cik0001137360-20230930
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PROSPECTUS |
|
February
1, 2024 |
Durable
High Dividend ETF DURA
Long/Flat
Trend ETF LFEQ
Morningstar
ESG Moat ETF MOTE
Morningstar
Global Wide Moat ETF MOTG
Morningstar
International Moat ETF MOTI
Morningstar
SMID Moat ETF SMOT
Morningstar
Wide Moat ETF MOAT®
Social
Sentiment ETF BUZZ
|
|
|
|
|
|
Principal
U.S. Listing Exchange for DURA, MOTE, MOTG, MOTI, SMOT and MOAT: Cboe BZX
Exchange, Inc. |
|
Principal
U.S. Listing Exchange for LFEQ and BUZZ: NYSE Arca, Inc. |
|
The
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved
these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this
Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense. |
|
|
|
800.826.2333 vaneck.com
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
VanEck®
Durable High Dividend ETF
(the
“Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the
price and yield performance of the Morningstar®
US Dividend Valuation IndexSM
(the “Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index” or the
“Index”).
FUND FEES AND
EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholder
Fees
(fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management
Fee |
0.29 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
Expenses(a) |
0.01 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
0.30 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
(a)Van Eck
Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) will pay all expenses of the Fund, except
for the fee payment under the investment management agreement, acquired fund
fees and expenses, interest expense, offering costs, trading expenses, taxes and
extraordinary expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser has agreed to
pay the offering costs until at least February 1,
2025.
EXPENSE
EXAMPLE
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with
the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account
brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and
then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example
also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return 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:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR |
EXPENSES |
|
|
1 |
$31 |
|
|
|
3 |
$97 |
|
|
|
5 |
$169 |
|
|
|
10 |
$381 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and
sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover
will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in
higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which
are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may
affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 61% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that
comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index
is comprised of securities of companies with a high dividend yield, strong
financial health and an attractive uncertainty-adjusted valuation. Companies are
selected by Morningstar, Inc. (“Morningstar” or the “Index provider”) from the
universe of companies represented in the Morningstar®
US Market IndexSM
(the “Parent Index”), a broad market index representing 97% of U.S. market
capitalization that meet certain trading frequency, exchange listing and
liquidity requirements. The Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index targets a
select group of eligible securities from the Parent Index that rank in: (i) the
top 50% as measured by trailing twelve month dividend yield; (ii) the top 50% of
their peer group (there are two peer groups:
companies
that belong to the financials sector of Morningstar and the rest of the eligible
universe) as measured by its distance to default score; and (iii) the top 70% of
Morningstar’s star score metric. An eligible security must meet each of these
three independent criteria to qualify for inclusion in the Morningstar US
Dividend Valuation Index. Distance to default score is a measure of the
financial stability of a company as determined by recent market data and
financial accounting reports. Morningstar’s star score metric represents
uncertainty-adjusted security valuation, which reflects the relationship between
a company’s market price and its fair value (as determined by Morningstar’s
standardized, proprietary valuation model).
As
of December 31, 2023, the Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index included 75
securities of companies with a full market capitalization range of between
approximately $2.92 billion and $491.76 billion and a weighted average full
market capitalization of $153.95 billion. These
amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is
non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’
prior written notice to shareholders. The Morningstar US Dividend Valuation
Index is reconstituted and rebalanced semi-annually.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index by
investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Morningstar
US Dividend Valuation Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to “beat”
the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the
Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index and does not seek temporary defensive
positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to
replicate the Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index.
The
Fund may become “non-diversified” as defined under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act of 1940”), solely as a result of a
change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more
constituents of the Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index. This means that the
Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a limited number of
issuers than would be the case if the Fund were always managed as a diversified
management investment company. The Fund intends to be diversified in
approximately the same proportion as the Morningstar US Dividend Valuation
Index. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the Fund crosses from
diversified to non-diversified status due solely to a change in the relative
market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the
Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index.
The
Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of
industries to the extent that the Morningstar US Dividend Valuation Index
concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As
of September 30, 2023, each of the health care, consumer staples, utilities, and
financials sectors represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING
IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk.
An
investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency.
Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall
due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets
in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors
relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are
subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure
with respect to priority to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those
returns.
Dividend Paying Securities Risk.
There can be no assurance that securities that pay dividends will continue to
have a high dividend yield, strong financial health or attractive valuation for
any period of time. Securities that pay dividends, as a group, may be out of
favor with the market and may underperform the overall equity market or stocks
of companies that do not pay dividends. In addition, changes in the dividend
policies of the companies held by the Fund or the capital resources available
for such company’s dividend payments may adversely affect the
Fund.
Health
Care Sector Risk. Companies in the health care sector may be affected by extensive
government regulation, 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. The expiration of
patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many health
care companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability
and similar claims.
Consumer Staples Sector
Risk.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the consumer staples sector. The
consumer staples sector comprises
companies whose businesses are less sensitive to economic cycles, such as
manufacturers and distributors of food and beverages and producers of
non-durable household goods and personal products. Companies in
the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by
changes in the worldwide
economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer
preferences, exploration and production spending. Companies in this sector are
also affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic
conditions.
Utilities
Sector Risk.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the utilities sector. Companies in the
utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates,
domestic and international competition, difficulty in raising adequate amounts
of capital and governmental limitation on rates charged to
customers.
Financials
Sector Risk. Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive
government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices
they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability
of companies in the financials sector may be adversely affected by increases in
interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns,
and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector is
undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of
new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework.
Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as benefiting
from government intervention in the past may be subject to future
government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government
involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the
financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in
financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in
financial institutions.
Medium-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than
large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial
resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength.
In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading
volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on
investments in securities of medium-capitalization companies could trail the
returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization
companies.
Market
Risk.
The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in
the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and
unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and
public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political,
economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics
and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the
global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments
might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline
generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s
service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate
processes and technology or system
failures.
High
Portfolio Turnover Risk.
The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities,
which will result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including
brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale
of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. High portfolio
turnover may also result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable
account. The effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund
performance.
Index Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For
example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to
the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and
entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when
rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition
of the Index or (if applicable) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying
cash in connection with inflows into the Fund. Transaction costs, including
brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/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, which may
have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should
understand that any gains from the Index provider’s or others’ errors will be
kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the
Index provider’s or others’ errors will be borne by the Fund and its
shareholders. Additionally, when the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn
rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the
Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure
arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and
its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its
agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index. 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.
The
Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into
the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet
redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included
in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are
represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the
return of the Index for various reasons, including legal restrictions or
limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange
listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which
such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory
reasons (such as diversification requirements). To the extent the Fund utilizes
depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect
the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and
increase
tracking error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt
discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary
receipts.
The
Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other
assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net
asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on
securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (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. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions may also
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from
the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late
announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index.
When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices
may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings
to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency
purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund
to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the
factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the
return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with
a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience
increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants, none
of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To
the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business, or do not
process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a discount (or premium) to net asset value and possibly face trading halts
and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices
for the Fund. The Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened in
cases where Authorized Participants have limited or diminished access to the
capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the
Shares will develop or be maintained, as applicable. Further, secondary markets
may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended
trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and
Authorized Participants may step away from making a market in the Shares and in
executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation
in the Fund’s market price from its net asset value.
Trading
Issues Risk.
Trading in shares on the exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in shares on the exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the relevant exchange’s
“circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated early close of the
exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell Shares of the
Fund. There can be no assurance that requirements of the exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively”
managed. Therefore, unless a specific security is removed from its Index, the
Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer is in
financial trouble. If a specific security is removed from the Fund’s Index, the
Fund may be forced to sell such security at an inopportune time or for prices
other than at current market values. An investment in the Fund involves risks
similar to those of investing in any fund that invests in bonds or equity
securities, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and
political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in
security prices. The Fund’s Index may not contain the appropriate or a
diversified mix of securities for any particular economic cycle. The timing of
changes in the securities of the Fund’s portfolio in seeking to replicate its
Index could have a negative effect on the Fund. Unlike with an actively managed
fund, the Adviser does not use techniques or defensive strategies designed to
lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of
market decline. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Fund’s
Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could
cause the Fund’s Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. This
means that, based on market and economic conditions, 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.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of
Fund Shares. The
market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s net asset
value, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for
Shares. Shares may trade above, below, or at their most recent net asset value.
Factors including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of
market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares
(including through a trading halt), may result in Shares trading at a
significant premium or discount to net asset value or to the intraday value of
the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the net asset value or sells Shares at a time when the
market price is at a discount to the net asset value, the shareholder may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of
the Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close
at a different time than the exchange on which the Shares are traded. Liquidity
in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ net asset value may widen.
Additionally, in
stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares may
become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the
Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings and a shareholder may be unable to sell his
or her Shares.
Non-Diversification
Risk.
The Fund may become classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company
Act of 1940 solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or
index weighting of one or more constituents of the its Index. If the Fund
becomes non-diversified, it may invest a greater portion of its assets in
securities of a smaller number of individual issuers than a diversified fund. As
a result, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater
fluctuations in share price than would occur in a more diversified
fund.
Index-Related
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or
sectors or industry or group of industries to reflect the Index’s allocation to
such sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. The securities of
many or all of the companies in the same sector or industry may decline in value
due to developments adversely affecting such sector or industry. By
concentrating its assets in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group
of industries, the Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political or other
conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may
negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were
invested in a wider variety of securities.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad-based benchmark index. All returns assume reinvestment of
dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns
(%)—Calendar Years
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Quarter: |
17.00% |
4Q 2022 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-19.90% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual
Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31,
2023
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Since
Inception (10/30/18) |
|
|
VanEck
Durable High Dividend ETF (return before taxes) |
0.83% |
8.65% |
7.52% |
|
|
VanEck
Durable High Dividend ETF (return after taxes on
distributions) |
-0.03% |
7.72% |
6.64% |
|
|
VanEck
Durable High Dividend ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of
Fund Shares) |
1.08% |
6.70% |
5.80% |
|
|
Morningstar®
US
Dividend Valuation IndexSM
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
1.19% |
8.83% |
7.84% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
26.29% |
15.69% |
13.73% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
“License Agreements and Disclaimers” for important
information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
October
2018 |
|
|
Griffin
Driscoll |
Deputy
Portfolio Manager |
February
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
VanEck® Long/Flat Trend ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to
replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield
performance of the Ned Davis Research CMG US Large Cap Long/Flat Index (the “NDR
CMG Index” or the “Index”).
FUND FEES AND
EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholder
Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management
Fee |
0.50 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
Expenses |
0.40 |
% |
|
|
Acquired
Fund Fees and Expenses(a) |
0.02 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b) |
0.92 |
% |
|
|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(b) |
-0.24 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(b) |
0.68 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
(a)
“Acquired Fund Fees
and Expenses” include fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund as a
result of investments in other investment companies. Because acquired fund fees
and expenses are not borne directly by the Fund, they will not be reflected in
the expense information in the Fund’s financial statements and the information
presented in the table will differ from that presented in the Fund’s financial
highlights included in the Fund’s report to
shareholders.
(b) Van Eck
Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund
expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund
(excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses,
taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.55% of the Fund’s average
daily net assets per year until at least February 1,
2025. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE
EXAMPLE
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with
the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account
brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and
then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example
also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s
operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee
waivers and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year).
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions,
your costs would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR |
EXPENSES |
|
|
1 |
$69 |
|
|
|
3 |
$269 |
|
|
|
5 |
$486 |
|
|
|
10 |
$1,109 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and
sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover
will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in
higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which
are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may
affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 115% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that track
and/or comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The NDR CMG Index is a rules-based
index that follows a proprietary model developed by Ned Davis Research, Inc. in
conjunction with CMG Capital Management Group, Inc. (“CMG”). To help limit
potential loss associated with adverse market conditions, the model produces
trade signals that dictate the NDR CMG Index’s equity allocation ranging from
100% fully invested (i.e.,
“long”) to 100% in cash (i.e.,
“flat”). When the NDR CMG Index is long, or 100% fully invested, it will be
allocated to the S&P 500 Index. When the NDR CMG Index is flat, or 100%
cash, it will be allocated to the Solactive 13-week U.S. T-bill Index. When the
NDR CMG Index is not completely long or flat, 50% of it will be allocated to the
S&P 500 Index, with the remaining 50% allocated to the Solactive 13-week
U.S. T-bill Index. The Fund currently seeks to replicate the NDR CMG Index when
the NDR CMG Index has any equity allocation (as discussed further below) by
holding shares of one or more exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) whose investment
objective is to track the performance of the S&P 500 Index, rather than
investing directly in the shares of the 500 companies comprising the S&P 500
Index, until the Fund reaches, in the opinion of the Adviser, an adequate asset
size. When the Fund reaches an adequate size and the NDR CMG Index has an equity
allocation, the Fund may then seek to replicate the NDR CMG Index by investing
directly in the shares of the 500 companies comprising the S&P 500 Index.
The Solactive 13-week U.S. T-bill Index invests in one 13-week U.S. Treasury
bill at a time, and a maximum of five U.S. Treasury bills in a calendar year.
The Fund will track the most recent 13-week U.S. Treasury bill exposure in the
Solactive 13-week U.S. T-bill Index to follow the NDR CMG Index’s flat, or cash,
allocations.
The
model produces daily trade signals to determine the NDR CMG Index’s equity
allocation percentage through a two-phase process. The first phase produces an
industry-level market breadth composite based on the S&P 500 industry
groupings. As such, “market breadth” here refers to the aggregated weighted
score of advancing and declining industries, as measured by three types of
price-based, industry-level indicators: trend-following, volatility and
mean-reversion. Trend-following primary indicators include momentum and various
moving average measures to assess the current direction of the markets.
