Form 485APOS REX ETF Trust
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 18, 2025
1933 Act Registration No. 333-283221
1940 Act Registration No. 811-24023
United States
Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form N-1A
| Registration Statement Under the Securities Act of 1933 | ☐ |
| Pre-Effective Amendment No. | ☐ |
| Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 | ☒ |
and/or
| Registration Statement Under the Investment Company Act of 1940 | ☐ |
| Amendment No. 9 | ☒ |
REX ETF Trust
777 Brickell Avenue, Suite 500
Miami, Florida 33131
(203) 654-7008
(Registrant’s Exact Name, Address and Telephone Number)
Robert Rokose
Chief Financial Officer
REX Advisers, LLC
1241 Post Road
Fairfield, Connecticut 06824
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copy to:
Morrison C. Warren, Esq.
Chapman and Cutler LLP
320 South Canal Street
Chicago, Illinois 60606
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
| ☐ | Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485. |
| ☐ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485. |
| ☐ | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485. |
| ☐ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485. |
| ☒ | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485. |
| ☐ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485. |
If appropriate, check the following box:
☐ This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
Contents of Registration Statement
This Registration Statement comprises the following papers and contents:
The Facing Sheet
Part A – Prospectus for REX DOJE Growth & Income ETF
Part B – Statement of Additional Information for REX DOJE Growth & Income ETF
Part C – Other Information
Signatures
Index to Exhibits
Exhibits
The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer of sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion
September 18, 2025
REX ETF TRUST
PROSPECTUS
REX DOJE Growth & Income ETF ([____])
[_______], 2025
The fund set forth above (the “Fund”) is a series of REX ETF Trust (the “Trust”) and an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). The Fund lists and principally trades its shares on [_______] (“[____]” or the “Exchange”).
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
An investment in the Fund is not an investment in the Underlying ETF. However, the Fund’s performance may be significantly dependent on the return of the Underlying ETF, especially in periods of market volatility.
Investors who do not understand the Fund, or do not intend to monitor their investments, should not buy the Fund.
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives and an investment in the Fund could lose money. The Fund is not a complete investment program.
Table of Contents
Important Information About the Fund
The REX DOJE Growth & Income ETF (the “Fund”) utilizes a leveraged investment strategy that seeks to provide targeted daily leveraged investment results between 105% and 150% notional exposure to the price return of the REX-Osprey™ DOGE ETF (CBOE: DOJE) (the “Underlying ETF”) for a single day. A “single day” is measured from the time the Fund calculates its net asset value (“NAV”) to the time of the Fund’s next NAV calculation. Because the Fund seeks daily leveraged investment results, it is very different from most other exchange-traded funds. As a result, the Fund may be riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage. The return for investors that invest for periods longer or shorter than a trading day should not be expected to be between 105% and 150% of the price return of the Underlying ETF for the period. The return of the Fund for a period longer than a trading day will be the result of each trading day’s compounded return over the period, which will very likely differ from between 105% and 150% of the return of the Underlying ETF over the same period. Longer holding periods, higher volatility of the Underlying ETF and leverage increase the impact of compounding on an investor’s returns. During periods of higher market volatility, the volatility of the Underlying ETF may affect the Fund’s return as much as, or more than, the return of the Underlying ETF.
The Fund is not suitable for all investors. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking targeted daily leveraged investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. The Fund is not intended to be used by, and is not appropriate for, investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying ETF’s price return is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying ETF’s price return increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day.
Investment Objectives
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to pay weekly distributions. The Fund’s secondary investment objective is to seek daily investment results, before fees and expenses, between 105% and 150% the daily percentage change of the price return of the REX-Osprey™ DOGE ETF (CBOE: DOJE) (the “Underlying ETF”).
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Fund Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
| Management Fees | [___]% |
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.00% |
| Other Expenses(1) | [___]% |
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(1) | [___]% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | [___]% |
(1) “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” are estimates based on the expenses the Fund expects to incur for the current fiscal year.
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your Fund Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Fund Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years |
| $[___] | $[___] |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to pay weekly distributions to shareholders by employing a covered call strategy and maintain between 105% and 150% notional exposure to the price return of the Underlying ETF by entering into financial instruments on the Underlying ETF, including options contracts and/or swap agreements, as well as directly purchasing shares of the Underlying ETF. At the end of each trading day, the Fund will attempt to rebalance its portfolio such that the notional exposure to the Underlying ETF obtained through the combination of these instruments will be between 105% and 150% of the Fund’s NAV. The Fund will be managed to maintain between 105% and 150% notion exposure to the Underlying ETF for a single day. A “single day” is measured from the time the Fund calculates its NAV to the time of the Fund’s next NAV calculation. The exact amount of notional exposure, and therefore the amount of leverage used by the Fund, will be determined by REX Advisers, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”), based on real-time risk sentiment through technical analysis (i.e., an evaluation that examines the Underlying ETF price behavior and chart patterns to determine an uptrend or downtrend). There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying ETF or pay weekly distributions.
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The Fund, under normal market conditions, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in shares of the Underlying ETF, investments that provide exposure to the Underlying ETF or income-producing investments tied to the Underlying ETF. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, the Underlying ETF invests primarily in Dogecoin (“DOGE”), which is considered a growth asset by the Adviser. Additionally, for purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative instruments (i.e., options contracts and/or swap agreements) will be valued at their notional value.
The Fund’s portfolio will consist of the following elements: (1) leveraged long exposure to the Underlying ETF such that the notional exposure to the Underlying ETF will be between 105% and 150% of the Fund’s NAV through options contracts, swap agreements and/or direct holdings of the Underlying ETF; (2) covered call writing (where the Underlying ETF call options are sold against the leveraged long portion of the strategy), which allows the Fund to generate income; and (3) short-term U.S. government securities or money market funds, which are used for collateral for the options contracts and/or swap agreements and to generate additional income.
At the close of regular trading on each trading day, if necessary, the Fund will attempt to rebalance its portfolio and reset its exposure such that the notional exposure to the Underlying ETF will be between 105% and 150% of the Fund’s NAV. The reset of the leverage factor may result in either a decrease or increase in notional exposure, depending on the performance of the Underlying ETF over the course of a given trading day. Therefore, the Fund will provide exposure to the daily total return of the Underlying ETF. Accordingly, the Fund is not an appropriate investment for investors who do not intend to actively monitor and manage their portfolios.
The Fund will primarily seek to obtain its notional exposure to the Underlying ETF through options contracts on the Underlying ETF, including standardized exchange-traded and FLexible EXchange® Options (“FLEX Options”). The Fund may also utilize total return swap agreements or purchase shares of the Underlying ETF directly.
Options Contracts
The Fund will utilize options contracts on the Underlying ETF in order to gain leveraged long exposure to the Underlying ETF. The Fund will purchase and sell a combination of standardized exchange-traded and FLEX call and put options contracts that are based on the value of the price returns of the Underlying ETF. All options in which the Fund invests are exchange-traded and are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”).
In general, an options contract gives the purchaser of the options contract the right to purchase (for a call option) or sell (for a put option) the underlying asset at a specified price (the “strike price”). If exercised, an options contract obligates the seller to deliver shares (for a sold call option) or buy shares (for a sold put option) of the underlying asset at the strike price. The purchaser of the options contract pays the option seller for the rights granted by the option (this is referred to as the “premium”). Options contracts must be exercised or traded to close within a specified time frame or they expire. Standardized exchange-traded options have standard terms, such as the type, reference asset, strike price and expiration date. FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. An options contract is said to be “European Style” when it can be exercised only at its expiration, whereas an “American Style” options contract can be exercised at any time prior to its expiration. The Fund may use both European and American style options contracts.
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The Fund’s options contracts are based on the value of the Underlying ETF, which gives the Fund the right or obligation to receive or deliver shares of the Underlying ETF on the expiration date of the applicable options contract in exchange for the stated strike price, depending on whether the options contract is a call option or a put option, and whether the Fund purchases or sells the options contract. The Fund will pay a premium for each purchased call options contract and receive a premium for each sold put options contract. The Fund’s participation in potential changes in the price of the Underlying ETF is based on the price of the Underlying ETF at the time the Fund enters into the options contract, the strike price of the options contract and the price of the Underlying ETF at the time of the contract’s expiration. The maturity of the Fund’s options contracts may vary from 1-day to 6-months.
At the close of regular trading on each trading day, if necessary, the Fund will attempt to rebalance its portfolio and reset its exposure such that the delta of the options contracts produces a targeted leverage amount between 105% and 150% of the Fund’s NAV. “Delta” refers to the measure of the sensitivity of the price of the Fund’s options contract to changes in the price of the Underlying ETF.
The use of options contracts provides flexibility in pursuing the Fund’s targeted leverage daily investment objective. In situations where swap agreement availability is constrained, the Fund may rely more heavily on options contracts. Additionally, the Fund may use options contracts in response to changing market dynamics. However, the use of options contracts may be less efficient than the use of swap agreements and may result in the Fund not achieving its targeted leverage daily investment objective.
Swap Agreements
The Fund may also utilize total return swap agreements in order to gain leveraged long exposure to the Underlying ETF. The Fund may enter into one or more total return swap agreements with major financial institutions for a specified period ranging from one day to more than one year whereby the Fund and the financial institution will agree to exchange or “swap” the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on the Underlying ETF. The gross return to be exchanged between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount” (i.e., the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount representing the Underlying ETF). “Total return” refers to the payment (or receipt) of the total return on the Underlying ETF, which is then exchanged for the receipt (or payment) of a set rate. At the close of regular trading on each trading day, if necessary, the Fund will attempt to rebalance its portfolio and reset its exposure such that the notional exposure to the Underlying ETF will be between 105% and 150% of the Fund’s NAV.
The Fund will also invest in the following instruments to serve as collateral in connection with the Fund’s swap agreements and to generate additional income to the Fund: U.S. government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; and money market funds.
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Covered Call Strategy
In addition to maintaining between 105% and 150% notional exposure to the Underlying ETF for a single day, the Fund will seek to pay weekly distributions to shareholders by employing a covered call strategy. As part of the Fund’s covered call strategy, the Fund may invest directly in shares of the Underlying ETF or purchase and sell a combination of standardized exchange-traded and/or FLEX call and put options contracts.
The Fund may utilize both a traditional covered call strategy and/or a synthetic covered call strategy. A traditional covered call strategy is an investment strategy where an investor (i.e., the Fund) sells a call option on an underlying security it owns (i.e., the Underlying ETF). A synthetic covered call strategy is similar to a traditional covered call strategy in that the investor (i.e., the Fund) sells a call option that is based on the value of the underlying security. However, in a synthetic covered call strategy, the investor (i.e., the Fund) does not own the underlying security (i.e., the Underlying ETF), but rather seeks to synthetically replicate the price movements of the underlying security through the use of purchased and sold call and put options.
As part of its covered call writing strategy, the Fund will generate income in the form of a premium by simultaneously writing (selling) call options contracts on its portion of the portfolio that provides leveraged long exposure to the Underlying ETF. A premium, in this context, refers to the price the option buyer pays to the option seller (the Fund) for the rights granted by the option. Due to the Fund’s covered call strategy, the sale of call options to generate income may limit the Fund’s ability to participate in increases in value of the Underlying ETF’s share price beyond a certain point. These options are said to be sold “out-of-the-money” because the strike price is higher than the then-current share price of the Underlying ETF at the time of purchase. Thus, if the Underlying ETF’s share price appreciates beyond the strike price of one or more of the sold call options contracts, the Fund will lose money on those sold call positions, and the losses will, in turn, limit the upside return of the Fund’s leveraged long exposure. As a result, the Fund’s overall strategy (i.e., the combination of the leveraged long exposure to the Underlying ETF and the sold Underlying ETF call positions) will limit the Fund’s participation in gains in the price return of the Underlying ETF.
While the Fund primarily intends to utilize a covered call strategy, the Fund may also employ the following options contract strategies or any other combination of options contract strategies the Adviser deems appropriate to achieve its investment objectives:
| ● | Call Spread Strategy: The Fund may utilize a call spread strategy whereby the Fund will enter into call spread options contracts on the Underlying ETF from which the Fund will receive a premium. The Fund may write (sell) call spreads rather than standalone call options contracts to seek greater participation in the potential appreciation of the Underlying ETF’s share price, while still generating premium income. A call spread is established by selling a call options contract while simultaneously purchasing a call options contract with the same maturity but at a higher strike price. The Fund’s upside participation in any potential increase in the price return of the Underlying ETF is capped at the strike price of the call options contract purchased by the Fund. The combined position is designed to allow the Fund to retain premium income while limiting downside exposure to losses above the strike price of the sold call options and capping upside exposure of the Underlying ETF above the strike price of the purchased call options. |
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| ● | Put Write Strategy: The Fund may utilize a put write strategy whereby the Fund will write (sell) put options contracts on the Underlying ETF from which the Fund will receive a premium. The position is designed to generate income for the Fund through the receipt of premiums; however, the Fund will be exposed to the risk of loss if the price of the Underlying ETF falls below the strike price of the sold put options. |
| ● | Put Spread Strategy: The Fund may utilize a put spread strategy whereby the Fund will enter into put spread options contracts on the Underlying ETF from which the Fund will receive a premium. A put spread consists of selling a put options contract while purchasing a put options contract with the same maturity but at a lower strike price. The combined position is designed to allow the Fund to retain premium income while limiting downside exposure to losses below the strike price of the purchased put options and capping upside exposure of the Underlying ETF above the strike price of the sold put options. |
The Fund intends to continuously maintain exposure to the Underlying ETF through the use of options contracts. As the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire, the Fund will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” This practice of rolling options may result in high portfolio turnover for the Fund. The amount of each week’s distribution is based upon a formula that incorporates a number of dynamic market-based inputs, including the recent total return of the Underlying ETF and the implied volatility of the Underlying ETF. Accordingly, the Fund’s weekly distribution should be expected to change from week to week.
The Fund will employ its investment strategy as it relates to the Underlying ETF regardless of whether there are periods of adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not take temporary defensive positions during such periods. The Fund’s performance will differ from that of the Underlying ETF’s share price and that the performance differences will depend on, among other things, the price of the Underlying ETF, changes in the value of the Underlying ETF options contracts the Fund holds, and changes in the value of the U.S. government securities and/or money market funds the Fund holds.
The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in investments that provide exposure to DOGE.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
Because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from between 105% and 150% of the return of the Underlying ETF over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying ETF’s price return is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying ETF’s price return increases over a period longer than a single day.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment if the Underlying ETF decreases in value. Additionally, there is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its objective of providing investors with weekly distribution payments. Investing in the Fund is not equivalent to investing in the Underlying ETF. Fund shareholders will not have voting rights or rights to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the Underlying ETF.
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REX-Osprey™ DOGE ETF
The Underlying ETF seeks investment results of 1x the performance, before fees and expenses, of DOGE. The Underlying ETF will invest directly or through a subsidiary organized in the Cayman Islands. The Underlying ETF seeks to invest the majority of its assets directly in DOGE. DOGE is a cryptocurrency that was introduced on December 6, 2013, and quickly developed its own online community, reaching a peak market capitalization of over US$85 billion on May 5, 2021. As of August 31, 2025, the market capitalization of DOGE was $32.2 million. The Underlying ETF will invest at least 40% of its assets directly in shares of other ETFs and exchange-traded products (“ETPs”), including non-U.S. exchange-traded products (“non-US ETPs”), which invest directly in, provide exposure to, replicate the performance of, or have trading and/or price performance characteristics similar to DOGE (all such ETFs, ETPs and non-US ETPs, “DOGE ETFs”).
The Underlying ETF may engage in reverse repurchase agreements on government securities, investment grade corporate securities or similar transactions to help the Fund meet its investment objective by maintaining exposure to DOGE and DOGE ETPs that themselves provide exposure to DOGE, and also by maintaining its tax status as a regulated investment company, and for leveraging purposes.
For additional information on DOGE, see “Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies.”
Principal Risks
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Each risk summarized below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.
ACTIVE MANAGEMENT RISK. The Fund is actively-managed and its performance reflects investment decisions that the Adviser makes for the Fund. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses, including through the use of technology, automated processes, algorithms, or other management systems, that may not operate as intended or produce the desired result. Such judgments about the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and the strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform as compared to other funds with similar investment objectives and/or strategies, or could have negative returns.
AFFILIATED FUND RISK. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying ETF. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying ETF because the fees paid to the Adviser by the Underlying ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other funds. Additionally, the Underlying ETF may be in need of assets to enhance its appeal to other investors, liquidity and trading and/or to enable it to carry out its investment strategies. However, the Adviser is a fiduciary to the Fund and is legally obligated to act in the Fund’s best interest.
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AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANTS, MARKET MAKERS, AND LIQUIDITY PROVIDERS LIMITATION RISK. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Fund Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
CASH TRANSACTIONS RISK. The Fund currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause Fund Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
CLEARING MEMBER DEFAULT RISK. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including the options held by the Fund, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearinghouse, such as the OCC, rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearinghouses, and only members of a clearinghouse (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearinghouse, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. With regard to its cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to, and receive payments from, a clearinghouse through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for its options position may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearinghouse, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults, the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. The loss of a clearing member for the Fund to transact with could result in increased transaction costs and other operational issues that could impede the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
COMPOUNDING RISK. While the Fund’s primary investment objective is to pay weekly distributions, the Fund’s secondary investment objective is to seek daily investment results, before fees and expenses, between 105% and 150% the daily percentage change of the price return of the Underlying ETF. Therefore, the performance of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will very likely differ in amount, and possibly even direction, from the targeted daily leveraged return of the Underlying ETF for the same period. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on a leveraged fund. This effect becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase.
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CORRELATION RISK. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying ETF and therefore achieve its targeted daily leveraged investment objective. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its daily investment objective, and the percentage change of the Fund’s NAV each day may differ, perhaps significantly in amount, and possibly even direction, from the targeted daily leveraged return of the Underlying ETF on a given day. A number of other factors may adversely affect the Fund’s sought-after targeted daily leveraged correlation, including fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, accounting standards and their application to income items, disruptions, illiquid or high volatility in the markets for the securities or financial instruments in which the Fund invests, early and unanticipated closings of the markets on which the holdings of the Fund trade, resulting in the inability of the Fund to execute intended portfolio transactions, regulatory and tax considerations, which may cause the Fund to hold (or not to hold) the Underlying ETF. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, comply with regulatory restrictions, or for other reasons, each of which may negatively affect the Fund’s correlation with daily changes in the price of the Underlying ETF. The Fund may also be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being under- or over-exposed to the Underlying ETF. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and daily changes in the price of the Underlying ETF and may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily investment objective.
COSTS OF BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES. Due to the costs of buying or selling Fund Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Fund Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Fund Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
COUNTERPARTY RISK. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (cleared derivatives). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (clearing members) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing members individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing members bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing members customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing members default. This risk is greater for the Fund as it seeks to hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts, which may limit the number of clearing members that are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf. Additionally, increased volatility in a single security may lead clearing members to lower position limits or place other restrictions that could prevent the Fund from achieving its investment strategy. If a clearing member defaults, the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
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Cyber security Risk. The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests or the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or sub-adviser, as applicable, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Although the Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.
DEBT SECURITIES RISK. The Fund will invest in various types of debt securities, which may be used for collateral for the Fund’s options contracts and/or swap agreements and may be used to generate additional income. Investments in debt securities subject the holder to the credit risk of the issuer. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer or other obligor of a security will not be able or willing to make payments of interest and principal when due. Generally, the value of debt securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply. During periods of falling interest rates, the income received by the Fund may decline. If the principal on a debt security is prepaid before expected, the prepayments of principal may have to be reinvested in obligations paying interest at lower rates. Debt securities generally do not trade on a securities exchange making them generally less liquid and more difficult to value than common stock.
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DERIVATIVES RISK. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation, and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the underlying instrument and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
OPTIONS CONTRACTS. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the options contract and economic events. For the Fund in particular, the values of the options contracts in which it invests are substantially influenced by the values of the underlying instruments. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to expiry, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. As the options contracts are exercised or expire the Fund will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as rolling.
COVERED CALL OPTIONS RISK. A covered call strategy involves writing (selling) covered call options in return for the receipt of premiums. The seller of the option gives up the opportunity to benefit from price increases in the underlying instrument above the exercise price of the options but continues to bear the risk of underlying instrument price declines. The premiums received from the options may not be sufficient to offset any losses sustained from underlying instrument price declines over time. As a result, the risks associated with writing covered call options may be similar to the risks associated with writing put options. Exchanges may suspend the trading of options during periods of abnormal market volatility. Suspension of trading may mean that an option seller is unable to sell options at a time that may be desirable or advantageous to do so.
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PUT OPTIONS RISK. Purchasing and writing put options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. The Fund may not fully benefit from or may lose money on an option if changes in its value do not correspond as anticipated to changes in the value of the underlying securities. The risk associated with selling a put option is that the market value of the underlying security could decrease and the option could be exercised, obligating the seller of the put option to settle the transaction at an exercise price that is higher than the prevailing market price. If the Fund is not able to sell an option held in its portfolio, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of the underlying securities. Ownership of options involves the payment of premiums, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. To the extent that the Fund invests in over-the-counter options, the Fund may be exposed to counterparty risk. A long put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a specified quantity of an underlying asset at a fixed exercise price over a defined period of time. Purchased put options may expire worthless and the Fund would lose the premium it paid for the option.
SWAP AGREEMENTS. The Fund may utilize swap agreements to derive its exposure to shares of the underlying reference asset. Swap agreements may involve greater risks than direct investment in securities as they may be leveraged and are subject to credit risk, counterparty risk and valuation risk. A swap agreement could result in losses if the underlying reference asset does not perform as anticipated. In addition, many swap agreements trade over-the-counter and may be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
DISTRIBUTION RISK. As part of the Fund’s investment objectives, the Fund seeks to provide current income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution at any given time. If the Fund does make distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
DISTRIBUTION TAX RISK. The Fund currently expects to make distributions on a regular basis. While the Fund will normally pay its income as distributions, the Fund’s distributions may exceed the Fund’s income and gains for the Fund’s taxable year. The Fund may be required to reduce its distributions if it has insufficient income. Additionally, there may be times the Fund needs to sell securities when it would not otherwise do so and could cause the distributions from that sale to constitute return of capital. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital. Return of capital distributions do not represent income or gains generated by the Fund’s investment activities and should not be interpreted by shareholders as such. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to Fund shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder’s cost basis and will result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those Fund shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a Fund shareholder’s cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the Fund shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets. Additionally, any capital returned through distributions will be distributed after payment of Fund fees and expenses. Because the Fund’s distributions may consist of return of capital, the Fund may not be an appropriate investment for investors who do not want their principal investment in the Fund to decrease over time or who do not wish to receive return of capital in a given period. In the event that a shareholder purchases shares of the Fund shortly before a distribution by the Fund, the entire distribution may be taxable to the shareholder even though a portion of the distribution effectively represents a return of the purchase price.
