Form 497 New York Life Investment
December 4, 2024 11:06 AM EST
Prospectus
NYLI CBRE Real Assets ETF ( |
NYLI MacKay Muni Intermediate ETF ( |
(formerly IQ CBRE Real Assets ETF) |
(formerly IQ MacKay Municipal Intermediate ETF) |
NYLI MacKay Core Plus Bond ETF ( |
NYLI MacKay California Muni Intermediate ETF ( |
(formerly NYLI MacKay ESG Core Plus Bond ETF) |
(formerly IQ MacKay California Municipal Intermediate ETF) |
NYLI MacKay ESG High Income ETF ( |
NYLI Winslow Large Cap Growth ETF ( |
(formerly IQ MacKay ESG High Income ETF) |
(formerly IQ Winslow Large Cap Growth ETF) |
NYLI MacKay Muni Insured ETF ( |
NYLI Winslow Focused Large Cap Growth ETF ( |
(formerly IQ MacKay Municipal Insured ETF) |
(formerly IQ Winslow Focused Large Cap Growth ETF) |
NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
Not FDIC Insured | May Lose Value | No Bank Guarantee
As amended
New York Life Investments Active ETF Trust (the “Trust”) is a registered investment company that consists of separate investment portfolios called “Funds”. This Prospectus relates to the following Funds:
Name |
CUSIP |
|
Symbol |
|
Exchange |
NYLI CBRE Real Assets ETF |
45409F710 |
|
IQRA |
|
NYSE Arca |
NYLI MacKay Core Plus Bond ETF |
45409F785 |
|
CPLB |
|
NYSE Arca |
NYLI MacKay ESG High Income ETF |
45409F736 |
|
IQHI |
|
NYSE Arca |
NYLI MacKay Muni Insured ETF |
45409F843 |
|
MMIN |
|
NYSE Arca |
NYLI MacKay Muni Intermediate ETF |
45409F827 |
|
MMIT |
|
NYSE Arca |
NYLI MacKay California Muni Intermediate ETF |
45409F777 |
|
MMCA |
|
NYSE Arca |
NYLI Winslow Large Cap Growth ETF |
45409F769 |
|
IWLG |
|
NYSE Arca |
NYLI Winslow Focused Large Cap Growth ETF |
45409F751 |
|
IWFG |
|
NYSE Arca |
Each Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). This means that shares of the Funds are listed on a national securities exchange (the “Exchange”) and trade at market prices. The market price for a Fund’s shares may be different from its net asset value per share (the “NAV”). Each Fund has its own CUSIP number and exchange trading symbol.
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Table of Contents
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Summary Information
(prior to August 28, 2024, named IQ CBRE Real Assets ETF)
The NYLI CBRE Real Assets ETF (the “Fund”) seeks total return through capital growth and current income.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): |
None |
|
|
|
Management Fee |
|
% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
|
% |
Other Expenses |
|
% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
|
% |
Expense Waiver/Reimbursement(a) |
|
% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Waiver/Reimbursement |
|
% |
(a) |
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 sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. The return of 5% and estimated expenses are for illustration purposes only, and should not be considered indicators of expected Fund expenses or performance, which may be greater or less than the estimates. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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 Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rates was
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in securities issued by real assets companies. The Fund’s Subadvisor, CBRE Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC (“CBRE” or the “Subadvisor”) defines a real assets company, as a company that derives a majority of its revenues from activities related to the ownership, operation, and development of infrastructure assets (an “infrastructure company”) and real estate (a “real estate company”).
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The Fund’s Subadvisor defines an infrastructure company as a company that derives at least 50% of its revenues or profits from, or devotes at least 50% of its assets to, the ownership, management, development, construction, renovation, enhancement, or operation of infrastructure assets or the provision of services to companies engaged in such activities. Examples of infrastructure assets include transportation assets (such as toll roads, bridges, railroads, airports, and seaports), utility assets (such as electric transmission and distribution lines, gas distribution pipelines, water pipelines and treatment facilities, and sewer facilities), energy assets (such as oil and gas pipelines, storage facilities, and other facilities used for gathering, processing, or transporting hydrocarbon products as well as contracted renewable power assets), and communications assets (such as communications towers, data centers, fiber networks, and satellites). The Subadvisor defines a real estate company as a company that derives at least 50% of its total revenue or earnings from owning, operating, leasing, developing, managing, brokering and/or selling real estate, or has at least 50% of its assets invested in real estate. Companies principally engaged in the real estate industry may include real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), real estate owners, real estate managers, real estate brokers, real estate dealers, and companies with substantial real estate holdings.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests primarily in common stock, but may also invest in other equity securities including preferred stock, convertible securities, rights or warrants to buy common stocks, master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), and depositary receipts with characteristics similar to common stock. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in exchange-traded funds or exchange-traded investment products. The Fund may invest in initial public offerings and Rule 144A securities. The Subadvisor may invest in companies with any market capitalization. However, the Subadvisor will generally not invest in companies with a market capitalization of less than $100 million at the time of purchase. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers conducting their business activities in the infrastructure group of industries and more than 25% of its total assets in securities issued by companies principally engaged in the real estate industry.
The Fund may invest in companies located throughout the world and there is no limit on the Fund’s investments in international securities. The Fund may invest up to 30% of its assets in securities of issuers in emerging markets countries. The Subadvisor defines emerging market countries as those countries that are included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The Fund’s investments may be denominated in U.S. dollars, non-U.S. currencies, or multinational currency units. The Fund may hedge its currency exposure to securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies.
Investment Process: The Subadvisor focuses on investments that generally provide the potential for attractive income growth, protection against inflation, and long-term capital appreciation. The Subadvisor uses systematic, top-down research to evaluate macroeconomic conditions, private market, and capital market trends to identify the relative value of different sectors within infrastructure companies and real estate companies and judge which market sectors offer potentially attractive returns. The Subadvisor uses proprietary analytical techniques to conduct fundamental company analysis, which provides a framework for bottom-up security selection. This approach incorporates several quantitative and qualitative factors, as well as portfolio risk management tools, that aid in evaluating performance characteristics of individual securities independently and relative to each other. The Subadvisor’s in-house valuation process examines several factors, including the company’s management and strategy, the stability and growth potential of cash flows and dividends, the location of the company’s assets, the company’s capital structure, and risk factors including regulatory environment and environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) considerations.