Mean-reversion indicators are applied, which are based on the theory that prices
and returns eventually move back towards their historical mean (or average). The
volatility indicators determine whether near-term volatility has significantly
risen relative to longer-term volatility to measure whether broad market risks
have risen. The model applies these indicators across the S&P 500 industry
groupings to ultimately produce trade signals that are either bullish (meaning
prices are expected to increase over time) or bearish (meaning prices are
expected to decrease over time). The final market breadth composite is the
scaled aggregation of these indicators across the S&P 500 industries to
determine the breadth composite score (between 0 and 100). The second phase
utilizes the breadth composite score to produce the equity allocations for the
NDR CMG Index. The model is automated and updates daily to take into account the
various indicators that dictate the trade signals referenced above. As such, the
NDR CMG Index may rebalance to new allocation percentages intra-month based on
the model’s composite score and direction, and the Fund may seek to rebalance
its allocation percentage level accordingly. In addition, the NDR CMG Index’s
underlying indices (the S&P 500 Index and the Solactive 13-Week U.S. T-Bill
Index) are each rebalanced on a quarterly basis. The overall composition of the
NDR CMG Index is subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is
non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’
prior written notice to shareholders.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the NDR CMG Index by investing in a portfolio of
securities that generally replicates the NDR CMG Index. Unlike many investment
companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does
not try to “beat” the NDR CMG Index and does not seek temporary defensive
positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to
replicate the NDR CMG Index.
The
Fund may become "non-diversified" as defined under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act of 1940”), solely as a result of a
change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more
constituents of the NDR CMG Index. This means that the Fund may invest a greater
percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers than would be the case
if the Fund were always managed as a diversified management investment company.
The Fund intends to be diversified in approximately the same proportion as the
NDR CMG Index. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the Fund crosses
from diversified to non-diversified status due solely to a change in the
relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of
the NDR CMG Index.
The Fund
may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries
to the extent that the NDR CMG Index concentrates in an industry or group of
industries. The degree to which certain sectors or industries are represented in
the NDR CMG Index will change over
time.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING
IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk.
An
investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency.
Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Equity Securities Risk.
The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general
market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the
issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated
to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect
to priority to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to
greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In
addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those
returns.
Index Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For
example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to
the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and
entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when
rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition
of the Index or (if applicable) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying
cash in connection with inflows into the Fund. Transaction costs, including
brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/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, which may
have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should
understand that any gains from the Index provider’s or others’ errors will be
kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the
Index provider’s or others’ errors will be borne by the Fund and its
shareholders. Additionally, when the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn
rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the
Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure
arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and
its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its
agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index. 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.
The
Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into
the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet
redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included
in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are
represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the
return of the Index for various reasons, including legal restrictions or
limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange
listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which
such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory
reasons (such as diversification requirements). To the extent the Fund utilizes
depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect
the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and increase tracking
error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt
discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary
receipts.
The
Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other
assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net
asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on
securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (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. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions may also
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from
the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late
announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index.
When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices
may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings
to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency
purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund
to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the
factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the
return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with
a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience
increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Risk
of Investing in Other Funds. The
Fund may invest in shares of other funds, including ETFs. As a result, the Fund
will indirectly be exposed to the risks of an investment in the underlying
funds. As a shareholder in a fund, the Fund would bear its ratable share of that
entity’s expenses. At the same time, the Fund would continue to pay its own
investment management fees and other expenses. As a result, the Fund and its
shareholders will be absorbing additional levels of fees with respect to
investments in other funds, including
ETFs.
Market
Risk.
The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in
the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and
unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and
public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political,
economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics
and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the
global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments
might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline
generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose
money.
U.S.
Treasury Securities Risk.
Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk
of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in
interest rates, the market value of such securities may
vary.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s
service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate
processes and technology or system failures.
High
Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its
portfolio securities, which will result in increased transaction costs to the
Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction
costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities.
High portfolio turnover may also result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are
held in a taxable account. The effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely
affect Fund performance.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of
Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to
the Fund’s net asset value, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply
and demand for Shares. Shares may trade above, below, or at their most recent
net asset value. Factors including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the
existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for
Shares (including through a trading halt), may result in Shares trading at a
significant premium or discount to net asset value or to the intraday value of
the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the net asset value or sells Shares at a time when the
market price is at a discount to the net asset value, the shareholder may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of
the Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close
at a different time than the exchange on which the Shares are traded. Liquidity
in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ net asset value may widen.
Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares
may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for
the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings and a shareholder may be unable to sell
his or her Shares.
Passive
Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively”
managed. Therefore, unless a specific security is removed from its Index, the
Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer is in
financial trouble. If a specific security is removed from the Fund’s Index, the
Fund may be forced to sell such security at an inopportune time or for prices
other than at current market values. An investment in the Fund involves risks
similar to those of investing in any fund that invests in bonds or equity
securities, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and
political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in
security prices. The Fund’s Index may not contain the appropriate or a
diversified mix of securities for any particular economic cycle. The timing of
changes in the securities of the Fund’s portfolio in seeking to replicate its
Index could have a negative effect on the Fund. Unlike with an actively managed
fund, the Adviser does not use techniques or defensive strategies designed to
lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of
market decline. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Fund’s
Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could
cause the Fund’s Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. This
means that, based on market and economic conditions, 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.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the
Shares will develop or be maintained, as applicable. Further, secondary markets
may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended
trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and
Authorized Participants may step away from making a market in the Shares and in
executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation
in the Fund’s market price from its net asset value.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants, none
of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To
the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business, or do not
process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a discount (or premium) to net asset value and possibly face trading halts
and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices
for the Fund. The Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened in
cases where Authorized Participants have limited or diminished access to the
capital required to post collateral.
Trading
Issues Risk.
Trading in shares on the exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in shares on the exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the relevant exchange’s
“circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated early close of the
exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell Shares of the
Fund. There can be no assurance that requirements of the exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged.
Non-Diversification
Risk. The
Fund may become classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act
of 1940 solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or
index weighting of one or more constituents of the its Index. If the Fund
becomes non-diversified, it may invest a greater portion of its assets in
securities of a smaller number of individual issuers
than
a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single
investment could cause greater fluctuations in share price than would occur in a
more diversified fund.
Index-Related
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or
sectors or industry or group of industries to reflect the Index’s allocation to
such sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. The securities of
many or all of the companies in the same sector or industry may decline in value
due to developments adversely affecting such sector or industry. By
concentrating its assets in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group
of industries, the Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political or other
conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may
negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were
invested in a wider variety of securities.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad-based benchmark index. All returns assume reinvestment of
dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns
(%)—Calendar Years
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Quarter: |
19.97 |
% |
2Q 2020 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-19.67 |
% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual
Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31,
2023
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Since
Inception (10/04/17) |
|
|
VanEck
Long/Flat Trend ETF (return before taxes) |
19.64% |
11.65% |
9.24% |
|
|
VanEck
Long/Flat Trend ETF (return after taxes on
distributions) |
19.17% |
11.28% |
8.89% |
|
|
VanEck
Long/Flat Trend ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund
Shares) |
11.90% |
9.24% |
7.33% |
|
|
Ned Davis
Research CMG US Large Cap Long/Flat Index (reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
20.47% |
12.39% |
9.95% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
26.29% |
15.69% |
12.60% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
“License Agreements and Disclaimers” for important
information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser. Van
Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
David
Schassler |
Portfolio
Manager |
February
2024 |
|
|
Joseph
Schafer |
Deputy
Portfolio Manager |
February
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
VanEck Morningstar ESG
Moat ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track as closely as possible,
before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the
Morningstar®
US
Sustainability Moat Focus IndexSM
(the “Morningstar US Sustainability Moat Focus Index” or the
“Index”).
FUND FEES AND
EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management
Fee |
0.45 |
% |
|
|
Other
Expenses |
1.75 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
2.20 |
% |
|
|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
-1.71 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.49 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) Van Eck
Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund
expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund
(excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses,
taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.49% of the Fund’s average
daily net assets per year until at least February 1,
2025. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE
EXAMPLE
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with
the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account
brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and
then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example
also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s
operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee
waivers and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year).
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions,
your costs would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR
|
EXPENSES |
|
|
1 |
$50 |
|
|
|
3 |
$523 |
|
|
|
5 |
$1,023 |
|
|
|
10 |
$2,399 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and
sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover
will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in
higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which
are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may
affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 38% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that
comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Morningstar US Sustainability Moat
Focus Index provides exposure to attractively valued companies with long-term
competitive advantages while excluding those companies with high environmental,
social and governance (”ESG”) risks. The Morningstar US Sustainability Moat
Focus Index is comprised of securities issued by U.S. companies that
Morningstar, Inc. (“Morningstar” or the “Index
provider”)
determines to have long-term competitive advantages based on a proprietary
methodology that considers quantitative and qualitative factors (“wide moat
companies”). The quantitative factors used by Morningstar to identify
competitive advantages currently include historical and projected returns on
invested capital relative to cost of capital. The qualitative factors used by
Morningstar to identify competitive advantages currently include customer
switching cost (i.e.,
the costs of customers switching to competitors), internal cost advantages,
intangible assets (e.g., intellectual property and brands), network effects
(i.e., whether products or services become more valuable as the number of
customers grows) and efficient scale (i.e., whether the company effectively
serves a limited market that potential rivals have little incentive to enter
into). Wide moat companies are selected from the universe of companies
represented in the Morningstar®
US Market IndexSM,
a broad market index representing 97% of U.S. market capitalization. The
Morningstar US Sustainability Moat Focus Index excludes from consideration those
wide moat companies that receive a severe or high ESG risk rating based on
Morningstar’s Sustainalytics ESG Risk Rating. The Morningstar US Sustainability
Moat Focus Index also excludes companies (i) involved in the production or
distribution of controversial weapons or civilian firearms (ii) involved in the
extraction of or generation of power from thermal coal, (iii) have a
Sustainalytics controversy score of five (out of a scale of 1 to 5) in the last
three (3) years or (iv) that have greater than 50% of revenues from tobacco
products. The Sustainalytics company-level ESG Risk Score measures the degree to
which a company's economic value may be at risk driven by materially relevant
ESG factors. The ESG Risk Score is based on a two-dimensional materiality
framework that measures a company's exposure to subindustry-specific material
risks and how well a company is managing those risks. ESG Risk Scores are
categorized across five risk levels: negligible, low, medium, high and severe.
The scale is from 0-100, with 100 being the most severe. Sustainalytics
controversy scores are determined based on ESG-related incidents, which are
assessed through a framework that considers the severity of incidents, the
corporation’s accountability and whether the incidents form part of a pattern of
corporate misconduct; a Sustainalytics controversy score of five indicates a
severe controversy rating.
The
Morningstar US Sustainability Moat Focus Index targets wide moat companies that
according to Morningstar’s equity research team are attractively priced as of
each Morningstar US Sustainability Moat Focus Index review. Morningstar selects
eligible companies to be included in the Morningstar US Sustainability Moat
Focus Index as determined by Morningstar’s standardized, proprietary valuation
model that predominantly relies on a detailed projection of a company’s future
cash flows. Wide moat companies may include medium-capitalization companies. The
Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without
shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to
shareholders.
As
of December 31, 2023, the Morningstar
US
Sustainability Moat Focus Index included 60 securities of companies with a full
market capitalization range of between approximately $5.13 billion and $2,794.83
billion and a weighted average full market capitalization of $127.15 billion.
The Morningstar US Sustainability Moat Focus Index employs a staggered rebalance
methodology. The Morningstar US Sustainability Moat Focus Index is divided into
two equally-weighted sub-portfolios, and each is reconstituted and rebalanced
annually, one in June and the other in December.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Morningstar US Sustainability Moat Focus Index
by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally tracks the Morningstar
US Sustainability Moat Focus Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to
“beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the
Morningstar US Sustainability Moat Focus Index and does not seek temporary
defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of
seeking to track the Morningstar US Sustainability Moat Focus
Index.
The
Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act of 1940”), and, therefore, may
invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular
industry or group of industries to the extent that the Morningstar US
Sustainability Moat Focus Index concentrates in an industry or group of
industries. As of September 30, 2023, each of the information technology,
consumer staples, financials and health care sectors represented a significant
portion of the Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING
IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk.
An
investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency.
Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
ESG
Investing Strategy Risk. The
Fund's ESG strategy could cause it to perform differently compared to funds that
do not have an ESG focus. The Fund's ESG strategy may result in the Fund
investing in securities or industry sectors that underperform other securities
or underperform the market as a whole. The companies included in the US
Sustainability Moat Focus Index may differ from companies included in other
indices that use similar ESG screens. The Fund is also subject to the risk that
the companies identified by the Index provider do not operate as expected when
addressing ESG issues. Additionally, the Index provider's proprietary valuation
model may not perform as intended, which may adversely affect an investment in
the Fund. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or
use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the Fund's ability
to implement its ESG strategy.
Equity Securities Risk. The
value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market
and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers
of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to
specific
issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to
preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to
priority to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to
greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In
addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those
returns.
Medium-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than
large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial
resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength.
In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading
volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on
investments in securities of medium-capitalization companies could trail the
returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization
companies.
Information
Technology Sector Risk.
Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. 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.
Consumer Staples Sector
Risk.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the consumer staples sector. The
consumer staples sector comprises companies whose
businesses are less sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers and
distributors of food and beverages and producers of non-durable household goods
and personal products. Companies in
the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by
changes in the worldwide economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics
and consumer preferences, exploration and production spending. Companies in this
sector are also affected by changes in government regulation, world events and
economic conditions.
Financials
Sector Risk. Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive
government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices
they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability
of companies in the financials sector may be adversely affected by increases in
interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns,
and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector is
undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of
new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework.
Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as benefiting
from government intervention in the past may be subject to future
government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government
involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the
financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in
financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in
financial institutions.
Health
Care Sector Risk. Companies in the health care sector may be affected by extensive
government regulation, 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. The expiration of
patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many health
care companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability
and similar claims.
Market
Risk.
The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in
the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and
unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and
public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political,
economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics
and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the
global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments
might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline
generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s
service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate
processes and technology or system
failures.
High
Portfolio Turnover Risk. The
Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities,
which will result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including
brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale
of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. High portfolio
turnover may also result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable
account. The effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund
performance.