FLEX OPTIONS RISK. Trading FLEX Options involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities. The Fund may experience losses from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The FLEX Options are listed on an exchange; however, no one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. In the event that trading in the FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium (for written FLEX Options) or acceptance of a discounted price (for purchased FLEX Options) and may take longer to complete. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and Fund Shares and result in the Fund being unable to achieve its investment objective. Less liquidity in the trading of the Fund’s FLEX Options could have an impact on the prices paid or received by the Fund for the FLEX Options in connection with creations and redemptions of the Fund Shares. Depending on the nature of this impact to pricing, the Fund may be forced to pay more for redemptions (or receive less for creations) than the price at which it currently values the FLEX Options. Such overpayment or under collection could reduce the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. Additionally, in a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other exchange-traded options, non-customized options or other securities.
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HIGH PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RISK. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
INFLATION RISK. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions may decline. This risk is more prevalent with respect to fixed income securities held by the Fund.
INTEREST RATE RISK. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the debt securities in the Fund’s portfolio will decline because of rising market interest rates. Interest rate risk is generally lower for shorter term debt securities and higher for longer-term debt securities. Duration is a reasonably accurate measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates and a common measure of interest rate risk. Duration measures a debt security’s expected life on a present value basis, taking into account the debt security’s yield, interest payments and final maturity. In general, duration represents the expected percentage change in the value of a security for an immediate 1% change in interest rates. For example, the price of a debt security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates. Therefore, prices of debt securities with shorter durations tend to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than debt securities with longer durations. As the value of a debt security changes over time, so will its duration.
INTRADAY INVESTMENT RISK. The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Underlying ETF at the market close on the last trading day and the value of the Underlying ETF at the time of purchase. If the Underlying ETF gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Underlying ETF declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases shares intraday may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s targeted leveraged exposure of the Underlying ETF. If there is a significant intraday market event and/or the investments experience a significant change in value, the Fund may not meet its investment objectives, may not be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads. Additionally, the Fund may close to purchases and sales of Fund Shares prior to the close of trading on the Exchange and incur significant losses.
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LEVERAGE RISK. The Fund seeks to achieve and maintain the exposure to the price of various securities by utilizing leverage. Therefore, the Fund is subject to leverage risk. When the Fund purchases or sells an instrument or enters into a transaction without investing an amount equal to the full economic exposure of the instrument or transaction, it creates leverage, which can result in the Fund losing more than it originally invested. As a result, these investments may magnify losses to the Fund, and even a small market movement may result in significant losses to the Fund. Leverage may also cause the Fund to be more volatile because it may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Derivative instruments involves a degree of leverage and as a result, a relatively small price movement in derivative instruments may result in immediate and substantial losses to the Fund.
LIQUIDITY RISK. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
market maker Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund Shares due to a limited number of market markers. Decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund Share price. The Fund may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Fund Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Fund Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of Fund Shares. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intraday bid-ask spreads for Fund Shares.
Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular investment, or Fund Shares in general, may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by real or perceived adverse economic, political, and regulatory factors or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Fund Shares could decline in value or underperform other investments. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, regulatory actions, political changes, diplomatic developments, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, natural disasters, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. Any of such circumstances could have a materially negative impact on the value of the Fund Shares, the liquidity of an investment, and may result in increased market volatility. During any such events, Fund Shares may trade at increased premiums or discounts to their NAV, the bid/ask spread on Fund Shares may widen and the returns on investment may fluctuate.
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MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS RISK. The value of money market instruments may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the credit ratings of the investments. If a significant amount of the Fund’s assets are invested in money market instruments, it will be more difficult for the Fund to achieve its investment objectives. An investment in a money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. It is possible to lose money by investing in a money market fund.
NEW FUND RISK. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.
NON-DIVERSIFICATION RISK. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.
OPERATIONAL RISK. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, 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 systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objectives. Although the Fund and Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT RISK. As with all ETFs, Fund Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Fund Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Fund Shares is more than the NAV intraday (premium) or less than the NAV intraday (discount) due to supply and demand of Fund Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility and volatility in the Fund’s portfolio holdings, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Fund Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. If an investor purchases Fund Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV of Fund Shares or sells at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV of Fund Shares, then the investor may sustain losses that are in addition to any losses caused by a decrease in NAV.
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PRICE PARTICIPATION RISK. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of call options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying ETF, including the leveraged exposure to the Underlying ETF. This means that if the Underlying ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold call options, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying ETF. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying ETF, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying ETF, including magnified losses to the Underlying ETF through the Fund’s use of leveraged instruments, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold call options contracts and will vary over time. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying ETF changes and time moves towards the options contract’s expiration date, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying ETF. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying ETF will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying ETF, especially due to the Fund’s leveraged investment strategy.
REBALANCING RISK. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a part of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with its investment objectives. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying ETF that is significantly greater or significantly less than its targeted leverage exposure. The Fund may be more exposed to leverage risk than if it had been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objectives, leading to significantly greater losses or reduced gains.
SINGLE ISSUER RISK. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (i.e., the Underlying ETF), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.
SPECIAL TAX RISK. The Fund intends to qualify annually and to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to RICs, the Fund must, among other things: (i) in each taxable year, derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in certain publicly traded partnerships; (ii) diversify its portfolio holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer generally limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers which the Fund controls which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more of certain publicly traded partnerships; and (iii) distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses) and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income each taxable year. There are certain exceptions for failure to qualify as a RIC if the failure is for reasonable cause, or is de minimis, and certain corrective action is taken and certain tax payments are made by the Fund.
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If the Fund were to fail to meet the qualifying income test or asset diversification test and fail to qualify as a RIC, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income, which would adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
Additionally, the authority with regard to swap agreements entered into by RICs is unclear both as to the qualification under the income test and the identification of the issuer under the diversification test. The Fund intends to take the position that because the swap agreements held by the Fund reference securities that the income on the swap agreements are “other income” from the Fund’s business of investing in stocks and securities. In addition, the Fund intends to manage its investments in the swap agreements so that neither the exposure to the issuer of the referenced security nor the exposure to any one counterparty of the swap agreements will exceed 25% of the gross value of the Fund’s portfolio at the end of any quarter of a taxable year.
TRADING ISSUES RISK. Although Fund Shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, and may be traded on other U.S. exchanges, there can be no assurance that Fund Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Fund Shares.
UNDERLYING ETF RISK. The Fund’s investment in shares of the Underlying ETF subjects it to the risks of owning the securities held by the Underlying ETF, as well as the same structural risks faced by an investor purchasing shares of the Fund, including absence of an active market risk, premium/discount risk and trading issues risk. As a shareholder in another ETF, the Fund bears its proportionate share of the ETF’s expenses, subjecting Fund shareholders to duplicative expenses.
DOGE INVESTING RISK. The Underlying ETF’s investments in DOGE and DOGE futures contracts and swap agreements expose the Underlying ETF to the risks associated with an investment in DOGE because the price of these derivatives is substantially based on the price of DOGE. DOGE is a relatively new innovation and is subject to unique and substantial risks. The market for DOGE is subject to rapid price swings, changes and uncertainty. There may be a limited market for derivatives based on DOGE. Additionally, the Underlying ETF may not be able to identify sufficient counterparties to engage in swap transactions. This limited market for derivatives may negatively impact the ability of the Underlying ETF to achieve its objective.
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DIGITAL ASSETS RELATED RISKS. DOGE and investments linked to DOGE are relatively new investments, they present unique and substantial risks and investing in DOGE has been subject to significant price volatility. The trading prices of many digital assets, including DOGE, have experienced extreme volatility in recent periods and may continue to do so. Extreme volatility in the future, including further declines in the trading prices of DOGE, could have a material adverse effect on the value of the Underlying ETF’s shares and the shares could lose all or substantially all of their value. The value of DOGE has been and may continue to be deeply speculative such that trading and investing in DOGE intraday may not be based on fundamental analysis. Individuals and organizations holding large amounts of DOGE known as “whales” may have the ability to manipulate the price of DOGE. The value of the Underlying ETF’s shares is subject to a number of factors relating to the fundamental investment characteristics of DOGE as a digital asset, including the fact that digital assets are bearer instruments and loss, theft, destruction, or compromise of the associated private keys could result in permanent loss of the asset, and the capabilities and development of blockchain technologies. For example, a blockchain may be subject to attack by miners or a group of miners that possess more than 50% of the blockchain’s hashing power. The value of the Underlying ETF’s investments in DOGE may be adversely affected by such an attack. Digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry, and the value of the Underlying ETF’s shares depends on the acceptance of the DOGE. Changes in the governance of a digital asset network may not receive sufficient support from users and miners, which may negatively affect that digital asset network’s ability to grow and respond to challenges.
RISKS RELATED TO THE DIGITAL ASSET PLATFORMS. Proposed changes to the DOGE blockchain protocol may not be adopted by a sufficient number of users and miners, which may result in competing blockchains with different native crypto assets and sets of participants (known as a “fork”). The value of an investment in the Underlying ETF may be negatively impacted by a temporary or permanent “fork”. The DOGE blockchain protocol may contain flaws that can be exploited by attackers and which may adversely affect the value of DOGE and the Underlying ETF’s investments. Flaws in the source code for digital assets have been exploited including flaws that disabled some functionality for users, exposed users’ personal information and/or resulted in the theft of users’ digital assets. The cryptography underlying DOGE could prove to be flawed or ineffective, or developments in mathematics and/or technology, including advances in digital computing, algebraic geometry and quantum computing, could result in such cryptography becoming ineffective. In any of these circumstances, a malicious actor may be able to compromise the security of DOGE’s network or take the Underlying ETF’s investments in DOGE, which would adversely affect the value of the Underlying ETF. Exposure of DOGE to instability in other speculative parts of the blockchain and crypto industry, such as through an event that is not necessarily related to the security or utility of the DOGE blockchain can nonetheless precipitate a significant decline in the price of DOGE and an investment in the Underlying ETF. Many consortiums and financial institutions are also researching and investing resources into private or permissioned smart contract platforms. Competition from the emergence or growth of alternative digital assets and smart contracts platforms could have a negative impact on the demand for, and price of, DOGE and thereby adversely affect the value of the Underlying ETF. Use of DOGE by consumers and institutions as a medium of exchange in commerce may be limited. Banks and other established financial institutions may refuse to process funds for DOGE transactions; process wire transfers to or from digital asset platforms, DOGE-related companies or service providers; or maintain accounts for persons or entities transacting in DOGE. Processing of transactions in DOGE may be slow, transaction fees may be subject to significant variability. As a result, the price of DOGE may be influenced to a significant extent by speculators and miners, thus contributing to price volatility that makes retailers less likely to accept it as a form of payment in the future.
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DOGE REGULATORY RISK. There are risks regarding new or changing laws and regulations that may affect the use of blockchain technology and/or investments in crypto assets. Digital asset platforms in the U.S. exist in a state of regulatory uncertainty, and adverse legislative or regulatory developments could significantly harm the value of DOGE, such as by banning, restricting or imposing onerous conditions or prohibitions on the use of DOGE, mining activity, digital wallets, the provision of services related to trading and custodying DOGE, the operation of DOGE network, or the digital asset platforms generally. Accordingly, future regulatory changes may have a material adverse impact on the Underlying ETF’s investments and its ability to implement its investment strategy.
Any final determination by a court that DOGE or any other digital asset is a “security” or “commodity” may adversely affect the value of DOGE and the value of the Underlying ETF’s shares, and, if DOGE is not, or cannot, be registered as a security, result in a potential termination of the Underlying ETF. Depending on its characteristics, a digital asset may be considered a “security” under the federal securities laws. The test for determining whether a particular digital asset is a “security” is complex and difficult to apply, and the outcome is difficult to predict. Public, though non-binding, statements by senior officials at the SEC have indicated that the SEC did not consider Bitcoin or Ether to be securities, and does not currently consider Bitcoin to be a security. The SEC staff has also provided informal assurances via no-action letter to a handful of promoters that their digital assets are not securities. The SEC staff’s guidance regarding whether a digital asset is or is not a security is not determinative or binding and a court may come to a different conclusion. Adding to the complexity, the courts, the SEC and the SEC staff have indicated that the security status of a particular instrument, such as a digital asset, can change overtime as the relevant facts evolve.
LIQUIDITY RISK. Some assets held by the Underlying ETF, including DOGE, may be difficult to sell, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/ pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid assets may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Underlying ETF is forced to sell an illiquid asset at an unfavorable time or price, the Underlying ETF may be adversely impacted. There is no assurance that an asset that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Underlying ETF.
SUBSIDIARY INVESTMENT RISK. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Underlying ETF and its subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the Underlying ETF to operate as intended and could negatively affect the Underlying ETF. The Underlying ETF’s subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. Thus, the Underlying ETF, as an investor in the subsidiary, will not have all the protections offered to investors in registered investment companies.
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CUSTODIAN RISK. DOGE and other assets held by the Underlying ETF that operate on distributed ledger/blockchain technology can only be transferred by the person holding both the public and private keys to the digital wallet in which the asset is held. The Underlying ETF’s custodians that custody the Underlying ETF’s digital assets are in control of the private keys for each of the Underlying ETF’s digital wallets. In the event such custodian loses sole control of the private keys (e.g., through a data breach or hack), the Underlying ETF’s digital assets held by such custodian could be lost.
FOREIGN SECURITIES RISK. To the extent the Underlying ETF invests in foreign securities, such investments may be subject to additional risks not typically associated with investments in domestic securities. These risks may include, among others, currency risk, country risks (political, diplomatic, regional conflicts, terrorism, war, social and economic instability, currency devaluations and policies that have the effect of limiting or restricting foreign investment or the movement of assets), different trading practices, less government supervision, less publicly available information, limited trading markets and greater volatility.
C-CORPORATION TAX RISK. The Underlying ETF is taxed as a regular subchapter C corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This differs from most investment companies, which elect to be treated as regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), in order to avoid paying entity level income taxes. The Underlying ETF generally is not eligible to elect treatment as a regulated investment company because its assets will be invested mostly in DOGE. As a result, the Underlying ETF will be obligated to pay applicable corporate U.S. federal and state income taxes on its taxable income as opposed to most investment companies which are not so obligated because of the dividends paid deduction which is not available to the Underlying ETF. Additionally, unlike most ETFs, the Underlying ETF will not be eligible to engage in in-kind redemptions on a tax-free basis. This means that gains from securities that accumulate inside the Underlying ETF will be taxed at the Underlying ETF level when those securities are sold or otherwise disposed of by the Underlying ETF. In addition, the Underlying ETF may become liable for U.S. federal excise tax on its redemptions. The Underlying ETF will incur an excise tax liability equal to one percent (1%) of the fair market value of redemptions less the fair market value of Underlying ETF’s share issuances (in excess of $1 million of fair market value) annually on a taxable year basis. Finally, although the Underlying ETF intends to make periodic distributions of its earnings to its shareholders, if the Underlying ETF fails to distribute enough of its earnings, it could be subject to the accumulated earnings tax, in addition to other U.S. federal income taxes, which could impose a 20% U.S. federal income tax on the Underlying ETF’s accumulated earnings that have not been distributed to its shareholders.
U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES RISK. U.S. government securities are subject to interest rate risk but generally do not involve the credit risks associated with investments in other types of debt securities. As a result, the yields available from U.S. government securities are generally lower than the yields available from other debt securities. U.S. government securities are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and the payment of principal when held to maturity.
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VALUATION RISK. The Fund may hold securities or other assets that may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations. This may occur because the asset or security does not trade on a centralized exchange, or in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. There are multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio holding when market quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio holding at a point in time might differ from what would be produced using a different methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” assets or securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their valuations from one day to the next than if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that the Fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio position is sold or closed out at a discount to the valuation established by the Fund at that time. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
Performance
As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at https://www.rexshares.com/[____] and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.
Management
Investment Adviser: REX Advisers, LLC (the “Adviser”) is the investment adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers: The individuals primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are Matthew Pelletier and Matthew Holcomb. Each has served as a portfolio manager since the Fund’s inception in 2025.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund will issue (or redeem) Fund Shares to certain institutional investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) only in large blocks of Fund Shares known as “Creation Units.” Creation Unit transactions are conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a designated portfolio of in-kind securities and/or cash.
Individual Fund Shares may only be purchased and sold on the Exchange, other national securities exchanges, electronic crossing networks and other alternative trading systems through your broker-dealer at market prices. Because Fund Shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Fund Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). When buying or selling Fund Shares in the secondary market, you may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Fund Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Fund Shares (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at https://www.rexshares.com/[____].
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Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gain, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account in which case withdrawals will be taxed.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase Fund Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and the Fund’s distributor may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies
Overview
The Fund is a series of the Trust and is regulated as an “investment company” under the 1940 Act. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Fund is treated as a separate fund with its own investment objectives and policies. The Fund is actively managed and does not seek to track the performance of an index. Each of the policies described herein, including the investment objectives of the Fund, constitutes a non-fundamental policy that may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders. Certain fundamental policies of the Fund are set forth in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”). There can be no assurance that the Fund’s objectives will be achieved.
The Fund’s investments are subject to certain requirements imposed by law and regulation, as well as the Fund’s investment strategy. These requirements are generally applied at the time the Fund invests its assets. If, subsequent to an investment by the Fund, this requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this requirement.
Additional Information About the Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund is an actively managed ETF that seeks to pay weekly distributions to shareholders by employing a covered call strategy and maintain between 105% and 150% notional exposure to the price return of the Underlying ETF by entering into financial instruments on the Underlying ETF, including options contracts and/or swap agreements, as well as directly purchasing shares of the Underlying ETF.
At the end of each trading day, the Fund will attempt to rebalance its portfolio such that the notional exposure to the Underlying ETF obtained through the combination of these instruments will be between 105% and 150% of the Fund’s NAV. The Fund will be managed to maintain between 105% and 150% notional exposure to the Underlying ETF for a single day. A “single day” is measured from the time the Fund calculates its NAV to the time of the Fund’s next NAV calculation.
In addition to maintaining between 105% and 150% notional exposure to the Underlying ETF for a single day, the Fund will seek to pay weekly distributions to shareholders by employing a covered call strategy. As part of the Fund’s covered call strategy, the Fund may invest directly in shares of the Underlying ETF or purchase and sell a combination of standardized exchange-traded and/or FLEX call and put options contracts. As a result, the Fund’s overall strategy (i.e., the combination of the leveraged long exposure to the Underlying ETF and the sold Underlying ETF call positions) will limit the Fund’s participation in gains in the price performance of the Underlying ETF. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide leveraged exposure to the Underlying ETF or pay weekly distributions.
In executing its principal investment strategies, the Fund will primarily seek to obtain its notional exposure to the Underlying ETF through options contracts on the Underlying ETF, including standardized exchange-traded and FLEX Options. The Fund may also utilize total return swap agreements or purchase shares of the Underlying ETF directly. All options in which the Fund invests are exchange-traded and are guaranteed for settlement by the OCC. Standardized exchange-traded options have standard terms, such as the type (call or put), the reference asset, the strike price and expiration date. FLEX Options are a type of exchange-listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like type, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. The Fund’s options positions may be structured as call or put options contracts. In general, an options contract gives the purchaser of the options contract the right to purchase (for a call option) or sell (for a put option) the underlying asset (like shares of the Underlying ETF) at a specified price (the “strike price”). The Fund may also utilize total return swap agreements.
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The Fund will also invest in the following instruments to serve as collateral in connection with the Fund’s swap agreements and to generate additional income to the Fund: U.S. government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; and money market funds.
The Fund will employ its investment strategy as it relates to the Underlying ETF regardless of whether there are periods of adverse market, economic, or other conditions and will not take temporary defensive positions during such periods.
Dogecoin (DOGE)
DOGE is a digital asset that is created and transmitted through the operations of the peer-to-peer Dogecoin Network, a decentralized network of computers that operates on cryptographic protocols. No single entity owns or operates the Dogecoin Network, the infrastructure of which is collectively maintained by a decentralized user base. The Dogecoin Network allows people to exchange tokens of value, called DOGE, which are recorded on a public transaction ledger. DOGE is primarily intended as a parody, or memecoin, with no formal purpose or utility, but it can be used to pay for goods and services, including to send a transaction on the Dogecoin Network, or it can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates determined on digital asset trading platforms or in individual end-user-to-end-user transactions under a barter system. The Dogecoin Network is based on a shared public ledger, similar to the Bitcoin network. However, the Dogecoin Network differentiates itself from other digital asset networks in that its stated primary function is transactional utility, not store of value. The Dogecoin Network is designed to be a global real-time payment and settlement system. As a result, the Dogecoin Network and DOGE aim to improve the speed at which parties on the network may transfer value while also reducing the fees and delays associated with the traditional methods of interbank payments.
Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund
There can be no assurance that the Fund will meet its stated objectives. Before you invest, you should consider the following supplemental disclosure pertaining to the Principal Risks set forth above as well as additional Non-Principal Risks set forth below in this prospectus. Each risk summarized below is considered a principal risk of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. The significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.
Principal Risks
ACTIVE MANAGEMENT RISK. The Fund is actively-managed and its performance reflects investment decisions that the Adviser makes for the Fund. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses, including through the use of technology, automated processes, algorithms, or other management systems, that may not operate as intended or produce the desired result. Such judgments about the Fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and the strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform as compared to other funds with similar investment objectives and/or strategies, or could have negative returns.
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AFFILIATED FUND RISK. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select the Underlying ETF. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting the Underlying ETF because the fees paid to the Adviser by the Underlying ETF may be higher than the fees charged by other funds. Additionally, the Underlying ETF may be in need of assets to enhance its appeal to other investors, liquidity and trading and/or to enable it to carry out its investment strategies. However, the Adviser is a fiduciary to the Fund and is legally obligated to act in the Fund’s best interest.
AUTHORIZED PARTICIPANTS, MARKET MAKERS, AND LIQUIDITY PROVIDERS LIMITATION RISK. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly from the Fund (known as Authorized Participants or APs). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
CASH TRANSACTIONS RISK. The Fund currently expects to effect a significant portion of its creations and redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities may require the Fund to dispose of or sell portfolio securities or other assets at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. This may cause the Fund to sell a security and recognize a capital gain or loss that might not have been incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause Fund Shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the Fund may not be able to execute cash transactions for creation and redemption purposes at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions is insufficient to cover the execution shortfall, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
CLEARING MEMBER DEFAULT RISK. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including the options held by the Fund, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearinghouse, such as the OCC, rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearinghouses, and only members of a clearinghouse (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearinghouse, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. With regard to its cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to, and receive payments from, a clearinghouse through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member’s individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for its options position may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearinghouse, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member’s bankruptcy. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member’s default. If a clearing member defaults, the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. The loss of a clearing member for the Fund to transact with could result in increased transaction costs and other operational issues that could impede the Fund’s ability to implement its investment strategy. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
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COMPOUNDING RISK. While the Fund’s primary investment objective is to pay weekly distributions, the Fund’s secondary investment objective is to seek daily investment results, before fees and expenses, between 105% and 150% the daily percentage change of the price return of the Underlying ETF. Therefore, the performance of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will very likely differ in amount, and possibly even direction, from the targeted daily leveraged return of the Underlying ETF for the same period. Compounding affects all investments, but has a more significant impact on a leveraged fund. This effect becomes more pronounced as volatility and holding periods increase.