The Subadvisor includes ESG considerations in its analysis to help identify companies that balance the needs of all stakeholders in their communities and address ESG issues. ESG factors are assessed based on internal research and information from an independent global provider of ESG and corporate governance research. The Subadvisor includes ESG considerations in its analysis to help identify companies that balance the needs of all stakeholders in their communities and address ESG issues. ESG factors are assessed based on internal research and information from an independent global provider of ESG and corporate governance research. ESG considerations evaluated by the manager include environmental considerations such as carbon emissions reduction pathways, renewable energy targets, climate risk approach, and green building certifications. Social considerations including engagement with key stakeholders such as regulators, customers, and legislators, as well as employee satisfaction, turnover, diversity and inclusion, and development of human capital. Governance factors include board independence and structure, ownership and shareholder alignment, proxy access, takeover defenses and executive compensation.
The Subadvisor may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into opportunities believed to be more promising, among others.
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As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk
Only certain large institutions (an “Authorized Participant”) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to engage in creation and redemption transactions with the Fund, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.
Convertible Securities Risk
A convertible security has characteristics of both equity and debt securities and, as a result, is exposed to risks that are typically associated with both types of securities. Convertible securities are typically subordinate to an issuer’s other debt obligations. Issuers of convertible securities may be more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Fund could lose its entire investment.
Currency Risk
Investments directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad.
Cyber Security Risk
The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. Such events may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity and could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. In addition, cyber security breaches of the securities issuers or the Fund’s third-party service providers 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.
Depositary Receipts Risk
Sponsored depositary receipts involve risk not experienced when investing directly in the equity securities of an issuer. Depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Any distributions paid to the holders of depositary receipts are usually subject to a fee charged by the depositary. Holders of depositary receipts may have limited voting rights, and investment restrictions in certain countries may adversely impact the value of depositary receipts.
Emerging Markets Securities Risk
Securities of issuers based in countries with developing economies (emerging market countries) may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed market countries and are generally considered speculative in nature. Emerging market countries are subject to greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, rapid inflation, possible repatriation of investment income and capital, currency convertibility issues, less uniform accounting standards and more governmental limitations on foreign investment than more developed markets. Laws regarding foreign investment in emerging market securities, securities regulation, title to securities, and shareholder rights may change quickly and unpredictably. In addition, the enforcement of systems of taxation at federal, regional and local levels in emerging market countries may be inconsistent and subject to sudden change.
7
Equity Securities Risk
Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer, conditions affecting equity markets generally and political and/or economic events. Equity prices may also be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Holders of an issuer’s common stock may be subject to greater risks than holders of its preferred stock and debt securities because common stockholders’ claims are subordinated to those of holders of preferred stocks and debt securities upon the bankruptcy of an issuer.
Exchange Traded Products Risk
Unlike an investment in a mutual fund, the value of the Fund’s investment in other exchange-traded funds or exchange-traded investment products (“ETPs”) is based on its market price (rather than NAV) and the Fund could lose money due to premiums/discounts of the ETP (which could cause the Fund to buy shares at market prices that are higher than their value or sell shares at market prices that are lower than their value); the failure of an active trading market to develop; or exchange trading halts or delistings. An investment in the Fund will entail more costs and expenses than a direct investment in any Underlying ETP. As the Fund’s allocations to Underlying ETPs changes, or the expense ratio of Underlying ETPs change, the operating expenses borne by the Fund from such investments may increase or decrease.
Focused Investment Risk
To the extent that the Fund invests a large percentage of its assets in a single asset class or the securities of issuers within the same country, group of countries, region, industry, group of industries or sector, an adverse economic, market, political or regulatory development may affect the value of the Fund’s investments more than if the Fund were more broadly diversified. Different asset classes, countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries or sectors tend to go through cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to each other and to the general financial markets.
Foreign Securities Risk
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Some countries and regions have experienced security concerns, war or threats of war and aggression, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally. Foreign issuers are often subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping than are U.S. issuers, and therefore not all material information will be available. Securities exchanges or foreign governments may adopt rules or regulations that may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to invest in foreign securities or may prevent the Fund from repatriating its investments. Less developed securities markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. The less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of clearing, custody and trade settlement problems.
Foreign Securities Valuation Risk
The foreign exchanges on which securities held by the Fund trade may be closed at the time when the Fund prices its Shares and the Fund’s value may be impacted by events that cause the fair value of foreign securities to materially change between the close of the foreign exchange and the time at which the Fund prices its Shares. Additionally, because foreign exchanges on which securities held by the Fund trade may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the potential exists for the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio to change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares.
Industry/Sector Concentration Risk
The Fund’s investment of a large percentage of its assets in the securities of issuers within the same industry or sector means that an adverse economic, business or political development may affect the value of the Fund’s investments more than if the Fund were more broadly diversified. A concentration makes the Fund more susceptible to any single occurrence and may subject the Fund to greater market risk than a fund that is not so concentrated. The Fund will concentrate in the securities of issuers in the resources-related industries or sectors so identified.
Infrastructure Companies Risk
The Fund’s investments in infrastructure companies expose the Fund to potential adverse economic, regulatory, political, legal, and other changes affecting such investments. Issuers of securities in infrastructure-
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related businesses are subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs in connection with capital construction programs, high degrees of leverage; economic slowdowns; surplus capacity; difficulty in raising capital; costs associated with changes in government regulations or policies; adverse changes in tax laws; increased competition from other service providers; evolving technological developments; environmental problems; labor relations tensions; and possible corruption in publicly funded projects. Rising interest rates could lead to higher financing costs and reduced earnings for infrastructure companies/issuers.
Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) Risk
The volume of IPOs and the levels at which the newly issued stocks trade in the secondary market are affected by the performance of the stock market overall. Shares issued by companies that have recently conducted an IPO may be subject to price volatility and speculative trading due to various factors, including the absence of a prior public market, unseasoned trading, the small number of shares available for trading and limited information about the issuer’s business model, quality of management, earnings growth potential and other criteria used to evaluate its investment prospects. The prices of securities involved in IPOs are often subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than more established stocks. Additionally, the market for IPO shares can be speculative and/or inactive for extended periods of time. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Investors in IPO shares can be affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by sales of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders.
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.
Market Risk
Market risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, which may affect the Fund’s value. Turbulence in financial markets, tariffs and other protectionist measures, political developments and uncertainty, central bank policy, and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the Fund and its investments. Market disruptions could cause the Fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by a market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”) Risk
MLPs carry many of the risks inherent in investing in a partnership. State law governing partnerships is often less restrictive than state law governing corporations. Accordingly, there may be fewer protections afforded investors in a MLP. Limited partners may also have more limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP.
Operational Risk
The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund, Advisor and Subadvisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.
Portfolio Management Risk
The Fund is subject to portfolio management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result or, while it may be the desired result, may underperform other types of investment strategies. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective(s).
