon, Deferred Interest, Pay-In-Kind and Capital Appreciation Bonds.  The Fund may invest in zero coupon bonds. The Fund may also invest in deferred interest, pay-in-kind and capital appreciation bonds. These bonds are issued at a discount from their face value because interest payments are typically postponed until maturity. Pay-in-kind securities are securities that have interest payable by the delivery of additional securities. The market prices of these securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of interest-bearing securities and are likely to respond to a greater degree to changes in interest rates than interest bearing securities having similar maturities and credit quality.
Municipal Securities.  The Fund may invest in securities and instruments issued by state and local government issuers. Municipal securities in which the Fund may invest consist of bonds, notes, commercial paper and other instruments (including participating interests in such securities) issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia) and their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities. Such securities may pay fixed, variable or floating rates of interest. Municipal securities are often issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities such as bridges, highways, housing, hospitals, mass transportation, schools, streets and water and sewer works. Other public purposes for which municipal securities may be issued include refunding outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses, and obtaining funds to lend to other public institutions and facilities. Municipal securities in which the Fund may invest include private activity bonds, municipal leases, certificates of participation, pre-funded municipal securities and auction rate securities. Dividends paid by the Fund based on investments in municipal securities will be taxable.
Mortgage-Backed Securities.  The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities represent direct or indirect participations in, or are collateralized by and payable from, mortgage loans secured by real property. Mortgage-backed securities can be backed by either fixed rate mortgage loans or adjustable rate mortgage loans, and may be issued by either a governmental or non-governmental entity. Privately issued mortgage-backed securities are normally structured with one or more types of “credit enhancement.” However, these mortgage-backed securities typically do not have the same credit standing as U.S. government guaranteed mortgage-backed securities.
Mortgage-backed securities may include multiple class securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) and Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit (“REMIC”) pass-through or participation certificates. A REMIC is a CMO that qualifies for special tax treatment and invests in certain mortgages principally secured by interests in real property and other permitted investments. CMOs provide an investor with a specified interest in the cash flow from a pool of underlying mortgages or of other mortgage-backed securities. CMOs are issued in multiple classes each with a specified fixed or floating interest rate and a final scheduled distribution rate. In many cases, payments of principal are applied to the CMO classes in the order of their respective stated maturities, so that no principal payments will be made on a CMO class until all other classes having an earlier stated maturity date are paid in full.
Sometimes, however, CMO classes are “parallel pay,” i.e., payments of principal are made to two or more classes concurrently. In some cases, CMOs may have the characteristics of a stripped mortgage-backed security whose price can be highly volatile. CMOs may exhibit more or less price volatility and interest rate risk than other types of mortgage-related obligations, and under certain interest rate and payment scenarios, the Fund may fail to recoup fully its investment in certain of these securities regardless of their credit quality.
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Appendix A
Mortgaged-backed securities also include stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”), which are derivative multiple class mortgage-backed securities. SMBS are usually structured with two different classes: one that receives substantially all of the interest payments and the other that receives substantially all of the principal payments from a pool of mortgage loans. The market value of SMBS consisting entirely of principal payments generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on SMBS that receive all or most of the interest from mortgage loans are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other mortgage-backed securities because their cash flow patterns are more volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped.
Throughout 2008, the market for mortgage-backed securities began experiencing substantially, often dramatically, lower valuations and greatly reduced liquidity. Markets for other asset-backed securities have also been affected. These instruments are increasingly subject to liquidity constraints, price volatility, credit downgrades and unexpected increases in default rates and, therefore, may be more difficult to value and more difficult to dispose of than previously. These events may have an adverse effect on the Fund to the extent it invests in mortgage-backed or other fixed income securities or instruments affected by the volatility in the fixed income markets.
Asset-Backed Securities.  The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities are securities whose principal and interest payments are collateralized by pools of assets such as auto loans, credit card receivables, leases, installment contracts and personal property. Asset-backed securities are often subject to more rapid repayment than their stated maturity date would indicate as a result of the pass-through of prepayments of principal on the underlying loans. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment of loans underlying asset-backed securities can be expected to accelerate. Accordingly, the Fund’s ability to maintain positions in such securities will be affected by reductions in the principal amount of such securities resulting from prepayments, and its ability to reinvest the returns of principal at comparable yields is subject to generally prevailing interest rates at that time. Asset-backed securities present credit risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed securities. This is because asset backed securities generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable to mortgage assets. If the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligations, there is the possibility that, in some cases, the Fund will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Fund’s recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on the securities. In the event of a default, the Fund may suffer a loss if it cannot sell collateral quickly and receive the amount it is owed. Asset-backed securities may also be subject to increased volatility and may become illiquid and more difficult to value even when there is no default or threat of default due to market conditions impacting asset-backed securities more generally.
Non-Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities.  Non-investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”) are considered speculative. In some cases, these obligations may be highly speculative and have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing. Non-investment grade fixed income securities are subject to the increased risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest obligations. These securities, also referred to as high yield securities, may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific issuer developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less liquidity.
Non-investment grade fixed income securities are often issued in connection with a corporate reorganization or restructuring or as part of a merger, acquisition, takeover or similar event. They are also issued by less established companies seeking to expand. Such issuers are often highly leveraged and generally less able than more established or less leveraged entities to make scheduled payments of principal and interest in the event of adverse developments or business conditions. Non-investment grade securities are also issued by governmental bodies that may have difficulty in making all scheduled interest and principal payments. The market value of non-investment grade fixed income securities tends to reflect individual issuer developments to a greater extent than that of higher rated securities which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. As a result, the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective may depend to a greater extent on the Investment Adviser’s judgment concerning the creditworthiness of issuers than funds which invest in higher-rated securities. Issuers of non-investment grade fixed income securities may not be able to make use of more traditional methods of financing and their ability to service debt obligations may be affected more adversely than issuers of higher-rated securities by economic downturns, specific corporate or financial developments or the issuer’s inability to meet specific projected business forecasts. Negative publicity about the junk bond market and investor perceptions regarding lower rated securities, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may depress the prices for such securities.
A holder’s risk of loss from default is significantly greater for non-investment grade fixed income securities than is the case for holders of other debt securities because such non-investment grade securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to the rights of other creditors of the issuers of such securities. Investment by the Fund in defaulted securities poses additional risk of loss should nonpayment of principal and interest continue in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery by the Fund of its initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation is uncertain.
The secondary market for non-investment grade fixed income securities is concentrated in relatively few market makers and is dominated by institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Accordingly, the secondary market for such securities is not as liquid as, and is more volatile than, the secondary market for higher-rated securities. In addition, market trading volume for high yield fixed income securities is generally lower and the secondary market for such
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securities could shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse market or economic conditions, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. The lack of sufficient market liquidity may cause the Fund to incur losses because it will be required to effect sales at a disadvantageous time and then only at a substantial drop in price. These factors may have an adverse effect on the market price and the Fund’s ability to dispose of particular portfolio investments. A less liquid secondary market also may make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.
Credit ratings issued by credit rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of non-investment grade securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the true risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the conditions of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. Consequently, credit ratings are used only as a preliminary indicator of investment quality.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls.  The Fund may enter into mortgage dollar rolls. A mortgage dollar roll involves the sale by the Fund of securities for delivery in the current month. The Fund simultaneously contracts with the same counterparty to repurchase substantially similar (same type, coupon and maturity) but not identical securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Fund loses the right to receive principal and interest paid on the securities sold. However, the Fund benefits to the extent of any difference between (a) the price received for the securities sold and (b) the lower forward price for the future purchase and/or fee income plus the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the securities sold. Unless the benefits of a mortgage dollar roll exceed the income, capital appreciation and gain or loss due to mortgage prepayments that would have been realized on the securities sold as part of the roll, the use of this technique will diminish the Fund’s performance.
Successful use of mortgage dollar rolls depends upon the Investment Adviser’s ability to predict correctly interest rates and mortgage prepayments. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its prediction, the Fund may experience a loss. The Fund does not currently intend to enter into mortgage dollar rolls for financing and do not treat them as borrowings.
Yield Curve Options.  The Fund may enter into options on the yield “spread” or differential between two securities. Such transactions are referred to as “yield curve” options. In contrast to other types of options, a yield curve option is based on the difference between the yields of designated securities, rather than the prices of the individual securities, and is settled through cash payments. Accordingly, a yield curve option is profitable to the holder if this differential widens (in the case of a call) or narrows (in the case of a put), regardless of whether the yields of the underlying securities increase or decrease.
The trading of yield curve options is subject to all of the risks associated with the trading of other types of options. In addition, such options present a risk of loss even if the yield on an underlying security remains constant, or if the spread moves in a direction or to an extent which was not anticipated.
Interest Rate Swaps, Mortgage Swaps, Credit Swaps, Currency Swaps, Index Swaps, Total Return Swaps, Equity Swaps, Options on Swaps and Interest Rate Caps, Floors and Collars. The Fund may enter into swap transactions and option agreements, including interest rate caps, floors and collars. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, such as an exchange of fixed-rate payments for floating rate payments. Mortgage swaps are similar to interest rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. The notional principal amount, however, is tied to a reference pool or pools of mortgages. Credit swaps involve the receipt of floating or fixed rate payments in exchange for assuming potential credit losses on an underlying security or pool of securities. Credit swaps give one party to a transaction (the buyer of the credit swap) the right to dispose of or acquire an asset (or group of assets or exposure to the performance of an index), or the right to receive a payment from the other party, upon the occurrence of specified credit events. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the parties’ respective rights to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Total return swaps give a party the right to receive the appreciation in the value of a specified security, index or other instrument in return for a fee paid to the counterparty, which will typically be based on an agreed upon interest rate. If the underlying asset in a total return swap declines in value over the term of the swap, the party may also be required to pay the dollar value of that decline to the counterparty. Equity swaps allow the parties to a swap agreement to exchange the dividend income or other components of return on an equity investment (for example, a group of equity securities or an index) for another payment stream. An equity swap may be used by the Fund to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in circumstances in which direct investment may be restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise deemed impractical or disadvantageous.
The Fund may also purchase and write (sell) options contracts on swaps, commonly referred to as swaptions. A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into an underlying swap or to modify terms of an existing swap on agreed-upon terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into or modify an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms, which generally entails a greater risk of loss than the Fund incurs in buying a swaption. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of
102