CORRELATION RISK. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying ETF and therefore achieve its targeted daily leveraged investment objective. Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving its daily investment objective, and the percentage change of the Fund’s NAV each day may differ, perhaps significantly in amount, and possibly even direction, from the targeted daily leveraged return of the Underlying ETF on a given day. A number of other factors may adversely affect the Fund’s sought-after targeted daily leveraged correlation, including fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs related to the use of derivatives, accounting standards and their application to income items, disruptions, illiquid or high volatility in the markets for the securities or financial instruments in which the Fund invests, early and unanticipated closings of the markets on which the holdings of the Fund trade, resulting in the inability of the Fund to execute intended portfolio transactions, regulatory and tax considerations, which may cause the Fund to hold (or not to hold) the Underlying ETF. The Fund may take or refrain from taking positions in order to improve tax efficiency, comply with regulatory restrictions, or for other reasons, each of which may negatively affect the Fund’s correlation with daily changes in the price of the Underlying ETF. The Fund may also be subject to large movements of assets into and out of the Fund, potentially resulting in the Fund being under- or over-exposed to the Underlying ETF. Any of these factors could decrease correlation between the performance of the Fund and daily changes in the price of the Underlying ETF and may hinder the Fund’s ability to meet its daily investment objective.
COSTS OF BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES. Due to the costs of buying or selling Fund Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Fund Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Fund Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
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COUNTERPARTY RISK. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (cleared derivatives). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (clearing members) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any options contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing members individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by the Fund with any clearing member as margin for options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund’s clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing members bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing members customers for the relevant account class. The Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing members default. This risk is greater for the Fund as it seeks to hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts, which may limit the number of clearing members that are willing to transact on the Fund’s behalf. Additionally, increased volatility in a single security may lead clearing members to lower position limits or place other restrictions that could prevent the Fund from achieving its investment strategy. If a clearing member defaults, the Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
Cyber security Risk. The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests or the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or sub-adviser, as applicable, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. Although the Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.
DEBT SECURITIES RISK. The Fund will invest in various types of debt securities, which may be used for collateral for the Fund’s options contracts and/or swap agreements and may be used to generate additional income. Investments in debt securities subject the holder to the credit risk of the issuer. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer or other obligor of a security will not be able or willing to make payments of interest and principal when due. Generally, the value of debt securities will change inversely with changes in interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, certain underlying obligations may be paid off substantially slower than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply. During periods of falling interest rates, the income received by the Fund may decline. If the principal on a debt security is prepaid before expected, the prepayments of principal may have to be reinvested in obligations paying interest at lower rates. Debt securities generally do not trade on a securities exchange making them generally less liquid and more difficult to value than common stock.
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DERIVATIVES RISK. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation, and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be imperfect correlation between the value of the underlying instrument and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objectives. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:
OPTIONS CONTRACTS. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the options contract and economic events. For the Fund in particular, the values of the options contracts in which it invests are substantially influenced by the values of the underlying instruments. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to expiry, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. As the options contracts are exercised or expire the Fund will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as rolling.
COVERED CALL STRATEGY RISK. A covered call strategy involves writing (selling) covered call options in return for the receipt of premiums. The seller of the option gives up the opportunity to benefit from price increases in the underlying instrument above the exercise price of the options but continues to bear the risk of underlying instrument price declines. The premiums received from the options may not be sufficient to offset any losses sustained from underlying instrument price declines over time. As a result, the risks associated with writing covered call options may be similar to the risks associated with writing put options. Exchanges may suspend the trading of options during periods of abnormal market volatility. Suspension of trading may mean that an option seller is unable to sell options at a time that may be desirable or advantageous to do so.
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PUT OPTIONS RISK. Purchasing and writing put options are highly specialized activities and entail greater than ordinary investment risks. The Fund may not fully benefit from or may lose money on an option if changes in its value do not correspond as anticipated to changes in the value of the underlying securities. The risk associated with selling a put option is that the market value of the underlying security could decrease and the option could be exercised, obligating the seller of the put option to settle the transaction at an exercise price that is higher than the prevailing market price. If the Fund is not able to sell an option held in its portfolio, it would have to exercise the option to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of the underlying securities. Ownership of options involves the payment of premiums, which may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. To the extent that the Fund invests in over-the-counter options, the Fund may be exposed to counterparty risk. A long put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a specified quantity of an underlying asset at a fixed exercise price over a defined period of time. Purchased put options may expire worthless and the Fund would lose the premium it paid for the option.
SWAP AGREEMENTS. The Fund may utilize swap agreements to derive its exposure to shares of the underlying reference asset. Swap agreements may involve greater risks than direct investment in securities as they may be leveraged and are subject to credit risk, counterparty risk and valuation risk. A swap agreement could result in losses if the underlying reference asset does not perform as anticipated. In addition, many swap agreements trade over-the-counter and may be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
DISTRIBUTION RISK. As part of the Fund’s investment objectives, the Fund seeks to provide current income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution at any given time. If the Fund does make distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, the distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment.
DISTRIBUTION TAX RISK. The Fund currently expects to make distributions on a regular basis. While the Fund will normally pay its income as distributions, the Fund’s distributions may exceed the Fund’s income and gains for the Fund’s taxable year. The Fund may be required to reduce its distributions if it has insufficient income. Additionally, there may be times the Fund needs to sell securities when it would not otherwise do so and could cause the distributions from that sale to constitute return of capital. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital. Return of capital distributions do not represent income or gains generated by the Fund’s investment activities and should not be interpreted by shareholders as such. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to Fund shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder’s cost basis and will result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those Fund shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a Fund shareholder’s cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the Fund shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets. Additionally, any capital returned through distributions will be distributed after payment of Fund fees and expenses. Because the Fund’s distributions may consist of return of capital, the Fund may not be an appropriate investment for investors who do not want their principal investment in the Fund to decrease over time or who do not wish to receive return of capital in a given period. In the event that a shareholder purchases shares of the Fund shortly before a distribution by the Fund, the entire distribution may be taxable to the shareholder even though a portion of the distribution effectively represents a return of the purchase price.
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FLEX OPTIONS RISK. Trading FLEX Options involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities. The Fund may experience losses from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The FLEX Options are listed on an exchange; however, no one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. In the event that trading in the FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium (for written FLEX Options) or acceptance of a discounted price (for purchased FLEX Options) and may take longer to complete. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and Fund Shares and result in the Fund being unable to achieve its investment objectives. Less liquidity in the trading of the Fund’s FLEX Options could have an impact on the prices paid or received by the Fund for the FLEX Options in connection with creations and redemptions of the Fund Shares. Depending on the nature of this impact to pricing, the Fund may be forced to pay more for redemptions (or receive less for creations) than the price at which it currently values the FLEX Options. Such overpayment or under collection could reduce the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives. Additionally, in a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other exchange-traded options, non-customized options or other securities.
HIGH PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RISK. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.
INFLATION RISK. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions may decline. This risk is more prevalent with respect to fixed income securities held by the Fund.
INTEREST RATE RISK. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the debt securities in the Fund’s portfolio will decline because of rising market interest rates. Interest rate risk is generally lower for shorter term debt securities and higher for longer-term debt securities. Duration is a reasonably accurate measure of a debt security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates and a common measure of interest rate risk. Duration measures a debt security’s expected life on a present value basis, taking into account the debt security’s yield, interest payments and final maturity. In general, duration represents the expected percentage change in the value of a security for an immediate 1% change in interest rates. For example, the price of a debt security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates. Therefore, prices of debt securities with shorter durations tend to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than debt securities with longer durations. As the value of a debt security changes over time, so will its duration.
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INTRADAY INVESTMENT RISK. The Fund seeks leveraged investment results from the close of the market on a given trading day until the close of the market on the subsequent trading day. The exact exposure of an investment in the Fund intraday in the secondary market is a function of the difference between the value of the Underlying ETF at the market close on the last trading day and the value of the Underlying ETF at the time of purchase. If the Underlying ETF gains value, the Fund’s net assets will rise by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Conversely, if the Underlying ETF declines, the Fund’s net assets will decline by the same amount as the Fund’s exposure. Thus, an investor that purchases shares intraday may experience performance that is greater than, or less than, the Fund’s targeted leveraged exposure of the Underlying ETF. If there is a significant intraday market event and/or the investments experience a significant change in value, the Fund may not meet its investment objectives, may not be able to rebalance its portfolio appropriately, or may experience significant premiums or discounts, or widened bid-ask spreads. Additionally, the Fund may close to purchases and sales of Fund Shares prior to the close of trading on the Exchange and incur significant losses.
LEVERAGE RISK. The Fund seeks to achieve and maintain the exposure to the price of various securities by utilizing leverage. Therefore, the Fund is subject to leverage risk. When the Fund purchases or sells an instrument or enters into a transaction without investing an amount equal to the full economic exposure of the instrument or transaction, it creates leverage, which can result in the Fund losing more than it originally invested. As a result, these investments may magnify losses to the Fund, and even a small market movement may result in significant losses to the Fund. Leverage may also cause the Fund to be more volatile because it may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. Derivative instruments involves a degree of leverage and as a result, a relatively small price movement in derivative instruments may result in immediate and substantial losses to the Fund.
LIQUIDITY RISK. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. This risk is greater for the Fund as it will hold options contracts on a single security, and not a broader range of options contracts. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.
market maker Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund Shares due to a limited number of market markers. Decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund Share price. The Fund may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Fund Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Fund Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of Fund Shares. This reduced effectiveness could result in Fund Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intraday bid-ask spreads for Fund Shares.
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Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular investment, or Fund Shares in general, may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by real or perceived adverse economic, political, and regulatory factors or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Fund Shares could decline in value or underperform other investments. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, market manipulation, government defaults, government shutdowns, regulatory actions, political changes, diplomatic developments, the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, natural disasters, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. Any of such circumstances could have a materially negative impact on the value of the Fund Shares, the liquidity of an investment, and may result in increased market volatility. During any such events, Fund Shares may trade at increased premiums or discounts to their NAV, the bid/ask spread on Fund Shares may widen and the returns on investment may fluctuate.
MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS RISK. The value of money market instruments may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in the credit ratings of the investments. If a significant amount of the Fund’s assets are invested in money market instruments, it will be more difficult for the Fund to achieve its investment objectives. An investment in a money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. It is possible to lose money by investing in a money market fund.
NEW FUND RISK. The Fund is recently organized with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size.
NON-DIVERSIFICATION RISK. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund is only limited as to the percentage of its assets which may be invested in the securities of any one issuer by the diversification requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly invested in certain issuers.
OPERATIONAL RISK. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, 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 systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objectives. Although the Fund and Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.
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PREMIUM/DISCOUNT RISK. As with all ETFs, Fund Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market price of Fund Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the Fund’s NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand for Fund Shares on the Exchange. The Adviser cannot predict whether Fund Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV because the Fund Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices and not at NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Fund Shares will be closely related, but not identical, to the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. However, given that Fund Shares can only be purchased and redeemed in Creation Units, and only to and from broker-dealers and large institutional investors that have entered into participation agreements (unlike shares of closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAV), the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained. During stressed market conditions, the market for Fund Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the market for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which could in turn lead to differences between the market price of Fund Shares and their NAV and the bid/ask spread on Fund Shares may widen. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.
PRICE PARTICIPATION RISK. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of call options contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying ETF, including the leveraged exposure to the Underlying ETF. This means that if the Underlying ETF experiences an increase in value above the strike price of the sold call options, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and may significantly underperform the Underlying ETF. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in increases in value experienced by the Underlying ETF, but has full exposure to any decreases in value experienced by the Underlying ETF, including magnified losses to the Underlying ETF through the Fund’s use of leveraged instruments, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given time period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the performance of the Underlying ETF. The degree of participation in the Underlying ETF gains the Fund will experience will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold call options contracts and will vary over time. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the Underlying ETF, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Underlying ETF and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the price of the Underlying ETF changes and time moves towards the options contract’s expiration date, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Underlying ETF. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact of the potential options contract income on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the price of the Underlying ETF will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than that experienced by the Underlying ETF, especially due to the Fund’s leveraged investment strategy.
REBALANCING RISK. If for any reason the Fund is unable to rebalance all or a part of its portfolio, or if all or a portion of the portfolio is rebalanced incorrectly, the Fund’s investment exposure may not be consistent with its investment objectives. In these instances, the Fund may have investment exposure to the Underlying ETF that is significantly greater or significantly less than its targeted leverage exposure. The Fund may be more exposed to leverage risk than if it had been properly rebalanced and may not achieve its investment objectives, leading to significantly greater losses or reduced gains.
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SINGLE ISSUER RISK. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (i.e., the Underlying ETF), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.
SPECIAL TAX RISK. The Fund intends to qualify annually and to elect to be treated as a RIC under the Code. To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to RICs, the Fund must, among other things: (i) in each taxable year, derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in certain publicly traded partnerships; (ii) diversify its portfolio holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer generally limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers which the Fund controls which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more of certain publicly traded partnerships; and (iii) distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses) and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income each taxable year. There are certain exceptions for failure to qualify as a RIC if the failure is for reasonable cause, or is de minimis, and certain corrective action is taken and certain tax payments are made by the Fund.
If the Fund were to fail to meet the qualifying income test or asset diversification test and fail to qualify as a RIC, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income, which would adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
Additionally, the authority with regard to swap agreements entered into by RICs is unclear both as to the qualification under the income test and the identification of the issuer under the diversification test. The Fund intends to take the position that because the swap agreements held by the Fund reference securities that the income on the swap agreements are “other income” from the Fund’s business of investing in stocks and securities. In addition, the Fund intends to manage its investments in the swap agreements so that neither the exposure to the issuer of the referenced security nor the exposure to any one counterparty of the swap agreements will exceed 25% of the gross value of the Fund’s portfolio at the end of any quarter of a taxable year.
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TRADING ISSUES RISK. Although Fund Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Fund Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Fund Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Fund Shares. Trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Fund Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund 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. The Fund may have difficulty maintaining its listing on the Exchange in the event the Fund’s assets are small, the Fund does not have enough shareholders, or if the Fund is unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders.
UNDERLYING ETF RISK. The Fund’s investment in shares of the Underlying ETF subjects it to the risks of owning the securities held by the Underlying ETF, as well as the same structural risks faced by an investor purchasing shares of the Fund, including absence of an active market risk, premium/discount risk and trading issues risk. As a shareholder in another ETF, the Fund bears its proportionate share of the ETF’s expenses, subjecting Fund shareholders to duplicative expenses.
DOGE INVESTING RISK. The Underlying ETF’s investments in DOGE and DOGE futures contracts and swap agreements expose the Underlying ETF to the risks associated with an investment in DOGE because the price of these derivatives is substantially based on the price of DOGE. DOGE is a relatively new innovation and is subject to unique and substantial risks. The market for DOGE is subject to rapid price swings, changes and uncertainty. There may be a limited market for derivatives based on DOGE. Additionally, the Underlying ETF may not be able to identify sufficient counterparties to engage in swap transactions. This limited market for derivatives may negatively impact the ability of the Underlying ETF to achieve its objective.
DIGITAL ASSETS RELATED RISKS. DOGE and investments linked to DOGE are relatively new investments, they present unique and substantial risks and investing in DOGE has been subject to significant price volatility. The trading prices of many digital assets, including DOGE, have experienced extreme volatility in recent periods and may continue to do so. Extreme volatility in the future, including further declines in the trading prices of DOGE, could have a material adverse effect on the value of the Underlying ETF’s shares and the shares could lose all or substantially all of their value. The value of DOGE has been and may continue to be deeply speculative such that trading and investing in DOGE intraday may not be based on fundamental analysis. Individuals and organizations holding large amounts of DOGE known as “whales” may have the ability to manipulate the price of DOGE. The value of the Underlying ETF’s shares is subject to a number of factors relating to the fundamental investment characteristics of DOGE as a digital asset, including the fact that digital assets are bearer instruments and loss, theft, destruction, or compromise of the associated private keys could result in permanent loss of the asset, and the capabilities and development of blockchain technologies. For example, a blockchain may be subject to attack by miners or a group of miners that possess more than 50% of the blockchain’s hashing power. The value of the Underlying ETF’s investments in DOGE may be adversely affected by such an attack. Digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry, and the value of the Underlying ETF’s shares depends on the acceptance of the DOGE. Changes in the governance of a digital asset network may not receive sufficient support from users and miners, which may negatively affect that digital asset network’s ability to grow and respond to challenges.
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RISKS RELATED TO THE DIGITAL ASSET PLATFORMS. Proposed changes to the DOGE blockchain protocol may not be adopted by a sufficient number of users and miners, which may result in competing blockchains with different native crypto assets and sets of participants (known as a “fork”). The value of an investment in the Underlying ETF may be negatively impacted by a temporary or permanent “fork”. The DOGE blockchain protocol may contain flaws that can be exploited by attackers and which may adversely affect the value of DOGE and the Underlying ETF’s investments. Flaws in the source code for digital assets have been exploited including flaws that disabled some functionality for users, exposed users’ personal information and/or resulted in the theft of users’ digital assets. The cryptography underlying DOGE could prove to be flawed or ineffective, or developments in mathematics and/or technology, including advances in digital computing, algebraic geometry and quantum computing, could result in such cryptography becoming ineffective. In any of these circumstances, a malicious actor may be able to compromise the security of DOGE’s network or take the Underlying ETF’s investments in DOGE, which would adversely affect the value of the Underlying ETF. Exposure of DOGE to instability in other speculative parts of the blockchain and crypto industry, such as through an event that is not necessarily related to the security or utility of the DOGE blockchain can nonetheless precipitate a significant decline in the price of DOGE and an investment in the Underlying ETF. Many consortiums and financial institutions are also researching and investing resources into private or permissioned smart contract platforms. Competition from the emergence or growth of alternative digital assets and smart contracts platforms could have a negative impact on the demand for, and price of, DOGE and thereby adversely affect the value of the Underlying ETF. Use of DOGE by consumers and institutions as a medium of exchange in commerce may be limited. Banks and other established financial institutions may refuse to process funds for DOGE transactions; process wire transfers to or from digital asset platforms, DOGE-related companies or service providers; or maintain accounts for persons or entities transacting in DOGE. Processing of transactions in DOGE may be slow, transaction fees may be subject to significant variability. As a result, the price of DOGE may be influenced to a significant extent by speculators and miners, thus contributing to price volatility that makes retailers less likely to accept it as a form of payment in the future.
DOGE REGULATORY RISK. There are risks regarding new or changing laws and regulations that may affect the use of blockchain technology and/or investments in crypto assets. Digital asset platforms in the U.S. exist in a state of regulatory uncertainty, and adverse legislative or regulatory developments could significantly harm the value of DOGE, such as by banning, restricting or imposing onerous conditions or prohibitions on the use of DOGE, mining activity, digital wallets, the provision of services related to trading and custodying DOGE, the operation of DOGE network, or the digital asset platforms generally. Accordingly, future regulatory changes may have a material adverse impact on the Underlying ETF’s investments and its ability to implement its investment strategy.
Any final determination by a court that DOGE or any other digital asset is a “security” or “commodity” may adversely affect the value of DOGE and the value of the Underlying ETF’s shares, and, if DOGE is not, or cannot, be registered as a security, result in a potential termination of the Underlying ETF. Depending on its characteristics, a digital asset may be considered a “security” under the federal securities laws. The test for determining whether a particular digital asset is a “security” is complex and difficult to apply, and the outcome is difficult to predict. Public, though non-binding, statements by senior officials at the SEC have indicated that the SEC did not consider Bitcoin or Ether to be securities, and does not currently consider Bitcoin to be a security. The SEC staff has also provided informal assurances via no-action letter to a handful of promoters that their digital assets are not securities. The SEC staff’s guidance regarding whether a digital asset is or is not a security is not determinative or binding and a court may come to a different conclusion. Adding to the complexity, the courts, the SEC and the SEC staff have indicated that the security status of a particular instrument, such as a digital asset, can change overtime as the relevant facts evolve.
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LIQUIDITY RISK. Some assets held by the Underlying ETF, including DOGE, may be difficult to sell, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/ pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid assets may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Underlying ETF is forced to sell an illiquid asset at an unfavorable time or price, the Underlying ETF may be adversely impacted. There is no assurance that an asset that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Underlying ETF.
SUBSIDIARY INVESTMENT RISK. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Underlying ETF and its subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the Underlying ETF to operate as intended and could negatively affect the Underlying ETF. The Underlying ETF’s subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. Thus, the Underlying ETF, as an investor in the subsidiary, will not have all the protections offered to investors in registered investment companies.
CUSTODIAN RISK. DOGE and other assets held by the Underlying ETF that operate on distributed ledger/blockchain technology can only be transferred by the person holding both the public and private keys to the digital wallet in which the asset is held. The Underlying ETF’s custodians that custody the Underlying ETF’s digital assets are in control of the private keys for each of the Underlying ETF’s digital wallets. In the event such custodian loses sole control of the private keys (e.g., through a data breach or hack), the Underlying ETF’s digital assets held by such custodian could be lost.
FOREIGN SECURITIES RISK. To the extent the Underlying ETF invests in foreign securities, such investments may be subject to additional risks not typically associated with investments in domestic securities. These risks may include, among others, currency risk, country risks (political, diplomatic, regional conflicts, terrorism, war, social and economic instability, currency devaluations and policies that have the effect of limiting or restricting foreign investment or the movement of assets), different trading practices, less government supervision, less publicly available information, limited trading markets and greater volatility.
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C-CORPORATION TAX RISK. The Underlying ETF is taxed as a regular subchapter C corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This differs from most investment companies, which elect to be treated as regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), in order to avoid paying entity level income taxes. The Underlying ETF generally is not eligible to elect treatment as a regulated investment company because its assets will be invested mostly in DOGE. As a result, the Underlying ETF will be obligated to pay applicable corporate U.S. federal and state income taxes on its taxable income as opposed to most investment companies which are not so obligated because of the dividends paid deduction which is not available to the Underlying ETF. Additionally, unlike most ETFs, the Underlying ETF will not be eligible to engage in in-kind redemptions on a tax-free basis. This means that gains from securities that accumulate inside the Underlying ETF will be taxed at the Underlying ETF level when those securities are sold or otherwise disposed of by the Underlying ETF. In addition, the Underlying ETF may become liable for U.S. federal excise tax on its redemptions. The Underlying ETF will incur an excise tax liability equal to one percent (1%) of the fair market value of redemptions less the fair market value of Underlying ETF’s share issuances (in excess of $1 million of fair market value) annually on a taxable year basis. Finally, although the Underlying ETF intends to make periodic distributions of its earnings to its shareholders, if the Underlying ETF fails to distribute enough of its earnings, it could be subject to the accumulated earnings tax, in addition to other U.S. federal income taxes, which could impose a 20% U.S. federal income tax on the Underlying ETF’s accumulated earnings that have not been distributed to its shareholders.
U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES RISK. U.S. government securities are subject to interest rate risk but generally do not involve the credit risks associated with investments in other types of debt securities. As a result, the yields available from U.S. government securities are generally lower than the yields available from other debt securities. U.S. government securities are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and the payment of principal when held to maturity.