9
Preferred Securities Risk
Preferred securities combine some of the characteristics of both common stocks and bonds. Preferred securities are typically subordinated to bonds and other debt securities in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income, subjecting them to greater credit risk than those debt securities. Generally, holders of preferred securities have no voting rights with respect to the issuing company unless preferred dividends have been in arrears for a specified number of periods, at which time the preferred security holders may obtain limited rights. In certain circumstances, an issuer of preferred securities may defer payment on the securities and, in some cases, redeem the securities prior to a specified date. Preferred securities may also be substantially less liquid than other securities, including common stock.
Private Placement and Restricted Securities Risk
The Fund may invest in privately issued securities, including those which may be resold only in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Securities acquired in a private placement generally are subject to strict restrictions on resale, and there may be no market or a limited market for the resale of such securities. Therefore, the Fund may be unable to dispose of such securities when it desires to do so or at the most favorable price. This potential lack of liquidity also may make it more difficult to accurately value these securities.
Real Estate Companies Risk
An investment in companies that invest in real estate (including REITs) exposes the Fund to the risks of the real estate market and the risks associated with the ownership of real estate. These risks can include fluctuations in the value of or destruction of underlying properties; realignment in tenant living and work habits (for example, movements to and from different parts of a nation, a region, a state or a city); tenant or borrower default; market saturation; changes in general and local economic conditions; decreases in market rates for rents; increases in vacancies; competition; property taxes; capital expenditures or operating expenses; other economic or political events affecting the real estate industry including interest rates and government regulation; concentration in a limited number of properties, geographic regions or property types; and low quality and/or conflicted management. Real estate is generally a less liquid asset class and companies that hold real estate may not be able to liquidate or modify their holdings quickly in response to changes in economic or other market conditions. Additionally, such companies may utilize leverage, which increases investment risk and the potential for more volatility in the Fund’s returns.
Secondary Market Trading Risk
Although the Fund’s Shares are listed for trading on one or more securities exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. The trading of Shares on securities exchanges is subject to the risk of irregular trading activity. Securities exchanges have requirements that must be met in order for Shares to be listed. There can be no assurance that the requirements of an exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares will continue to be met. This risk is particularly acute for funds that fail to attract a large number of shareholders. Pursuant to an exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules, trading in the Fund’s Shares may be halted due to extraordinary market volatility. Additionally, market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund’s 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 the Fund’s Shares or Authorized Participants stop submitting purchase or redemption orders for creation units, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to its NAV.
Small- and/or Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk
Small- and mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic developments, and their securities may be less liquid and may experience greater price volatility than larger, more established companies.
Trading Price Risk
Although it is generally expected that the market price of the Fund’s Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund’s Shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply of and demand for Shares and the Fund’s NAV, among other reasons. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s Shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The market price of the Fund’s Shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid/ask” spread charged by market makers or other participants that trade the Shares. In times of severe market disruption,
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the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, Shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that an investor most wants to sell their Shares. The risk of wide bid and ask spreads may be especially pronounced for smaller funds. In addition, increased market volatility may cause wider spreads.
Valuation Risk
When valuing the Fund’s portfolio investments, if a market quotation is readily available for a portfolio investment, that investment will generally be valued at the market value. However, unlike publicly traded securities that trade on national securities exchanges, there is no central place or exchange for trading most debt securities and thus readily available market quotations are unavailable. Debt securities generally trade on an “over-the-counter” market. Due to the lack of centralized information and trading, and variations in lot sizes of certain debt securities, the valuation of debt securities may carry more uncertainty and risk than that of publicly traded securities. Debt securities are commonly valued by third-party pricing service providers that utilize a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such securities, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. However, because the available information is less reliable and more subjective, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Additionally, pricing service providers generally price debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, but some trades may occur in smaller, “odd lot” sizes, often at lower prices than institutional round lot trades. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing provided by pricing service providers will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. It is possible that the fair value determined for a portfolio instrument may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of that instrument.
Investment Advisor and Subadvisor
New York Life Investment Management LLC is the investment advisor to the Fund.
CBRE Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC is the investment subadvisor to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals of the subadvisor that are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are:
Name & Title |
Length of Service as |
Jeremy Anagnos, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Listed Infrastructure |
Since Fund’s Inception |
Daniel Foley, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Senior Vice President |
Since Fund’s Inception |
Jonathan Miniman, CFA, Global Portfolio Manager |
Since Fund’s Inception |
Joseph P. Smith, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Listed Real Assets Strategies |
Since Fund’s Inception |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Unlike conventional mutual funds, the Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis, at NAV, only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.” Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Since Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges in the secondary market at its market price rather than its NAV, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a price greater than (premium) or less than (discount) the Fund’s NAV. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf.
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Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should consult your tax advisor about your specific situation.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
12
Summary Information
(prior to December 4, 2024, named NYLI MacKay ESG Core Plus Bond ETF)
The NYLI MacKay Core Plus Bond ETF (the “Fund”) seeks total return.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): |
None |
|
|||
Management Fee |
|
|
% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
|
|
% |
Other Expenses |
|
|
% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
|
|
% |
Expense Waiver/Reimbursement(a) |
|
|
% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Waiver/Reimbursement |
|
|
% |
(a) |
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 sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. The return of 5% and estimated expenses are for illustration purposes only, and should not be considered indicators of expected Fund expenses or performance, which may be greater or less than the estimates. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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 Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rates was
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of the value of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in bonds, which include all types of debt securities, such as: debt or debt-related securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. or foreign governments, their agencies or instrumentalities; obligations of international or supranational entities; debt securities issued by U.S. or foreign corporate entities; zero coupon bonds; municipal bonds; mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities; and loan participation interests. The Fund’s bond investments may have fixed or floating rates of interest. The Fund generally seeks to invest in a broad portfolio of corporate, government, and mortgage-related and asset-backed securities.
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The Fund may invest up to 30% of its total assets in securities rated below investment grade by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) (such securities rated lower than BBB- and Baa3), or, if unrated, judged to be of comparable quality by the Subadvisor. Securities that are rated below investment grade by NRSROs are commonly referred to as “high-yield securities” or “junk bonds.” If NRSROs assign different ratings for the same security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the credit quality. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in securities of foreign issuers, including up to 10% of its net assets in securities of emerging market issuers. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in securities denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar. The Fund’s investments may also include convertible corporate securities, loans and loan participation interests. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its net assets in common stocks and other equity-related securities. The Fund may seek to hedge against its exposure to changes in the value of foreign currency, but there is no guarantee that such hedging techniques will be successful in reducing any related foreign currency valuation risk. The Fund may also invest in derivatives such as futures, forwards, options, forward commitments and swap agreements, including interest rate, total return and credit default swap agreements, to seek to enhance returns or reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings or manage duration. Commercial paper must be, when purchased, rated in the highest rating category by a NRSRO or if unrated, determined by the Subadvisor to be of comparable quality.