Index Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For
example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to
the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and
entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when
rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition
of the Index or (if applicable) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying
cash in connection with inflows into the Fund. Transaction costs, including
brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/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, which may
have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should
understand that any gains from the Index provider’s or others’ errors will be
kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the
Index provider’s or others’ errors will be borne by the Fund and its
shareholders. Additionally, when the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn
rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the
Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure
arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and
its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its
agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index. 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.
The
Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into
the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet
redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included
in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are
represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the
return of the Index for various reasons, including legal restrictions or
limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange
listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which
such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory
reasons (such as diversification requirements). To the extent the Fund utilizes
depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect
the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and increase tracking
error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt
discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary
receipts.
The
Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other
assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net
asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on
securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (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. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions may also
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from
the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late
announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index.
When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices
may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings
to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency
purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund
to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the
factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the
return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with
a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience
increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants, none
of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To
the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business, or do not
process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a discount (or premium) to net asset value and possibly face trading halts
and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices
for the Fund. The Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened in
cases where Authorized Participants have limited or diminished access to the
capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the
Shares will develop or be maintained, as applicable. Further, secondary markets
may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended
trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and
Authorized Participants may step away from making a market in the Shares and in
executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation
in the Fund’s market price from its net asset value.
Trading
Issues Risk.
Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit
breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively” managed. Therefore,
unless a specific security is removed from its Index, the Fund generally would
not sell a security because the security’s issuer is in financial trouble. If a
specific security is removed from the Fund’s Index, the Fund may be forced to
sell such security at an inopportune time or for prices other than at current
market values. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund that invests in bonds or equity securities, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. The Fund’s
Index may not contain the appropriate or a diversified mix of securities for any
particular economic cycle. The timing of changes in the securities of the Fund’s
portfolio in seeking to replicate its Index could have a negative effect on the
Fund. Unlike with an actively managed fund, the Adviser does not
use techniques or defensive strategies designed to lessen the
effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of market
decline. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Fund’s Index
provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause
the Fund’s Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. This means
that, based on market and economic conditions, 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.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of
Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the
Fund’s net asset value, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and
demand for Shares. Shares may trade above, below, or at their most recent net
asset value. Factors including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the
existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for
Shares (including through a trading halt), may result in Shares trading at a
significant premium or discount to net asset value or to the intraday value of
the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the net asset value or sells Shares at a time when the
market price is at a discount to the net asset value, the shareholder may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of
the Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close
at a different time than the exchange on which the Shares are traded. Liquidity
in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ net asset value may widen.
Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares
may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for
the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings and a shareholder may be unable to sell
his or her Shares.
Non-Diversified
Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the
Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund is subject to the risk that it will be
more volatile than a diversified fund because the Fund may invest a relatively
high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a
larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and
losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset
value and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds. The Fund
may be particularly vulnerable to this risk if it is comprised of a limited
number of investments.
Index-Related
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or
sectors or industry or group of industries to reflect the Index’s allocation to
such sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. The securities of
many or all of the companies in the same sector or industry may decline in value
due to developments adversely affecting such sector or industry. By
concentrating its assets in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group
of industries, the Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political or other
conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may
negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were
invested in a wider variety of
securities.
Competitive
Advantage Assessment Risk. Morningstar
may be incorrect in its assessment of the competitive advantages of the
companies selected for inclusion in the Fund’s index, and the securities issued
by such companies may underperform Morningstar’s expectations and have an
adverse effect on the Fund’s overall performance. There can also be no assurance
that wide or narrow moat companies will have sustainable competitive advantages
for any period of time. Competitive advantages for wide and narrow moat
companies may erode in a relatively short period of time due to, among other
reasons, changes in laws and regulations, intellectual property rights, economic
and political conditions and technological
developments.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad-based benchmark index. All returns assume reinvestment of
dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns
(%)—Calendar Years
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Quarter: |
11.89 |
% |
4Q 2023 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-12.89 |
% |
2Q
2022 |
Average Annual
Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31,
2023
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Past One
Year |
Since
Inception (10/05/2021) |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar ESG Moat ETF (return before taxes) |
18.25% |
1.90% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar ESG Moat ETF (return after taxes on
distributions) |
17.93% |
1.66% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar ESG Moat ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of
Fund Shares) |
11.03% |
1.44% |
|
|
Morningstar®
US Sustainability Moat Focus IndexSM
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
18.84% |
2.40% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
26.29% |
5.94% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
“License Agreements and Disclaimers” for important
information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
October
2021 |
|
|
Griffin
Driscoll |
Deputy
Portfolio Manager |
February
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
VanEck Morningstar
Global Wide Moat ETF
(the
“Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the
price and yield performance of the Morningstar®
Global Wide Moat Focus IndexSM
(the “Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index” or
“Index”).
FUND FEES AND
EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management
Fee |
0.45 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
Expenses |
0.63 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
1.08 |
% |
|
|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
-0.56 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.52 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) Van Eck
Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund
expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund
(excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses,
taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.52% of the Fund’s average
daily net assets per year until at least February 1,
2025. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE
EXAMPLE
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with
the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account
brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and
then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example
also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s
operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee
waivers and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year).
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions,
your costs would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR |
EXPENSES |
|
|
1 |
$53 |
|
|
|
3 |
$288 |
|
|
|
5 |
$541 |
|
|
|
10 |
$1,267 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and
sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover
will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in
higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which
are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may
affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 73% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that
comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus
Index is comprised of securities issued by companies that Morningstar, Inc.
(“Morningstar” or the “Index
provider”)
determines to have sustainable competitive advantages based on a proprietary
methodology that considers quantitative and qualitative factors (“wide moat
companies”). The quantitative factors used by Morningstar to identify
competitive advantages currently include historical and projected returns on
invested capital relative to cost of capital. The qualitative factors used by
Morningstar to identify competitive advantages currently include customer
switching cost (i.e.,
the costs of customers switching to competitors), internal cost advantages,
intangible assets (e.g.,
intellectual property and brands), network effects (i.e.,
whether products or services become more valuable as the number of customers
grows) and efficient scale (i.e.,
whether the company effectively serves a limited market that potential rivals
have little incentive to enter into). Wide moat companies are selected by
Morningstar from the universe of companies represented in the
Morningstar®
Global Markets IndexSM
(the “Parent Index”) a broad market index representing 97% of developed and
emerging market capitalization that meet certain trading frequency, dollar
trading volume and turnover and free-float market-capitalization requirements.
The Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index targets a select group of wide moat
companies: those that according to Morningstar’s equity research team are
attractively priced as of each Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index review.
Morningstar utilizes a momentum screen, in which momentum represents a
security’s 12-month price change. The momentum screen is used to exclude 20% of
wide moat companies in the Parent Index with the worst 12-month momentum based
on a 12-month price change of each company’s securities. Out of the companies in
the Parent Index that Morningstar determines are wide moat companies and display
12-month momentum in the top 80%, Morningstar selects companies to be included
in the Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index as determined by the ratio of
Morningstar’s estimate of fair value of the issuer’s common stock to the price.
Morningstar’s equity research fair value estimates are calculated using a
standardized, proprietary valuation model that predominantly relies on a
detailed projection of a company’s future cash flows. Wide moat companies may
include medium-capitalization companies. The Fund, under normal market
conditions, will invest at least 40% of its assets in companies organized or
located in multiple countries outside the United States or doing a substantial
amount of business in multiple countries outside the United States. The Fund’s
80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder
approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
As
of December 31, 2023, the Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index included 67
securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between
approximately $2.48 billion and $826.69 billion and a weighted average full
market capitalization of $93.12 billion. The maximum weight of an individual
country or sector in the Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index is capped at
10% more than its corresponding weight in the parent index at the time of
reconstitution, or 40%, whichever is higher. The Morningstar Global Wide Moat
Focus Index is divided into two equally weighted sub-portfolios, and each is
reconstituted and rebalanced semi-annually on alternating quarters.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index by
investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Morningstar
Global Wide Moat Focus Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to
“beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the
Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index and does not seek temporary defensive
positions that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to
replicate the Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index.
The
Fund may become “non-diversified” as defined under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act of 1940”), solely as a result of a
change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more
constituents of the Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index. This means that
the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a limited number of
issuers than would be the case if the Fund were always managed as a diversified
management investment company. The Fund intends to be diversified in
approximately the same proportion as the Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus
Index. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the Fund crosses from
diversified to non-diversified status due solely to a change in the relative
market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the
Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index.
The
Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of
industries to the extent that the Morningstar Global Wide Moat Focus Index
concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As
of September 30, 2023, each of the information technology, consumer staples,
financials, industrials and health care sectors represented a significant
portion of the Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING
IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk.
An
investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency.
Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall
due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets
in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors
relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are
subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure
with respect to priority to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those
returns.
Information
Technology Sector Risk.
Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. 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.
Consumer Staples Sector
Risk.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the consumer staples sector. The
consumer staples sector comprises companies whose
businesses are less sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers and
distributors of food and beverages and producers of non-durable household goods
and personal products. Companies in
the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by
changes in the worldwide economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics
and consumer preferences, exploration and production spending. Companies in this
sector are also affected by changes in government regulation, world events and
economic conditions.
Financials
Sector Risk. Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive
government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices
they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability
of companies in the financials sector may be adversely affected by increases in
interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns,
and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector is
undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of
new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework.
Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as benefiting
from government intervention in the past may be subject to future
government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government
involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the
financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in
financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in
financial institutions.
Industrials
Sector Risk.
The industrials sector comprises companies who produce capital goods used in
construction and manufacturing, such as companies that make and sell machinery,
equipment and supplies that are used to produce other goods. Companies in the
industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government
regulation, 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.
Health
Care Sector Risk. Companies in the health care sector may be affected by extensive
government regulation, 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. The expiration of
patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many health
care companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability
and similar claims.
Medium-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than
large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial
resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength.
In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading
volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on
investments in securities of medium-capitalization companies could trail the
returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization
companies.
Foreign
Securities Risk. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks
beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional
risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable
financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by
foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability.
Because certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity
of large traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that
trade in such markets. The Fund invests in securities of issuers located in
countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners.
Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s
investments. Foreign market trading hours, clearance and settlement procedures,
and holiday schedules may limit the Fund's ability to buy and sell
securities.
Foreign Currency Risk. Because all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from
its investments and/or the revenues received by the underlying issuer will
generally be denominated in foreign currencies, the Fund’s exposure to foreign
currencies and changes in the value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar
may result in reduced returns for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign
currencies may be subject to a high degree of fluctuation. The Fund may also
(directly or indirectly) incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S.
dollars and foreign currencies.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in Asian Issuers. Investments
in securities of Asian issuers involve risks and special considerations not
typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years,
but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Certain
Asian economies have experienced over-extension of credit, currency devaluations
and restrictions, high unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports and
economic recessions. Geopolitical hostility, political instability, as well as
economic or environmental events in any one Asian country can have a significant
effect on the entire Asian region as well as on major trading partners
outside Asia, and any adverse effect on some or all of the Asian
countries and regions in which the Fund invests. The securities markets in some
Asian economies are relatively underdeveloped and may subject the Fund to higher
action costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more developed
securities markets. Such risks may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s
investments. Certain Asian countries have also developed increasingly strained
relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could
adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. for
trade.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in European Issuers. Investments
in securities of European issuers involve risks and special considerations not
typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union requires member countries to
comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt
levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect
every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental
or European Union regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the
euro, the default or threat of default by a European Union member country on its
sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in a European Union member country
may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other European Union
countries and on major trading partners outside Europe. If any member country
exits the Economic and Monetary Union, the departing country would face the
risks of currency devaluation and its trading partners and banks and others
around the world that hold the departing country’s debt would face the risk of
significant losses. The European financial markets have previously experienced,
and may continue to experience, volatility and have been adversely affected, and
may in the future be affected, by concerns about economic downturns, credit
rating downgrades, rising government debt levels and possible default on or
restructuring of government debt in several European countries. These events
have adversely affected, and may in the future affect, the value and exchange
rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every
country in Europe, including European Union member countries that do not use the
euro and non-European Union member countries. The United Kingdom withdrew from
the European Union on January 31, 2020, which has resulted in ongoing market
volatility and caused additional market disruption on a global basis. On
December 30, 2020, the United Kingdom and the European Union signed the EU-UK
Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which is an agreement on the terms governing
certain aspects of the European Union's and the United Kingdom's relationship
post Brexit. Notwithstanding the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement,
following the transition period, there is likely to be considerable uncertainty
as to the United Kingdom’s post-transition
framework.
Depositary Receipts
Risk. The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts (including American Depositary Receipts),
which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign
securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges
issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and
capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. The issuers of
certain depositary receipts are under no obligation to distribute shareholder
communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any
voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Investments in
depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their
primary trading market. 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.
Cash
Transactions Risk. Unlike other ETFs, the Fund expects to effect its creations and
redemptions at least partially for cash, rather than wholly for in-kind
securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and
subsequently incur brokerage costs and/or recognize gains or losses on such
sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio
securities in kind. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient
than an investment in a conventional ETF. Transaction costs, including brokerage
costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value to the extent not offset by the
transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant.
Market
Risk.
The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in
the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and
unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and
public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political,
economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics
and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the
global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments
might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline
generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s
service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate
processes and technology or system
failures.
High
Portfolio Turnover Risk. The
Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities,
which will result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including
brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale
of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. High portfolio
turnover may also result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable
account. The effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund
performance.
Index Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For
example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to
the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and
entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when
rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to
reflect
changes in the composition of the Index or (if applicable) raising cash to meet
redemptions or deploying cash in connection with inflows into the Fund.
Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset
value.
Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/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, which may
have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should
understand that any gains from the Index provider’s or others’ errors will be
kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the
Index provider’s or others’ errors will be borne by the Fund and its
shareholders. Additionally, when the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn
rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the
Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure
arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and
its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its
agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index. 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.
The
Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into
the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet
redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included
in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are
represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the
return of the Index for various reasons, including legal restrictions or
limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange
listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which
such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory
reasons (such as diversification requirements). To the extent the Fund utilizes
depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect
the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and increase tracking
error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt
discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary
receipts.