VALUATION RISK. The Fund may hold securities or other assets that may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations. This may occur because the asset or security does not trade on a centralized exchange, or in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. There are multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio holding when market quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio holding at a point in time might differ from what would be produced using a different methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” assets or securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation in their valuations from one day to the next than if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that the Fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio position is sold or closed out at a discount to the valuation established by the Fund at that time. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
Non-Principal Risks
BORROWING AND LEVERAGE RISK. If the Fund borrows money, it must pay interest and other fees, which may reduce the Fund’s returns. Any such borrowings are intended to be temporary. However, under certain market conditions, including periods of decreased liquidity, such borrowings might be outstanding for longer periods of time. As prescribed by the 1940 Act, the Fund will be required to maintain specified asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to any bank borrowing immediately following such borrowing and at all times thereafter. The Fund may be required to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms if market fluctuations or other factors reduce the Fund’s asset coverage to less than the prescribed amount.
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LEGISLATION/LITIGATION RISK. From time to time, various legislative initiatives are proposed in the United States and abroad, which may have a negative impact on certain companies in which the Fund invests. In addition, litigation regarding any of the issuers of the securities owned by the Fund, or industries represented by these issuers, may negatively impact the value of the securities. Such legislation or litigation may cause the Fund to lose value or may result in higher portfolio turnover if the Adviser determines to sell such a holding.
TAX RISK. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as RICs under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to Shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of options it holds is never 25% of the total value of Fund assets at the close of any quarter. If the Fund’s investments in options were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.
The Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Trust. The Board elects the Trust’s officers and approves all significant agreements, including those with the Adviser, distributor, custodian and fund administrator and fund accountant.
Investment Adviser
REX Advisers, LLC (the “Adviser”), 1241 Post Road, Second Floor, Fairfield, Connecticut 06824, is the investment adviser for the Fund. The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company and was organized in 2023.
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Under the investment management agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s investments. The Adviser also: (i) furnishes the Fund with office space and certain administrative services; and (ii) provides guidance and policy direction in connection with its daily management of the Fund’s assets, subject to the authority of the Board. For its services, the Adviser is entitled to receive an annual management fee calculated daily and payable monthly, as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at the rate specified in the table below:
| Fund | Management Fee |
| REX DOJE Growth & Income ETF | [___]% |
Under the Investment Management Agreement, the Adviser has agreed, at its own expense and without reimbursement from the Fund, to pay all expenses of the Fund, except for: the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (if any), brokerage commissions and any other portfolio transaction related expenses and fees arising out of transactions effected on behalf of the Fund, credit facility fees and expenses, including interest expenses, and litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board approving the Investment Management Agreement for the Fund will be available in the Fund’s Form N-CSR once that report is produced.
Portfolio Managers
Matthew Pelletier and Matthew Holcomb serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
| ● | Matthew Pelletier, Lead Portfolio Manager of the Adviser. Matthew Pelletier is a portfolio manager of the Fund. Mr. Pelletier joined an affiliate of the Adviser in 2021 as Managing Director of Portfolio Management. Previously, he held positions in Fixed Income Sales and Trading at BNP Paribas, Bank of the West and Susquehanna International Group. Mr. Pelletier has more than 20 years of experience in Banking and Financial Services. Mr. Pelletier earned an MBA from the University of California at Davis. |
| ● | Matthew Holcomb, Senior Vice President, Senior Trader and Portfolio Manager of the Adviser. Matthew Holcomb is a portfolio manager of the Fund. Mr. Holcomb joined Adviser in 2025 as Senior Vice President, Senior Trader and Portfolio Manager. Previously, he was the Senior Trader, Portfolio Manager, and Business Leader for Ridgefield Capital Asset Management for over 20 years. Mr. Holcomb has more than 20 years of experience in Banking and Financial Services. |
The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership in the Fund.
Manager of Managers Structure
The Fund and the Adviser have received an exemptive order from the SEC to operate under a manager of managers structure that permits the Adviser, with the approval of the Board, to appoint and replace sub-advisers, enter into sub-advisory agreements, and materially amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements on behalf of the Fund without shareholder approval (“Manager of Managers Structure”). Under the Manager of Managers Structure, the Adviser has ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, for overseeing the Fund’s sub-advisers and recommending to the Board their hiring, termination, or replacement. The SEC order does not apply to any sub-adviser that is affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser.
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The Manager of Managers Structure enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approvals for matters relating to any sub-adviser or the sub-advisory agreement. The Manager of Managers Structure does not permit an increase in the advisory fees payable by the Fund without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any changes made to any sub-adviser or a sub-advisory agreement within 90 days of the change.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Fund’s SAI. Complete holdings are published on the Fund’s website on a daily basis. Please visit the Fund’s website at www.rexshares.com. In addition, the Fund’s complete holdings (as of the dates of such reports) are available in reports on Form N-PORT and Form N-CSR filed with the SEC.
Most investors will buy and sell Fund through broker-dealers at market prices. Fund Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange and on the secondary market during the trading day and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other shares of publicly traded securities. Fund Shares may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market when the Exchange is open for trading.
When buying or selling shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction.
The NAV of Fund Shares is calculated at the close of regular trading on the Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m. New York time, on each day the Exchange is open. The NAV of the Fund’s Shares is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund’s portfolio investments and other assets, less any liabilities, by the total number of Fund Shares outstanding of the Fund.
In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments.
Fair value pricing is used by the Fund when market quotations are not readily available or are deemed to be unreliable or inaccurate based on factors such as evidence of a thin market in the security or a significant event occurring after the close of the market but before the time as of which the Fund’s NAV is calculated. When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.
APs may acquire Fund Shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per share only in large blocks, or Creation Units, of at least 10,000 Fund Shares. Purchases and redemptions directly with the Fund must follow the Fund’s procedures, which are described in the SAI.
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Under normal circumstances, the Fund will pay out redemption proceeds to a redeeming AP within one (1) day after the AP’s redemption request is received, in accordance with the process set forth in the SAI and in the agreement between the AP and the Fund’s distributor. However, the Fund reserves the right, including under stressed market conditions, to take up to seven (7) days after the receipt of a redemption request to pay an AP, all as permitted by the 1940 Act.
The Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.
Book Entry
Fund Shares are held in book entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Fund Shares and is recognized as the owner of all Fund Shares for all purposes.
Investors owning Fund Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Fund Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Fund Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Fund Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares
Fund Shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by APs, and the vast majority of trading in shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not directly involve the Fund, it is unlikely those trades would cause the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with the Fund, to the extent effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), those trades do not cause the harmful effects that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, those trades could result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Fund Shares trade at or close to NAV. The Fund also employs fair valuation pricing to minimize potential dilution from market timing. In addition, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that the Fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances. Given this structure, the Trust has determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter market timing of Fund Shares.
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes
Fund Shares are traded throughout the day in the secondary market on a national securities exchange on an intraday basis and are created and redeemed in-kind and/or for cash in Creation Units at each day’s next calculated NAV. In-kind arrangements are designed to protect ongoing shareholders from the adverse effects on the Fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash redemption transactions. The Fund expects to typically satisfy redemptions in-kind. However, if the Fund satisfies a redemption in cash this may result in the Fund selling portfolio securities to obtain cash to meet net fund redemptions which can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders. These sales may generate taxable gains for the ongoing shareholders of the Fund, whereas the shares’ in-kind redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for the Fund or its ongoing shareholders.
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Ordinarily, dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid at least weekly by the Fund. The Fund will distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders at least annually. The Fund may also pay a special distribution at the end of a calendar year to comply with federal tax requirements.
No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Fund. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Fund Shares purchased in the secondary market.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Fund Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available.
Taxes
The Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated investment vehicle” (a “RIC”) under the federal tax laws. If the Fund qualifies as a RIC and distributes its income as required by the tax law, the Fund will not pay federal income taxes.
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Fund Shares will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund Shares.
Unless your investment in Fund Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:
| ● | The Fund makes distributions, |
| ● | You sell your Fund Shares listed on the Exchange, and |
| ● | You purchase or redeem Creation Units. |
Taxes on Distributions. Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income, except that the Fund’s dividends attributable to its “qualified dividend income” (e.g., dividends received on stock of most domestic and certain foreign corporations with respect to which the Fund satisfies certain holding period and other restrictions), if any, generally are subject to U.S. federal income tax for U.S. non-corporate shareholders who satisfy those restrictions with respect to their shares at the rate for net capital gain. A part of the Fund’s dividends also may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to U.S. corporations (the eligible portion may not exceed the aggregate dividends the Fund receives from domestic corporations subject to U.S. federal income tax (excluding REITs) and excludes dividends from foreign corporations) subject to similar restrictions. However, dividends a U.S. corporate shareholder deducts pursuant to that deduction are subject indirectly to the U.S. federal alternative minimum tax. A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses affect the Fund’s performance.
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In general, distributions received from the Fund are subject to U.S. federal income tax when they are paid, whether taken in cash or reinvested in the Fund (if that option is available). Distributions reinvested in additional Fund Shares through the means of a dividend reinvestment service, if available, will be taxable to shareholders acquiring the additional Fund Shares to the same extent as if such distributions had been received in cash. Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the Fund Shares.
Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits are treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your basis in the shares and as capital gain thereafter. A distribution will reduce the Fund’s NAV per Fund Share and may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gain (as described above) even though, from an investment standpoint, the distribution may constitute a return of capital.
By law, the Fund is required to backup withhold twenty-four percent (24%) of your distributions and redemption proceeds if you have not provided the Fund with a correct Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number and in certain other situations.
Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to your net investment income if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.
Taxes on Exchange-Listed Fund Share Sales. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund Shares is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one (1) year or less. The ability to deduct capital losses from sales of Fund Shares may be limited.
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units. An AP who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash it pays. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received plus any cash. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales” or for other reasons. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.
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Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one (1) year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the Fund Shares have been held for one (1) year or less.
If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many shares you purchased or sold and at what price. See the SAI for a description of the requirement regarding basis determination methods applicable to share redemptions and the Fund’s obligation to report basis information to the IRS.
At the time that this prospectus is being prepared, various administrative and legislative changes to the U.S. federal tax laws are under consideration, but it is not possible at this time to determine whether any of these changes will take place or what the changes might entail.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the shares under all applicable tax laws. See the SAI for more information.
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund Shares.
The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to reimburse the Distributor for amounts expended to finance activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units or the provision of investor services. The Distributor may also use this amount to compensate securities dealers or other persons that are APs for providing distribution assistance, including broker-dealer and shareholder support and educational and promotional services.
The Fund does not currently pay 12b-1 fees, and pursuant to a contractual arrangement, the Fund will not pay 12b-1 fees any time before [_______], 2026. However, in the event 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the close of regular trading hours of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, based on prices at the time of closing, provided that any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. The NAV of the Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding Fund Shares, generally rounded to the nearest cent.
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The Board has adopted valuation policies and procedures pursuant to which it has designated the Adviser to determine the fair value of the Fund’s investments, subject to the Board’s oversight, when market prices for those investments are not “readily available,” including when they are determined by the Adviser to be unreliable. Such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has been de-listed or its trading halted or suspended; (ii) a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) a security’s value has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the security’s primary trading market and before the Fund calculates its NAV. Generally, when determining the fair value of the Fund investment, the Adviser will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the security, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the security. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies established by the Adviser. Due to the subjective and variable nature of determining the fair value of a security or other investment, there can be no assurance that the Adviser’s determined fair value will match or closely correlate to any market quotation that subsequently becomes available or the price quoted or published by other sources. In addition, the Fund may not be able to obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if the Fund were to sell such investment at or near the time its fair value is determined.
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, serves as the administrator, transfer agent and fund accountant for the Trust.
U.S. Bank National Association serves as the custodian for the Trust.
Chapman and Cutler LLP, 320 South Canal Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.
Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.
The method by which Creation Units of Fund Shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of Fund Shares are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur at any point. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Fund Shares and sells the Fund Shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Fund Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Fund Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a characterization as an underwriter.
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Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting transactions in Fund Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of Fund Shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted with engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act is only available with respect to transactions on a national exchange.
Dealers effecting transactions in Fund Shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, are generally required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters.
When available, information regarding how often the shares of the Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund will be available at www.rexshares.com.
Investments by Other Investment Companies
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Fund Shares. The SEC has adopted Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act. The Fund is required to comply with the conditions of Rule 12d1-4, which allows, subject to certain conditions, the Fund to invest in other registered investment companies and other registered investment companies to invest in the Fund beyond the limits contained in Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act.
The Fund is new and has no performance history as of the date of this prospectus. Financial information is therefore not available.
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REX ETF TRUST
REX DOJE Growth & Income ETF
For more detailed information on the Fund, several additional sources of information are available to you. The Fund’s SAI, incorporated by reference into this prospectus, contains detailed information on the Fund’s policies and operation. Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR. In the Fund’s annual reports, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly impacted the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements. The Fund’s most recent SAI, annual or semi-annual reports and certain other information are available free of charge by calling the Fund at 1-800-617-0004, on the Fund’s website at www.rexshares.com or through your financial advisor. Shareholders may call the toll-free number above with any inquiries.
You may obtain this and other information regarding the Fund, including the SAI and Codes of Ethics adopted by the Adviser, Distributor and the Trust, directly from the SEC. Information on the SEC’s website is free of charge. Visit the SEC’s on-line EDGAR database at http://www.sec.gov. You may also request information regarding the Fund by sending a request (along with a duplication fee) to the SEC by sending an electronic request to [email protected].
REX ETF Trust
777 Brickell Avenue, Suite 500
Miami, Florida 33131
1-800-617-0004
www.rexshares.com
SEC File No. 333-283221
811-24023
The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer of sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion
September 18, 2025
REX ETF TRUST
Statement of Additional Information
REX DOJE Growth & Income ETF ([____])
[_______], 2025
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated [_______], 2025, as it may be revised from time to time (the “Prospectus”), for the fund set forth above (the “Fund”), a series of the REX ETF Trust (the “Trust”). Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meanings as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust at REX ETF Trust, 777 Brickell Avenue, Suite 500, Miami, Florida 33131, or by calling toll-free at 1-800-617-0004. You may also obtain a Prospectus by visiting the Fund’s website at www.rexshares.com.
References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.
Table of Contents
General Description of the Trust and the Fund
The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on October 24, 2024, and is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares in one or more series. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the 1940 Act. This SAI relates solely to the Fund, which is “non-diversified” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund, as a series of the Trust, represents a beneficial interest in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets, with its own objective and policies.
REX Advisers, LLC serves as the Fund’s investment adviser (“REX Advisers” or the “Adviser”). Foreside Fund Services, LLC serves as the Fund’s distributor (the “Distributor”).
The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees” or the “Trustees”) has the right to establish additional series in the future, to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges thereof and to modify such preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges without shareholder approval. Shares of any series may also be divided into one or more classes at the discretion of the Trustees. The Trust or any series or class thereof may be terminated at any time by the Board of Trustees upon written notice to the shareholders. Subject to the requirements set forth in Section 3816 of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, a shareholder of the Fund may bring a derivative action on behalf of the Trust only if the shareholder first makes a pre-suit demand upon the Board of Trustees to bring the subject action unless an effort to cause the Board of Trustees to bring such action is excused. A demand on the Board of Trustees shall only be excused if a majority of the Board of Trustees, or a majority of any committee established to consider the merits of such action, has a material personal financial interest in the action at issue. A Trustee shall not be deemed to have a material personal financial interest in an action or otherwise be disqualified from ruling on a shareholder demand by virtue of the fact that such Trustee receives remuneration from his or her service on the Board of Trustees or on the boards of one or more investment companies with the same or an affiliated investment adviser or underwriter.
The Fund’s shares (“Fund Shares”) list and principally trade on [____] (the “Exchange”). Fund Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”). ETFs, such as the Fund, do not sell or redeem individual Fund Shares. Instead, the Fund offers, issues and redeems Fund Shares at NAV only in aggregations of a specified number of Fund Shares (each a “Creation Unit”). Financial entities known as “authorized participants” (which are discussed in greater detail below) have contractual arrangements with the Fund or the Distributor to purchase and redeem the Fund’s Shares directly with the Fund in Creation Units in exchange for the securities comprising the Fund and/or cash, or some combination thereof. Fund Shares are traded in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above, or below the Fund’s NAV. Fund Shares are only redeemable in Creation Units by authorized participants. An authorized participant that purchases a Creation Unit of Fund Shares deposits with the Fund a “basket” of securities and/or other assets identified by the Fund that day, and then receives the Creation Unit of Fund Shares in return for those assets. The redemption process is the reverse of the purchase process: the authorized participant redeems a Creation Unit of Fund Shares for a basket of securities and other assets. The basket is generally representative of the Fund’s portfolio, and together with a cash balancing amount, it is equal to the NAV of the Fund Shares comprising the Creation Unit. Pursuant to Rule 6c-11 of the 1940 Act, the Fund may utilize baskets that are not representative of the Fund’s portfolio. Such “custom baskets” are discussed in the section entitled “Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units.” Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include cash may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions with respect to creations and redemptions of shares and fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.
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Fund Shares are listed for trading, and trade throughout the day, on the Exchange and in other secondary markets. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Fund Shares will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove Fund Shares from listing if, among other things: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of Fund Shares, there are fewer than 50 record and/or beneficial owners of Fund Shares; (ii) the Fund is no longer eligible to operate in reliance on Rule 6c-11 of the 1940 Act; (iii) any of the other listing requirements are not continuously maintained; or (iv) any event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will also remove Fund Shares from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of Fund Shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
Investment Objective and Policies
The Prospectus describes the investment objective and certain policies of the Fund. The following supplements the information contained in the Prospectus concerning the investment objective and policies of the Fund.
The Fund is subject to the following fundamental policies, which may not be changed without approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund:
| (1) | The Fund may not issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act |
| (2) | The Fund may not borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act. |
| (3) | The Fund will not underwrite the securities of other issuers except to the extent the Fund may be considered an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. |
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| (4) | The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate or interests therein, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prohibit the Fund from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by real estate or of issuers engaged in real estate activities). |
| (5) | The Fund may not make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted thereunder. |
| (6) | The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts, forward contracts or other derivative instruments, or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities). |
| (7) | The Fund may not invest 25% or more of the value of its total assets in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries. This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. [Nevertheless, the Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in investments that provide exposure to Dogecoin.] |
For purposes of these limitations, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
For purposes of applying restriction (1) above, under the 1940 Act as currently in effect, the Fund is not permitted to issue senior securities, except that the Fund may borrow from any bank if immediately after such borrowing the value of the Fund’s total assets is at least 300% of the principal amount of all of the Fund’s borrowings (i.e., the principal amount of the borrowings may not exceed 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets). In the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300%, the Fund shall, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays), reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%. The fundamental investment limitations set forth above limit the Fund’s ability to engage in certain investment practices and purchase securities or other instruments to the extent permitted by, or consistent with, applicable law. As such, these limitations will change as the statute, rules, regulations or orders (or, if applicable, interpretations) change, and no shareholder vote will be required or sought.
Except for restriction (2), if a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase in percentage resulting from a change in market value of the investment or the total assets will not constitute a violation of that restriction. With respect to restriction (2), if the limitations are exceeded as a result of a change in market value then the Fund will reduce the amount of borrowings within three days thereafter to the extent necessary to comply with the limitations (not including Sundays and holidays).
For purposes of applying restriction (5) above, the Fund may not make loans to other persons, except through (i) the purchase of debt securities permissible under the Fund’s investment policies, (ii) repurchase agreements, or (iii) the lending of portfolio securities, provided that no such loan of portfolio securities may be made by the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate of such loans would exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.
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With respect to the fundamental policies relating to concentration set forth in restriction (7) above, the 1940 Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund’s total assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future. The policy in restriction (7) above will be interpreted to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities; securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country. Finance companies will be considered to be in the industries of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of the parents. Each foreign government will be considered to be a member of a separate industry. With respect to the Fund’s industry classifications, the Fund currently utilizes any one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating group indexes, and/or as defined by the Fund’s management. The policy also will be interpreted to give broad authority to the Fund as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.
The foregoing fundamental policies of the Fund may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The 1940 Act defines a majority vote as the vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding securities are represented; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities. With respect to the submission of a change in an investment policy to the holders of outstanding voting securities of the Fund, such matter shall be deemed to have been effectively acted upon with respect to the Fund if a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund vote for the approval of such matter, notwithstanding that such matter has not been approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of any other series of the Trust affected by such matter.
In addition to the foregoing fundamental policies, the Fund is also subject to strategies and policies discussed herein which, unless otherwise noted, are non-fundamental policies and may be changed by the Board of Trustees.
The following information supplements the discussion of the Fund’s investment objective, policies and strategies that appear in the Prospectus.
The Fund is an actively-managed ETF that seeks to pay weekly distributions to shareholders by employing a covered call strategy and maintain between 105% and 150% notional exposure to the price return of the REX-Osprey™ DOGE ETF (the “Underlying ETF”) by entering into financial instruments on the Underlying ETF, including options contracts and/or swap agreements, as well as directly purchasing shares of the Underlying ETF.
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The Fund, under normal market conditions, will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in shares of the Underlying ETF, investments that provide exposure to the Underlying ETF or income-producing investments tied to the Underlying ETF. For purposes of compliance with this investment policy, the Underlying ETF invests primarily in Dogecoin (“DOGE”), which is considered a growth asset by the Adviser. Additionally, for purposes of compliance with this investment policy, derivative instruments (i.e., options contracts and/or swap agreements) will be valued at their notional value.
Types of Investments
Equity Securities. Equity securities, such as the common stocks of an issuer, are subject to stock market fluctuations and therefore may experience volatile changes in value as market conditions, consumer sentiment or the financial condition of the issuers change. A decrease in value of the equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may also cause the value of the Fund Shares to decline.
An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities and therefore a decrease in the value of Fund Shares). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, economic or banking crises.
Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity. Common stock values are subject to market fluctuations as long as the common stock remains outstanding.
Common Stocks. Common stocks represent units of ownership in a company. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Unlike preferred stocks, which are described below, dividends on common stocks are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the company’s board of directors.
Options Contracts. The Fund will buy and write (sell) options on securities, indexes and other assets for the purpose of realizing its investment objective. By buying a call option, the Fund has the right, in return for a premium paid during the term of the option, to buy the asset underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing (selling) a call option the Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to sell the asset underlying the option at the exercise price if the option is exercised; conversely, by buying a put option, the Fund has the right, in return for a premium paid during the term of the option, to sell the asset underlying the option at the exercise price. By writing a put option, the Fund becomes obligated during the term of the option to purchase the asset underlying the option at the exercise price if the option is exercised. Cash-settled options give the holder (purchaser) of an option the right to receive an amount of cash upon exercise of the option. Receipt of this cash amount will depend upon the value of the underlying asset (or closing level of the index, as the case may be) upon which the option is based being greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of a put) the level at which the exercise price of the option is set. The amount of cash received, if any, will be the difference between the value of the underlying asset (or closing price level of the index, as the case may be) and the exercise price of the option, multiplied by a specified dollar multiple. The writer (seller) of the option is obligated, in return for the premiums received from the purchaser of the option, to make delivery of this amount to the purchaser. All settlements of index options transactions are in cash.