The Fund will generally seek to maintain a portfolio modified duration to worst within 2.5 years (plus or minus) of the duration of the Core Plus Bond Blended Index, which is a blended index consisting of 80% Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and 20% ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Constrained Index. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. Duration to worst is the duration of a bond computed using the bond’s nearest call date or maturity, whichever comes first. This measure ignores future cash flow fluctuations due to embedded optionality.
The Fund may invest in mortgage dollar rolls, to-be-announced (“TBA”) securities transactions, variable rate notes and floating rate notes. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls).
Investment Process: MacKay Shields LLC (“MacKay Shields” or the “Subadvisor”) utilizes an investment process that combines a top-down analytical framework with a rigorous bottom-up process.
Fundamental economic cycle analysis, credit quality and interest rate trends are the principal factors considered by the Subadvisor in managing the Fund and determining whether to increase or decrease the emphasis placed upon a particular type of security or industry sector within the Fund’s investment portfolio. The Subadvisor’s target duration for the Fund is based on a set of investment decisions that take into account a broad range of economic, fundamental and technical indicators.
When assessing high yield corporate bonds, the Subadvisor seeks to identify investment opportunities by analyzing individual companies and evaluating each company’s competitive position, financial condition, and business prospects. The Fund invests in companies in which the Subadvisor has judged that there is sufficient asset coverage—that is, the Subadvisor’s subjective appraisal of a company’s value compared to the value of its debt, with the intent of maximizing risk-adjusted income and returns.
The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes that the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Fund. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy, meaningful changes in the issuer’s financial condition and competitiveness, and changes in the condition and outlook in the issuer’s industry.
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk
Asset-backed securities are securities that represent interests in, and whose values and payments are based on, a “pool” of underlying assets, which may include, among others, lower-rated debt securities and corporate
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loans, consumer loans or mortgages and leases of property. Asset-backed securities include collateralized debt obligations, collateralized bond obligations, and collateralized loan obligations and other similarly structured vehicles. As with other debt securities, asset-backed securities are subject to credit risk, extension risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk. The impairment of the value of collateral or other assets underlying an asset-backed security, such as a result of non-payment of loans or non-performance of underlying assets, may result in a reduction in the value of such asset-backed securities and losses to the Fund.
Investments in mortgage-related securities make an investor more susceptible to adverse economic, interest rate, political or regulatory events that affect the value of real estate. Mortgage-related securities are also significantly affected by the rate of prepayments. Impairment of the underlying obligations or collateral, such as by non-payment, will reduce a mortgage-related security’s value.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk
Only certain large institutions may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (each, an “Authorized Participant”). The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to engage in creation and redemption transactions with the Fund, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.
Cash Transactions Risk
The Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than for in-kind securities. For this reason, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. The Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if the Fund had made a redemption in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process.
Convertible Securities Risk
A convertible security has characteristics of both equity and debt securities and, as a result, is exposed to risks that are typically associated with both types of securities. Convertible securities are typically subordinate to an issuer’s other debt obligations. Issuers of convertible securities may be more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Fund could lose its entire investment.
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities will be unable or unwilling to make its timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor its obligations. Changes in an issuer’s or counterparty’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s or counterparty’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer’s or counterparty’s financial condition and on the terms of an obligation.
Currency Risk
Investments directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad.
Cyber Security Risk
The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. Such events may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity and could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. In addition, cyber security breaches of the securities issuers or the Fund’s third-party service providers 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.
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Debt Securities Risk
The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, e.g., the issuer or guarantor of a debt security may be unable or unwilling (or be perceived as unable or unwilling) to make timely principal and/or interest payments or otherwise honor its obligations; (ii) interest rate risk, e.g., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security generally goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security generally goes up; (iii) liquidity risk and valuation risk, e.g., debt securities generally do not trade on a securities exchange, making them generally less liquid and more difficult to value than common stock; (iv) call risk and income risk, e.g., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates; and (v) extension risk, e.g., if interest rates rise, repayments of debt securities may occur more slowly than anticipated by the market, which may drive the prices of these securities down because their interest rates are lower than the current interest rate and the securities remain outstanding longer. Debt securities most frequently trade in institutional round lot size transactions. If the Fund purchases bonds in amounts less than the institutional round lot size, which are frequently referred to as “odd” lots, the odd lot size positions may have more price volatility than institutional round lot size positions. The Fund uses a third-party pricing service to value bond holdings and the pricing service values bonds assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size.
Derivatives Risk
Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index and involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with other investments. These risks include: (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivatives transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset. Derivative prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time. Such prices are influenced by numerous factors that affect the markets, including, but not limited changing supply and demand relationships, government programs and policies, national and international political and economic events, changes in interest rates, inflation and deflation, and changes in supply and demand relationships. Unlike other investments, derivative contracts often have leverage inherent in their terms. The use of leveraged derivatives can magnify potential for gain or loss and, therefore, amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s Share price. The effects of leverage may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so.
Emerging Markets Securities Risk
Securities of issuers based in countries with developing economies (emerging market countries) may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed market countries and are generally considered speculative in nature. Emerging market countries are subject to greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, rapid inflation, possible repatriation of investment income and capital, currency convertibility issues, less uniform accounting standards and more governmental limitations on foreign investment than more developed markets. Laws regarding foreign investment in emerging market securities, securities regulation, title to securities, and shareholder rights may change quickly and unpredictably. In addition, the enforcement of systems of taxation at federal, regional and local levels in emerging market countries may be inconsistent and subject to sudden change.
Equity Securities Risk
Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer, conditions affecting equity markets generally and political and/or economic events. Equity prices may also be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Holders of an issuer’s common stock may be subject to greater risks than holders of its preferred stock and debt securities because common stockholders’ claims are subordinated to those of holders of preferred stocks and debt securities upon the bankruptcy of an issuer.
Foreign Currency Forward Contracts Risk
When trading in foreign currency forward contracts, the Fund will contract with a foreign or domestic bank, or a foreign or domestic securities dealer, to make or take future delivery of a specified amount of a particular currency. There are no limitations on daily price moves in such forward contracts, and banks and dealers are not required to continue to make markets in such contracts. Governmental imposition of credit controls might limit any such forward contract trading. Foreign currency forward contracts involve certain risks, including the risk of failure of the counterparty to perform its obligations under the contract and the risk that the use of forward contracts may not serve as a complete hedge because of an imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the contracts and the prices of the currencies hedged.