The
Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other
assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net
asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on
securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (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. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions may also
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from
the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late
announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index.
When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices
may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings
to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency
purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund
to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the
factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the
return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with
a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience
increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants, none
of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To
the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business, or do not
process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a discount (or premium) to net asset value and possibly face trading halts
and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices
for the Fund. The Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened in
cases where Authorized Participants have limited or diminished access to the
capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for
the Shares will develop or be maintained, as applicable. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and Authorized Participants may step away from making a market in the
Shares and in executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a
material deviation in the Fund’s market price from its net asset
value.
Trading
Issues Risk.
Trading in shares on the exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in shares on the exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the relevant exchange’s
“circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated early close of the
exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell Shares of the
Fund. There can be no assurance that requirements of the exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively” managed. Therefore,
unless a specific security is removed from its Index, the Fund generally would
not sell a security because the security’s issuer is in financial trouble. If a
specific security is removed from the Fund’s Index, the Fund may be forced to
sell such security at an inopportune time or for prices other than at current
market values. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any
fund that invests in bonds or equity securities, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. The Fund’s
Index may not contain the appropriate or a diversified mix of securities for any
particular economic cycle. The timing of changes in the securities of the Fund’s
portfolio in seeking to replicate its Index could have a negative effect on the
Fund. Unlike with an actively managed fund, the Adviser does not use techniques
or defensive strategies designed to lessen the effects of market volatility or
to reduce the impact of periods of market decline. Additionally, unusual market
conditions may cause the Fund’s Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance
or reconstitution, which could cause the Fund’s Index to vary from its normal or
expected composition. This means that, based on market and economic conditions,
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.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of
Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the
Fund’s net asset value, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and
demand for Shares. Shares may trade above, below, or at their most recent net
asset value. Factors including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the
existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for
Shares (including through a trading halt), may result in Shares trading at a
significant premium or discount to net asset value or to the intraday value of
the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the net asset value or sells Shares at a time when the
market price is at a discount to the net asset value, the shareholder may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of
the Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close
at a different time than the exchange on which the Shares are traded. Liquidity
in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ net asset value may widen.
Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares
may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for
the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings and a shareholder may be unable to sell
his or her Shares.
Non-Diversification
Risk.
The Fund may become classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company
Act of 1940 solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or
index weighting of one or more constituents of the its Index. If the Fund
becomes non-diversified, it may invest a greater portion of its assets in
securities of a smaller number of individual issuers than a diversified fund. As
a result, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater
fluctuations in share price than would occur in a more diversified
fund.
Index-Related
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector
or sectors or industry or group of industries to reflect the Index’s allocation
to such sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. The securities of
many or all of the companies in the same sector or industry may decline in value
due to developments adversely affecting such sector or industry. By
concentrating its assets in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group
of industries, the Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political or other
conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may
negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were
invested in a wider variety of
securities.
Competitive
Advantage Assessment Risk. Morningstar
may be incorrect in its assessment of the competitive advantages of the
companies selected for inclusion in the Fund’s index, and the securities issued
by such companies may underperform Morningstar’s expectations and have an
adverse effect on the Fund’s overall performance. There can also be no assurance
that wide or narrow moat companies will have sustainable competitive advantages
for any period of time. Competitive advantages for wide and narrow moat
companies may erode in a relatively short period of time due to, among other
reasons, changes in laws and regulations, intellectual property rights, economic
and political conditions and technological
developments.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index, a
broad-based benchmark index and an additional index. All returns
assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s
past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how
the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance
information is available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns
(%)—Calendar Years
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Quarter: |
20.12 |
% |
2Q 2020 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-18.70 |
% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual
Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31,
2023
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Since
Inception (10/30/18) |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar Global Wide Moat ETF (return before
taxes) |
11.20% |
10.94% |
10.04% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar Global Wide Moat ETF (return after taxes on
distributions) |
10.70% |
9.94% |
9.06% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar Global Wide Moat ETF (return after taxes on distributions and
sale of Fund Shares) |
6.96% |
8.51% |
7.78% |
|
|
Morningstar®
Global Wide Moat Focus IndexSM
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding
taxes) |
11.38% |
11.19% |
10.33% |
|
|
MSCI
ACWI Net TR Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes,
except withholding taxes)1 |
22.20% |
11.72% |
10.34% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
26.29% |
15.69% |
13.73% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
On February 1, 2024, the MSCI ACWI
Net TR Index replaced the S&P 500 Index as the Fund's broad-based benchmark
index. The Fund changed its broad-based benchmark index as it believes the MSCI
ACWI Net TR Index is more representative of global equities
exposure.
See
“License Agreements and Disclaimers” for important
information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
October
2018 |
|
|
Griffin
Driscoll |
Deputy
Portfolio Manager |
February
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
VanEck Morningstar
International Moat ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as
closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance
of the Morningstar®
Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus IndexSM
(the “Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus Index” or the
“Index”).
FUND FEES AND
EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management
Fee |
0.50 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
Expenses |
0.13 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
0.63 |
% |
|
|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
-0.05 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.58 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
(a)
Van
Eck Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay
Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the
Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading
expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.56% of the Fund’s
average daily net assets per year until at least February 1,
2025. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE
EXAMPLE
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with
the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account
brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and
then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example
also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s
operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee
waivers and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year).
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions,
your costs would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR |
EXPENSES |
|
|
1 |
$59 |
|
|
|
3 |
$197 |
|
|
|
5 |
$346 |
|
|
|
10 |
$782 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and
sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover
will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in
higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which
are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may
affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 87% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that
comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat
Focus Index is comprised of securities issued by companies that Morningstar,
Inc. (“Morningstar” or the “Index provider”) determines have sustainable
competitive advantages based on a proprietary methodology that considers
quantitative
and qualitative factors (“wide and narrow moat companies”). Wide moat companies
are those that Morningstar believes will maintain its competitive advantage(s)
for at least 20 years. Narrow moat companies are those that Morningstar believes
will maintain its competitive advantage(s) for at least 10 years. Wide and
narrow moat companies are selected from the universe of companies represented in
the Morningstar®
Global Markets ex-US IndexSM
(the “Parent Index”), a broad market index representing 97% of developed ex-US
and emerging markets market capitalization. The Morningstar Global Markets ex-US
Moat Focus Index targets a select group of equity securities of wide and narrow
moat companies, which are those companies that, according to Morningstar’s
equity research team, are attractively priced as of each Morningstar ex-US Moat
Focus Index review. Morningstar utilizes a momentum screen, in which momentum
represents a security’s 12-month price change. A momentum signal is used to
exclude 20% of the wide and narrow moat stocks in the Parent Index with the
worst 12-month momentum based on a 12-month price change of each stock. Out of
the companies in the Parent Index that Morningstar determines are wide or narrow
moat companies and display 12-month momentum in the top 80%, Morningstar selects
companies to be included in the Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus
Index as determined by the ratio of the issuer’s common stock price to
Morningstar’s estimate of fair value. Morningstar’s fair value estimates are
calculated using standardized, proprietary valuation models. Wide and narrow
moat companies may include medium-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80%
investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder
approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
As
of December 31, 2023, the Morningstar Global
Markets ex-US
Moat Focus Index included 69 securities of companies with a full market
capitalization range of between approximately $1.60 billion and $501.06 billion
and a weighted average full market capitalization of $50.61 billion. These
amounts are subject to change.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus
Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the
Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus Index. Unlike many investment
companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does
not try to “beat” the Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus Index and does
not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its investment
objective of seeking to replicate the Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat
Focus Index.
The
Fund may become "non-diversified" as defined under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act of 1940”), solely as a result of a
change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more
constituents of the Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus Index. This
means that the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a limited
number of issuers than would be the case if the Fund were always managed as a
diversified management investment company. The Fund intends to be diversified in
approximately the same proportion as the Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat
Focus Index. Shareholder approval will not be sought when the Fund crosses from
diversified to non-diversified status due solely to a change in the relative
market capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the
Morningstar Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus Index.
The
Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry
or group of industries to the extent that the Morningstar
Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus Index
concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of September 30, 2023,
each of the financials, information technology, consumer discretionary,
communication services, health care and consumer staples sectors represented a
significant portion of the Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING
IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk.
An
investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency.
Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall
due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets
in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors
relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are
subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure
with respect to priority to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those
returns.
Financials
Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive government
regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices they can
charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability of
companies in the financials sector may be adversely affected by increases in
interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns,
and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector is
undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of
new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework.
Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as benefiting
from government intervention in the past may be subject to future
government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government
involvement in their operations. Increased
government
involvement in the financials sector, including measures such as taking
ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the
Fund’s investments in financial
institutions.
Information
Technology Sector Risk.
Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. 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.
Consumer Discretionary Sector
Risk. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the consumer discretionary sector. The
consumer discretionary sector comprises companies whose
businesses are sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers of high-end
apparel and automobile and leisure companies. Companies 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 as a result of world events, political
and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates,
imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and
labor relations.
Communication Services Sector
Risk. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the communication services sector.
Companies in the communication services sector may be
affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government
regulations and obsolescence of communications products and services due to
technological advancement.
Health
Care Sector Risk. Companies in the health care sector may be affected by extensive
government regulation, 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. The expiration of
patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many health
care companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability
and similar claims.
Consumer Staples Sector
Risk.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of the consumer staples sector. The
consumer staples sector comprises companies whose
businesses are less sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers and
distributors of food and beverages and producers of non-durable household goods
and personal products. Companies in
the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by
changes in the worldwide economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics
and consumer preferences, exploration and production spending. Companies in this
sector are also affected by changes in government regulation, world events and
economic conditions.
Medium-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
The Fund may invest in medium-capitalization companies and, therefore will be
subject to certain risks associated with medium- capitalization companies. These
companies are often subject to less analyst coverage and may be in early and
less predictable periods of their corporate existences, with little or no record
of profitability. In addition, these companies often have greater price
volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established
companies. These companies tend to have smaller revenues, narrower product
lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or
service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than
large-capitalization companies. Returns on investments in securities of
medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in
securities of larger companies.
Foreign
Securities Risk. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks
beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional
risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable
financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by
foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability.
Because certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity
of large traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that
trade in such markets. The Fund invests in securities of issuers located in
countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners.
Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s
investments. Foreign market trading hours, clearance and settlement procedures,
and holiday schedules may limit the Fund's ability to buy and sell
securities.
Foreign Currency Risk.
Because all or a portion of the income received by the Fund from its investments
and/or the revenues received by the underlying issuer will generally be
denominated in foreign currencies, the Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies and
changes in the value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in
reduced returns for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be
subject to a high degree of fluctuation. The Fund may also (directly or
indirectly) incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and
foreign currencies.
Emerging
Market Issuers Risk.
Investments in securities of emerging market issuers involve risks not typically
associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed countries
that may negatively affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Such
heightened risks may include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization
of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade,
confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or
military
involvement
in governmental decision making, armed conflict, the impact on the economy as a
result of civil war, crime (including drug violence) and social instability as a
result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest. Issuers in certain
emerging market countries are subject to less stringent requirements regarding
accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping than are issuers in
more developed markets, and therefore, all material information may not be
available or reliable. Emerging markets are also more likely than developed
markets to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well
as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low
trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades
harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local
agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to
independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of
their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities
markets are, the greater the likelihood of custody problems. Additionally, each
of the factors described below could have a negative impact on the Fund’s
performance and increase the volatility of the Fund.
Securities
Market Risk. Securities
markets in emerging market countries are underdeveloped and are often considered
to be less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in
more developed countries. Securities markets in emerging market countries are
subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market
capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price
fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets,
governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. These factors,
coupled with restrictions on foreign investment and other factors, limit the
supply of securities available for investment by the Fund. This will affect the
rate at which the Fund is able to invest in emerging market countries, the
purchase and sale prices for such securities and the timing of purchases and
sales. Emerging markets can experience high rates of inflation, deflation and
currency devaluation. The prices of certain securities listed on securities
markets in emerging market countries have been subject to sharp fluctuations and
sudden declines, and no assurance can be given as to the future performance of
listed securities in general. Volatility of prices may be greater than in more
developed securities markets. Moreover, securities markets in emerging market
countries may be closed for extended periods of time or trading on securities
markets may be suspended altogether due to political or civil unrest. Market
volatility may also be heightened by the actions of a small number of investors.
Brokerage firms in emerging market countries may be fewer in number and less
established than brokerage firms in more developed markets. Since the Fund may
need to effect securities transactions through these brokerage firms, the Fund
is subject to the risk that these brokerage firms will not be able to fulfill
their obligations to the Fund. This risk is magnified to the extent the Fund
effects securities transactions through a single brokerage firm or a small
number of brokerage firms. In addition, the infrastructure for the safe custody
of securities and for purchasing and selling securities, settling trades,
collecting dividends, initiating corporate actions, and following corporate
activity is not as well developed in emerging market countries as is the case in
certain more developed markets.
Political
and Economic Risk. Certain
emerging market countries have historically been subject to political
instability and their prospects are tied to the continuation of economic and
political liberalization in the region. Instability may result from factors such
as government or military intervention in decision making, terrorism, civil
unrest, extremism or hostilities between neighboring countries. Any of these
factors, including an outbreak of hostilities could negatively impact the Fund’s
returns. Limited political and democratic freedoms in emerging market countries
might cause significant social unrest. These factors may have a significant
adverse effect on an emerging market country’s economy.
Many
emerging market countries may be heavily dependent upon international trade and,
consequently, may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange
controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other
protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which it
trades. They also have been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by
economic conditions in the countries with which they trade.
In
addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant
percentage of certain emerging market countries’ exports and these economies are
particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic
events in one country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries
of this region. In addition, most emerging market countries have experienced, at
one time or another, severe and persistent levels of inflation, including, in
some cases, hyperinflation. This has, in turn, led to high interest rates,
extreme measures by governments to keep inflation in check, and a generally
debilitating effect on economic growth.