Appendix A
an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. An interest rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates.
The Fund may enter into the transactions described above for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. As an example, when the Fund is the buyer of a credit default swap (commonly known as buying protection), it may make periodic payments to the seller of the credit default swap to obtain protection against a credit default on a specified underlying asset (or group of assets). If a default occurs, the seller of a credit default swap may be required to pay the Fund the notional amount of the credit default swap on a specified security (or group of securities). On the other hand, when the Fund is a seller of a credit default swap (commonly known as selling protection), in addition to the credit exposure the Fund has on the other assets held in its portfolio, the Fund is also subject to the credit exposure on the notional amount of the swap since, in the event of a credit default, the Fund may be required to pay the notional amount of the credit default swap on a specified security (or group of securities) to the buyer of the credit default swap. The Fund will be the seller of a credit default swap only when the credit of the underlying asset is deemed by the Investment Adviser to meet the Fund’s minimum credit criteria at the time the swap is first entered into.
The use of interest rate, mortgage, credit, currency, index, total return and equity swaps, options on swaps, and interest rate caps, floors and collars is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, interest rates and currency exchange rates, or in its evaluation of the creditworthiness of swap counterparties and the issuers of the underlying assets, the investment performance of the Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if these investment techniques were not used.
Currently, certain standardized swap transactions are subject to mandatory central clearing and exchange trading. Although central clearing and exchange trading is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to bilaterally negotiated swaps, central clearing and exchange trading does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. Depending on the size of the Fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by the Fund to support its obligations under a similar bilateral, uncleared swap. However, certain applicable regulators have adopted rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps which may result in the Fund and its counterparties posting higher amounts for uncleared swaps.
Other Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, including ETFs and money market funds, subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Investment Company Act or rules, regulations or exemptive relief thereunder. These statutory limitations include in certain circumstances a prohibition on any Fund acquiring more than 3% of the voting Shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets in securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of total assets in securities of all investment companies.
Subject to applicable law and/or pursuant to an exemptive order obtained from the SEC or under an exemptive rule adopted by the SEC, the Fund may invest in certain other investment companies (including ETFs and money market funds) and business development companies beyond the statutory limits described above or otherwise provided that certain conditions are met. Some of those investment companies may be funds for which the Investment Adviser or any of their affiliates serves as investment adviser, administrator or distributor.
Additionally, to the extent that any Fund serves as an “acquired fund” to another Goldman Sachs Fund or unaffiliated investment company, the Fund’s ability to invest in other investment companies and private funds may be limited and, under these circumstances, the Fund’s investments in other investment companies and private funds will be consistent with applicable law and/or exemptive rules adopted by or exemptive orders obtained from the SEC. For example, to the extent the Fund serves as an acquired fund in a fund of funds arrangement in reliance on Rule 12d1-4 under the Investment Company Act, the Fund would be prohibited from purchasing or otherwise acquiring the securities of an investment company or private fund if, after such purchase or acquisition, the aggregate value of the Fund’s investments in such investment companies and private funds would exceed 10% of the value of the Fund’s total assets, subject to limited exceptions (including for investments in money market funds).
The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by such other investment companies, in addition to the fees and expenses regularly borne by the Fund. Although the Fund does not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, the Fund is authorized to invest substantially all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof that has substantially the same investment objective, policies and fundamental restrictions as the Fund.
Unseasoned Companies.  The Fund may invest in companies which (together with their predecessors) have operated less than three years. The securities of such companies may have limited liquidity, which can result in their being priced higher or lower than might otherwise be the case. In addition, investments in unseasoned companies are more speculative and entail greater risk than do investments in companies with an established operating record.
103