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Foreign Securities Risk
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Some countries and regions have experienced security concerns, war or threats of war and aggression, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally. Foreign issuers are often subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping than are U.S. issuers, and therefore not all material information will be available. Securities exchanges or foreign governments may adopt rules or regulations that may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to invest in foreign securities or may prevent the Fund from repatriating its investments. Less developed securities markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. The less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of clearing, custody and trade settlement problems.
Foreign Securities Valuation Risk
The foreign exchanges on which securities held by the Fund trade may be closed at the time when the Fund prices its Shares and the Fund’s value may be impacted by events that cause the fair value of foreign securities to materially change between the close of the foreign exchange and the time at which the Fund prices its Shares. Additionally, because foreign exchanges on which securities held by the Fund trade may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the potential exists for the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio to change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares.
Futures Contracts Risk
Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts and the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the Fund’s volatility. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning.
High Yield Securities Risk
High yield securities, or “junk” bonds, generally offer a higher current yield than the yield available from higher grade issues, but are subject to greater market fluctuations, are less liquid and provide a greater risk of loss than investment grade securities, and therefore are considered to be highly speculative. In general, high yield securities may have a greater risk of default than other types of securities and could cause income and principal losses for the Fund.
Income Risk
The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall or if there are defaults in its portfolio. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding securities when securities in its portfolio mature or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional securities.
Interest Rate Risk
An increase in interest rates may cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline. Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations or floating or adjustable interest rates. The negative impact on the Fund from potential interest rate increases could be swift and significant, including falling market values, increased redemptions and reduced liquidity. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates during periods of low interest rates.
When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the issuer (or other obligated party) more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. The value of securities with longer maturities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than does the value of securities with shorter maturities. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable security held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in
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securities with lower yields, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Issuer Risk
The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes to the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Certain investments may be subject to restrictions on resale, trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lack an active trading market. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to sell or close out of such investments at favorable times or prices (or at all), or at the prices approximating those at which the Fund currently values them. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value.
Market Risk
Market risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, which may affect the Fund’s value. Turbulence in financial markets, tariffs and other protectionist measures, political developments and uncertainty, central bank policy, and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the Fund and its investments. Market disruptions could cause the Fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by a market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Money Market/Short-Term Securities Risk
To the extent the Fund holds cash or invests in money market or short-term securities, the Fund may be less likely to achieve its investment objective. In addition, it is possible that the Fund’s investments in these instruments could lose money.
Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk
A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Fund sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Fund at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.
Municipal Bond Risk
Issuers, including governmental issuers, may be unable to pay their obligations as they come due. The values of Municipal Bonds that depend on a specific revenue source to fund their payment obligations may fluctuate as a result of actual or anticipated changes in the cash flows generated by the revenue source or changes in the priority of the municipal obligation to receive the cash flows generated by the revenue source. The values of Municipal Bonds held by the Fund may be adversely affected by local political and economic conditions and developments. Adverse conditions in an industry significant to a local economy could have a correspondingly adverse effect on the financial condition of local issuers. This risk would be heightened to the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in Municipal Bonds issued pursuant to similar projects or whose interest is paid solely from revenues of similar projects. In addition, income from Municipal Bonds held by the Fund could be declared taxable because of, among other things, unfavorable changes in tax laws, adverse interpretations by the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities, or noncompliant conduct of an issuer or other obligated party. Loss of tax-exempt status may cause interest received and distributed to shareholders by the Fund to be taxable and may result in a significant decline in the values of such municipal securities. There are various different types of Municipal Bonds, each with its own unique risk profile. Some of these risks include:
•General Obligation Bonds Risk—timely payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base;
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•Revenue Bonds (including Industrial Development Bonds) Risk—timely payments depend on the money earned by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues derived from another source, and may be negatively impacted by the general credit of the user of the facility;
•Private Activity Bonds Risk—municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise, which is solely responsible for paying the principal and interest on the bonds, and payment under these bonds depends on the private enterprise’s ability to do so;
•Moral Obligation Bonds Risk—moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation, of the state or municipality;
•Municipal Notes Risk—municipal notes are shorter-term municipal debt obligations that pay interest that is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, generally excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes (except that the interest may be includable in taxable income for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax) and that have a maturity that is generally one year or less. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and the Fund may lose money; and
•Municipal Lease Obligations Risk—in a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease obligation, the lease obligation is secured by the leased property.
Municipal Bond Market Liquidity Risk
Inventories of Municipal Bonds held by brokers and dealers may decrease, lessening their ability to make a market in these securities. Any reduction in market-making capacity has the potential to decrease the Fund’s ability to buy or sell Municipal Bonds and increase price volatility and trading costs, particularly during periods of economic or market stress. As a result, the Fund may be forced to accept a lower price to sell a Municipal Bond, to sell other securities to raise cash, or to give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on performance.
Operational Risk
The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and Advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.
Portfolio Management Risk
The Fund is subject to portfolio management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result or, while it may be the desired result, may underperform other types of investment strategies. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective(s).
Portfolio Turnover Risk
The Fund’s strategy may frequently involve buying and selling portfolio securities to rebalance the Fund’s investment exposures. High portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and generating greater tax liabilities for shareholders. Portfolio turnover risk may cause the Fund’s performance to be less than expected.
Risks of Investing in Loans
Investments in loans are subject to the same risks as investments in other types of debt securities, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk that may be heightened because of the limited public information available regarding loans and because loan borrowers may be leveraged and tend to be more adversely affected by changes in market or economic conditions. Default in the payment of interest or principal on a loan will result in a reduction in the value of the loan and consequently a reduction in the value of an investment in that loan. If an investor holds a loan through another financial institution or relies on a financial institution to administer the loan, its receipt of principal and interest on the loan may be subject to the credit risk of that financial institution. It is possible that any collateral securing a loan may be insufficient or unavailable to the investor, and that the investor’s rights to collateral may be limited by bankruptcy or insolvency laws. Additionally, there is no central clearinghouse for loan trades and the loan market has not
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established enforceable settlement standards or remedies for failure to settle. Consequently, the secondary market for loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods (in some cases longer than 7 days), which may cause an investor to be unable to realize the full value of its investment. In addition, loans are generally not registered with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be considered “securities,” and an investor may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws. An investment in loans made to non-U.S. borrowers may be affected by political and social instability, changes in economic or taxation policies, difficulties in enforcing obligations, decreased liquidity and increased volatility. Foreign borrowers may be subject to less regulation, resulting in less publicly available information about the borrowers.