Although
inflation in many countries has lessened, there is no guarantee it will remain
at lower levels. The political history of certain emerging market countries has
been characterized by political uncertainty, intervention by the military in
civilian and economic spheres, and political corruption. Such events could
reverse favorable trends toward market and economic reform, privatization, and
removal of trade barriers, and result in significant disruption in securities
markets in the region.
Also,
from time to time, certain issuers located in emerging market countries in which
the Fund invests may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to
sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government and the United Nations
and/or countries identified by the U.S. Government as state sponsors of
terrorism. As a result, an issuer may sustain damage to its reputation if it is
identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries.
The Fund, as an investor in such issuers, will be indirectly subject to those
risks.
The
economies of one or more countries in which the Fund may invest may be in
various states of transition from a planned economy to a more market oriented
economy. The economies of such countries differ from the economies of most
developed countries in many respects, including levels of government
involvement, states of development, growth rates, control of foreign exchange
and allocation of resources. Economic growth in these economies may be uneven
both geographically and among various sectors of their economies and may also be
accompanied by periods of high inflation. Political changes, social instability
and adverse diplomatic developments in these countries could result in the
imposition of additional government restrictions, including expropriation of
assets, confiscatory taxes or nationalization of some or all of the property
held by the underlying issuers of securities of emerging market issuers. There
is no guarantee that the governments of these countries will not revert back to
some form of planned or non-market oriented economy, and such governments
continue to be active participants in many economic sectors through ownership
positions and regulation. The allocation of resources in such countries is
subject to a high level of government control. Such countries’ governments may
strictly regulate the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and
set monetary policy. Through their policies, these governments may provide
preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. The policies set
by the government of one of these countries could have a substantial effect on
that country’s economy.
Investment
and Repatriation Restrictions Risk.
The government in an emerging market country may restrict or control to varying
degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers
located or operating in such emerging market countries. These restrictions
and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign investment in securities
of issuers located or operating in emerging market countries and may inhibit the
Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. In addition, the Fund may not
be able to buy or sell securities or receive full value for such securities.
Moreover, certain emerging market countries may require governmental approval or
special licenses prior to investments by foreign investors and may limit the
amount of investments by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or
issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an
issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for
purchase by domiciliaries of such emerging market countries; and/or may impose
additional taxes on foreign investors. A delay in obtaining a required
government approval or a license would delay investments in those emerging
market countries, and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to invest in
certain securities while approval is pending. The government of certain emerging
market countries may also withdraw or decline to renew a license that enables
the Fund to invest in such country. These factors make investing in issuers
located or operating in emerging market countries significantly riskier than
investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any
one of them could cause a decline in the net asset value of the
Fund.
Additionally,
investments in issuers located in certain emerging market countries may be
subject to a greater degree of risk associated with governmental approval in
connection with the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds
of sales of securities by foreign investors. Moreover, there is the risk that if
the balance of payments in an emerging market country declines, the government
of such country may impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital
remittances. Consequently, the Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or
a refusal to grant, required governmental approval for repatriation of capital,
as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments.
Furthermore, investments in emerging market countries may require the Fund to
adopt special procedures, seek local government approvals or take other actions,
each of which may involve additional costs to the
Fund.
Risk
of Available Disclosure About Emerging Market Issuers.
Issuers located or operating in emerging market countries are not subject to the
same rules and regulations as issuers located or operating in more developed
countries. Therefore, there may be less financial and other information publicly
available with regard to issuers located or operating in emerging market
countries and such issuers are not subject to the uniform accounting, auditing
and financial reporting standards applicable to issuers located or operating in
more developed countries.
Foreign
Currency Risk Considerations.
The Fund’s assets that are invested in securities of issuers in emerging market
countries will generally be denominated in foreign currencies, and the proceeds
received by the Fund from these investments will be principally in foreign
currencies. The value of an emerging market country’s currency may be subject to
a high degree of fluctuation. This fluctuation may be due to changes in interest
rates, the effects of monetary policies issued by the United States, foreign
governments, central banks or supranational entities, the imposition of currency
controls or other national or global political or economic developments. The
economies of certain emerging market countries can be significantly affected by
currency devaluations. Certain emerging market countries may also have managed
currencies which are maintained at artificial levels relative to the U.S. dollar
rather than at levels determined by the market. This type of system can lead to
sudden and large adjustments in the currency which, in turn, can have a
disruptive and negative effect on foreign investors.
The
Fund’s exposure to an emerging market country’s currency and changes in value of
such foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may reduce the Fund’s investment
performance and the value of your investment in the Fund. Meanwhile, the Fund
will compute and expects to distribute its income in U.S. dollars, and the
computation of income will be made on the date that the income is earned by the
Fund at the foreign exchange rate in effect on that date. Therefore, if the
value of the respective emerging market country’s currency falls relative to the
U.S. dollar between the earning of the income and the time at which the Fund
converts the relevant emerging market country’s currency to U.S. dollars, the
Fund may be required to liquidate certain positions in order to make
distributions if the Fund has insufficient cash in U.S. dollars to meet
distribution
requirements
under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The liquidation of investments, if
required, could be at disadvantageous prices or otherwise have an adverse impact
on the Fund’s performance.
Certain
emerging market countries also restrict the free conversion of their currency
into foreign currencies, including the U.S. dollar. There is no significant
foreign exchange market for many such currencies and it would, as a result, be
difficult for the Fund to engage in foreign currency transactions designed to
protect the value of the Fund’s interests in securities denominated in such
currencies. Furthermore, if permitted, the Fund may incur costs in connection
with conversions between U.S. dollars and an emerging market country’s currency.
Foreign exchange dealers realize a profit based on the difference between the
prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer
normally will offer to sell a foreign currency to the Fund at one rate, while
offering a lesser rate of exchange should the Fund desire immediately to resell
that currency to the dealer. The Fund will conduct its foreign currency exchange
transactions either on a spot (i.e.,
cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market,
or through entering into forward, futures or options contracts to purchase or
sell foreign currencies.
Operational
and Settlement Risk.
In addition to having less developed securities markets, emerging market
countries have less developed custody and settlement practices than certain
developed countries. Rules adopted under the Investment Company Act of 1940
permit the Fund to maintain its foreign securities and cash in the custody of
certain eligible non-U.S. banks and securities depositories. Banks in emerging
market countries that are eligible foreign sub-custodians may be recently
organized or otherwise lack extensive operating experience. In addition, in
certain emerging market countries there may be legal restrictions or limitations
on the ability of the Fund to recover assets held in custody by a foreign
sub-custodian in the event of the bankruptcy of the sub-custodian. Because
settlement systems in emerging market countries may be less organized than in
other developed markets, there may be a risk that settlement may be delayed and
that cash or securities of the Fund may be in jeopardy because of failures of or
defects in the systems. Under the laws in many emerging market countries, the
Fund may be required to release local shares before receiving cash payment or
may be required to make cash payment prior to receiving local shares, creating a
risk that the Fund may surrender cash or securities without ever receiving
securities or cash from the other party. Settlement systems in emerging market
countries also have a higher risk of failed trades and back to back settlements
may not be possible.
The
Fund may not be able to convert a foreign currency to U.S. dollars in time for
the settlement of redemption requests. In the event that the Fund is not able to
convert the foreign currency to U.S. dollars in time for settlement, which may
occur as a result of the delays described above, the Fund may be required to
liquidate certain investments and/or borrow money in order to fund such
redemption. The liquidation of investments, if required, could be at
disadvantageous prices or otherwise have an adverse impact on the Fund’s
performance (e.g.,
by causing the Fund to overweight foreign currency denominated holdings and
underweight other holdings which were sold to fund redemptions). In addition,
the Fund will incur interest expense on any borrowings and the borrowings will
cause the Fund to be leveraged, which may magnify gains and losses on its
investments.
In
certain emerging market countries, the marketability of investments may be
limited due to the restricted opening hours of trading exchanges, and a
relatively high proportion of market value may be concentrated in the hands of a
relatively small number of investors. In addition, because certain emerging
market countries’ trading exchanges on which the Fund’s portfolio securities may
trade are open when the relevant exchanges are closed, the Fund may be subject
to heightened risk associated with market movements. Trading volume may be lower
on certain emerging market countries’ trading exchanges than on more developed
securities markets and securities may be generally less liquid. The
infrastructure for clearing, settlement and registration on the primary and
secondary markets of certain emerging market countries are less developed than
in certain other markets and under certain circumstances this may result in the
Fund experiencing delays in settling and/or registering transactions in the
markets in which it invests, particularly if the growth of foreign and domestic
investment in certain emerging market countries places an undue burden on such
investment infrastructure. Such delays could affect the speed with which the
Fund can transmit redemption proceeds and may inhibit the initiation and
realization of investment opportunities at optimum times.
Certain
issuers in emerging market countries may utilize share blocking schemes. Share
blocking refers to a practice, in certain foreign markets, where voting rights
related to an issuer’s securities are predicated on these securities being
blocked from trading at the custodian or sub-custodian level for a period of
time around a shareholder meeting. These restrictions have the effect of barring
the purchase and sale of certain voting securities within a specified number of
days before and, in certain instances, after a shareholder meeting where a vote
of shareholders will be taken. Share blocking may prevent the Fund from buying
or selling securities for a period of time. During the time that shares are
blocked, trades in such securities will not settle. The blocking period can last
up to several weeks. The process for having a blocking restriction lifted can be
quite onerous with the particular requirements varying widely by country. In
addition, in certain countries, the block cannot be removed. As a result of the
ramifications of voting ballots in markets that allow share blocking, the
Adviser, on behalf of the Fund, reserves the right to abstain from voting
proxies in those markets.
Corporate
and Securities Laws Risk.
Securities laws in emerging market countries are relatively new and unsettled
and, consequently, there is a risk of rapid and unpredictable change in laws
regarding foreign investment, securities regulation, title to securities and
securityholders rights. Accordingly, foreign investors may be adversely affected
by new or amended laws
and
regulations. In addition, the systems of corporate governance to which emerging
market issuers are subject may be less advanced than those systems to which
issuers located in more developed countries are subject, and therefore,
securityholders of issuers located in emerging market countries may not receive
many of the protections available to securityholders of issuers located in more
developed countries. In circumstances where adequate laws and securityholders
rights exist, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement
of the law. In addition, the enforcement of systems of taxation at federal,
regional and local levels in emerging market countries may be inconsistent and
subject to sudden change. The Fund has limited rights and few practical remedies
in emerging markets and the ability of U.S. authorities to bring enforcement
actions in emerging markets may be
limited.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in Asian Issuers. Investments in securities of Asian issuers involve risks and
special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S.
securities markets. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and
industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth
rate will be maintained. Certain Asian economies have experienced over-extension
of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, high unemployment, high
inflation, decreased exports and economic recessions. Geopolitical hostility,
political instability, as well as economic or environmental events in any one
Asian country can have a significant effect on the entire Asian region as well
as on major trading partners outside Asia, and any adverse effect on some or all
of the Asian countries and regions in which the Fund invests. The securities
markets in some Asian economies are relatively underdeveloped and may subject
the Fund to higher action costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more
developed securities markets. Such risks may adversely affect the value of the
Fund’s investments. Certain Asian countries have also developed increasingly
strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen,
they could adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. for
trade.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in Chinese Issuers. Investments
in securities of Chinese issuers, including issuers outside of China that
generate significant revenues from China, involve certain risks and
considerations not typically associated with investments in U.S securities.
These risks include among others (i) more frequent (and potentially widespread)
trading suspensions and government interventions with respect to Chinese issuers
resulting in a lack of liquidity and in price volatility, (ii) currency
revaluations and other currency exchange rate fluctuations or blockage, (iii)
the nature and extent of intervention by the Chinese government in the Chinese
securities markets, whether such intervention will continue and the impact of
such intervention or its discontinuation, (iv) the risk of nationalization or
expropriation of assets, (v) the risk that the Chinese government may decide not
to continue to support economic reform programs, (vi) limitations on the use of
brokers, (vii) higher rates of inflation, (viii) greater political, economic and
social uncertainty, (ix) market volatility caused by any potential regional or
territorial conflicts or natural or other disasters, and (x) the risk of
increased trade tariffs, embargoes, sanctions, investment restrictions and other
trade limitations. Certain securities are, or may in the future become
restricted, and the Fund may be forced to sell such securities and incur a loss
as a result. In addition, the economy of China differs, often unfavorably, from
the U.S. economy in such respects as structure, general development, government
involvement, wealth distribution, rate of inflation, growth rate, interest
rates, allocation of resources and capital reinvestment, among others. The
Chinese central government has historically exercised substantial control over
virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative regulation
and/or state ownership and actions of the Chinese central and local government
authorities continue to have a substantial effect on economic conditions in
China. In addition, the Chinese government has from time to time taken actions
that influence the prices at which certain goods may be sold, encourage
companies to invest or concentrate in particular industries, induce mergers
between companies in certain industries and induce private companies to publicly
offer their securities to increase or continue the rate of economic growth,
control the rate of inflation or otherwise regulate economic expansion. The
Chinese government may do so in the future as well, potentially having a
significant adverse effect on economic conditions in
China.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in European Issuers. Investments
in securities of European issuers involve risks and special considerations not
typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union requires member countries to
comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt
levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect
every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental
or European Union regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the
euro, the default or threat of default by a European Union member country on its
sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in a European Union member country
may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other European Union
countries and on major trading partners outside Europe. If any member country
exits the Economic and Monetary Union, the departing country would face the
risks of currency devaluation and its trading partners and banks and others
around the world that hold the departing country’s debt would face the risk of
significant losses. The European financial markets have previously experienced,
and may continue to experience, volatility and have been adversely affected, and
may in the future be affected, by concerns about economic downturns, credit
rating downgrades, rising government debt levels and possible default on or
restructuring of government debt in several European countries. These events
have adversely affected, and may in the future affect, the value and exchange
rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every
country in Europe, including European Union member countries that do not use the
euro and non-European Union member countries. The United Kingdom withdrew from
the European Union on January 31, 2020, which has resulted in ongoing market
volatility and caused additional market disruption on a global basis. On
December 30, 2020, the United Kingdom and the European Union signed the EU-UK
Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which is an agreement on the terms governing
certain aspects of the European Union's and the United Kingdom's
relationship
post Brexit. Notwithstanding the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement,
following the transition period, there is likely to be considerable uncertainty
as to the United Kingdom’s post-transition
framework.