Corporate Debt Obligations.  Corporate debt obligations include bonds, notes, debentures, commercial paper and other obligations of corporations to pay interest and repay principal. The Fund may invest in corporate debt obligations issued by U.S. and certain non-U.S. issuers which issue securities denominated in the U.S. dollar (including Yankee and Euro obligations). In addition to obligations of corporations, corporate debt obligations include securities issued by banks and other financial institutions and supranational entities (i.e., the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, etc.).
Bank Obligations.  The Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. or foreign banks. Bank obligations, including without limitation, time deposits, bankers’ acceptances and certificates of deposit, may be general obligations of the parent bank or may be limited to the issuing branch by the terms of the specific obligations or by government regulations. Banks are subject to extensive but different governmental regulations which may limit both the amount and types of loans which may be made and interest rates which may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry is largely dependent upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operation of this industry.
U.S. Government Securities.  The Fund may invest in U.S. Government Securities. U.S. Government Securities include U.S. Treasury obligations and obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. U.S. Government Securities may be supported by (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (iii) the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the issuer; or (iv) only the credit of the issuer. U.S. Government Securities also include Treasury receipts, zero coupon bonds and other stripped U.S. Government Securities, where the interest and principal components are traded independently. U.S. Government Securities may also include Treasury inflation-protected securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation.
U.S. Government Securities are deemed to include (i) securities for which the payment of principal and interest is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit issued by the U.S. government, its agencies, authorities or instrumentalities; and (ii) participations in loans made to foreign governments or their agencies that are so guaranteed. Certain of these participations may be regarded as illiquid.
U.S. Treasury Securities, which are securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury where the payment of principal and interest is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will be able or willing to repay the principal or interest when due, or provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises that issue U.S. Government Securities if it is not obligated to do so by law.
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights. The Fund may invest in preferred stock, warrants and stock purchase rights (or “rights”). Preferred stocks are securities that represent an ownership interest providing the holder with claims on the issuer’s earnings and assets before common stock owners but after bond owners. Unlike debt securities, the obligations of an issuer of preferred stock, including dividend and other payment obligations, may not typically be accelerated by the holders of such preferred stock on the occurrence of an event of default or other non-compliance by the issuer of the preferred stock.
Warrants and other rights are options to buy a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price at any time during the life of the warrant or right. The holders of warrants and rights have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.
Lending of Portfolio Securities. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the lending of securities owned by the Fund to financial institutions such as certain broker-dealers. The borrowers are required to secure their loans continuously with cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities or letters of credit in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. Cash collateral may be invested by the Fund in short-term investments, including registered and unregistered investment pools managed by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates and from which the Investment Adviser or its affiliates may receive fees. To the extent that cash collateral is so invested, such collateral will be subject to market depreciation or appreciation, and the Fund will be responsible for any loss that might result from its investment of the borrowers’ collateral. If the Investment Adviser determines to make securities loans, the value of the securities loaned may not exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the total assets of the Fund (including the loan collateral). Loan collateral (including any investment of that collateral) is not subject to the percentage limitations regarding the Fund’s investments described elsewhere in the Prospectus.
The Fund may lend its securities to increase its income. The Fund may, however, experience delay in the recovery of its securities or incur a loss if the institution with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Fund or its agent, or becomes insolvent.
104