The loan market has seen a significant increase in loans with weaker lender protections including, but not limited to, limited financial maintenance covenants or, in some cases, no financial maintenance covenants (i.e., “covenant-lite loans”) that would typically be included in a traditional loan agreement and general weakening of other restrictive covenants applicable to the borrower such as limitations on incurrence of additional debt, restrictions on payments of junior debt or restrictions on dividends and distributions. Weaker lender protections such as the absence of financial maintenance covenants in a loan agreement and the inclusion of “borrower-favorable” terms may impact recovery values and/or trading levels of loans in the future. The absence of financial maintenance covenants in a loan agreement generally means that the lender may not be able to declare a default if financial performance deteriorates. This may hinder an investor’s ability to reprice credit risk associated with a particular borrower and reduce the investor’s ability to restructure a problematic loan and mitigate potential loss. As a result, an investor’s exposure to losses on investments in loans may be increased, especially during a downturn in the credit cycle or changes in market or economic conditions.
Risks of Loan Assignments and Participations
The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchaser of an assignment may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. Because assignments may be arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligations acquired by the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. In addition, if the loan is foreclosed, the purchaser of an assignment could become part owner of any collateral and could bear the costs and liabilities of owning and disposing of the collateral. To the extent an investor sells a loan by way of assignment, the investor may be required to pass along a portion of any fees to which the investor was entitled under the loan. In connection with purchasing participations, such purchaser generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the purchaser may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the purchaser will be subject to the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling a participation, the purchaser may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower.
Secondary Market Trading Risk
Although the Fund’s Shares are listed for trading on one or more securities exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. The trading of Shares on securities exchanges is subject to the risk of irregular trading activity. Securities exchanges have requirements that must be met in order for Shares to be listed. There can be no assurance that the requirements of an exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares will continue to be met. This risk is particularly acute for funds that fail to attract a large number of shareholders. Pursuant to an exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules, trading in the Fund’s Shares may be halted due to extraordinary market volatility. Additionally, market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund’s 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 the Fund’s Shares or Authorized Participants stop submitting purchase or redemption orders for creation units, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to its NAV.
Swap Agreements Risk
Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into for a set period of time in which the parties agree to exchange payments based on some underlying reference or asset (such as interest rates). Swap agreements may involve greater risks than direct investment in securities as they may be leveraged and are subject to credit risk, counterparty risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk. A swap agreement could result in losses if the
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underlying reference or asset does not perform as anticipated. In addition, many swaps 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.
TBA Securities Risk
In a TBA securities transaction, the Fund commits to purchase certain securities for a fixed price at a future date. The principal risks of a TBA securities transaction are that the counterparty may not deliver the security as promised and/or that the value of the TBA security may decline prior to when the Fund receives the security.
Trading Price Risk
Although it is generally expected that the market price of the Fund’s Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund’s Shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply of and demand for Shares and the Fund’s NAV, among other reasons. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s Shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The market price of the Fund’s Shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid/ask” spread charged by market makers or other participants that trade the Shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, Shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that an investor most wants to sell their Shares. The risk of wide bid and ask spreads may be especially pronounced for smaller funds. In addition, increased market volatility may cause wider spreads.
Valuation Risk
When valuing the Fund’s portfolio investments, if a market quotation is readily available for a portfolio investment, that investment will generally be valued at the market value. However, unlike publicly traded securities that trade on national securities exchanges, there is no central place or exchange for trading most debt securities and thus readily available market quotations are unavailable. Debt securities generally trade on an “over-the-counter” market. Due to the lack of centralized information and trading, and variations in lot sizes of certain debt securities, the valuation of debt securities may carry more uncertainty and risk than that of publicly traded securities. Debt securities are commonly valued by third-party pricing service providers that utilize a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such securities, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. However, because the available information is less reliable and more subjective, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Additionally, pricing service providers generally price debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, but some trades may occur in smaller, “odd lot” sizes, often at lower prices than institutional round lot trades. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing provided by pricing service providers will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. It is possible that the fair value determined for a portfolio instrument may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of that instrument.
Variable and Floating Rate Instruments Risk
Variable and floating rate instruments include debt securities issued by corporate and governmental entities, bank loans, mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities, preferred equity securities and derivative variable rate securities, such as inverse floaters. Variable and floating rate instruments are structured so that the instrument’s coupon rate fluctuates based upon the level of a reference rate. A variable or floating rate instrument’s coupon rate resets periodically according to its terms. Consequently, in a rising interest rate environment, variable and floating rate instruments with coupon rates that reset infrequently may lag behind the changes in market interest rates.
Zero Coupon Securities Risk
Zero coupon securities do not pay interest on a current basis. The interest earned on zero coupon securities is, implicitly, automatically compounded and paid out at maturity. Zero coupon securities are subject to substantially greater market price fluctuations during periods of changing prevailing interest rates than are comparable securities that make current distributions of interest.
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All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions.
2022 | - |
2023 |
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)
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Return |
Quarter/Year |
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4Q/2023 |
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- |
2Q/2022 |
|
1 Year |
Since Inception(1) |
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Returns before taxes |
|
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|
- |
|
Returns after taxes on distributions(2) |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares(2) |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Core Plus Bond Blended Index |
|
|
|
|
- |
|
(1) |
(2) |
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Investment Advisor and Subadvisor
New York Life Investment Management LLC is the investment advisor to the Fund.
MacKay Shields LLC is the investment subadvisor of the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals of the subadvisor that are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are:
Name & Title |
Length of Service as |
Neil Moriarty, III, Senior Managing Director |
Since Fund’s Inception |
Michael DePalma, Senior Managing Director |
Since 2023 |
Andrew Susser, Executive Managing Director |
Since December 2024 |
Lesya Paisley, Director |
Since 2022 |
Zachary Aronson, Director |
Since August 2024 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Unlike conventional mutual funds, the Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis, at NAV, only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.” Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Since Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges in the secondary market at its market price rather than its NAV, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a price greater than (premium) or less than (discount) the Fund’s NAV. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should consult your tax advisor about your specific situation.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
23
Summary Information
(prior to August 28, 2024, named IQ MacKay ESG High Income ETF)
The NYLI MacKay ESG High Income ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to maximize current income, while incorporating the Subadvisor’s ESG investment strategy.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): |
None |
|
|||
Management Fee |
|
|
% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
|
|
% |
Other Expenses |
|
|
% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
|
|
% |
Expense Waiver/Reimbursement(a) |
|
|
% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Waiver/Reimbursement |
|
|
% |
(a) |
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 sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. The return of 5% and estimated expenses are for illustration purposes only, and should not be considered indicators of expected Fund expenses or performance, which may be greater or less than the estimates. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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 Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rates was
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective through investments in debt instruments offering attractive levels of yield. This Fund expects to invest primarily in U.S. corporate debt securities, non-U.S. corporate debt securities, convertible corporate securities, loans and loan participation interests that are rated below investment grade by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) (such securities rated lower than BBB- and Baa3), or, if unrated, judged to be of comparable quality by MacKay Shields LLC (the “Subadvisor”). Securities that are rated below investment grade by NRSROs are commonly referred to as “high-yield securities” or “junk bonds.” If NRSROs assign different ratings to the same instrument for purposes
24
of determining the security’s credit quality, the Fund will use the middle rating when three NRSROs rate the security. For securities where only two NRSROs rate the security, the Fund will use the lower rating. If only one rating is available for a security, the Fund will use that rating. The Fund may invest without limitation in below investment grade securities.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in instruments that meet the Subadvisor’s environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) criteria. The Subadvisor analyzes and applies its ESG criteria to corporate issuers and the Subadvisor’s ESG analysis includes its own proprietary assessments of ESG factors as well as standards developed and set forth by recognized organizations such as entities sponsored by the United Nations.