Special
Risk Considerations of Investing in United Kingdom Issuers. Investments
in securities of United Kingdom issuers, including issuers located outside of
the United Kingdom that generate significant revenues from the United Kingdom,
involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with
investments in the U.S. securities markets. Investments in United Kingdom
issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security and
economic risks specific to the United Kingdom. The British economy relies
heavily on the export of financials to the United States and other European
countries. The British economy, along with the United States and certain other
European Union economies, experienced a significant economic slowdown during the
recent financial crisis. In a referendum held on June 23, 2016, voters in the
United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, creating economic and
political uncertainty in its wake. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom
officially withdrew from the European Union. On December 30, 2020, the European
Union and United Kingdom signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, an
agreement on the terms governing certain aspects of the European Union’s and the
United Kingdom’s relationship following the end of the transition period.
Notwithstanding the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, following the
transition period, there is likely to be considerable uncertainty as to the
United Kingdom’s post-transition
framework.
Depositary Receipts
Risk. The
Fund may invest in depositary receipts (including American Depositary Receipts),
which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign
securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges
issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and
capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. The issuers of
certain depositary receipts are under no obligation to distribute shareholder
communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any
voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Investments in
depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their
primary trading market. 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.
Cash
Transactions Risk. Unlike other ETFs, the Fund expects to effect its creations and
redemptions at least partially for cash, rather than wholly for in-kind
securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and
subsequently incur brokerage costs and/or recognize gains or losses on such
sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio
securities in kind. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient
than an investment in a conventional ETF. Transaction costs, including brokerage
costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value to the extent not offset by the
transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant.
Market
Risk.
The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in
the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and
unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and
public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political,
economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics
and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the
global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments
might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline
generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s
service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate
processes and technology or system
failures.
High
Portfolio Turnover Risk.
The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities,
which will result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including
brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale
of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. High portfolio
turnover may also result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable
account. The effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund
performance.
Index Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For
example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to
the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and
entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when
rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition
of the Index or (if applicable) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying
cash in connection with inflows into the Fund. Transaction costs, including
brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/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, which may
have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should
understand that any gains from the Index provider’s or others’ errors will be
kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the
Index provider’s or others’ errors will be borne by the Fund and its
shareholders. Additionally, when the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn
rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the
Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure
arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and
its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its
agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the
Index.
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.
The
Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into
the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet
redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included
in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are
represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the
return of the Index for various reasons, including legal restrictions or
limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange
listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which
such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory
reasons (such as diversification requirements). To the extent the Fund utilizes
depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect
the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and increase tracking
error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt
discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary
receipts.
The
Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other
assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net
asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on
securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (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. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions may also
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from
the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late
announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index.
When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices
may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings
to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency
purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund
to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the
factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the
return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with
a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience
increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants, none
of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To
the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business, or do not
process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a discount (or premium) to net asset value and possibly face trading halts
and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices
for the Fund. The Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened in
cases where Authorized Participants have limited or diminished access to the
capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for
the Shares will develop or be maintained, as applicable. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and Authorized Participants may step away from making a market in the
Shares and in executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a
material deviation in the Fund’s market price from its net asset
value.
Trading
Issues Risk.
Trading in shares on the exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in shares on the exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the relevant exchange’s
“circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated early close of the
exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell Shares of the
Fund. There can be no assurance that requirements of the exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively”
managed. Therefore, unless a specific security is removed from its Index, the
Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer is in
financial trouble. If a specific security is removed from the Fund’s Index, the
Fund may be forced to sell such security at an inopportune time or for prices
other than at current market values. An investment in the Fund involves risks
similar to those of investing in any fund that invests in bonds or equity
securities, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and
political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in
security prices. The Fund’s Index may not contain the appropriate or a
diversified mix of securities for any particular economic cycle. The timing of
changes in the securities of the Fund’s portfolio in seeking to replicate its
Index could have a negative effect on the Fund. Unlike with an actively managed
fund, the Adviser does not use techniques or defensive strategies designed to
lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of
market decline. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Fund’s
Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could
cause the Fund’s Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. This
means that, based on market and economic conditions, 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.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of
Fund Shares. The
market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s net asset
value, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for
Shares. Shares
may trade above, below, or at their most recent net asset value.
Factors including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of
market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares
(including through a trading halt), may result in Shares trading at a
significant premium or discount to net asset value or to the intraday value of
the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the net asset value or sells Shares at a time when the
market price is at a discount to the net asset value, the shareholder may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of
the Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close
at a different time than the exchange on which the Shares are traded. Liquidity
in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ net asset value may widen.
Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares
may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for
the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings and a shareholder may be unable to sell
his or her Shares.
Non-Diversification
Risk.
The Fund may become classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company
Act of 1940 solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or
index weighting of one or more constituents of the its Index. If the Fund
becomes non-diversified, it may invest a greater portion of its assets in
securities of a smaller number of individual issuers than a diversified fund. As
a result, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater
fluctuations in share price than would occur in a more diversified
fund.
Index-Related
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector
or sectors or industry or group of industries to reflect the Index’s allocation
to such sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. The securities of
many or all of the companies in the same sector or industry may decline in value
due to developments adversely affecting such sector or industry. By
concentrating its assets in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group
of industries, the Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political or other
conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may
negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were
invested in a wider variety of
securities.
Competitive
Advantage Assessment Risk. Morningstar
may be incorrect in its assessment of the competitive advantages of the
companies selected for inclusion in the Fund’s index, and the securities issued
by such companies may underperform Morningstar’s expectations and have an
adverse effect on the Fund’s overall performance. There can also be no assurance
that wide or narrow moat companies will have sustainable competitive advantages
for any period of time. Competitive advantages for wide and narrow moat
companies may erode in a relatively short period of time due to, among other
reasons, changes in laws and regulations, intellectual property rights, economic
and political conditions and technological
developments.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index, a
broad-based benchmark index and an additional index. All returns
assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s
past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how
the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance
information is available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns
(%)—Calendar Years
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Quarter: |
18.64 |
% |
4Q 2022 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-23.87 |
% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual
Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31,
2023
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Since
Inception (07/13/2015) |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar International Moat ETF (return before
taxes) |
10.59% |
5.15% |
3.72% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar International Moat ETF (return after taxes on
distributions) |
9.98% |
4.32% |
2.79% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar International Moat ETF (return after taxes on distributions
and sale of Fund Shares) |
6.69% |
3.94% |
2.72% |
|
|
Morningstar®
Global Markets ex-US Moat Focus IndexSM
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding
taxes) |
10.72% |
5.70% |
4.36% |
|
|
MSCI
ACWI Net TR Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes,
except withholding taxes)1 |
22.20% |
11.72% |
8.45% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
26.29% |
15.69% |
12.23% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
On February 1,
2024, the MSCI ACWI Net TR Index replaced the S&P 500 Index as the Fund's
broad-based benchmark index. The Fund changed its broad-based benchmark index as
it believes the MSCI ACWI Net TR Index is more representative of global equities
exposure.
See “License Agreements and Disclaimers” for important
information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
July
2015 |
|
|
Griffin
Driscoll |
Deputy
Portfolio Manager |
February
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
VanEck Morningstar SMID
Moat ETF
(the
“Fund”) seeks to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the
price and yield performance of the Morningstar®
US
Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus IndexSM
(the “Morningstar US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus Index” or the
“Index”).
FUND FEES AND
EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management
Fee |
0.45 |
% |
|
|
Other
Expenses |
0.14 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.59 |
% |
|
|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
-0.10 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses after Fee Waiver and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.49 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a)
Van
Eck Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay
Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the
Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading
expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.49% of the Fund’s
average daily net assets per year until at least February 1,
2025. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE
EXAMPLE
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with
the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account
brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and
then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example
also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return 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:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR
|
EXPENSES |
|
|
1 |
$50 |
|
|
|
3 |
$179 |
|
|
|
5 |
$319 |
|
|
|
10 |
$728 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and
sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover
will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in
higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which
are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may
affect the Fund’s performance. During the period from October 4, 2022 (the
Fund's commencement of operations) through September 30, 2023, the Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 76% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that
comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Morningstar US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus
Index is comprised of small- and medium-capitalization companies as defined by
Morningstar, Inc. (“Morningstar” or the “Index provider”), that Morningstar
determines have sustainable competitive advantages based on a proprietary
methodology that considers quantitative and qualitative factors (“wide and
narrow moat companies”). The quantitative
factors
used by Morningstar to identify competitive advantages currently include
historical and projected returns on invested capital relative to cost of
capital. The qualitative factors used by Morningstar to identify competitive
advantages currently include customer switching cost (i.e.,
the costs of customers switching to competitors), internal cost advantages,
intangible assets (e.g.,
intellectual property and brands), network effects (i.e.,
whether products or services become more valuable as the number of customers
grows) and efficient scale (i.e.,
whether the company effectively serves a limited market that potential rivals
have little incentive to enter into). Wide moat companies are those that
Morningstar believes will maintain their competitive advantage(s) for at least
20 years. Narrow moat companies are those that Morningstar believes will
maintain their competitive advantage(s) for at least 10 years. Wide and narrow
moat companies are selected from the universe of companies represented in the
Morningstar®
US
Small-Mid Cap IndexSM
(the “Parent Index”), a broad market index representing small- and
medium-capitalization U.S. companies.
For
purposes of the Parent Index, Morningstar considers those companies in the
bottom 70% - 90% of total U.S. market cap to be medium-capitalization companies
and those companies in the bottom 90% - 97% to be small-capitalization
companies. The Index targets a select group of equity securities of wide and
narrow moat companies, which are those companies that, according to
Morningstar’s equity research team, are attractively priced based on pre-defined
factors as of each index review. Morningstar utilizes a momentum screen, in
which momentum represents a security’s 12-month price change. A momentum signal
is used to exclude 20% of the wide and narrow moat stocks in the Parent Index
with the worst 12-month momentum based on a 12-month price change of each stock.
Out of the companies in the Parent Index that Morningstar determines are wide or
narrow moat companies and display 12-month momentum in the top 80%, Morningstar
selects companies to be included in the Index as determined by the ratio of the
issuer’s common stock price to Morningstar’s estimate of fair value.
Morningstar’s fair value estimates are calculated using standardized,
proprietary valuation models. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is
non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’
prior written notice to shareholders.
As
of December 31, 2023, the Morningstar US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus Index included
98 securities of companies with a full market capitalization range of between
approximately $2.53 billion and $59.20 billion and a weighted average full
market capitalization of $17.82 billion. These amounts are subject to change.
The Morningstar US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus Index is divided into two
equally-weighted sub-portfolios, and each is reconstituted and rebalanced
semi-annually on alternating quarters.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Morningstar US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus Index
by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the
Morningstar US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus Index. Unlike many investment companies
that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try
to “beat” the Morningstar
US
Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions
that are inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to track the
Morningstar
US
Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus Index.
The
Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act of 1940”), and, therefore, may
invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular
industry or group of industries to the extent that the Morningstar US Small-Mid
Cap Moat Focus Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries.
As
of September 30, 2023, each of the industrials, information technology, consumer
discretionary, financials, and health care sectors represented a significant
portion of the Morningstar
US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus
Index.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING
IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk.
An
investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency.
Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Equity Securities Risk. The
value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market
and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers
of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific
issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to
preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to
priority to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to
greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In
addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those
returns.
Small-
and Medium-Capitalization Companies Risk.
The Fund may invest in small- and medium-capitalization companies and, therefore
will be subject to certain risks associated with small- and medium-
capitalization companies. These companies are often subject to less analyst
coverage and may be in early and less predictable periods of their corporate
existences, with little or no record of profitability. In addition, these
companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less
liquidity than larger more established companies. These companies tend to have
smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience,
smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources
and less
competitive
strength than large-capitalization companies. Returns on investments in
securities of small- and medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns
on investments in securities of larger
companies.
Industrials
Sector Risk.
The industrials sector comprises companies who produce capital goods used in
construction and manufacturing, such as companies that make and sell machinery,
equipment and supplies that are used to produce other goods. Companies in the
industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government
regulation, 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.
Information
Technology Sector Risk.
Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. 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.
Consumer Discretionary Sector
Risk. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the consumer discretionary sector. The
consumer discretionary sector comprises companies whose
businesses are sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers of high-end
apparel and automobile and leisure companies. Companies 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 as a result of world events, political
and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates,
imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and
labor relations.
Financials
Sector Risk. Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive
government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices
they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability
of companies in the financials sector may be adversely affected by increases in
interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns,
and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector is
undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of
new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework.
Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as benefiting
from government intervention in the past may be subject to future
government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government
involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the
financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in
financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in
financial institutions.
Health
Care Sector Risk. Companies in the health care sector may be affected by extensive
government regulation, 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. The expiration of
patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many health
care companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability
and similar claims.
Market
Risk.
The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in
the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and
unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and
public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political,
economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics
and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the
global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments
might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline
generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s
service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate
processes and technology or system
failures.
High
Portfolio Turnover Risk.
The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities,
which will result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including
brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale
of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. High portfolio
turnover may also result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable
account. The effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund
performance.
Index Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For
example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to
the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and
entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when
rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition
of the Index or (if applicable) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying
cash in connection with inflows into the Fund. Transaction costs, including
brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/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, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund
and its shareholders. Shareholders should understand that any gains from the
Index provider’s or others’ errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders
and any losses or costs resulting from the Index provider’s or others’ errors
will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. Additionally, when the Index is
rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase
the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction
costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne
directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the
Index provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the
Index. 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.
The
Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into
the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet
redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included
in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are
represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the
return of the Index for various reasons, including legal restrictions or
limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange
listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which
such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory
reasons (such as diversification requirements). To the extent the Fund utilizes
depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect
the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and increase tracking
error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt
discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary
receipts.
The
Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other
assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net
asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on
securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (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. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions may also
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from
the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late
announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index.