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In the case of cleared options, in order to secure the obligation to deliver the underlying asset in the case of a call option, the writer of a call option is required to deposit in escrow the underlying asset or other assets in accordance with the rules of the Options Clearing Corporation (the “OCC”), a clearing agency created to interpose itself between buyers and sellers of options. The OCC assumes the other side of every purchase and sale transaction on an exchange and, by doing so, guarantees performance by the other side of the transaction. Pursuant to relevant regulatory requirements, the Fund is required to agree in writing to be bound by the rules of the OCC. The principal reason for the Fund to write call options on assets held by the Fund is to attempt to realize, through the receipt of premiums, a greater return than would be realized on the underlying assets alone.
If the Fund that writes an option wishes to terminate the Fund’s obligation, the Fund may effect a “closing purchase transaction.” The Fund accomplishes this by buying an option of the same series as the option previously written by the Fund. The effect of the purchase is that the writer’s position will be canceled by the OCC. However, a writer may not effect a closing purchase transaction after the writer has been notified of the exercise of an option. Likewise, the Fund which is the holder of an option may liquidate its position by effecting a “closing sale transaction.” The Fund accomplishes this by selling an option of the same series as the option previously purchased by the Fund. There is no guarantee that either a closing purchase or a closing sale transaction can be effected. If any call or put option is not exercised or sold, the option will become worthless on its expiration date. The Fund will realize a gain (or a loss) on a closing purchase transaction with respect to a call or a put option previously written by the Fund if the premium, plus commission costs, paid by the Fund to purchase the call or put option to close the transaction is less (or greater) than the premium, less commission costs, received by the Fund on the sale of the call or the put option. The Fund also will realize a gain if a call or put option which the Fund has written lapses unexercised, because the Fund would retain the premium.
Although certain securities exchanges attempt to provide continuously liquid markets in which holders and writers of options can close out their positions at any time prior to the expiration of the option, no assurance can be given that a market will exist at all times for all outstanding options purchased or sold by the Fund. If an options market were to become unavailable, the Fund would be unable to realize its profits or limit its losses until the Fund could exercise options it holds, and the Fund would remain obligated until options it wrote were exercised or expired. Reasons for the absence of liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the OCC may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options) and those options would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange that had been issued by the OCC as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
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Securities self-regulatory organizations (e.g., the exchanges and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”)) have established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options of certain types that may be bought or written (sold) by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others. These position limits may restrict the number of listed options which the Fund may buy or sell. While the Fund is not directly subject to these rules, as a result of rules applicable to the broker-dealers with whom the Fund transacts in options, it is required to agree in writing to be bound by relevant position limits.
FLEX Options. The Fund will also utilize FLEX Options. FLEX Options are a type of listed options contract with uniquely customizable terms that allow investors to customize key terms like style, strike price and expiration date that are standardized in a typical options contract. FLEX Options are also guaranteed for settlement by the OCC.
Trading FLEX Options involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities. The Fund may experience losses from specific FLEX Option positions and certain FLEX Option positions may expire worthless. The FLEX Options are listed on an exchange; however, no one can guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. In the event that trading in the FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund’s FLEX Options may decrease. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium (for written FLEX Options) or acceptance of a discounted price (for purchased FLEX Options) and may take longer to complete. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and Fund Shares and result in the Fund being unable to achieve its investment objective. Less liquidity in the trading of the Fund’s FLEX Options could have an impact on the prices paid or received by the Fund for the FLEX Options in connection with creations and redemptions of the Fund Shares. Depending on the nature of this impact to pricing, the Fund may be forced to pay more for redemptions (or receive less for creations) than the price at which it currently values the FLEX Options. Such overpayment or under collection could reduce the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. Additionally, in a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may more significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment. The trading in FLEX Options may be less deep and liquid than the market for certain other exchange-traded options, non-customized options or other securities.
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Swap Agreements. The Funds may enter into swap agreements. Swaps are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a day to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on a particular pre-determined interest rate, commodity, security, indexes, or other assets or measurable indicators. The gross return to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” e.g., the return on, or the increase/decrease in, value of a particular dollar amount invested in a “basket” of securities or an ETF representing a particular index or group of securities. The Funds may enter into swaps to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities. For example, in one common type of total return swap, the Fund’s counterparty will agree to pay the Fund the rate at which the specified asset or indicator (e.g., an ETF, or securities comprising a benchmark index, plus the dividends or interest that would have been received on those assets) increased in value multiplied by the relevant notional amount of the swap. The Fund will agree to pay to the counterparty an interest fee (based on the notional amount) and the rate at which the specified asset or indicator decreased in value multiplied by the notional amount of the swap, plus, in certain instances, commissions or trading spreads on the notional amount. As a result, the swap has a similar economic effect as if the Fund were to invest in the assets underlying the swap in an amount equal to the notional amount of the swap. The return to the Fund on such swap should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends or interest on the assets less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount. However, unlike cash investments in the underlying assets, the Fund will not be an owner of the underlying assets and will not have voting or similar rights in respect of such assets.
Illiquid Investments. Pursuant to Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act (‘Rule 22e-4”), the Fund may not acquire any “illiquid investment” if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. An “illiquid investment” is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid investments include repurchase agreements with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, certain stripped mortgage-backed securities, certain municipal leases, certain over-the-counter derivative instruments, securities and other financial instruments that are not readily marketable, and restricted securities unless, based upon a review of the relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations, those investments are determined not to be illiquid. The Trust has implemented a liquidity risk management program and related procedures to identify illiquid investments pursuant to Rule 22e-4, and the Board of Trustees has approved the designation of the certain officers of the Trust to administer the Trust’s liquidity risk management program and related procedures. In determining whether an investment is an illiquid investment, the designated officers of the Trust will take into account actual or estimated daily transaction volume of an investment, group of related investments or asset class and other relevant market, trading, and investment-specific considerations. In addition, in determining the liquidity of an investment, the designated officers of the Trust must determine whether trading varying portions of a position in a particular portfolio investment or asset class, in sizes that the Fund would reasonably anticipate trading, is reasonably expected to significantly affect its liquidity, and if so, the Fund must take this determination into account when classifying the liquidity of that investment or asset class.
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In addition to actual or estimated daily transaction volume of an investment, group of related investments or asset class and other relevant market, trading, and investment-specific considerations, the following factors, among others, will generally impact the classification of an investment as an “illiquid investment”: (i) any investment that is placed on the Adviser’s restricted trading list; and (ii) any investment that is delisted or for which there is a trading halt at the close of the trading day on the primary listing exchange at the time of classification (and in respect of which no active secondary market exists). Investments purchased by the Fund that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to these and other events and circumstances. If one or more investments in the Fund’s portfolio become illiquid, the Fund may exceed the 15% limitation in illiquid investments. In the event that changes in the portfolio or other external events cause the Fund to exceed this limit, the Fund must take steps to bring its illiquid investments that are assets to or below 15% of its net assets within a reasonable period of time. This requirement would not force the Fund to liquidate any portfolio instrument where the Fund would suffer a loss on the sale of that instrument.
Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. The Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity, in connection with collateral received by the Fund in its securities lending activities, or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include, but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds; (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody’s® Investors Service, Inc., “F-1” by Fitch Ratings, Inc., or “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s® Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of S&P Global, Inc., or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks that may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund buys and sells portfolio securities in the normal course of its investment activities. The proportion of the Fund’s investment portfolio that is bought and sold during a year is known as the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. A turnover rate of 100% would occur, for example, if the Fund bought and sold securities valued at 100% of its net assets within one year. A high portfolio turnover rate could result in the payment by the Fund of increased brokerage costs, expenses and taxes.
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As of the date of this SAI, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not have any portfolio turnover information available.
Overview
An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks that an investment in the Fund’s Shares entails, including the risk that the financial condition of the issuers of the equity securities or the general condition of the securities market may worsen and the value of the securities and therefore the value of the Fund may decline. The Fund may not be an appropriate investment for those who are unable or unwilling to assume the risks involved generally with such an investment. The past market and earnings performance of any of the securities included in the Fund is not predictive of their future performance.
Borrowing and Leverage Risk
When the Fund borrows money, it must pay interest and other fees, which will reduce the Fund’s returns if such costs exceed the returns on the portfolio securities purchased or retained with such borrowings. Any such borrowings are intended to be temporary. However, under certain market conditions, including periods of low demand or decreased liquidity, such borrowings might be outstanding for longer periods of time. As prescribed by the 1940 Act, the Fund will be required to maintain specified asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to any bank borrowing immediately following such borrowing. The Fund may be required to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms if market fluctuations or other factors reduce the Fund’s asset coverage to less than the prescribed amount.
Covered Call Option Risk
By writing covered call options in return for the receipt of premiums, the Fund will give up the opportunity to benefit from potential increases in the value of the reference asset above the exercise prices of the written options, but will continue to bear the risk of declines in the value of the reference asset. The premiums received from the options may not be sufficient to offset any losses sustained from the volatility of the reference asset over time.
The covered call strategy may be subject to imperfect matching or price correlation between the written options and the reference asset, which could reduce the Fund’s returns. Exchanges may suspend the trading of options (for example due to volatile markets or if trading in the reference asset is halted). If trading is suspended, the Fund may be unable to write or purchase options at times that may be desirable or advantageous to the Fund to do so. If the Fund is unable to extinguish the option position before exercise, the Fund may be required to deliver the corresponding shares of the reference asset, resulting in increased transaction costs, tracking error, underinvestment, and potentially the realization of capital gains. Further, this could lead to re-purchasing shares of the reference asset or selling the corresponding options at a less favorable price than the Fund might have received had the options been extinguished. The Fund uses options which are struck on a frequent basis, and the timing of changes in the price of the reference asset may affect the Fund’s performance. For example, if the reference asset experiences a drop in price followed by a quick rebound, the Fund may be unable to fully participate in the rebound if the rebound occurs immediately after the Fund’s roll date. In addition, if trading is suspended, the Fund may be unable to purchase an offsetting option for purposes of closing out an existing written option at the originally scheduled time and date.
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Current Market Conditions Risk
Current market conditions risk is the risk that a particular investment, or Fund Shares in general, may fall in value due to current market conditions. As a means to fight inflation, the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have historically raised interest rates, which may negatively impact the performance of securities held by the Fund. U.S. regulators have proposed several changes to market and issuer regulations which would directly impact the Fund, and any regulatory changes could adversely impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment strategies or make certain investments. Recent and potential future bank failures could result in disruption to the broader banking industry or markets generally and reduce confidence in financial institutions and the economy as a whole, which may also heighten market volatility and reduce liquidity. The ongoing adversarial political climate in the United States, as well as political and diplomatic events both domestic and abroad, have and may continue to have an adverse impact the U.S. regulatory landscape, markets and investor behavior, which could have a negative impact on the Fund’s investments and operations. Other unexpected political, regulatory and diplomatic events within the U.S. and abroad may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy. For example, in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine which has caused and could continue to cause significant market disruptions and volatility within the markets in Russia, Europe, and the United States. The hostilities and sanctions resulting from those hostilities have and could continue to have a significant impact on certain Fund investments as well as Fund performance and liquidity. The economies of the United States and its trading partners, as well as the financial markets generally, may be adversely impacted by trade disputes and other matters. For example, the United States has imposed trade barriers and restrictions on China. In addition, the Chinese government is engaged in a longstanding dispute with Taiwan, continually threatening an invasion. If the political climate between the United States and China does not improve or continues to deteriorate, if China were to attempt invading Taiwan, or if other geopolitical conflicts develop or worsen, economies, markets and individual securities may be adversely affected, and the value of the Fund’s assets may go down. The COVID-19 global pandemic, or any future public health crisis, and the ensuing policies enacted by governments and central banks have caused and may continue to cause significant volatility and uncertainty in global financial markets, negatively impacting global growth prospects. Such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. Advancements in technology may also adversely impact markets and the overall performance of the Fund. For instance, the economy may be significantly impacted by the advanced development and increased regulation of artificial intelligence. These events, and any other future events, may adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio investments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets.
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Cybersecurity Risk
The Fund is susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cybersecurity. A breach in cybersecurity refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cybersecurity breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cybersecurity breaches of the Fund’s third party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or sub-adviser, as applicable, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cybersecurity breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cybersecurity. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cybersecurity systems of issuers or third party service providers.
Equity Securities Risk
Equity securities are subject to changes in value, and their values. may be more volatile than those of other asset classes. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant equity market, such as market volatility, or when political or economic events affecting an issuer occur. Common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Common stocks generally subject their holders to more risks than preferred stocks and debt securities because common stockholders’ claims are subordinated to those of holders of preferred stocks and debt securities upon the bankruptcy of the issuer.
Derivatives Risk
The use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying asset, index or rate, which may be magnified by certain features of the derivatives. In addition, when the Fund invests in certain derivative securities, including, but not limited to, when-issued securities, forward commitments, futures contracts and interest rate swaps, the Fund is effectively leveraging its investments, which could result in exaggerated changes in the net asset value of Fund Shares and can result in losses that exceed the amount originally invested. The success of Sub-Advisor’s derivatives strategies will depend on its ability to assess and predict the impact of market or economic developments on the underlying asset, index or rate and the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions. Liquidity risk exists when a security cannot be purchased or sold at the time desired, or cannot be purchased or sold without adversely affecting the price. Certain specific risks associated with an investment in derivatives may include: market risk, credit risk, correlation risk, liquidity risk, legal risk and systemic or “interconnection” risk, as specified below.
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| 1. | Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that the value of the underlying assets may go up or down. Adverse movements in the value of an underlying asset can expose the Fund to losses. Derivative instruments may include elements of leverage and, accordingly, fluctuations in the value of the derivative instrument in relation to the underlying asset may be magnified. The successful use of derivative instruments depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the portfolio managers’ ability to predict movements of the securities, currencies and commodities markets, which may require different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. There can be no assurance that any particular strategy adopted will succeed. A decision to engage in a derivative transaction will reflect the portfolio managers’ judgment that the derivative transaction will provide value to the Fund and its shareholders and is consistent with the Fund’s objective, investment limitations and operating policies. In making such a judgment, the portfolio managers will analyze the benefits and risks of the derivative transactions and weigh them in the context of the Fund’s overall investments and investment objective. |
| 2. | Credit Risk/Counterparty Risk. Credit risk is the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of a counterparty to comply with the terms of a derivative instrument. The counterparty risk for exchange-traded derivatives is generally less than for privately negotiated or over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives, since generally a clearing agency, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded instrument, provides a guarantee of performance. For privately negotiated instruments, there is no similar clearing agency guarantee. In all transactions, the Fund will bear the risk that the counterparty will default, and this could result in a loss of the expected benefit of the derivative transactions and possibly other losses to the Fund. The Fund will enter into transactions in derivative instruments only with counterparties that the Adviser reasonably believes are capable of performing under the contract. |
| 3. | Correlation Risk. Correlation risk is the risk that there might be an imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of a derivative instrument and price movements of investments being hedged. When a derivative transaction is used to completely hedge another position, changes in the market value of the combined position (the derivative instrument plus the position being hedged) result from an imperfect correlation between the price movements of the two instruments. With a perfect hedge, the value of the combined position remains unchanged with any change in the price of the underlying asset. With an imperfect hedge, the value of the derivative instrument and its hedge are not perfectly correlated. For example, if the value of a derivative instrument used in a short hedge (such as writing a call option, buying a put option or selling a futures contract) increased by less than the decline in value of the hedged investments, the hedge would not be perfectly correlated. This might occur due to factors unrelated to the value of the investments being hedged, such as speculative or other pressures on the markets in which these instruments are traded. The effectiveness of hedges using instruments on indices will depend, in part, on the degree of correlation between price movements in the index and the price movements in the investments being hedged. |
| 4. | Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk that a derivative instrument cannot be sold, closed out or replaced quickly at or very close to its fundamental value. Generally, exchange contracts are very liquid because the exchange clearinghouse is the counterparty of every contract. OTC transactions are less liquid than exchange-traded derivatives since they often can only be closed out with the other party to the transaction. The Fund might be required to maintain segregated accounts and/or make margin payments when taking positions in derivative instruments involving obligations to third parties (i.e., instruments other than purchase options). If the Fund is unable to close out its positions in such instruments, it might be required to continue to maintain such assets or accounts or make such payments until the position expires, matures or is closed out. These requirements might impair the Fund’s ability to sell a security or make an investment at a time when it would otherwise be favorable to do so, or require that the Fund sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time. The Fund’s ability to sell or close out a position in an instrument prior to expiration or maturity depends upon the existence of a liquid secondary market or, in the absence of such a market, the ability and willingness of the counterparty to enter into a transaction closing out the position. Due to liquidity risk, there is no assurance that any derivatives position can be sold or closed out at a time and price that is favorable to the Fund. |
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| 5. | Legal Risk. Legal risk is the risk of loss caused by the unenforceability of a party’s obligations under the derivative. While a party seeking price certainty agrees to surrender the potential upside in exchange for downside protection, the party taking the risk is looking for a positive payoff. Despite this voluntary assumption of risk, a counterparty that has lost money in a derivative transaction may try to avoid payment by exploiting various legal uncertainties about certain derivative products. |
| 6. | Systemic or “Interconnection” Risk. Systemic or “interconnection” risk is the risk that a disruption in the financial markets will cause difficulties for all market participants. In other words, a disruption in one market will spill over into other markets, perhaps creating a chain reaction. Much of the OTC derivatives market takes place among the OTC dealers themselves, thus creating a large interconnected web of financial obligations. This interconnectedness raises the possibility that a default by one large dealer could create losses for other dealers and destabilize the entire market for OTC derivative instruments. |
Options Contracts Risk
The use of options involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions and depends on the ability of the Fund’s portfolio manager to forecast market movements correctly. The prices of options are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, or in interest or currency exchange rates, including the anticipated volatility, which in turn are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political and economic events. As a seller (writer) of a put option, the seller will tend to lose money if the value of the reference index or security falls below the strike price. As the seller (writer) of a call option, the seller will tend to lose money if the value of the reference index or security rises above the strike price. As the buyer of a put or call option, the buyer risks losing the entire premium invested in the option if the buyer does not exercise the option. The effective use of options also depends on the Fund’s ability to terminate option positions at times deemed desirable to do so. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able to effect closing transactions at any particular time or at an acceptable price. In addition, there may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values of options and their underlying securities and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options. Options may also involve the use of leverage, which could result in greater price volatility than other markets.
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Swap Agreements Risk
The use of swaps is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques, risk analyses and tax planning different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. These transactions can result in sizeable realized and unrealized capital gains and losses relative to the gains and losses from a Fund’s direct investments in securities. Transactions in swaps can involve greater risks than if a Fund had invested in the reference assets directly since, in addition to general market risks, swaps may be leveraged and are also subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk and pricing risk. However, certain risks may be reduced (but not eliminated) if a Fund invests in cleared swaps. Regulators also may impose limits on an entity’s or group of entities’ positions in certain swaps. Because bilateral swap agreements are two-party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, these swaps may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, a Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap counterparty. Many swaps are complex and valued subjectively. Swaps and other derivatives may also be subject to pricing or “basis” risk, which exists when the price of a particular derivative diverges from the price of corresponding cash market instruments. Under certain market conditions it may not be economically feasible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position in time to avoid a loss or take advantage of an opportunity. If a swap transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result insignificant losses.
Large Capitalization Companies Risk
Large capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.
Small and Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk
The Fund may invest in small and/or mid capitalization company stocks. While historically such company stocks have outperformed the stocks of large companies, the former have customarily involved more investment risk as well. Small and mid-capitalization companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources; may lack management depth or experience; and may be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic developments than large companies. Some of these companies may distribute, sell or produce products which have recently been brought to market and may be dependent on key personnel. The prices of small and mid-capitalization company securities are often more volatile than prices associated with large company issues, and can display abrupt or erratic movements at times, due to limited trading volumes and less publicly available information. Also, because small and mid-capitalization companies normally have fewer shares outstanding and these shares trade less frequently than large companies, it may be more difficult for the Fund which contains these equity securities to buy and sell significant amounts of such shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing market prices. The securities of small and mid-capitalization companies are often traded OTC and may not be traded in the volumes typical of a national securities exchange.
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Liquidity Risk
The Fund may have investments that they may not be able to dispose of or close out readily at a favorable time or price (or at all), or at a price approximating the Fund’s valuation of the investment. For example, certain investments may be subject to restrictions on resale, may trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or may not have an active trading market. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value. It may be difficult for the Fund to value illiquid securities accurately. The market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. If the Fund needed to sell a large block of illiquid securities to meet shareholder redemption request or to raise cash, these sales could further reduce the securities’ prices and adversely affect performance of the Fund. Disposal of illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for liquid securities.
Trading Issues Risk
Although Fund Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for Fund Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Fund Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Fund Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in Fund Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. In the event market makers cease making a market in Fund Shares or authorized participants stop submitting purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units, Fund Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to their NAV. 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. The Fund may have difficulty maintaining its listing on the Exchange in the event the Fund’s assets are small or the Fund does not have enough shareholders.