The Fund will not invest in instruments of corporate issuers that have been determined by the Subadvisor, through its own analysis or using third party data, to not be in compliance with the Principles of the UN Global Compact. The Fund will also not invest in instruments of corporate issuers that have been determined by the Subadvisor, through its own analysis or using third party data, to: (i) derive greater than 5% of their revenue from (a) the mining of coal, (b) the manufacture or production of tobacco, (c) the extraction or processing of oil sands, or (d) arctic oil and gas extraction; or (ii) the manufacture of controversial weapons (such as anti-personnel mines, biological weapons, chemical weapons, cluster munitions, depleted uranium ammunition and armor, incendiary weapons, nuclear weapons, and white phosphorus munitions).
The Fund may hold cash or invest in short-term instruments during times when the Subadvisor is unable to identify attractive high income securities. To the extent possible, the Fund will attempt to hedge its foreign currency exposure against the U.S. dollar. The Fund may also invest in derivatives, such as futures, forwards, options, forward commitments and swap agreements, including interest rate, total return and credit default swap agreements, to seek to enhance returns or to reduce the risk of loss by hedging certain of its holdings or manage duration. In times of unusual or adverse market, economic or political conditions, the Fund may invest without limit in investment grade securities and may invest in U.S. government securities or other high-quality money market instruments. To the extent the Fund is invested in cash, investment grade debt or other high-quality instruments, the yield on these investments tends to be lower than the yield on other investments normally purchased by the Fund. Although investing heavily in these investments may help to preserve the Fund’s assets, it may not be consistent with the Fund’s primary investment objective and may limit the Fund’s ability to achieve a high level of income.
The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy that it may invest up to 20% of its net assets in common stocks and other equity-related securities, including in connection with restructurings.
The Fund may invest up to 10% of its net assets in underlying funds, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds and closed-end funds.
The Fund may invest in mortgage dollar rolls, to-be-announced (“TBA”) securities transactions, variable rate notes and floating rate notes. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis. The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls).
The Investment Process: The Subadvisor utilizes a top-down and bottom-up approach in its investment decision-making process. The top-down element of the investment process incorporates an analysis of the important economic underpinnings of the market’s risk cycle. The investment team believes that monetary policy, as dictated by central bank actions, is a significant contributor to credit creation and an important driver of the inflection points in the market cycle.
The bottom-up component of the investment team’s investment process feeds into its macro analysis to help identify significant changes in financial market conditions, real economic developments and areas of credit excess. Credits are run through a multi-factor analysis of financial and non-financial risk characteristics seeking to gain a complete picture of the credit profile of an issuer prior to investment.
The Subadvisor’s ESG analysis evaluates securities using environmental, social, corporate governance factors. The Subadvisor considers these ESG criteria systematically throughout the Fund’s investment process. The Subadvisor’s ESG analysis evaluates each issuer relative to other issuers in the relevant peer group and asset class. The Subadvisor’s ESG analysis is a proprietary process developed by the Subadvisor that assigns each issuer separate “environmental,” “social,” and “governance” scores based on ESG factors deemed most material to that asset class and peer group.
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Although the Subadvisor does not use third party ESG scores to calculate an issuer’s ESG score, as described further below, the Subadvisor may use third-party research to help identify sustainability issues that are likely to affect the financial condition or operating performance of an issuer.
The Subadvisor’s scoring process seeks to rate issuers as “outperforming,” “average,” or “underperforming” within each of the environmental, social and governance factors versus peers. The issuer’s score in each of the three factors is combined on an equally weighted basis to determine the issuer’s overall ESG score. In addition to an issuer’s current overall score, the Subadvisor also considers the historical trend in an issuer’s score and seeks to identify opportunities where a company has improved its ESG practices and is expected to continue to demonstrate further improvement. A security meets the Subadvisor’s ESG criteria if it: (i) has received a score of at least “average”; or (ii) if the issuer’s current score is below “average,” the issuer has demonstrated a trend of improving scores. During the portfolio construction process, the Subadvisor will assess overall environmental, social and governance scores across the portfolio, as well as by overall issuer score.
The Subadvisor’s process for corporate credit ESG analysis includes evaluating material ESG factors on an industry-by-industry basis and issuer performance of those factors is based on under/outperformance of industry peers. Factors considered as part of the Subadvisor’s ESG analysis of corporate issuers include:
•Environmental factors such as the issuer’s ability to identify and mitigate pecuniary environmental risk exposure, predominantly arising from regulatory factors in a transition to a low carbon economy.
•Social factors such as an issuer’s ability to effectively identify and mitigate pecuniary social risk exposure, such as human capital management, customer privacy and data security.
•Governance factors such as assessing an issuer’s quality of management and business oversight.
The Subadvisor’s engagement activities may include, but are not limited to, in-person meetings and phone calls with issuers to understand their sustainability goals and business practices as well as other industry participants engaged in ESG and sustainability initiatives. This engagement allows the Subadvisor to better align mutual interests while impacting change.
The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes that the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Fund or no longer meets its ESG standards. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy, meaningful changes in the issuer’s financial condition, changes in the condition and outlook.
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk
Only certain large institutions may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (each, an “Authorized Participant”). The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to engage in creation and redemption transactions with the Fund, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.
Cash Transactions Risk
The Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than for in-kind securities. For this reason, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. The Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if the Fund had made a redemption in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process.
26
Convertible Securities Risk
A convertible security has characteristics of both equity and debt securities and, as a result, is exposed to risks that are typically associated with both types of securities. Convertible securities are typically subordinate to an issuer’s other debt obligations. Issuers of convertible securities may be more vulnerable to changes in the economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, which could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, the Fund could lose its entire investment.
Corporate Bonds Risk
Corporate bonds are debt obligations issued by corporations. Corporate bonds are generally used by corporations to borrow money from investors. The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest earned on the security and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate bond may be affected by changes in the market rate of interest, the credit rating of the issuer, the issuer’s performance and perceptions of the issuer in the marketplace. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument.