When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices
may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings
to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency
purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund
to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the
factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the
return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with
a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience
increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants, none
of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To
the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business, or do not
process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a discount (or premium) to net asset value and possibly face trading halts
and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices
for the Fund. The Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened in
cases where Authorized Participants have limited or diminished access to the
capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for
the Shares will develop or be maintained, as applicable. Further, secondary
markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market
makers and Authorized Participants may step away from making a market in the
Shares and in executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a
material deviation in the Fund’s market price from its net asset
value.
Trading
Issues Risk.
Trading in shares on the exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable.
In addition, trading in shares on the exchange is subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the relevant exchange’s
“circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated early close of the
exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell Shares of the
Fund. There can be no assurance that requirements of the exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk.
Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively” managed. Therefore,
unless a specific security is removed from its Index, the Fund generally would
not sell a security because the security’s issuer is in financial trouble. If a
specific security is removed from the Fund’s Index, the Fund may be forced to
sell such security at an inopportune time or for prices other than at current
market values. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund that invests in bonds or equity securities, such as market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. The Fund’s
Index may not contain the appropriate or a diversified mix of securities for any
particular economic cycle. The timing of changes in the securities of the Fund’s
portfolio in seeking to replicate its Index could have a negative effect on the
Fund. Unlike with an actively managed fund, the Adviser does not
use techniques or defensive strategies designed to lessen the
effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of market
decline. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Fund’s Index
provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could cause
the Fund’s Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. This means
that, based on market and economic conditions, 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.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of
Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to
the Fund’s net asset value, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply
and demand for Shares. Shares may trade above, below, or at their most recent
net asset value. Factors including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the
existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for
Shares (including through a trading halt), may result in Shares trading at a
significant premium or discount to net asset value or to the intraday value of
the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the net asset value or sells Shares at a time when the
market price is at a discount to the net asset value, the shareholder may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of
the Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close
at a different time than the exchange on which the Shares are traded. Liquidity
in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ net asset value may widen.
Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares
may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for
the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings and a shareholder may be unable to sell
his or her Shares.
Non-Diversified
Risk.
The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the Investment Company
Act of 1940. The Fund is subject to the risk that it will be more volatile than
a diversified fund because the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of
its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of
its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single
investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and may make
the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds. The Fund may be particularly
vulnerable to this risk if it is comprised of a limited number of
investments.
Index-Related
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector
or sectors or industry or group of industries to reflect the Index’s allocation
to such sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. The securities of
many or all of the companies in the same sector or industry may decline in value
due to developments adversely affecting such sector or industry. By
concentrating its assets in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group
of industries, the Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political or other
conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may
negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were
invested in a wider variety of securities.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad-based benchmark index. All returns assume reinvestment of
dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns
(%)—Calendar Year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Quarter: |
11.45 |
% |
4Q 2023 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-5.05 |
% |
3Q
2023 |
Average Annual
Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31,
2023
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns
are not relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Past One
Year |
Since
Inception (10/04/2022) |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar SMID Moat ETF (return before taxes) |
17.27% |
17.40% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar SMID MoatETF (return after taxes on
distributions) |
17.09% |
17.20% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar SMID Moat ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of
Fund Shares) |
10.35% |
13.31% |
|
|
Morningstar®
US Small-Mid Cap Moat Focus IndexSM
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
17.93% |
18.04% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
26.29% |
22.37% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
“License Agreements and Disclaimers” for important
information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van
Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
October
2022 |
|
|
Griffin
Driscoll |
Deputy
Portfolio Manager |
February
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
VanEck Morningstar Wide
Moat ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible,
before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the
Morningstar®
Wide Moat Focus IndexSM
(the “Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index” or the
“Index”).
FUND FEES AND
EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholder
Fees
(fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management
Fee |
0.45 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
Expenses |
0.02 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
0.47 |
% |
|
|
Fee
Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
0.00 |
% |
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense
Reimbursement(a) |
0.47 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
(a) Van Eck
Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund
expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund
(excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses,
taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.49% of the Fund’s average
daily net assets per year until at least February 1,
2025. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to
continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion
of such expense limitation.
EXPENSE
EXAMPLE
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with
the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account
brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and
then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example
also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s
operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee
waivers and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year).
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions,
your costs would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR |
EXPENSES |
|
|
1 |
$48 |
|
|
|
3 |
$151 |
|
|
|
5 |
$263 |
|
|
|
10 |
$591 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and
sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover
will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in
higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which
are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may
affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 51% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that
comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index is
comprised of securities issued by companies that Morningstar, Inc.
(“Morningstar” or the “Index provider”) determines to have sustainable
competitive advantages based on a proprietary methodology that considers
quantitative and qualitative factors (“wide moat companies”). Wide moat
companies are selected from the universe of companies represented
in
the Morningstar®
US Market IndexSM,
a broad market index representing 97% of U.S. market capitalization. The
Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index targets a select group of wide moat companies:
those that according to Morningstar’s equity research team are attractively
priced as of each Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index review. Out of the companies
in the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index that Morningstar determines are wide
moat companies, Morningstar selects companies to be included in the Morningstar
Wide Moat Focus Index as determined by the ratio of Morningstar’s estimate of
fair value of the issuer’s common stock to the price. Morningstar’s equity
research fair value estimates are calculated using a standardized, proprietary
valuation model. Wide moat companies may include medium-capitalization
companies. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be
changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to
shareholders.
As
of December 31, 2023, the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index included 49
securities of companies with a full market capitalization range of between
approximately $9.71 billion and $2.79 billion and a weighted average full market
capitalization of $154.18 billion. These amounts are subject to
change.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index by investing
in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Morningstar Wide Moat
Focus Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to “beat” the performance
of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the Morningstar Wide Moat
Focus Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions that are
inconsistent with its investment objective of seeking to replicate the
Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index.
The
Fund may become "non-diversified" as defined under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act of 1940”), solely as a result of a
change in relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more
constituents of the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index. This means that the Fund
may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers
than would be the case if the Fund were always managed as a diversified
management investment company. The Fund intends to be diversified in
approximately the same proportion as the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index.
Shareholder approval will not be sought when the Fund crosses from diversified
to non-diversified status due solely to a change in the relative market
capitalization or index weighting of one or more constituents of the Morningstar
Wide Moat Focus Index.
The
Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of
industries to the extent that the Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index concentrates
in an industry or group of industries. As
of September 30, 2023, each of the information technology, industrials, health
care and financials sectors represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING
IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk.
An
investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency.
Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall
due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets
in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors
relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are
subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure
with respect to priority to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be
subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments.
In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those
returns.
Information
Technology Sector Risk.
Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. 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.
The industrials sector comprises companies who produce capital goods used in
construction and manufacturing, such as companies that make and sell machinery,
equipment and supplies that are used to produce other goods. Companies in the
industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government
regulation, 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.
Health
Care Sector Risk. Companies in the health care sector may be affected by extensive
government regulation, 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. The expiration of
patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many health
care companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability
and similar claims.
Financials
Sector Risk. Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive
government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices
they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability
of companies in the financials sector may be adversely affected by increases in
interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns,
and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector is
undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of
new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework.
Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as benefiting
from government intervention in the past may be subject to future
government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government
involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the
financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in
financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in
financial institutions.
Medium-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than
large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial
resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength.
In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading
volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on
investments in securities of medium-capitalization companies could trail the
returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization
companies.
Market
Risk.
The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in
the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and
unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and
public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political,
economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics
and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the
global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments
might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline
generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s
service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate
processes and technology or system
failures.
High
Portfolio Turnover Risk.
The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities,
which will result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including
brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale
of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. High portfolio
turnover may also result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable
account. The effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund
performance.
Index Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For
example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to
the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and
entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when
rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition
of the Index or (if applicable) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying
cash in connection with inflows into the Fund. Transaction costs, including
brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/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, which may
have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should
understand that any gains from the Index provider’s or others’ errors will be
kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the
Index provider’s or others’ errors will be borne by the Fund and its
shareholders. Additionally, when the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn
rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the
Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure
arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and
its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its
agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index. 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.
The
Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into
the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet
redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included
in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are
represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the
return of the Index for various reasons, including legal restrictions or
limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange
listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which
such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory
reasons (such as diversification requirements). To the extent the Fund utilizes
depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect
the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and increase tracking
error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt
discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary
receipts.
The
Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other
assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net
asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on
securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (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. In addition, any issues the Fund
encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of
borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions may
also increase the index tracking risk. The Fund’s performance may also deviate
from the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late
announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index.
When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices
may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings
to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency
purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund
to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the
factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the
return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with
a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience
increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants, none
of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To
the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business, or do not
process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a discount (or premium) to net asset value and possibly face trading halts
and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices
for the Fund. The Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened in
cases where Authorized Participants have limited or diminished access to the
capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the
Shares will develop or be maintained, as applicable. Further, secondary markets
may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended
trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and
Authorized Participants may step away from making a market in the Shares and in
executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation
in the Fund’s market price from its net asset value.
Trading
Issues Risk. Trading
in shares on the exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons
that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. In
addition, trading in shares on the exchange is subject to trading halts caused
by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the relevant exchange’s “circuit
breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated early close of the exchange
occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell Shares of the Fund.
There can be no assurance that requirements of the exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain
unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively”
managed. Therefore, unless a specific security is removed from its Index, the
Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer is in
financial trouble. If a specific security is removed from the Fund’s Index, the
Fund may be forced to sell such security at an inopportune time or for prices
other than at current market values. An investment in the Fund involves risks
similar to those of investing in any fund that invests in bonds or equity
securities, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and
political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in
security prices. The Fund’s Index may not contain the appropriate or a
diversified mix of securities for any particular economic cycle. The timing of
changes in the securities of the Fund’s portfolio in seeking to replicate its
Index could have a negative effect on the Fund. Unlike with an actively managed
fund, the Adviser does not use techniques or defensive strategies designed to
lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of
market decline. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Fund’s
Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could
cause the Fund’s Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. This
means that, based on market and economic conditions, 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.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of
Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the
Fund’s net asset value, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and
demand for Shares. Shares may trade above, below, or at their most recent net
asset value. Factors including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the
existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for
Shares (including through a trading halt), may result in Shares trading at a
significant premium or discount to net asset value or to the intraday value of
the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the net asset value or sells Shares at a time when the
market price is at a discount to the net asset value, the shareholder may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of
the Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close
at a different time than the exchange on which the Shares are traded. Liquidity
in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ net asset value may widen.
Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares
may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for
the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings and a shareholder may be unable to sell
his or her Shares.
Non-Diversification
Risk.
The Fund may become classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company
Act of 1940 solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or
index weighting of one or more constituents of the its Index. If the Fund
becomes non-diversified, it may invest a greater portion of its assets in
securities of a smaller number of individual issuers
than
a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single
investment could cause greater fluctuations in share price than would occur in a
more diversified fund.
Index-Related
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector
or sectors or industry or group of industries to reflect the Index’s allocation
to such sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. The securities of
many or all of the companies in the same sector or industry may decline in value
due to developments adversely affecting such sector or industry. By
concentrating its assets in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group
of industries, the Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political or other
conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may
negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were
invested in a wider variety of
securities.
Competitive
Advantage Assessment Risk. Morningstar
may be incorrect in its assessment of the competitive advantages of the
companies selected for inclusion in the Fund’s index, and the securities issued
by such companies may underperform Morningstar’s expectations and have an
adverse effect on the Fund’s overall performance. There can also be no assurance
that wide or narrow moat companies will have sustainable competitive advantages
for any period of time. Competitive advantages for wide and narrow moat
companies may erode in a relatively short period of time due to, among other
reasons, changes in laws and regulations, intellectual property rights, economic
and political conditions and technological
developments.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad-based benchmark index. All returns assume reinvestment of
dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns
(%)—Calendar Years
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Quarter: |
19.24 |
% |
2Q 2020 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-20.01 |
% |
1Q
2020 |
Average Annual
Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31,
2023
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Past One
Year |
Past Five
Years |
Past Ten
Years |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (return before taxes) |
31.72% |
16.95% |
12.90% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (return after taxes on
distributions) |
31.45% |
16.62% |
12.55% |
|
|
VanEck
Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of
Fund Shares) |
18.97% |
13.70% |
10.71% |
|
|
Morningstar®
Wide Moat Focus IndexSM
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
32.41% |
17.53% |
13.47% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
26.29% |
15.69% |
12.03% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
“License Agreements and Disclaimers” for important
information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
April
2012 |
|
|
Griffin
Driscoll |
Deputy
Portfolio Manager |
February
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
SUMMARY
INFORMATION
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
VanEck®
Social Sentiment ETF
(the
“Fund”) seeks to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the
price and yield performance of the
BUZZ NextGen AI US Sentiment Leaders Index
(the
“Sentiment Leaders Index”
or the “Index”).
FUND FEES AND
EXPENSES
The
following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy,
hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples
below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholder
Fees
(fees
paid directly from your investment) |
None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Management
Fee |
0.75 |
% |
|
|
Other
Expenses(a)(b) |
0.00 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
0.75 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) Van Eck
Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) will pay all expenses of the Fund, except
for the fee payment under the investment management agreement, acquired fund
fees and expenses, interest expense, offering costs, trading expenses, taxes and
extraordinary expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser has agreed to
pay the offering costs until at least February 1,
2025.
(b)
“Other expenses”
have been restated to reflect current
fees.
EXPENSE
EXAMPLE
This
example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with
the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account
brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the
Fund.
The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and
then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example
also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return 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:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YEAR
|
EXPENSES |
|
|
1 |
$77 |
|
|
|
3 |
$240 |
|
|
|
5 |
$417 |
|
|
|
10 |
$930 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and
sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover
will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in
higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which
are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may
affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s
portfolio turnover rate was 232% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund normally invests at least 80% of its
total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark index.