Appendix A
Repurchase Agreements. Repurchase agreements involve the purchase of securities subject to the seller’s agreement to repurchase them at a mutually agreed upon date and price. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that furnish collateral at least equal in value or market price to the amount of their repurchase obligations. The collateral may consist of any type of security in which the Fund is eligible to invest directly. Repurchase agreements involving obligations other than U.S. government securities may be subject to additional risks.
If the other party or “seller” defaults, the Fund might suffer a loss to the extent that the proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities and other collateral held by the Fund are less than the repurchase price and the Fund’s costs associated with delay and enforcement of the repurchase agreement. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy of the seller, the Fund could suffer additional losses if a court determines that the Fund’s interest in the collateral is not enforceable.
The Fund, together with other registered investment companies having advisory agreements with the Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates, may transfer uninvested cash balances into a single joint account, the daily aggregate balance of which will be invested in one or more repurchase agreements.
Borrowings.  The Fund can borrow money from banks and other financial institutions in amounts not exceeding one-third of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed or received).
Borrowings and Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund can borrow money from banks and other financial institutions, in amounts not exceeding one-third of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed or received). Each Fund also may enter into reverse repurchase agreements.
Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund subject to the Fund’s agreement to repurchase them at a mutually agreed upon date and price (including interest). These transactions may be entered into as a temporary measure for emergency purposes or to meet redemption requests. Reverse repurchase agreements may also be entered into when the Investment Adviser expects that the interest income to be earned from the investment of the transaction proceeds will be greater than the related interest expense.
Borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements involve leveraging. If the securities held by the Fund decline in value while these transactions are outstanding, the NAV of the Fund’s outstanding Shares will decline in value by proportionately more than the decline in value of the securities. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the investment return earned by the Fund (from the investment of the proceeds) will be less than the interest expense of the transaction, that the market value of the securities sold by the Fund will decline below the price the Fund is obligated to pay to repurchase the securities, and that the securities may not be returned to the Fund.
Downgraded Securities.  After its purchase, a portfolio security may be assigned a lower rating or cease to be rated, which may affect the market value and liquidity of the security. If this occurs, the Fund may continue to hold the security if the Investment Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.

Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates.  The Fund may invest in custodial receipts and trust certificates representing interests in securities held by a custodian or trustee. The securities so held may include U.S. Government Securities or other types of securities in which the Fund may invest. The custodial receipts or trust certificates may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities, or, in some cases, the payment obligation of a third party that has entered into an interest rate swap or other arrangement with the custodian or trustee. For certain securities laws purposes, custodial receipts and trust certificates may not be considered obligations of the U.S. government or other issuer of the securities held by the custodian or trustee. If for tax purposes the Fund is not considered to be the owner of the underlying securities held in the custodial or trust account, the Fund may suffer adverse tax consequences. As a holder of custodial receipts and trust certificates, the Fund will bear its proportionate share of the fees and expenses charged to the custodial account or trust. The Fund may also invest in separately issued interests in custodial receipts and trust certificates.
Unseasoned Companies. The Fund may invest in companies which (together with their predecessors) have operated less than three years. The securities of such companies may have limited liquidity, which can result in their being priced higher or lower than might otherwise be the case. In addition, investments in unseasoned companies are more speculative and entail greater risk than do investments in companies with an established operating record.
Inverse Floating Rate Securities.  The Fund may invest in inverse floating rate debt securities (“inverse floaters”). The interest rate on inverse floaters resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which an inverse floater is indexed. An inverse floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in the index rate of interest. The higher the degree of leverage of an inverse floater, the greater the volatility of its market value.
When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments.  The Fund may purchase when-issued securities and make contracts to purchase or sell securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time. When-issued securities are securities that have been authorized, but not yet issued. When-issued securities are purchased in order to secure what is considered to be an
105

advantageous price or yield to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. A forward commitment involves entering into a contract to purchase or sell securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond the customary settlement period.