United States Risk
Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
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Valuation Risk
The Fund may hold securities or other assets that may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations. This may occur because the asset or security does not trade on a centralized exchange, or in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. There are multiple methods that can be used to value a portfolio holding when market quotations are not readily available. The value established for any portfolio holding at a point in time might differ from what would be produced using a different methodology or if it had been priced using market quotations. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” assets or securities, maybe subject to greater fluctuation in their valuations from one day to the next than if market quotations were used. In addition, there is no assurance that the Fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time, and it is possible that the Fund would incur a loss because a portfolio position is sold or closed out at a discount to the valuation established by the Fund at that time. The Fund’s ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
Trustees and Officers
The general supervision of the duties performed for the Fund under the Investment Management Agreement (as defined below) is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees. There are four Trustees of the Trust, one of whom is an “interested person” (as the term is defined in the 1940 Act) (the “Interested Trustee”) and three of whom are Trustees who are not officers or employees of REX Advisers or any of its affiliates (each an “Independent Trustee” and collectively the “Independent Trustees”). The Trustees serve for indefinite terms until their resignation, death or removal. The Trust has not established a lead Independent Trustee position. The Trustees set broad policies for the Fund, choose the Trust’s officers and hired the Fund’s investment adviser. Each Trustee, except for Greg King, is an Independent Trustee. Greg King is deemed an Interested Trustee of the Trust. The officers of the Trust manage its day-to-day operations, are responsible to the Board of Trustees and serve indefinite terms. The following is a list of the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust and a statement of their present positions and principal occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each Trustee oversees and the other directorships they have held during the past five years, if applicable.
| Name and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with the Trust | Length of Time Served | Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee or Officer | Other Directorships Held by Trustee in the Past Five Years |
| Interested Trustee(1) | |||||
|
Greg King Year of Birth: 1974 |
Interested Trustee | Since 2025 | Chief Executive Officer, REX Shares, LLC (2015-present); Chief Executive Officer, REX Financial LLC (2015-present); Chief Executive Officer, Osprey Funds, LLC (2019-present) | [__] | None. |
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| Name and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with the Trust | Length of Time Served | Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee or Officer | Other Directorships Held by Trustee in the Past Five Years |
| Independent Trustees | |||||
|
Jason Lu Year of Birth: 1987 |
Trustee | Since 2025 | Chief Operating Officer, Ransky Capital LLC (2023-present); Chief Investment Officer, Komodo Bay Capital Management Inc. (2020-present); Trader, 4170 Trading (2018-2020) | [__] | Director, Athena Bitcoin Global (2020-2023, 2024-present); Director, GlobalStake, LLC (2022-present); Director, AK Hospitality Group, LLC (2023-2024); Director, Vaultminer Technology Corp. (2021-2024); |
|
Ian Merrill Year of Birth: 1970 |
Trustee | Since 2025 | Chief Revenue Officer, MerQube, Inc. (2024-present); Senior Business Advisor, PEO Partners, LLC (2023-present); President, SCG Asset Management LLC (2022-2024); Global Head of Equities Structuring and Managing Director, Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank (2006-2023) | [__] | Director, Simon Investments LLC (2019-2022) |
|
Richard Shorten Year of Birth: 1967 |
Trustee | Since 2025 | Founder and Managing Member, Silvermine Capital Advisors, LLC (2020-present); Chief Executive Officer and Manager, GlobalStake, LLC (2020-present); Managing Member, Lucky Friday Labs, LLC (2020-present) | [__] | Director, ePublishing, LLC (2020-present); Director, BeaconLive, LLC (2020-present) |
| Officers | |||||
|
Greg King Year of Birth: 1974 |
Chief Executive Officer; President |
Since 2025 | Chief Executive Officer, REX Shares, LLC (2015-present); Chief Executive Officer, REX Financial LLC (2015-present); Chief Executive Officer, Osprey Funds, LLC (2019-present) | [__] | N/A |
|
Robert Rokose Year of Birth: 1970 |
Chief Financial Officer; Chief Accounting Officer; Treasurer |
Since 2025 | Chief Financial Officer, Osprey Funds, LLC (2020-present); Chief Financial Officer, REX Shares, LLC (2020-present) | [__] | N/A |
|
Greg Collett Year of Birth: 1971 |
Secretary | Since 2025 | General Counsel, REX Financial LLC (2024-present); General Counsel, SwapGlobal (2022-2024); President, BlockFi (2021-2022); Head of Investment Products, BlockFi (2021); Director, World Gold Council (2014-2020) | [__] | N/A |
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| Name and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with the Trust | Length of Time Served | Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee or Officer | Other Directorships Held by Trustee in the Past Five Years |
|
Soth Chin Year of Birth: 1966 |
Chief Compliance Officer and Anti-Money Laundering Officer | Since 2025 | Managing Member, Fit Compliance, LLC (financial services compliance and consulting firm) (2016-present) | [__] | N/A |
| (1) | Greg King is deemed an “interested person” of the Trust, as defined by the 1940 Act, due to his position at REX Financial, Inc., the parent company of the Adviser. |
Unitary Board Leadership Structure
It is anticipated that each Trustee will serve as a trustee of all funds in the REX Fund Complex (as defined below), which is known as a “unitary” board leadership structure. Each Trustee currently serves as a trustee of the Fund and is anticipated to serve as a trustee for future funds issued by the Trust (each, a “REX Fund” and collectively, the “REX Fund Complex”). None of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, nor any of their immediate family members, have ever been a director, officer or employee of, or consultant to, REX Advisers or any of its affiliates. Greg King, an Interested Trustee, serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for each fund in the REX Fund Complex.
The same four persons serve as Trustees on the Board of Trustees and are anticipated to serve on the Board of Trustees of all other funds in the REX Fund Complex. The unitary board structure was adopted for the REX Fund Complex because of the efficiencies it achieves with respect to the governance and oversight of the REX Funds. Each REX Fund is subject to the rules and regulations of the 1940 Act (and other applicable securities laws), which means that many of the REX Funds face similar issues with respect to certain of their fundamental activities, including risk management, portfolio liquidity, portfolio valuation and financial reporting. Because of the similar and often overlapping issues facing the REX Funds, including among any such exchange-traded funds, the Board of Trustees of the REX Funds believes that maintaining a unitary board structure promotes efficiency and consistency in the governance and oversight of all REX Funds and reduces the costs, administrative burdens and possible conflicts that may result from having multiple boards. In adopting a unitary board structure, the Trustees seek to provide effective governance through establishing a board the overall composition of which, as a body, possesses the appropriate skills, diversity, independence and experience to oversee the Fund’s business.
Annually, the Board of Trustees will review its governance structure and the committee structures, its performance and functions and any processes that would enhance board governance over the business of the REX Funds. The Board of Trustees has determined that its leadership structure, including the unitary board and committee structure, is appropriate based on the characteristics of the funds it serves and the characteristics of the REX Fund Complex as a whole.
The Board of Trustees has established two standing committees (as described below) and has delegated certain of its responsibilities to those committees. The Board of Trustees and its committees meet frequently throughout the year to oversee the activities of the Fund, review contractual arrangements with and the performance of service providers, oversee compliance with regulatory requirements and review the Fund’s performance. Generally, the Board of Trustees acts by majority vote of the Trustees present at a meeting, assuming a quorum is present, unless otherwise required by applicable law.
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The two standing committees of the Board of Trustees are the Nominating Committee and the Audit Committee.
The Nominating Committee is responsible for appointing and nominating non-interested persons to the Board of Trustees. Jason Lu, Ian Merrill and Richard Shorten are members of the Nominating Committee. If there is no vacancy on the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees will not actively seek recommendations from other parties, including shareholders. When a vacancy on the Board of Trustees occurs and nominations are sought to fill such vacancy, the Nominating Committee may seek nominations from those sources it deems appropriate in its discretion, including shareholders of the Fund. To submit a recommendation for nomination as a candidate for a position on the Board of Trustees, shareholders of the Fund should mail such recommendation to REX ETF Trust, 777 Brickell Avenue, Suite 500, Miami, Florida 33131. Such recommendation shall include the following information: (i) a statement in writing setting forth (A) the name, age, date of birth, business address, residence address and nationality of the person or persons to be nominated; (B) the class or series and number of all Fund Shares owned of record or beneficially by each such person or persons, as reported to such shareholder by such nominee(s); (C) any other information regarding each such person required by paragraphs (a), (d), (e) and (f) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K or paragraph (b) of Item 22 of Rule 14a-101 (Schedule 14A) under the Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”); (D) any other information regarding the person or persons to be nominated that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitation of proxies for election of trustees or directors pursuant to Section 14 of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (E) whether such shareholder believes any nominee is or will be an “interested person” of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) and, if not an “interested person,” information regarding each nominee that will be sufficient for the Fund to make such determination; and (ii) the written and signed consent of any person to be nominated to be named as a nominee and to serve as a trustee if elected. In addition, the Trustees may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as they may reasonably require or deem necessary to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a Trustee.
The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting process, the system of internal controls and audit process and for evaluating and appointing independent auditors (subject also to approval of the Board of Trustees). Jason Lu, Ian Merrill and Richard Shorten serve on the Audit Committee.
Risk Oversight
As part of the general oversight of the Fund, the Board of Trustees is involved in the risk oversight of the Fund. The Board of Trustees has adopted and periodically reviews policies and procedures designed to address the Fund’s risks. Oversight of investment and compliance risk, including, if applicable, oversight of any sub-adviser, if applicable, is performed primarily at the Board of Trustees level in conjunction with the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and Anti-Money Laundering Officer.
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The Board of Trustees has appointed a CCO who oversees the implementation and evaluation of the Fund’s compliance program. Soth Chin of Fit Compliance, LLC serves as CCO and Anti-Money Laundering Officer of the Trust. In a joint effort between the Trust and Fit Compliance, LLC to ensure the Trust complies with Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 38a-1”), Fit Compliance, LLC has agreed to render services to the Trust by entering into a Chief Compliance Officer Support Agreement (the “CCO Support Agreement”) with the Trust. Pursuant to the CCO Support Agreement, Fit Compliance, LLC designates, subject to the Trust’s approval, one of its own employees to serve as CCO of the Trust within the meaning of Rule 38a-1. Soth Chin currently serves in such capacity under the terms of the CCO Support Agreement.
Oversight of other risks also occurs at the committee level. The Adviser’s investment oversight group reports to the Board of Trustees at quarterly meetings regarding, among other things, Fund performance and the various drivers of such performance as well as information related to the Adviser and its operations and processes. The Board of Trustees reviews reports on the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance policies and procedures at each quarterly Board of Trustees meeting and receives an annual report from the CCO regarding the operations of the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance programs. In addition, the Independent Trustees meet privately each quarter with the CCO. The Audit Committee reviews with the Adviser the Fund’s major financial risk exposures and the steps the Adviser has taken to monitor and control these exposures, including the Fund’s risk assessment and risk management policies and guidelines. The Audit Committee also, as appropriate, reviews in a general manner the processes other Board committees have in place with respect to risk assessment and risk management. The Nominating Committee monitors all matters related to the corporate governance of the Trust.
Not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified nor can controls be developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. It may not be practical or cost effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, the processes and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness, and some risks are simply beyond the reasonable control of the Fund or the Adviser or other service providers. Moreover, it is necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Fund’s ability to manage risk is subject to substantial limitations.
Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications
As described above, the Nominating Committee of the Board of Trustees oversees matters related to the nomination of Trustees. The Nominating Committee seeks to establish an effective Board of Trustees with an appropriate range of skills and diversity, including, as appropriate, differences in background, professional experience, education, vocations, and other individual characteristics and traits in the aggregate. Each Trustee must meet certain basic requirements, including relevant skills and experience, time availability and, if qualifying as an Independent Trustee, independence from the Adviser, underwriters or other service providers, including any affiliates of these entities.
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Listed below for each current Trustee are the experiences, qualifications and attributes that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this SAI, that each current Trustee should serve as a Trustee in light of the Trust’s business and structure.
Interested Trustee.
Mr. King is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of REX Financial LLC. Mr. King is also the Chief Executive Officer of REX Shares, LLC and Osprey Funds, LLC, and was previously the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of VelocityShares. As the creator of several industry innovations, including filing a patent for the first exchange-traded note in 2006 for Barclays, Mr. King has created and launched over 100 exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded notes for Barclays, Credit Suisse, Global X Funds. He has an M.B.A. from University of California, Davis and is a CFA Charterholder.
Independent Trustees.
Mr. Lu has several years of experience in trading and investing in various asset classes, including crypto, commodities, and fixed income. He is currently the Chief Investment Officer of Komodo Bay Capital Management Inc., a private investment advisory firm based in Miami, and the Chief Operating Officer and Partner of Ransky Capital LLC, a proprietary trading firm with locations in Chicago, Miami, and Spain. He is also a board member of GlobalStake, LLC, a blockchain technology company, and Athena Bitcoin Global, a crypto ATM network. He previously served on the board of directors of Vaultminer Technology Corp, a crypto mining company, and AK Hospitality Group, LLC, a restaurant and hotel operator. He was formerly a trader at 4170 Trading, a crypto and traditional financial products trading firm, Old Mission Capital, LLC and Old Mission Markets LLC, a broker dealer and market maker, and MSR Investments, a commodity trading advisor. He graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2008 with a dual degree in Electrical Engineering and Economics.
Mr. Merrill is the Chief Revenue Officer of MerQube, Inc., a FinTech company that provides data and analytics solutions for the financial services industry. He is also a Senior Business Advisor to PEO Partners, LLC, a professional employer organization that offers human resources and payroll services to small and medium-sized businesses. From February 2022 to September 2024, he was the President of SCG Asset Management LLC, a registered investment adviser that specialized in alternative investments and private equity. Prior to that, he spent over 16 years at Barclays New York, where he held various senior roles in the markets division, including managing director and head of the U.S. structured products group. He also served as a member of the board of directors of Simon Investments LLC, a digital platform for alternative investments, until its sale to iCapital in August 2022. Mr. Merrill is a lawyer in good standing in the State of New York since April 2001 and has experience in corporate and derivatives law. He is also a registered representative with FINRA and holds Series 7, 63 and 24 licenses. Mr. Merrill earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Economics from Yale University.
Mr. Shorten has over 25 years of experience in the fields of investment management, blockchain technology, digital media and corporate law. He is the founder and managing member of Silvermine Capital Advisors, LLC, which manages several private funds and accounts focused on blockchain and digital assets. He is also the Chief Executive Officer and manager of GlobalStake, LLC, a blockchain and AI infrastructure provider, and the managing member of Lucky Friday Labs, LLC, a blockchain development company. In addition, he is a co-owner and director of ePublishing, LLC, a digital publishing enablement company, and a director of BeaconLive, LLC, a continuing legal education and webinar services company. Prior to founding Silvermine Capital Advisors in 2017, he served on the board of directors of five public companies. He began his career as a corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions attorney at Cravath Swaine and Moore, where he worked from 1992 to 1996. He holds a J.D. from Rutgers Law School and a B.A. in Economics and French from Colgate University.
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Each Independent Trustee is paid a fixed annual retainer of $12,000. These fees will be allocated equally among each Fund in the REX Fund Complex. Trustees are also reimbursed for travel and out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with all meetings.
The following table sets forth the estimated compensation to be earned by each Independent Trustee (including reimbursement for travel and out-of-pocket expenses) for services to the Fund and the estimated aggregate compensation to be paid to them for services to the REX Fund Complex for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. The Trust has no retirement or pension plans. The officers and Trustees who are “interested persons” as designated above serve without any compensation from the Trust. The Trust has no employees. Its officers are compensated by REX Advisers.
| Name of Trustee | Estimated Compensation from The Fund |
Estimated Total Compensation from the REX Fund Complex |
| Jason Lu | $[___] | $12,000 |
| Ian Merrill | $[___] | $12,000 |
| Richard Shorten | $[___] | $12,000 |
The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Interested and Independent Trustees in the Fund and all funds overseen by the Trustees in the REX Fund Complex as of [_____], 2025:
| Name of Trustee | Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in the REX Fund Complex |
| Interested Trustee | ||
| Greg King | N/A | N/A |
| Independent Trustees | ||
| Jason Lu | N/A | N/A |
| Ian Merrill | N/A | N/A |
| Richard Shorten | N/A | N/A |
Greg King, the Chief Executive Officer of REX Shares, LLC and REX Financial LLC, both of which are entities under common control with the Adviser, served as a board member to GlobalStake, LLC from August 2022 to his resignation in May 2025. Richard Shorten, an Independent Trustee of the Trust, serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Manager of GlobalStake, LLC.
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As of [_____], 2025, the Independent Trustees of the Trust and immediate family members did not own beneficially or of record any class of securities of an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund or any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.
As of [_____], 2025, the officers of the Trust and Trustees, in the aggregate, owned less than 1% of the shares of the Fund.
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities
A principal shareholder is any person who owns (either of record or beneficially) 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a fund. A control person is one who owns, either directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or acknowledges the existence of control.
Investment Adviser and Other Service Providers
Investment Adviser. REX Advisers, LLC (“REX Advisers” or the “Adviser”), 1241 Post Road, Second Floor, Fairfield, Connecticut 06824, is the investment adviser for the Fund. The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company and was organized in 2023.
Pursuant to an investment management agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Adviser manages the investment of the Fund’s assets and is responsible for paying all expenses of the Fund, excluding the fee payments under the Investment Management Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings (including net interest expenses incurred in connection with an investment in reverse repurchase agreements or futures contracts), dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes (of any kind or nature, including, but not limited to, income, excise, transfer and withholding taxes), brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments (including any net account or similar fees charged by futures commission merchants) or in connection with creation and redemption transactions (including without limitation any fees, charges, taxes, levies or expenses related to the purchase or sale of an amount of any currency, or the patriation or repatriation of any security or other asset, related to the execution of portfolio transactions or any creation or redemption transactions), acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, fees and expenses payable related to the provision of securities lending services, legal fees or expenses in connection with any arbitration, litigation or pending or threatened arbitration or litigation, including any settlements in connection therewith, extraordinary expenses, and distribution fees and expenses paid by the Trust under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. The Fund has agreed to pay the Adviser an annual management fee equal to a percentage of its daily net assets, as detailed in the below table.
| Fund | Management Fee |
| REX DOJE Growth & Income ETF | [__]% |
Under the Investment Management Agreement, the Adviser shall not be liable for any loss sustained by reason of the purchase, sale or retention of any security, whether or not such purchase, sale or retention shall have been based upon the investigation and research made by any other individual, firm or corporation, if such recommendation shall have been selected with due care and in good faith, except loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser in the performance of its obligations and duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties. The Investment Management Agreement is in place for the original initial two-year term, and thereafter only if approved annually by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Investment Management Agreement terminates automatically upon assignment and is terminable at any time without penalty as to the Fund by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities on 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the Fund.
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The Adviser and the Trust have received an exemptive order from the SEC which exempts the Adviser and the Trust from certain of the shareholder approval requirements of Section 15(a) of the 1940 Act and allowed the Board, subject to certain conditions, to appoint a new, unaffiliated sub-adviser and approve a new investment sub-advisory agreement on behalf of the Trust without shareholder approval.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew Pelletier and Matthew Holcomb serve as the Fund’s portfolio managers and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
| ● | Matthew Pelletier, Lead Portfolio Manager of the Adviser. Matthew Pelletier is a portfolio manager of the Fund. Mr. Pelletier joined an affiliate of the Adviser in 2021 as Managing Director of Portfolio Management. Previously, he held positions in Fixed Income Sales and Trading at BNP Paribas, Bank of the West and Susquehanna International Group. Mr. Pelletier has more than 20 years of experience in Banking and Financial Services. Mr. Pelletier earned an MBA from the University of California at Davis. |
| ● | Matthew Holcomb, Senior Vice President, Senior Trader and Portfolio Manager of the Adviser. Matthew Holcomb is a portfolio manager of the Fund. Mr. Holcomb joined Adviser in 2025 as Senior Vice President, Senior Trader and Portfolio Manager. Previously, he was the Senior Trader, Portfolio Manager, and Business Leader for Ridgefield Capital Asset Management for over 20 years. Mr. Holcomb has more than 20 years of experience in Banking and Financial Services. |
Portfolio Manager Compensation. The portfolio managers do not receive any special or additional compensation from the Adviser for their services as portfolio managers. Each portfolio manager’s compensation is based solely on the overall financial operating results of the Adviser. Each portfolio manager’s compensation is not directly linked to the Funds’ performance, although positive performance and growth in managed assets are factors that may contribute to the Adviser’s distributable profits and assets under management.
Portfolio Manager Ownership of the Fund’s Shares. As of [_____], 2025, none of the portfolio managers beneficially owned the Fund’s Shares.
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Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers. In addition to the Fund, the portfolio managers are responsible for the day-to-day management of certain other accounts, as listed below. None of the accounts managed by the portfolio managers listed below are subject to performance based advisory fees. The information below is provided as of [_____], 2025.
| Portfolio Manager | Other Registered Investment Company Accounts | Assets Managed ($ millions) |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicle Accounts | Assets Managed ($ millions) |
Other Accounts | Assets Managed ($ millions) |
| Matthew Pelletier | [__] | $[__] | [__] | $[__] | [__] | $[__] |
| Matthew Holcomb | [__] | $[__] | [__] | $[__] | [__] | $[__] |
Conflicts of Interest. The portfolio managers’ management of “other accounts” may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with his management of the Fund’s investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other. The other accounts may have the same investment objective as the Fund. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the identical investment objectives, whereby the portfolio managers could favor one account over another. Another potential conflict could include the portfolio managers’ knowledge about the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund trades, whereby the portfolio managers could use this information to the advantage of other accounts and to the disadvantage of the Fund. However, the Adviser has established policies and procedures to ensure that the purchase and sale of securities among all accounts it manages are fairly and equitably allocated.
Transfer Agent, Administrator and Fund Accountant. U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (“USBGFS” or the “Transfer Agent”), located at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the Fund’s transfer agent, administrator and fund accountant.
Pursuant to a fund administration servicing agreement, transfer agent servicing agreement and fund accounting servicing agreement between the Trust and USBGFS, USBGFS provides the Trust with administrative and management services (other than investment advisory services) and accounting services, including portfolio accounting services, tax accounting services, and furnishing financial reports. In this capacity, USBGFS does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of the Fund’s Shares. As compensation for the administration, accounting and management services, the Adviser pays USBGFS a fee based on the Fund’s average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee. USBGFS also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses for the services mentioned above, including pricing expenses.
Custodian. Pursuant to a custody agreement between the Trust and U.S. Bank National Association (“U.S. Bank” or the “Custodian”) (the “Custody Agreement”), U.S. Bank, located at 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as the custodian of the Fund’s assets. U.S. Bank holds and administers the assets in the Fund’s portfolio. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, U.S. Bank receives an annual fee from the Adviser based on the Trust’s total average daily net assets, subject to a minimum annual fee, and certain settlement charges. U.S. Bank also is entitled to certain out-of-pocket expenses.
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The net proceeds that the Fund receives pursuant to its short sale of options contracts (if any) may be retained by the Fund’s prime broker(s) (or by the Fund’s custodian in a special custody account), to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out.
Distributor. The Trust and Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) are parties to a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”), whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the Trust and distributes the Fund’s Shares. Fund Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Distributor only in Creation Units. The Distributor will not distribute Fund Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit and does not maintain a secondary market in Fund Shares. The principal business address of the Distributor is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.
Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor, as agent for the Trust, will receive orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units, provided that any subscriptions and orders will not be binding on the Trust until accepted by the Trust. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of FINRA.
The Distributor also may enter into agreements with securities dealers (“Soliciting Dealers”) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Fund Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers also may be Authorized Participants (as discussed in the section entitled “Creation and Redemption of Creation Units”) or DTC participants (as defined below).
The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually thereafter. The continuance of the Distribution Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the Fund and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Agreement or any related agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by majority vote of its outstanding voting Fund Shares or by a vote of a majority of its Board of Trustees (including a majority of the Independent Trustees), or by the Distributor on 60 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The Distribution Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Distributor, or reckless disregard by it of its obligations thereunder, the Distributor shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.
Since the inception of the Fund, there has been no underwriting commissions with respect to the sale of Fund Shares, and the Distributor did not receive compensation on redemptions for the Fund for that period.
Intermediary Compensation. The Adviser, or its affiliates, out of their own resources and not out of Fund assets (i.e., without additional cost to the Fund or its shareholders), may pay certain broker dealers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing and educational training or support. These arrangements are not financed by the Fund and, thus, do not result in increased the Fund’s expenses. They are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fees and expenses sections of the Fund’s Prospectus and they do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of the Fund’s Shares or the amount received by a shareholder as proceeds from the redemption of the Fund’s Shares.
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Such compensation may be paid to Intermediaries that provide services to the Fund, including marketing and education support (such as through conferences, webinars and printed communications). The Adviser will periodically assess the advisability of continuing to make these payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your adviser, broker or other investment professional, if any, also may be significant to such adviser, broker or investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about what investment options it will make available or recommend, and what services to provide in connection with various products, based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients. For example, these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund rather than other investments. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your financial adviser, broker or investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
Intermediary information is current only as of the date of this SAI. Please contact your adviser, broker, or other investment professional for more information regarding any payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the Adviser, or its affiliates to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy the Fund’s Shares.