The
Sentiment Leaders Index is
comprised of common stocks of U.S. companies selected by a rules-based
quantitative methodology developed by BUZZ Holdings
ULC (the
“Index provider”), which is designed to identify the U.S. common stocks with the
most “positive insights” collected from online sources including social media,
news articles, blog posts and other alternative datasets. “Positive
insights”
are a measure of the degree of positive company sentiment as well as the breadth
of active discussion about each company by participants on online
platforms.
The
75 companies with the highest positive insight scores
that
meet certain market capitalization and average daily trading volume requirements
will be selected for inclusion in the Sentiment
Leaders Index.
Such
companies may include medium-capitalization companies.
As
of December 31, 2023, the Sentiment Leaders Index included 75 securities of
companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $5.4
billion and $2,994.4 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of
$435.9 billion. These
amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is
non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’
prior written notice to shareholders. The Sentiment Leaders Index is
reconstituted and rebalanced monthly.
The
Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate
the investment performance of the Sentiment Leaders Index by investing in a
portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Sentiment Leaders Index.
Unlike many investment companies that try to “beat” the performance of a
benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the Sentiment Leaders Index and
does not seek temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its
investment objective of seeking to track the Sentiment Leaders
Index.
The
Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of
1940,
as amended (the “Investment Company Act of 1940”),
and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular
issuer. The Fund may
concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to
the extent that the
Sentiment Leaders Index concentrates
in an industry or group of industries. As of September 30,
2023,
each of the information technology, consumer discretionary, communication
services and financials sectors represented a significant portion of the
Fund.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING
IN THE FUND
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk.
An
investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or
guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government
agency.
Therefore,
you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund,
each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an
investment in the Fund.
Social
Media Analytics Risk. The
Index provider relies heavily on social media analytics, which are relatively
new and untested. “Social media” is an umbrella term that encompasses various
activities that integrate technology, social interaction and content creation.
Investing in companies based on social media analytics involves the potential
risk of market manipulation because social media posts may be made with an
intent to inflate, or otherwise manipulate, the public perception of a company
stock or other investment. Although the Index provider attempts to mitigate the
potential risk of such manipulation by employing screens to identify posts which
may be computer generated or deceptive and by employing market capitalization
and trading volume criteria to remove companies which may be more likely targets
for such manipulation, there is no guarantee that the Index’s model will
successfully reduce such risk. Furthermore, text and sentiment analysis of
social media postings may prove inaccurate in predicting a company’s stock
performance; that is, high positive sentiment may not correlate with positive
change in the value of a company’s stock and low positive or negative sentiment
may not correlate with negative change in the value of a company’s stock.
Additionally, social media companies are susceptible to the following risks
which may disrupt the Index provider’s ability to receive meaningful data from
such sites: permanent cessation of operations, disruption in service caused by
hardware or software failure, interruptions or delays in service by third-party
data center hosting facilities and maintenance providers, security breaches
involving certain private, sensitive, proprietary and confidential information
managed and transmitted by social media companies, and privacy concerns and
laws, evolving internet regulation and other foreign or domestic regulations
that may limit or otherwise affect the operations of social media
companies.
Equity Securities Risk. The
value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market
and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers
of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific
issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to
preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to
priority to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to
greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In
addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically
generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities
have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those
returns.
Medium-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than
large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial
resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength.
In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading
volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on
investments in securities of medium-capitalization companies could trail the
returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization
companies.
Information
Technology Sector Risk.
Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. 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.
Consumer Discretionary Sector
Risk. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the consumer discretionary sector. The
consumer discretionary sector comprises companies whose
businesses are sensitive to economic cycles, such as manufacturers of high-end
apparel and automobile and leisure companies. Companies 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 as a result of world events, political
and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates,
imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and
labor relations.
Communication Services Sector
Risk. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of the communication services sector.
Companies in the communication services sector may be
affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government
regulations and obsolescence of communications products and services due to
technological advancement.
Financials
Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector may be subject to extensive government
regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices they can
charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability of
companies in the financials sector may be adversely affected by increases in
interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns,
and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financials sector is
undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of
new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework.
Furthermore, some companies in the financials sector perceived as benefiting
from government intervention in the past may be subject to future
government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government
involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the
financials sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in
financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Fund’s investments in
financial institutions.
Market
Risk.
The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in
the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and
unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and
public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political,
economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics
and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the
global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments
might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline
generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose
money.
Operational
Risk.
The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors,
including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s
service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate
processes and technology or system
failures.
High
Portfolio Turnover Risk. The
Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities,
which will result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including
brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale
of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. High portfolio
turnover may also result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable
account. The effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund
performance.
Index Tracking Risk. The
Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For
example, the Fund incurs operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to
the Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities and
entering into derivatives transactions (if applicable), especially when
rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition
of the Index or (if applicable) raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying
cash in connection with inflows into the Fund. Transaction costs, including
brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value.
Market
disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the
Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track
the Index. Errors in the Index data, the Index computations and/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, which may
have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Shareholders should
understand that any gains from the Index provider’s or others’ errors will be
kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from the
Index provider’s or others’ errors will be borne by the Fund and its
shareholders. Additionally, when the Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn
rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the
Fund’s portfolio and the Index, any transaction costs and market exposure
arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and
its shareholders. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index provider or its
agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Index. 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.
The
Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into
the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to pay expenses or to meet
redemptions. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included
in the Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are
represented in the Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the
return of the Index for various reasons, including legal restrictions or
limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain exchange
listing standards (where applicable), a lack of liquidity in markets in which
such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory
reasons (such as diversification requirements). To the extent the Fund utilizes
depositary receipts, the purchase of depositary receipts may negatively affect
the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index and
increase
tracking error, which may be exacerbated if the issuer of the depositary receipt
discontinues issuing new depositary receipts or withdraws existing depositary
receipts.
The
Fund may value certain of its investments, underlying currencies and/or other
assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net
asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the Index is based on
securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (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. In addition, any
issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the
cost of borrowing funds, if any), repatriation or economic sanctions may also
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from
the performance of the Index due to the impact of withholding taxes, late
announcements relating to changes to the Index and high turnover of the Index.
When markets are volatile, the ability to sell securities at fair value prices
may be adversely impacted and may result in additional trading costs and/or
increase the index tracking risk. The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings
to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. For tax efficiency
purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund
to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Index. In light of the
factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the
return of the Index. Changes to the composition of the Index in connection with
a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Index may cause the Fund to experience
increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be
heightened.
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants, none
of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To
the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business, or do not
process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly
diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds
at a discount (or premium) to net asset value and possibly face trading halts
and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices
for the Fund. The Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened in
cases where Authorized Participants have limited or diminished access to the
capital required to post collateral.
No
Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the
Shares will develop or be maintained, as applicable. Further, secondary markets
may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended
trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and
Authorized Participants may step away from making a market in the Shares and in
executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation
in the Fund’s market price from its net asset value.
Trading
Issues Risk. Trading in shares on the exchange may be halted due to market
conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in
shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in shares on the exchange is subject to
trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the relevant
exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated early
close of the exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell
Shares of the Fund. There can be no assurance that requirements of the exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will
remain unchanged.
Passive
Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively”
managed. Therefore, unless a specific security is removed from its Index, the
Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer is in
financial trouble. If a specific security is removed from the Fund’s Index, the
Fund may be forced to sell such security at an inopportune time or for prices
other than at current market values. An investment in the Fund involves risks
similar to those of investing in any fund that invests in bonds or equity
securities, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and
political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in
security prices. The Fund’s Index may not contain the appropriate or a
diversified mix of securities for any particular economic cycle. The timing of
changes in the securities of the Fund’s portfolio in seeking to replicate its
Index could have a negative effect on the Fund. Unlike with an actively managed
fund, the Adviser does not use techniques or defensive strategies designed to
lessen the effects of market volatility or to reduce the impact of periods of
market decline. Additionally, unusual market conditions may cause the Fund’s
Index provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance or reconstitution, which could
cause the Fund’s Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. This
means that, based on market and economic conditions, 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.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of
Fund Shares.
The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s net asset
value, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for
Shares. Shares may trade above, below, or at their most recent net asset value.
Factors including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of
market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares
(including through a trading halt), may result in Shares trading at a
significant premium or discount to net asset value or to the intraday value of
the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market
price is at a premium to the net asset value or sells Shares at a time when the
market price is at a discount to the net asset value, the shareholder may pay
significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of
the Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close
at a different time than the exchange on which the Shares are traded. Liquidity
in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times.
Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable
market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the exchange and
the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ net asset value may
widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for
the Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity
in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings and a shareholder
may be unable to sell his or her Shares.
Non-Diversified
Risk. The
Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the Investment Company Act
of 1940. The Fund is subject to the risk that it will be more volatile than a
diversified fund because the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its
assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its
assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single investment
may have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and may make the Fund
more volatile than more diversified funds. The Fund may be particularly
vulnerable to this risk if it is comprised of a limited number of
investments.
Index-Related
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector
or sectors or industry or group of industries to reflect the Index’s allocation
to such sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. The securities of
many or all of the companies in the same sector or industry may decline in value
due to developments adversely affecting such sector or industry. By
concentrating its assets in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group
of industries, the Fund is subject to the risk that economic, political or other
conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may
negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were
invested in a wider variety of securities.
PERFORMANCE
The
bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years
shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns
(before and after taxes). The bar chart
and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by
comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s
average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since
inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a
broad-based benchmark index. All returns assume reinvestment of
dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance
(before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Updated performance information is
available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns
(%)—Calendar Year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Quarter: |
22.74% |
1Q 2023 |
Worst
Quarter: |
-33.34% |
2Q
2022 |
Average Annual
Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31,
2023
The after-tax returns presented
in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual
federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and
local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your
specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not
relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred
arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Past One
Year |
Since
Inception (03/02/2021) |
|
|
VanEck
Social Sentiment ETF (return before taxes) |
54.48% |
-9.49% |
|
|
VanEck
Social Sentiment ETF (return after taxes on
distributions) |
54.29% |
-9.56% |
|
|
VanEck
Social Sentiment ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund
Shares) |
32.39% |
-7.07% |
|
|
BUZZ
NextGen AI US Sentiment Leaders Index
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses or taxes) |
54.95% |
-9.17% |
|
|
S&P
500®
Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes) |
26.29% |
9.36% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
“License Agreements and Disclaimers” for important
information.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser.
Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio
Managers.
The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Title
with Adviser |
Date
Began Managing the Fund |
|
|
Peter
H. Liao |
Portfolio
Manager |
February
2021 |
|
|
Griffin
Driscoll |
Deputy
Portfolio Manager |
February
2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
For
important information about the purchase and sale of Fund Shares, tax
information and payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries,
please turn to the “Summary Information About Purchases and Sales of Fund
Shares, Taxes and Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries”
section of this Prospectus.
PURCHASE
AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
Individual
Shares of a Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions
through a broker or a dealer at a market price. Shares of the Funds are listed
on the Exchange, and because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV,
Shares of the Funds may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e.,
a “premium”) or less than NAV (i.e.,
a “discount”).
An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of a Fund (bid) and the
lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or
selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
Recent
information, including information about each Fund’s net asset value, market
price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s
website at www.vaneck.com.
TAX
INFORMATION
Each
Fund’s distributions (other than return of capital distributions) are taxable
and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains.
PAYMENTS
TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The
Adviser and its related companies may pay broker-dealers or other financial
intermediaries (such as a bank) for the sale of the Fund Shares and related
services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your
broker-dealer or other intermediary or its employees or associated persons to
recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or visit
your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The
Adviser anticipates that, generally, each Fund will hold or gain exposure to all
of the securities that comprise its Index in proportion to their weightings in
such Index. However, to the extent it is not possible or practicable to purchase
all of those securities in those weightings, the Fund may purchase a sample of
securities in its Index. The Adviser may also choose to underweight or
overweight a security in a Fund’s Index, purchase securities not in the Fund’s
Index that the Adviser believes are appropriate to substitute for certain
securities in such Index or utilize various combinations of other available
investment techniques in seeking to replicate/track (as applicable) as closely
as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the
Fund’s Index. Each Fund may sell securities that are represented in its Index in
anticipation of their removal from its Index or purchase securities not
represented in its Index in anticipation of their addition to such Index. Each
Fund may also, in order to comply with tax diversification requirements of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, temporarily invest in securities not included in
its Index that are expected to be highly correlated with the securities included
in the Index.
FUNDAMENTAL
AND NON-FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES
Each
Fund’s investment objective and each of its other investment policies are
non-fundamental policies that may be changed by the Board of Trustees (the
“Board of Trustees”) of VanEck ETF Trust (the “Trust”) without shareholder
approval, except as noted in this Prospectus or the Statement of Additional
Information (“SAI”) under the section entitled “Investment Policies and
Restrictions—Investment Restrictions.”
RISKS
OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
The
following section provides additional information regarding the principal risks
identified under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Fund’s
“Summary Information” section, and a number of additional (non-principal) risks.
The risks checked in the chart below apply to the Fund as indicated. For a
description of the risks listed in the chart, please see "Glossary – Investment
Risks" below the chart. See also the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information
for information on certain other investments in which the Fund may invest and
other investment techniques in which the Fund may engage from time to time and
related risks.
Investors
in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price
of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in
the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not
a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should
consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund, each of
which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an investment in the
Fund.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Risk |
Durable
High Dividend ETF (DURA) |
Long/Flat
Trend ETF (LFEQ) |
Morningstar
ESG Moat ETF (MOTE) |
Morningstar
Global Wide Moat ETF (MOTG) |
Morningstar
International Moat ETF (MOTI) |
Morningstar
SMID Moat ETF (SMOT) |
Morningstar
Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) |
Social
Sentiment ETF (BUZZ) |
√
Principal Risk | X Additional Non-Principal Risk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Authorized
Participant Concentration Risk |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Transactions Risk |
|
|
|
√ |
√ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Communication
Services Sector Risk |
|
|
|
|
√ |
|
|
√ |
Competitive
Advantage Assessment Risk |
|
|
√ |
√ |
√ |
|
√ |
|
Consumer
Discretionary Sector Risk |
|
|
|
|
√ |
√ |
|
√ |
Consumer
Staples Sector Risk |
|