 The purchase of securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis involves a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines before the settlement date. Conversely, the sale of securities on a forward commitment basis involves the risk that the value of the securities sold may increase before the settlement date. Although the Fund will generally purchase securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis with the intention of acquiring the securities for its portfolio, the Fund may dispose of when-issued securities or forward commitments prior to settlement if the Investment Adviser deems it appropriate.
106

Appendix B
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the Fund's financial performance for the past five years (or less if the Fund has been in operation for less than five years). The Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF commenced operations after the assets of the predecessor fund was transferred to the Fund in a tax-free reorganization as of the close of business on January 23, 2023. For periods prior to the close of business on January 23, 2023, the Financial Highlights information in the following table for the Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF’s Shares represents the Financial Highlights of the predecessor fund’s Institutional Class Shares for the fiscal periods indicated. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund Share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with the Fund's financial statements, is included in the Fund's most recent annual report (available upon request). Because the Goldman Sachs Small Cap Core Equity ETF had not commenced investment operations as of August 31, 2023, financial highlights are not available with respect to the Fund. On February 1, 2023, the Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF changed its fiscal year end from December 31 to August 31.
 
Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF
 
For the Fiscal
Year Ended
August 31, 2023
For the Period
February 8, 2022*
to
August 31, 2022
Per Share Operating Performance:
Net asset value, beginning of period
$39.57
$39.60
Net investment income(a)
0.58
0.32
Net realized and unrealized loss
(4.56
)
(0.15
)
Total gain (loss) from investment operations
(3.98
)
0.17
Distributions to shareholders from net investment income
(0.55
)
(0.20
)
Net asset value, end of period
$35.04
$39.57
Market price, end of period
$35.22
$39.52
Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)
(10.11
)%
0.45
%
Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)
$8,760
$7,915
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets
0.45
%
0.45
%(c)
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets
1.56
%
1.43
%(c)
Portfolio turnover rate(d)
23
%
19
%
*
Commencement of operations.
(a)
Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
(b)
Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
(c)
Annualized.
(d)
The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions and short-term transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
107

 
Equal Weight U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
 
For the Fiscal
Year Ended August 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Per Share Operating Performance:
Net asset value, beginning of year
$58.98
$70.00
$50.86
$46.30
$46.33
Net investment income(a)
1.03
0.94
0.85
0.93
0.81
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
3.94
(10.98
)
19.09
4.52
(0.10
)
Total gain (loss) from investment operations
4.97
(10.04
)
19.94
5.45
0.71
Distributions to shareholders from net investment income
(1.02
)
(0.98
)
(0.80
)
(0.89
)
(0.74
)
Net asset value, end of year
$62.93
$58.98
$70.00
$50.86
$46.30
Market price, end of year
$62.93
$58.99
$69.99
$50.95
$46.32
Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)
8.58
%
(14.48
)%
39.56
%
12.08
%
1.62
%
Net assets, end of year (in 000’s)
$462,534
$613,410
$857,504
$320,433
$168,989
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets
0.09
%
0.09
%
0.09
%
0.09
%
0.09
%
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets
1.72
%
1.43
%
1.39
%
1.98
%
1.81
%
Portfolio turnover rate(c)
44
%
47
%
43
%
48
%
39
%
(a)
Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
(b)
Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the year. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares.
(c)
The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions and short-term transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
108