Distribution and Service Plan. The Board of Trustees has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) in accordance with the provisions of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 12b-1”), which regulates circumstances under which an investment company may directly or indirectly bear expenses relating to the distribution of its shares. No payments pursuant to the Plan are expected to be made during the twelve (12) month period from the date of this SAI. Rule 12b-1 fees to be paid by the Fund under the Plan may only be imposed after approval by the Board of Trustees.
Continuance of the Plan must be approved annually by a majority of the Trustees of the Trust and by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan or in any agreements related to the Plan (“Qualified Trustees”). The Plan requires that quarterly written reports of amounts spent under the Plan and the purposes of such expenditures be furnished to and reviewed by the Trustees. The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount that may be spent thereunder without approval by a majority of the outstanding Fund Shares. All material amendments of the Plan will require approval by a majority of the Trustees of the Trust and of the Qualified Trustees.
The Plan provides that the Fund pays the Distributor an annual fee of up to a maximum of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Fund Shares. Under the Plan, the Distributor may make payments pursuant to written agreements to financial institutions and intermediaries such as banks, savings and loan associations and insurance companies including, without limit, investment counselors, broker-dealers and the Distributor’s affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively, “Agents”) as compensation for services and reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with distribution assistance. The Plan is characterized as a compensation plan since the distribution fee will be paid to the Distributor without regard to the distribution expenses incurred by the Distributor or the amount of payments made to other financial institutions and intermediaries. The Trust intends to operate the Plan in accordance with its terms and with FINRA’s rules concerning sales charges.
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Under the Plan, subject to the limitations of applicable law and regulations, the Fund is authorized to compensate the Distributor up to the maximum amount to finance any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units of the Fund or for providing or arranging for others to provide shareholder services and for the maintenance of shareholder accounts. Such activities may include, but are not limited to: (i) delivering copies of the Fund’s then current reports, prospectuses, notices, and similar materials, to prospective purchasers of Creation Units; (ii) marketing and promotional services, including advertising; (iii) paying the costs of and compensating others, including Authorized Participants with whom the Distributor has entered into written Authorized Participant Agreements, for performing shareholder servicing on behalf of the Fund; (iv) compensating certain Authorized Participants for providing assistance in distributing the Creation Units of the Fund, including the travel and communication expenses and salaries and/or commissions of sales personnel in connection with the distribution of the Creation Units of the Fund; (v) payments to financial institutions and intermediaries such as banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies and investment counselors, broker-dealers, mutual fund supermarkets and the affiliates and subsidiaries of the Trust’s service providers as compensation for services or reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with distribution assistance; (vi) facilitating communications with beneficial owners of Fund Shares, including the cost of providing (or paying others to provide) services to beneficial owners of Fund Shares, including, but not limited to, assistance in answering inquiries related to shareholder accounts; and (vii) such other services and obligations as are set forth in the Distribution Agreement.
Aggregations. Fund Shares in amounts less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to Authorized Participants purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).
The Distribution Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days’ written notice by the Trust to the Distributor (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees; or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
The Distributor may also enter into agreements with participants that utilize the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (the “DTC Participants”), which have international, operational, capabilities and place orders for Creation Units of the Fund’s Shares. Participating Parties (as defined in “Procedures for Creation of Creation Units” below) shall be DTC Participants (as defined in “DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares” below).
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The Adviser is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund and for the placement of the Fund’s securities business, the negotiation of the commissions to be paid on brokered transactions, the prices for principal trades in securities, and the allocation of portfolio brokerage and principal business.
The Adviser owes a fiduciary duty to its clients (including the Fund) to seek to provide best execution on trades effected. In selecting a broker/dealer for each specific transaction, the Adviser chooses the broker/dealer deemed most capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable execution. “Best execution” is generally understood to mean the most favorable cost or net proceeds reasonably obtainable under the circumstances. The full range of brokerage services applicable to a particular transaction may be considered when making this judgment, which may include, but is not limited to: liquidity, price, commission, timing, aggregated trades, capable floor brokers or traders, competent block trading coverage, ability to position, capital strength and stability, reliable and accurate communications and settlement processing, use of automation, knowledge of other buyers or sellers, arbitrage skills, administrative ability, underwriting and provision of information on a particular security or market in which the transaction is to occur. The specific criteria will vary depending upon the nature of the transaction, the market in which it is executed, and the extent to which it is possible to select from among multiple broker/dealers. The Adviser also will use electronic crossing networks (“ECNs”) when appropriate.
Subject to the foregoing policies, brokers or dealers selected to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions may include the Fund’s Authorized Participants or their affiliates. An Authorized Participant or its affiliates may be selected to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions in conjunction with an all-cash creation unit order or an order including “cash-in-lieu,” so long as such selection is in keeping with the foregoing policies. The Fund may determine to not charge a variable fee on certain orders when the Adviser has determined that doing so is in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders, e.g., for creation orders that facilitate the rebalance of the Fund’s portfolio in a more tax efficient manner than could be achieved without such order, even if the decision to not charge a variable fee could be viewed as benefiting the Authorized Participant or its affiliate selected to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions in connection with such orders.
The Adviser may use the Fund’s assets for, or participate in, third-party soft dollar arrangements, in addition to receiving proprietary research from various full-service brokers, the cost of which is bundled with the cost of the broker’s execution services. The Adviser does not “pay up” for the value of any such proprietary research. Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act permits the Adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause the Fund to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by the broker or dealer. The Adviser may receive a variety of research services and information on many topics, which it can use in connection with its management responsibilities with respect to the various accounts over which it exercises investment discretion or otherwise provides investment advice. The research services may include qualifying order management systems, portfolio attribution and monitoring services and computer software and access charges which are directly related to investment research. Accordingly, the Fund may pay a broker commission higher than the lowest available in recognition of the broker’s provision of such services to the Adviser, but only if the Adviser determines the total commission (including the soft dollar benefit) is comparable to the best commission rate that could be expected to be received from other brokers. The amount of soft dollar benefits received depends on the amount of brokerage transactions effected with the brokers. A conflict of interest exists because there is an incentive to: (i) cause clients to pay a higher commission than the firm might otherwise be able to negotiate; (ii) cause clients to engage in more securities transactions than would otherwise be optimal; and (iii) only recommend brokers that provide soft dollar benefits.
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The Adviser faces a potential conflict of interest when it uses client trades to obtain brokerage or research services. This conflict exists because the Adviser can use the brokerage or research services to manage client accounts without paying cash for such services, which reduces the Adviser’s expenses to the extent that the Adviser would have purchased such products had they not been provided by brokers. Section 28(e) permits the Adviser to use brokerage or research services for the benefit of any account it manages. Certain accounts managed by the Adviser may generate soft dollars used to purchase brokerage or research services that ultimately benefit other accounts managed by the Adviser, effectively cross subsidizing the other accounts managed by the Adviser that benefit directly from the product. The Adviser may not necessarily use all of the brokerage or research services in connection with managing the Fund whose trades generated the soft dollars used to purchase such products.
If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Fund and one or more other investment companies or clients supervised by the Adviser are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the several investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to all by the Adviser. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as the Fund is concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower brokerage commissions will be beneficial to the Fund. The primary consideration is prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price.
Book Entry Only System. The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus.
DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares. Fund Shares are represented by securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities, certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the “Indirect Participants”).
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Beneficial ownership of Fund Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Fund Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of Fund Shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to a letter agreement between DTC and the Trust, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of Fund Shares held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participants a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, as the registered holder of all of Fund Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the Fund’s Shares as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Fund Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the Fund Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
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Policy Regarding Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings. The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The Board of Trustees must approve all material amendments to this policy. The Fund’s portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet websites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for the Fund’s Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated each day the NYSE is open for trading via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund. The Fund’s portfolio holdings are also available on its website at www.rexshares.com. The Trust, Adviser and the Distributor will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.
Quarterly Portfolio Schedule. The Trust is required to disclose, on a quarterly basis, the complete schedule of the Fund’s portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-PORT. The Trust discloses the complete schedule of the Fund’s portfolio holdings on Form N-CSR after its second and fourth quarters. Form N-PORT and Form N-CSR for the Trust is available on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov. The Fund’s Form N-PORT and Form N-CSR may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. The Trust’s Form N-PORT and Form N-CSR are available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-617-0004 or by writing to REX ETF Trust, 777 Brickell Avenue, Suite 500, Miami, Florida 33131.
Codes of Ethics. In order to mitigate the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected by personal trading, the Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These Codes of Ethics contain policies restricting securities trading in personal accounts access persons, Trustees and others who normally come into possession of information on portfolio transactions. Personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics may invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund; however, the Codes of Ethics require that each transaction in such securities be reviewed by the Compliance Department. These Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
The Trust has adopted a proxy voting policy that seeks to ensure that proxies for securities held by the Fund are voted consistently with the best interests of the Fund.
The Board of Trustees has delegated to the Adviser the proxy voting responsibilities for the Fund and has directed the Adviser to vote proxies consistent with the Fund’s best interests. The Adviser has delegated to [_______] the day-to-day proxy voting responsibilities of the Fund and has directed [_______] to vote proxies consistent with the Fund’s best interests.
[Proxy voting policies and procedures to be provided by amendment.]
Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies (if any) relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available upon request and without charge on its website at www.rexshares.com, by calling 1-800-617-0004 or by accessing the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov.
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Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
General. ETFs, such as the Fund, generally issue and redeem their shares in primary market transactions through a creation and redemption mechanism and do not sell or redeem individual shares. Instead, financial entities, known as “Authorized Participants,” have contractual arrangements with an ETF or one of the ETF’s service providers to purchase and redeem ETF shares directly with the ETF in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units.” Prior to start of trading on each business day, an ETF publishes through the NSCC the “basket” of securities, cash or other assets that it will accept in exchange for a Creation Unit of the ETF’s shares. An Authorized Participant that wishes to effectuate a creation of an ETF’s shares deposits with the ETF the “basket” of securities, cash or other assets identified by the ETF that day, and then receives the Creation Unit of the ETF’s shares in return for those assets. After purchasing a Creation Unit, the Authorized Participant may continue to hold the ETF’s shares or sell them in the secondary market. The redemption process is the reverse of the purchase process: the authorized participant redeems a Creation Unit of ETF shares for a basket of securities, cash or other assets. The combination of the creation and redemption process with secondary market trading in ETF shares and underlying securities provides arbitrage opportunities that are designed to help keep the market price of ETF shares at or close to the NAV per share of the ETF.
Each Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC that has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase or redemption of Creation Units (a “Participant Agreement”). Orders to purchase Creation Units must be delivered through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement and must comply with the applicable provisions of such Participant Agreement. Investors wishing to purchase or sell shares generally do so on an exchange. Institutional investors other than Authorized Participants are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an Authorized Participant.
A “Business Day” is generally any day on which the NYSE, the Exchange and the Trust are open for business. The Business Day on which an order to purchase or redeem Creation Units is received in proper form is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.”
Basket Composition and Custom Baskets. Rule 6c-11(c)(3) under of the 1940 Act requires an ETF relying on the exemptions offered by Rule 6c-11 to adopt and implement written policies and procedures governing the construction of baskets and the process that the ETF will use for the acceptance of baskets. In general, in connection with the construction and acceptance of baskets, the Adviser may consider various factors, including, but not limited to: (1) whether the securities, assets and other positions comprising a basket are consistent with the ETF’s investment objective(s), policies and disclosure; (2) whether the securities, assets and other positions can legally and readily be acquired, transferred and held by the ETF and/or Authorized Participant(s), as applicable; (3) whether to utilize cash, either in lieu of securities or other instruments or as a cash balancing amount; and (4) in the case of an ETF that tracks an index, whether the securities, assets and other positions aid index tracking.
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The Fund may utilize a pro-rata basket or a custom basket in reliance on Rule 6c-11. A “pro-rata basket” is a basket that is a pro rata representation of the ETF’s portfolio holdings, except for minor deviations when it is not operationally feasible to include a particular instrument within the basket, except to the extent that the Fund utilized different baskets in transactions on the same Business Day.
Rule 6c-11 defines “custom baskets” to include two categories of baskets. First, a basket containing a non-representative selection of the ETF’s portfolio holdings would constitute a custom basket. These types of custom baskets include, but are not limited to, baskets that do not reflect: (i) a pro rata representation of the Fund’s portfolio holdings; (ii) a representative sampling of an ETF’s portfolio holdings; or (iii) changes due to a rebalancing or reconstitution of an ETF’s securities market index, if applicable. Second, if different baskets are used in transactions on the same Business Day, each basket after the initial basket would constitute a custom basket. For example, if an ETF exchanges a basket with either the same or another Authorized Participant that reflects a representative sampling that differs from the initial basket, that basket (and any such subsequent baskets) would be a custom basket. Similarly, if an ETF substitutes cash in lieu of a portion of basket assets for a single Authorized Participant, that basket would be a custom basket.
Under a variety of circumstances, an ETF and its shareholders may benefit from the flexibility afforded by custom baskets. In general terms, the use of custom baskets may reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve trading. Because utilizing custom baskets provides a way for an ETF to add, remove and re-weight portfolio securities without transacting in the market, it may help the ETF to avoid transaction costs and adverse tax consequences. Rule 6c-11 provides an ETF with flexibility to use “custom baskets” if the ETF has adopted written policies and procedures that: (1) set forth detailed parameters for the construction and acceptance of custom baskets that are in the best interests of the ETF and its shareholders, including the process for any revisions to, or deviations from, those parameters; and (2) specify the titles or roles of employees of the ETF’s investment adviser who are required to review each custom basket for compliance with those parameters.
The use of baskets that do not correspond to pro rata to an ETF’s portfolio holdings has historically created concern that an Authorized Participant could take advantage of its relationship with an ETF and pressure the ETF to construct a basket that favors an Authorized Participant to the detriment of the ETF’s shareholders. For example, because ETFs rely on Authorized Participants to maintain the secondary market by promoting an effective arbitrage mechanism, an Authorized Participant holding less liquid or less desirable securities potentially could pressure an ETF into accepting those securities in its basket in exchange for liquid ETF shares (i.e., dumping). An Authorized Participant also could pressure the ETF into including in its basket certain desirable securities in exchange for ETF shares tendered for redemption (i.e., cherry-picking). In either case, the ETF’s other investors would be disadvantaged and would be left holding shares of an ETF with a less liquid or less desirable portfolio of securities. The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures designed to mitigate these concerns but there is ultimately no guarantee that such policies and procedures will be effective.
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Basket Dissemination. Basket files are published for consumption through the NSCC, a subsidiary of Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, and can be utilized for pricing, creations, redemptions, rebalancing and custom scenarios. In most instances, pro rata baskets are calculated and supplied by the ETF’s custodial bank based on ETF holdings, whereas non-pro-rata, custom and forward-looking pro rata baskets are calculated by the Adviser and disseminated by the ETF’s custodial bank through the NSCC process.
Placement of Creation or Redemption Orders. All orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units are to be governed according to the applicable Participant Agreement that each Authorized Participant has executed. In general, all orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units must be received by the transfer agent in the proper form required by the Participant Agreement no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on each day the NYSE is open for business (the “Closing Time”) in order for the purchase or redemption of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of shares of the Fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. The Closing Time may be modified by the Fund from time-to-time by amendment to the Participant Agreement and/or applicable order form. At its discretion, the Fund may also require an Authorized Participant to submit orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units be placed earlier in the day (such as instances where an applicable market for a security comprising a creation or redemption basket closes earlier than usual).
Delivery of Redemption Proceeds. Deliveries of securities to Authorized Participants in connection with redemption orders are generally expected to be made within one Business Day. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds for the Fund may take longer than one Business Day after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act generally prohibits a registered open-end management investment company from postponing the date of satisfaction of redemption requests for more than seven days after the tender of a security for redemption. This prohibition can cause operational difficulties for ETFs that hold foreign investments and exchange in-kind baskets for Creation Units. For example, local market delivery cycles for transferring foreign investments to redeeming investors, together with local market holiday schedules, can sometimes require a delivery process in excess of seven days. However, Rule 6c-11 grants relief from Section 22(e) to permit an ETF to delay satisfaction of a redemption request for more than seven days if a local market holiday, or series of consecutive holidays, or the extended delivery cycles for transferring foreign investments to redeeming Authorized Participants, or the combination thereof prevents timely delivery of the foreign investment included in the ETF’s basket. Under this exemption, an ETF must deliver foreign investments as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 days after the tender to the ETF. The exemption therefore will permit a delay only to the extent that additional time for settlement is actually required, when a local market holiday, or series of consecutive holidays, or the extended delivery cycles for transferring foreign investments to redeeming authorized participants prevents timely delivery of the foreign investment included in the ETF’s basket. If a foreign investment settles in less than 15 days, Rule 6c-11 requires an ETF to deliver it pursuant to the standard settlement time of the local market where the investment trades. Rule 6c-11 defines “foreign investment” as any security, asset or other position of the ETF issued by a foreign issuer (as defined by Rule 3b-4 under the 1934 Act), and that is traded on a trading market outside of the United States. This definition is not limited to “foreign securities,” but also includes other investments that may not be considered securities. Although these other investments may not be securities, they may present the same challenges for timely settlement as foreign securities if they are transferred in kind.
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Creation Transaction Fees. The Fund imposes fees in connection with the purchase of Creation Units. These fees may vary based upon various facts-based circumstances, including, but not limited to, the composition of the securities included in the Creation Unit or the countries in which the transactions are settled. The price for each Creation Unit will equal the daily NAV per share of the Fund times the number of shares in a Creation Unit, plus the fees described above and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees, stamp taxes and part or all of the spread between the expected bid and offer side of the market related to the securities comprising the creation basket.
Redemption Transaction Fees. The Fund also imposes fees in connection with the redemption of Creation Units. These fees may vary based upon various facts-based circumstances, including, but not limited to, the composition of the securities included in the Creation Unit or the countries in which the transactions are settled. The price received for each Creation Unit will equal the daily NAV per share of the Fund times the number of shares in a Creation Unit, minus the fees described above and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees, stamp taxes and part or all of the spread between the expected bid and offer side of the market related to the securities comprising the redemption basket. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an Authorized Participant to effect a redemption of a Creation Unit may also be assessed an amount to cover the cost of such services. The redemption fee charged by the Fund will comply with Rule 22c-2 of the 1940 Act which limits redemption fees to no more than 2% of the value of the shares redeemed.
Suspension of Creations. The SEC has stated its position that an ETF generally may suspend the issuance of Creation Units only for a limited time and only due to extraordinary circumstances, such as when the markets on which the ETF’s portfolio holdings are traded are closed for a limited period of time. The SEC has also stated that an ETF could not set transaction fees so high as to effectively suspend the issuance of Creation Units. Circumstances in which the Fund may suspend creations include, but are not limited to: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the purchaser or group of related purchasers, upon obtaining the Creation Units of the Fund’s Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the required consideration is not delivered; (iv) the acceptance of the basket would, in the opinion of the Fund, be unlawful; or (v) there exist circumstances outside the control of the Fund that make it impossible to process purchases of Creation Units for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include: acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the transfer agent, the custodian, any sub-custodian or any other participant in the purchase process; and similar extraordinary events. The Fund reserves the right to reject a creation order transmitted to it provided that such action does not result in a suspension of sales of creation units in contravention of 6c-11 and the SEC’s positions thereunder. The Transfer Agent shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such prospective creator of the rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Fund, the transfer agent, the custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of baskets, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
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Suspension of Redemptions. An ETF may suspend the redemption of Creation Units only in accordance with Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act. Section 22(e) stipulates that no registered investment company shall suspend the right of redemption, or postpone the date of payment or satisfaction upon redemption of any redeemable security in accordance with its terms for more than seven days after the tender of such security to the company or its agent designated for that purpose for redemption, except (1) for any period (A) during which the NYSE is closed other than customary week-end and holiday closings or (B) during which trading on the NYSE is restricted; (2) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which (A) disposal by the investment company of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or (B) it is not reasonably practicable for such company fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (3) for such other periods as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of security holders of the investment company.
Exceptions to Use of Creation Units. Under Rule 6c-11 of the 1940 Act, ETFs are permitted to sell or redeem individual shares on the day of consummation of a reorganization, merger, conversion, or liquidation. In these limited circumstances, an ETF may need to issue or redeem individual shares and may need to transact without utilizing Authorized Participants.
This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning Fund Shares. This section is current as of the date of this SAI. Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax consequences to all taxpayers. For example, these summaries generally do not describe your situation if you are a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker-dealer, or other investor with special circumstances. In addition, this section does not describe your state, local or foreign tax consequences.
This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Fund. The Internal Revenue Service could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section. In addition, our counsel may not have been asked to review, and may not have reached a conclusion with respect to the federal income tax treatment of the assets to be deposited in the Fund. This may not be sufficient for prospective investors to use for the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.
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As with any investment, prospective investors should seek advice based on their individual circumstances from their own tax advisor.
The Fund intends to qualify annually and to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among other things, (i) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in certain publicly traded partnerships; (ii) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer generally limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers which the Fund controls which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more of certain publicly traded partnerships; and (iii) distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses) and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income each taxable year. There are certain exceptions for failure to qualify if the failure is for reasonable cause or is de minimis, and certain corrective action is taken and certain tax payments are made by the Fund.
As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code, but without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, that it distributes to shareholders. The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain or investment company taxable income, it will generally be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. In addition, amounts not distributed on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax unless, generally, the Fund distributes during each calendar year an amount equal to the sum of (1) at least 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar year, (2) at least 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 of the calendar year, and (3) any ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during those years. In order to prevent application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement. A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of the current calendar year if it is declared by the Fund in October, November or December with a record date in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year. Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders in the calendar year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the calendar year in which the distributions are received.
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Subject to certain reasonable cause and de minimis exceptions, if the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company or fails to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement in any taxable year, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation on its taxable income (even if such income were distributed to its shareholders) and all distributions out of earnings and profits would be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income.
Distributions. Dividends paid out of the Fund’s investment company taxable income are generally taxable to a shareholder as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. However, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at capital gains tax rates. In particular, ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain, provided that certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself.
The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distributions that may be taken into account as a dividend, which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates. The Fund cannot make any guarantees as to the amount of any distribution which will be regarded as a qualifying dividend.
Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to net investment income if the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.
A corporation that owns Fund Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies. However, certain ordinary income dividends on shares that are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund from certain domestic corporations may be reported by the Fund as being eligible for the dividends received deduction.
Distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, properly reported as capital gain dividends are taxable to a shareholder as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund Shares. An election may be available to you to defer recognition of the gain attributable to a capital gain dividend if you make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. You should talk to your tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements. Shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional the Fund’s Shares, rather than cash, generally will have a tax basis in each the Fund Share equal to the value of a share of the Fund on the reinvestment date. A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated by a shareholder as a return of capital which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his or her Fund Shares. To the extent that the amount of any such distribution exceeds the shareholder’s basis in his or her Fund Shares, the excess will be treated by the shareholder as gain from a sale or exchange of the Fund Shares.
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Shareholders will be notified annually as to the U.S. federal income tax status of distributions, and shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional Fund’s Shares will receive a report as to the value of those Fund’s Shares.