Appendix B
 
Hedge Industry VIP ETF
 
For the Fiscal
Year Ended August 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Per Share Operating Performance:
Net asset value, beginning of year
$75.37
$103.18
$79.37
$56.86
$57.98
Net investment income (loss)(a)
0.17
(0.04
)(b)
(0.07
)
0.16
(c)
0.51
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
13.32
(27.77
)
23.88
22.59
(1.11
)
Total gain (loss) from investment operations
13.49
(27.81
)
23.81
22.75
(0.60
)
Distributions to shareholders from net investment income
(0.01
)
(d)
(0.24
)
(0.52
)
Distributions to shareholders from return of capital
(d)
Total distributions to shareholders
(0.01
)
(d)
(0.24
)
(0.52
)
Net asset value, end of year
$88.85
$75.37
$103.18
$79.37
$56.86
Market price, end of year
$88.90
$75.47
$103.21
$79.50
$57.03
Total Return at Net Asset Value(e)
17.90
%
(26.95
)%
30.00
%
40.07
%
(0.99
)%
Net assets, end of year (in 000’s)
$142,164
$145,084
$221,834
$115,085
$79,608
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets
0.45
%
0.45
%
0.45
%
0.45
%
0.45
%
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets
0.23
%
(0.05
)%(b)
(0.08
)%
0.26
%(c)
0.91
%
Portfolio turnover rate(f)
120
%
117
%
136
%
124
%
103
%
(a)
Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
(b)
Reflects income recognized from non-recurring special dividends which amounted to $0.05 per share and 0.05% of average net assets.
(c)
Reflects income recognized from non-recurring special dividends which amounted to $0.07 per share and 0.11% of average net assets.
(d)
Amount is less than $0.005 per share.
(e)
Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the year. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares.
(f)
The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions and short-term transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
109

 
Innovate Equity ETF
 
For the Fiscal
Year Ended August 31,
For the Period
November 6, 2020*
to
August 31, 2021
 
2023
2022
Per Share Operating Performance:
Net asset value, beginning of period
$43.67
$63.23
$50.03
Net investment income(a)
0.43
0.33
0.24
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
5.39
(19.43
)
13.15
Total gain (loss) from investment operations
5.82
(19.10
)
13.39
Distributions to shareholders from net investment income
(0.07
)
(0.46
)
(0.19
)
Net asset value, end of period
$49.42
$43.67
$63.23
Market price, end of period
$49.42
$43.62
$63.34
Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)
13.38
%
(30.35
)%
26.80
%
Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)
$336,076
$327,530
$493,184
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets
0.50
%
0.50
%
0.50
%(c)
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets
0.97
%
0.62
%
0.50
%(c)
Portfolio turnover rate(d)
45
%
38
%
38
%
*
Commencement of operations.
(a)
Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
(b)
Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
(c)
Annualized.
(d)
The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions and short-term transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
110

Appendix B
 
JUST U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF
 
For the Fiscal
Year Ended August 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Per Share Operating Performance:
Net asset value, beginning of year
$56.72
$65.65
$50.92
$42.04
$42.13
Net investment income(a)
0.89
0.82
0.74
0.74
0.72
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
7.49
(8.97
)
14.70
8.90
0.08
Total gain (loss) from investment operations
8.38
(8.15
)
15.44
9.64
0.80
Distributions to shareholders from net investment income
(0.88
)
(0.78
)
(0.71
)
(0.76
)
(0.89
)
Net asset value, end of year
$64.22
$56.72
$65.65
$50.92
$42.04
Market price, end of year
$64.27
$56.84
$65.68
$50.88
$42.06
Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)
15.00
%
(12.53
)%
30.61
%
23.29
%
2.06
%
Net assets, end of year (in 000’s)
$277,747
$269,428
$264,240
$152,754
$129,275
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets
0.20
%
0.20
%
0.20
%
0.20
%
0.20
%
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets
1.52
%
1.31
%
1.29
%
1.69
%
1.79
%
Portfolio turnover rate(c)
9
%
12
%
11
%
14
%
17
%
(a)
Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
(b)
Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the year, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the year. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares.
(c)
The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions and short-term transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
111

 
North American
Pipelines & Power
Equity ETF
 
For the Period
July 11, 2023*
to
August 31, 2023
Per Share Operating Performance:
Net asset value, beginning of period
$40.46
Net investment income(a)
0.13
Net realized and unrealized gain
0.34
Total gain from investment operations
0.47
Net asset value, end of period
$40.93
Market price, end of period
$40.96
Total Return at Net Asset Value(b)
1.16
%
Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)
$8,186
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets
0.55
%(c)
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets
2.25
%(c)
Portfolio turnover rate(d)
%
*
Commencement of operations.
(a)
Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
(b)
Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
(c)
Annualized.
(d)
The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions and short-term transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
112