Sale or Exchange of Fund Shares. Upon the sale or other disposition of Fund Shares, which a shareholder holds as a capital asset, such a shareholder may realize a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for Fund Shares. Generally, a shareholder’s gain or loss will be a long-term gain or loss if Fund Shares have been held for more than one year. An election may be available to you to defer recognition of capital gain if you make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. You should talk to your tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements.
Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent that shares disposed of are replaced (including through reinvestment of dividends) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after disposition of shares or to the extent that the shareholder, during such period, acquires or enters into an option or contract to acquire, substantially identical stock or securities. In such a case, the basis of the Fund Shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on a disposition of Fund Shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of long-term capital gain received by the shareholder with respect to the Fund Shares.
Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units. If a shareholder exchanges securities for Creation Units the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the shareholder’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the Cash Component paid. If a shareholder exchanges Creation Units for securities, then the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the shareholder’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and the Cash Redemption Amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.
Nature of Fund Investments. Certain of the Fund’s investment practices are subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions; (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income; (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited); (iv) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash; (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur; and (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions.
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Investments in Certain Non-U.S. Corporations. If the Fund holds an equity interest in any “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”), which are generally certain non-U.S. corporations that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties or capital gains) or that hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income, the Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and additional interest charges on gains and certain distributions with respect to those equity interests, even if all the income or gain is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Fund will not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such taxes. The Fund may be able to make an election that could ameliorate these adverse tax consequences. In this case, the Fund would recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such PFIC shares, and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it did not exceed prior increases included in income. Under this election, the Fund might be required to recognize in a year income in excess of its distributions from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income would nevertheless be subject to the distribution requirement and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax (described above). Dividends paid by PFICs are not treated as qualified dividend income.
Backup Withholding. The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax from all taxable distributions and sale proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or fail to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. This withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.
Non-U.S. Shareholders. U.S. taxation of a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual, a non-U.S. trust or estate, a non-U.S. corporation or non-U.S. partnership (“non-U.S. shareholder”) depends on whether the income of the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the shareholder.
In addition to the rules described in this section concerning the potential imposition of withholding on distributions to non-U.S. persons, distributions to non-U.S. persons that are “financial institutions” may be subject to a withholding tax of 30% unless an agreement is in place between the financial institution and the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose information about accounts, equity investments, or debt interests in the financial institution held by one or more U.S. persons or the institution is resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury. For these purposes, a “financial institution” means any entity that (i) accepts deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business; (ii) holds financial assets for the account of others as a substantial portion of its business; or (iii) is engaged (or holds itself out as being engaged) primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities or any interest (including a futures contract or option) in such securities, partnership interests or commodities. This withholding tax is also currently scheduled to apply to the gross proceeds from the disposition of securities that produce U.S. source interest or dividends. However, proposed regulations may eliminate the requirement to withhold on payments of gross proceeds from dispositions.
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Distributions to non-financial non-U.S. entities (other than publicly traded non-U.S. entities, entities owned by residents of U.S. possessions, non-U.S. governments, international organizations, or non-U.S. central banks), will also be subject to a withholding tax of 30% if the entity does not certify that the entity does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provide the name, address and TIN of each substantial U.S. owner. This withholding tax is also currently scheduled to apply to the gross proceeds from the disposition of securities that produce U.S. source interest or dividends. However, proposed regulations may eliminate the requirement to withhold on payments of gross proceeds from dispositions.
Income Not Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is not “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the non-U.S. shareholder, distributions of investment company taxable income will generally be subject to a U.S. tax of 30% (or lower treaty rate), which tax is generally withheld from such distributions.
Distributions of capital gain dividends and any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains will not be subject to U.S. tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) unless the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual and is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements. However, this 30% tax on capital gains of nonresident alien individuals who are physically present in the United States for more than the 182 day period only applies in exceptional cases because any individual present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year is generally treated as a resident for U.S. income tax purposes; in that case, he or she would be subject to U.S. income tax on his or her worldwide income at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, rather than the 30% U.S. tax. In the case of a non-U.S. shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. income tax from distributions of net capital gain unless the non-U.S. shareholder certifies his or her non-U.S. status under penalties of perjury or otherwise establishes an exemption. If a non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual, any gain such shareholder realizes upon the sale or exchange of such shareholder’s shares in the Fund in the United States will ordinarily be exempt from U.S. tax unless the gain is U.S. source income and such shareholder is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements.
Distributions from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as an interest-related dividend attributable to certain interest income received by the Fund or as a short-term capital gain dividend attributable to certain net short-term capital gain income received by the Fund may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes when received by certain non-U.S. shareholders, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met. For tax years after December 31, 2022, amounts paid to or recognized by a non-U.S. affiliate that are excluded from tax under the portfolio interest, capital gain dividends, short-term capital gains or tax-exempt interest dividend exceptions or applicable treaties, may be taken into consideration in determining whether a corporation is an “applicable corporation” subject to a 15% minimum tax on adjusted financial statement income.
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In addition, capital gain distributions attributable to gains from U.S. real property interests (including certain U.S. real property holding corporations) will generally be subject to United States withholding tax and will give rise to an obligation on the part of the non-U.S. shareholder to file a United States tax return.
Income Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a non-U.S. shareholder, then distributions of investment company taxable income and capital gain dividends, any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of the Fund’s Shares will be subject to U.S. income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents and domestic corporations. Non-U.S. corporate shareholders may also be subject to the branch profits tax imposed by the Code. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.
Capital Loss Carryforward. Net capital gains of the Fund that are available for distribution to shareholders will be computed by taking into account any applicable capital loss carryforward.
Other Taxation. Fund shareholders may be subject to state, local and foreign taxes on their Fund distributions. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV per share of the Fund is computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of the Fund’s Shares outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including the management fees, are accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated and determined at the scheduled close of the regular trading session on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open, provided that fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”) announces an early closing time.
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In calculating the Fund’s NAV per Fund Share, the Fund’s investments are generally valued using market prices to the extent such market quotations are readily available. If market quotations are not readily available, including if market quotations are deemed to be unreliable by the Adviser, the Fund will fair value such investments and use the fair value to calculate the Fund’s NAV. Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act (“Rule 2a-5”), the Board of Trustees has designated the Adviser to perform the fair value determinations for the Fund’s portfolio holdings subject to the Board of Trustee’s oversight. The Adviser’s fair value determinations will be carried out in compliance with Rule 2a-5 and based on fair value methodologies established and applied by the Adviser and periodically tested to ensure such methodologies are appropriate and accurate with respect to the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The Adviser’s fair value methodologies may involve obtaining inputs and prices from third-party pricing services.
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”
General Policies. Dividends from net investment income of the Fund, if any, are declared and paid at least annually. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
Dividends and other distributions of the Fund’s Shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. No reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial Owners should contact their brokers in order to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market.
Legal Counsel. Chapman and Cutler LLP, 320 South Canal Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606, is legal counsel to the Trust.
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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Cohen & Company, Ltd., located at 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. Cohen & Company, Ltd. audits the Fund’s financial statements and performs other related audit services.
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REX ETF Trust
Part C – Other Information
| Item 28. | Exhibits |
Exhibit No. Description
| (a) | (1) Certificate of Trust, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on November 14, 2024. |
(2) Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025.
| (b) | By-Laws of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025. |
| (c) | Not applicable |
| (d) | (1) Investment Management Agreement between the Registrant and REX Advisers, LLC, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025. |
(2) Amended Schedule A to Investment Management Agreement between the Registrant and REX Advisers, LLC (2)
| (e) | (1) Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025. |
(2) Amended Exhibit A to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC (2)
| (f) | Not Applicable |
| (g) | (1) ETF Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025. |
(2) Amended Exhibit ETF Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association (2)
| (h) | (1) Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025. |
(2) Amended Exhibit A to Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (2)
(3) ETF Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025.
(4) Amended Exhibit A to ETF Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (2)
(5) Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025.
(6) Amended Exhibit A to Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, d/b/a U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (2)
(7) Form of Subscription Agreement, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025.
(8) Form of Authorized Participant Agreement, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025.
| (i) | Form of Opinion of Legal Counsel (1) |
| (j) | Not Applicable |
| (k) | Not Applicable |
| (l) | Not Applicable |
| (m) | (1) Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025. |
(2) Amended Schedule A to Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan (2)
| (n) | Not Applicable |
| (o) | Not Applicable |
| (p) | (1) Code of Ethics of Registrant, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025. |
(2) Code of Ethics of REX Advisers, LLC, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025.
(3) Code of Ethics of Distributor, not applicable per Rule 17j-1(c)(3)
| (q) | Powers of Attorney, incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-283221) filed on May 14, 2025. |
| (1) | Filed herewith. |
| (2) | To be filed by amendment. |
| Item 29. | Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control with Registrant |
Not Applicable.
| Item 30. | Indemnification |
Under the terms of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (“DSTA”) and the Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust (“Declaration of Trust”), no officer or trustee of the Registrant shall have any liability to the Registrant, its shareholders, or any other party for damages, except to the extent such limitation of liability is precluded by Delaware law, the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws of the Registrant.
Article VII, Section 2 of the Declaration of Trust sets forth the following with regard to indemnification of the Trust’s “Agents” which includes any Person who is or was a Trustee, officer, employee or other agent of the Trust or is or was serving at the request of the Trust as a trustee, director, officer, employee or other agent of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise.
(a) Indemnification by Trust. The Trust shall indemnify, out of Trust Property, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, any Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding by reason of the fact that such Person is or was an Agent of the Trust, against Expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such Proceeding if such Person acted in good faith or in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct of such Person was unlawful. The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not of itself create a presumption that the Person did not act in good faith or that the Person had reasonable cause to believe that the Person’s conduct was unlawful.
Subject to the standards and restrictions set forth in the Declaration of Trust, DSTA Section 3817 permits a statutory trust to indemnify and hold harmless any trustee, beneficial owner or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever. DSTA Section 3803 protects trustees, officers, managers and other employees, when acting in such capacity, from liability to any person other than the Registrant or beneficial owner for any act, omission or obligation of the Registrant or any trustee thereof, except as otherwise provided in the Declaration of Trust.
Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
| Item 31. | Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser |
Certain information pertaining to the business and other connections of REX Advisers, LLC, the investment adviser to the Funds, is hereby incorporated by reference from the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information contained herein. The information required by this Item with respect to any director, officer or partner of REX Advisers, LLC is incorporated by reference to the Form ADV filed by REX Advisers, LLC with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (File No. 801-128357).
| Item 32. | Principal Underwriter |
(a) Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended:
| 1. | AB Active ETFs, Inc. |
| 2. | ABS Long/Short Strategies Fund |
| 3. | ActivePassive Core Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 4. | ActivePassive Intermediate Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 5. | ActivePassive International Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 6. | ActivePassive U.S. Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 7. | AdvisorShares Trust |
| 8. | AFA Private Credit Fund |
| 9. | AGF Investments Trust |
| 10. | AIM ETF Products Trust |
| 11. | Alexis Practical Tactical ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 12. | AlphaCentric Prime Meridian Income Fund |
| 13. | American Century ETF Trust |
| 14. | Amplify ETF Trust |
| 15. | Applied Finance Dividend Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 16. | Applied Finance Explorer Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 17. | Applied Finance Select Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 18. | ARK ETF Trust |
| 19. | ARK Venture Fund |
| 20. | Bitwise Funds Trust |
| 21. | BondBloxx ETF Trust |
| 22. | Bramshill Multi-Strategy Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
| 23. | Bridgeway Funds, Inc. |
| 24. | Brinker Capital Destinations Trust |
| 25. | Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc. |
| 26. | Build Funds Trust |
| 27. | Calamos Convertible and High Income Fund |
| 28. | Calamos Convertible Opportunities and Income Fund |
| 29. | Calamos Dynamic Convertible and Income Fund |
| 30. | Calamos Global Dynamic Income Fund |
| 31. | Calamos Global Total Return Fund |
| 32. | Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund |
| 33. | Carlyle Tactical Private Credit Fund |
| 34. | Cascade Private Capital Fund |
| 35. | Catalyst Strategic Income Opportunities Fund |
| 36. | CBRE Global Real Estate Income Fund |
| 37. | Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund |
| 38. | Clifford Capital Partners Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 39. | Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund |
| 40. | Cliffwater Enhanced Lending Fund |
| 41. | Cohen & Steers ETF Trust |
| 42. | Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund, Inc. |
| 43. | Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 44. | CornerCap Small-Cap Value Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series |
| 45. | CrossingBridge Pre-Merger SPAC ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 46. | Curasset Capital Management Core Bond Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 47. | Curasset Capital Management Limited Term Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 48. | CYBER HORNET S&P 500® and Bitcoin 75/25 Strategy ETF, Series of ONEFUND Trust |
| 49. | Davis Fundamental ETF Trust |
| 50. | Defiance Connective Technologies ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions |
| 51. | Defiance Hotel, Airline, and Cruise ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions |
| 52. | Defiance Next Gen H2 ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions |
| 53. | Defiance Quantum ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions |
| 54. | Denali Structured Return Strategy Fund |
| 55. | Dividend Performers ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 56. | Dodge & Cox Funds |
| 57. | DoubleLine ETF Trust |
| 58. | DoubleLine Income Solutions Fund |
| 59. | DoubleLine Opportunistic Credit Fund |
| 60. | DoubleLine Yield Opportunities Fund |
| 61. | DriveWealth ETF Trust |
| 62. | EIP Investment Trust |
| 63. | Ellington Income Opportunities Fund |
| 64. | ETF Opportunities Trust |
| 65. | Evanston Alternative Opportunities Fund |
| 66. | Exchange Listed Funds Trust |
| 67. | Exchange Place Advisors Trust |
| 68. | FlexShares Trust |
| 69. | Forum Funds |
| 70. | Forum Funds II |
| 71. | Forum Real Estate Income Fund |
| 72. | Gramercy Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
| 73. | Grayscale Future of Finance ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions |
| 74. | Guinness Atkinson Funds |
| 75. | Harbor ETF Trust |
| 76. | Harris Oakmark ETF Trust |
| 77. | Hawaiian Tax-Free Trust |
| 78. | Horizon Kinetics Blockchain Development ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 79. | Horizon Kinetics Energy and Remediation ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 80. | Horizon Kinetics Inflation Beneficiaries ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 81. | Horizon Kinetics Medical ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 82. | Horizon Kinetics SPAC Active ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 83. | IDX Funds |
| 84. | Innovator ETFs Trust |
| 85. | Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC |
| 86. | Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC |
| 87. | Jensen Quality Growth ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 88. | John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust |
| 89. | Kurv ETF Trust |
| 90. | LDR Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 91. | Mairs & Power Balanced Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 92. | Mairs & Power Growth Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 93. | Mairs & Power Minnesota Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 94. | Mairs & Power Small Cap Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 95. | Manor Investment Funds |
| 96. | Milliman Variable Insurance Trust |
| 97. | Moerus Worldwide Value Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV |
| 98. | Morgan Stanley ETF Trust |
| 99. | Morgan Stanley Pathway Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Morgan Stanley Pathway Funds |
| 100. | Morgan Stanley Pathway Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF, Series of Morgan Stanley Pathway Funds |
| 101. | Morningstar Funds Trust |
| 102. | Mutual of America Investment Corporation |
| 103. | NEOS ETF Trust |
| 104. | Niagara Income Opportunities Fund |
| 105. | NXG Cushing® Midstream Energy Fund |
| 106. | NXG NextGen Infrastructure Income Fund |
| 107. | Opal Dividend Income ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 108. | OTG Latin American Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 109. | Overlay Shares Core Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 110. | Overlay Shares Foreign Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 111. | Overlay Shares Hedged Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 112. | Overlay Shares Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 113. | Overlay Shares Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 114. | Overlay Shares Short Term Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 115. | Overlay Shares Small Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 116. | Palmer Square Funds Trust |
| 117. | Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund |
| 118. | Partners Group Private Income Opportunities, LLC |
| 119. | Performance Trust Mutual Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 120. | Performance Trust Short Term Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers |
| 121. | Perkins Discovery Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 122. | Philotimo Focused Growth and Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 123. | Plan Investment Fund, Inc. |
| 124. | Point Bridge America First ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions |
| 125. | Precidian ETFs Trust |
| 126. | Preferred-Plus ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 127. | Rareview 2x Bull Cryptocurrency & Precious Metals ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust |
| 128. | Rareview Dynamic Fixed Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust |
| 129. | Rareview Systematic Equity ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust |
| 130. | Rareview Tax Advantaged Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust |
| 131. | Rareview Total Return Bond ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust |
| 132. | Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds |
| 133. | Reynolds Funds, Inc. |
| 134. | RiverNorth Enhanced Pre-Merger SPAC ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 135. | RiverNorth Patriot ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 136. | RMB Investors Trust |
| 137. | Robinson Opportunistic Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
| 138. | Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
| 139. | Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 140. | Roundhill Cannabis ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 141. | Roundhill ETF Trust |
| 142. | Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 143. | Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 144. | Roundhill Video Games ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 145. | Rule One Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 146. | Securian AM Real Asset Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
| 147. | Six Circles Trust |
| 148. | Sound Shore Fund, Inc. |
| 149. | SP Funds Trust |
| 150. | Sparrow Funds |
| 151. | Spear Alpha ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 152. | STF Tactical Growth & Income ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 153. | STF Tactical Growth ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 154. | Strategic Trust |
| 155. | Strategy Shares |
| 156. | Swan Hedged Equity US Large Cap ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 157. | Tekla World Healthcare Fund |
| 158. | Tema ETF Trust |
| 159. | The 2023 ETF Series Trust |
| 160. | The 2023 ETF Series Trust II |
| 161. | The Cook & Bynum Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 162. | The Community Development Fund |
| 163. | The Finite Solar Finance Fund |
| 164. | The Private Shares Fund |
| 165. | The SPAC and New Issue ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust |
| 166. | Third Avenue Trust |
| 167. | Third Avenue Variable Series Trust |
| 168. | Tidal ETF Trust |
| 169. | Tidal Trust II |
| 170. | Tidal Trust III |
| 171. | TIFF Investment Program |
| 172. | Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock Enhanced ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan |
| 173. | Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan |
| 174. | Timothy Plan International ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan |
| 175. | Timothy Plan Market Neutral ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan |
| 176. | Timothy Plan US Large/Mid Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan |
| 177. | Timothy Plan US Large/Mid Core Enhanced ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan |
| 178. | Timothy Plan US Small Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan |
| 179. | Total Fund Solution |
| 180. | Touchstone ETF Trust |
| 181. | T-Rex 2X Inverse Bitcoin Daily Target ETF, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 182. | T-Rex 2x Inverse Ether Daily Target ETF, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 183. | T-Rex 2X Long Bitcoin Daily Target ETF, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 184. | T-Rex 2x Long Ether Daily Target ETF |
| 185. | TrueShares Active Yield ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 186. | TrueShares Eagle Global Renewable Energy Income ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 187. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (April) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 188. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (August) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 189. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (December) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 190. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (February) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 191. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (January) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 192. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (July) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 193. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (June) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 194. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (March) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 195. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (May) ETF, Listed Funds Trust |
| 196. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (November) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 197. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (October) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 198. | TrueShares Structured Outcome (September) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 199. | TrueShares Technology, AI & Deep Learning ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust |
| 200. | U.S. Global Investors Funds |
| 201. | Union Street Partners Value Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 202. | Vest Bitcoin Strategy Managed Volatility Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 203. | Vest S&P 500® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 204. | Vest US Large Cap 10% Buffer Strategies Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 205. | Vest US Large Cap 10% Buffer Strategies VI Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 206. | Vest US Large Cap 20% Buffer Strategies Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 207. | Vest US Large Cap 20% Buffer Strategies VI Fund, Series of World Funds Trust |
| 208. | VictoryShares Core Intermediate Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 209. | VictoryShares Core Plus Intermediate Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 210. | VictoryShares Corporate Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 211. | VictoryShares Developed Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 212. | VictoryShares Dividend Accelerator ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 213. | VictoryShares Emerging Markets Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 214. | VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 215. | VictoryShares Free Cash Flow Growth ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 216. | VictoryShares Hedged Equity Income ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 217. | VictoryShares International High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 218. | VictoryShares International Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 219. | VictoryShares International Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 220. | VictoryShares NASDAQ Next 50 ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 221. | VictoryShares Short-Term Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 222. | VictoryShares THB Mid Cap ESG ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 223. | VictoryShares US 500 Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 224. | VictoryShares US 500 Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 225. | VictoryShares US Discovery Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 226. | VictoryShares US EQ Income Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 227. | VictoryShares US Large Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 228. | VictoryShares US Multi-Factor Minimum Volatility ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 229. | VictoryShares US Small Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 230. | VictoryShares US Small Cap Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 231. | VictoryShares US Small Mid Cap Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 232. | VictoryShares US Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 233. | VictoryShares WestEnd Economic Cycle Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 234. | VictoryShares WestEnd Global Equity ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 235. | VictoryShares WestEnd US Sector ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II |
| 236. | Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Income Fund |
| 237. | Volatility Shares Trust |
| 238. | WEBs ETF Trust |
| 239. | Wellington Global Multi-Strategy Fund |
| 240. | West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust |
| 241. | Wilshire Mutual Funds, Inc. |
| 242. | Wilshire Variable Insurance Trust |
| 243. | WisdomTree Digital Trust |
| 244. | WisdomTree Trust |
| 245. | XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust |
(b) The following are the Officers and Manager of the Distributor, the Registrant’s underwriter. The Distributor’s main business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.
| Name | Address | Position with Underwriter |
Position with Registrant |
| Teresa Cowan | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 |
President/Manager | None |
|
Chris Lanza Kate Macchia |
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, |
Vice President Vice President |
None None |
| Nanette K. Chern | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 |
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer | None |
|
Kelly B. Whetstone |
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, |
Secretary Treasurer |
None None |
| Susan L. LaFond | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 |
||
| Weston Sommers | Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101 |
Financial and Operations Principal and Chief Financial Officer |
None |
| (c) | Not Applicable. |
| Item 33. | Location of Accounts and Records |
All accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of 15 U.S.C. 80a-3-(a) and rules under that section, are maintained by the Registrant’s investment advisor, REX Advisers, LLC, 1241 Post Road, Fairfield, Connecticut 06824.
| Item 34. | Management Services |
Not Applicable.
| Item 35. | Undertakings |
Not Applicable.
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized in the City of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, on the 18th day of September, 2025.
| REX ETF Trust | ||
| By: | /s/ Gregory D. King | |
| Gregory D. King, President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated:
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ Gregory D. King | President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee | September 18, 2025 | ||
| Gregory D. King | ||||
| /s/ Robert Rokose | Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer | September 18, 2025 | ||
| Robert Rokose | ||||
| ) | ||||
| Ian G. Merrill* | Trustee | ) | By: | /s/ Gregory Collett |
| ) | Gregory Collett | |||
| Richard Shorten* | Trustee | ) | Attorney-In-Fact | |
| ) | September 18, 2025 | |||
| Huaxing (Jason) Lu* | Trustee | ) | ||
| ) | ||||
* An original powers of attorney authorizing Gregory Collett and Robert Rokose to execute the Registrant’s Registration Statement, and amendments thereto, for each of the trustees of the Registrant on whose behalf this Registration Statement is filed, were previously executed, filed as an exhibit and are incorporated by reference herein.
Index to Exhibits
| (i) | Form of Opinion of Legal Counsel |
ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS
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