Appendix B
 
Defensive Equity ETF(a)(b)
 
For the Period
January 1,  2023
to†
August 31, 2023
For the Fiscal
Year Ended
December 31,
For the Period
September 30, 2020*
to
December  31, 2020
2022
2021
Per Share Operating Performance:
Net asset value, beginning of period
$41.72
$48.24
$45.86
$45.00
Net investment income(c)
0.24
0.35
0.27
0.09
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
2.78
(6.49
)
6.26
0.86
Total gain (loss) from investment operations
3.02
(6.14
)
6.53
0.95
Distributions to shareholders from net investment income
(0.22
)
(0.38
)
(0.23
)
(0.09
)
Distributions to shareholders from net realized gains
(3.92
)
—(d
)
Total distributions to shareholders
(0.22
)
(0.38
)
(4.15
)
(0.09
)
Net asset value, end of period
$44.52
$41.72
$48.24
$45.86
Market price, end of period
$44.53
$
$
$
Total Return at Net Asset Value(e)
7.25
%
(12.57
)%
14.24
%
2.11
%
Net assets, end of period (in 000’s)
$6,793
$5,031
$6,283
$5,201
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets
0.56
%(f)
0.57
%
0.57
%
0.57
%(f)
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets
2.26
%(f)
6.01
%
9.46
%
10.45
%(f)
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets
1.01
%(f)
0.82
%
0.52
%
0.84
%(f)
Portfolio turnover rate(g)
160
%
178
%
305
%
26
%
*
Commencement of operations of Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity Fund, the predecessor fund.
The Fund changed its fiscal year end from December 31 to August 31 on February 1, 2023.
(a)
On January 18, 2023, the Fund effected a 4.5 -for-1 reverse share split. All per share data has been adjusted to reflect the reverse share split.
(b)
Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity Fund (“Predecessor Fund”) in a reorganization that occurred as of the close of business on January 23, 2023. Performance and financial history of the Predecessor Fund’s Institutional Class Shares have been adopted by Goldman Sachs Defensive Equity ETF and will be used going forward. As a result, the information prior to January 23, 2023, reflects that of the Predecessor Fund’s Institutional Class Shares. The Predecessor Fund ceased operations as of the date of the reorganization. (See Note 1).
(c)
Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology.
(d)
Amount is less than $0.005 per share.
(e)
Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all distributions and a complete sale of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period. Returns do not reflect the impact of taxes to shareholders relating to Fund distributions or the sale of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized.
(f)
Annualized.
(g)
The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements and excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind transactions and short-term transactions. If such transactions were included, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be higher.
113

Goldman Sachs Equity ETFs Prospectus
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Annual/Semi-Annual Report
Additional information about the Fund’s investments is or will be available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund’s annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.
Statement of Additional Information
Additional information about the Fund and its policies is also available in the Fund’s SAI. The SAI is incorporated by reference into the Prospectus (i.e., is legally considered part of the Prospectus).
The Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI are available free upon request by calling Goldman Sachs Funds at 1-800-621-2550. You can also access and download the annual and semi-annual reports and the SAI at the Fund’s website: www.gsamfunds.com/ETFfunds.
From time to time, certain announcements and other information regarding the Fund may be found at
http://www.gsamfunds.com/announcements-ind for individual investors, or
http://www.gsamfunds.com/announcements for advisers.
To obtain other information and for shareholder inquiries:
 
Shareholders/Authorized Participants
Financial Advisors
  By telephone:
1-800-621-2550
1-800-292-4726
  By mail:
Goldman Sachs Funds
71 South Wacker Drive, Suite 1200
Chicago, IL 60606
 
  On the Internet:
SEC EDGAR database – http://www.sec.gov
 
Other information about the Fund is available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov. You may obtain copies of this information, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].
The Trust's investment company registration number is 811-23013.
GSAM® is a registered service mark of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC.
EQTYETFPRO-23