Counterparty Risk
A counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement or the party with whom the Fund executes transactions) to a transaction with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest, settlement or margin payments, fulfill the delivery conditions of the contract or transaction, or otherwise honor its obligations. If a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction, but the Fund may be unable to terminate or realize any gain on the investment or transaction, resulting in a loss to the Fund. The Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in an insolvency, bankruptcy, or other reorganization proceeding involving a counterparty (including recovery of any collateral posted by it) and may obtain limited or no recovery in such circumstances.
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities will be unable or unwilling to make its timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor its obligations. Changes in an issuer’s or counterparty’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s or counterparty’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer’s or counterparty’s financial condition and on the terms of an obligation.
Cyber Security Risk
The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. Such events may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity and could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. In addition, cyber security breaches of the securities issuers or the Fund’s third-party service providers 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.
Debt Securities Risk
The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, e.g., the issuer or guarantor of a debt security may be unable or unwilling (or be perceived as unable or unwilling) to make timely principal and/or interest payments or otherwise honor its obligations; (ii) interest rate risk, e.g., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security generally goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security generally goes up; (iii) liquidity risk and valuation risk, e.g., debt securities generally do not trade on a securities exchange, making them generally less liquid and more difficult to value than common stock; (iv) call risk and income risk, e.g., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates; and (v) extension risk, e.g., if interest rates rise, repayments of debt securities may occur more slowly than anticipated by the market, which may drive the prices of these securities down because their interest rates are lower than the current interest rate and the securities remain outstanding longer. Debt securities most frequently trade in institutional round lot size transactions. If the Fund purchases bonds in amounts less than the institutional round lot size, which are frequently referred to as “odd” lots, the odd lot size positions may have more price volatility than institutional round lot size positions. The Fund uses a third-party pricing service to value bond holdings and the pricing service values bonds assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size.
27
Derivatives Risk
Derivatives are investments whose value depends on (or is derived from) the value of an underlying instrument, such as a security, asset, reference rate or index and involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with other investments. These risks include: (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivatives transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset. Derivative prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time. Such prices are influenced by numerous factors that affect the markets, including, but not limited to, changing supply and demand relationships, government programs and policies, national and international political and economic events, changes in interest rates, inflation and deflation, and changes in supply and demand relationships. Unlike other investments, derivative contracts often have leverage inherent in their terms. The use of leveraged derivatives can magnify potential for gain or loss and, therefore, amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s Share price. The effects of leverage may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so.
Equity Securities Risk
Investments in common stocks and other equity securities are particularly subject to the risk of changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer, conditions affecting equity markets generally and political and/or economic events. Equity prices may also be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Holders of an issuer’s common stock may be subject to greater risks than holders of its preferred stock and debt securities because common stockholders’ claims are subordinated to those of holders of preferred stocks and debt securities upon the bankruptcy of an issuer.
Exchange Traded Products Risk
Unlike an investment in a mutual fund, the value of the Fund’s investment in other exchange-traded funds or exchange-traded investment products (“ETPs”) is based on its market price (rather than NAV) and the Fund could lose money due to premiums/discounts of the ETP (which could cause the Fund to buy shares at market prices that are higher than their value or sell shares at market prices that are lower than their value); the failure of an active trading market to develop; or exchange trading halts or delistings. An investment in the Fund will entail more costs and expenses than a direct investment in any underlying ETP. As the Fund’s allocations to underlying ETPs changes, or the expense ratio of underlying ETPs change, the operating expenses borne by the Fund from such investments may increase or decrease. Federal law prohibits the Fund from acquiring investment company shares, including shares of other registered investment companies (including ETFs), in excess of specific thresholds unless exempted by rule, regulation or exemptive order. These prohibitions may prevent the Fund from allocating its investment in an optimal manner.
Focused Investment Risk
To the extent that the Fund invests a large percentage of its assets in a single asset class or the securities of issuers within the same country, group of countries, region, industry, group of industries or sector, an adverse economic, market, political or regulatory development may affect the value of the Fund’s investments more than if the Fund were more broadly diversified. Different asset classes, countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries or sectors tend to go through cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to each other and to the general financial markets.
Foreign Currency Forward Contracts Risk
When trading in foreign currency forward contracts, the Fund will contract with a foreign or domestic bank, or a foreign or domestic securities dealer, to make or take future delivery of a specified amount of a particular currency. There are no limitations on daily price moves in such forward contracts, and banks and dealers are not required to continue to make markets in such contracts. Governmental imposition of credit controls might limit any such forward contract trading. Foreign currency forward contracts involve certain risks, including the risk of failure of the counterparty to perform its obligations under the contract and the risk that the use of forward contracts may not serve as a complete hedge because of an imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the contracts and the prices of the currencies hedged.
Foreign Securities Risk
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Some countries and regions have experienced security concerns, war or
28
threats of war and aggression, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally. Foreign issuers are often subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping than are U.S. issuers, and therefore not all material information will be available. Securities exchanges or foreign governments may adopt rules or regulations that may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to invest in foreign securities or may prevent the Fund from repatriating its investments. Less developed securities markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. The less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of clearing, custody and trade settlement problems.
Foreign Securities Valuation Risk
The foreign exchanges on which securities held by the Fund trade may be closed at the time when the Fund prices its Shares and the Fund’s value may be impacted by events that cause the fair value of foreign securities to materially change between the close of the foreign exchange and the time at which the Fund prices its Shares. Additionally, because foreign exchanges on which securities held by the Fund trade may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the potential exists for the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio to change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares.
Futures Contracts Risk
Futures contracts are typically exchange-traded contracts that call for the future delivery of an asset at a certain price and date, or cash settlement of the terms of the contract. There may be an imperfect correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts. There may not be a liquid secondary market for the futures contracts and the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction. Exchanges may also limit the number of positions that can be held or controlled by the Fund, thus limiting the ability of the Fund to implement its investment strategy. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the Fund’s volatility. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning.
High Yield Securities Risk
High yield securities, or “junk” bonds, generally offer a higher current yield than the yield available from higher grade issues, but are subject to greater market fluctuations, are less liquid and provide a greater risk of loss than investment grade securities, and therefore are considered to be highly speculative. In general, high yield securities may have a greater risk of default than other types of securities and could cause income and principal losses for the Fund.
Income Risk
The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall or if there are defaults in its portfolio. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding securities when securities in its portfolio mature or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional securities.
Interest Rate Risk
An increase in interest rates may cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline. Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations or floating or adjustable interest rates. The negative impact on the Fund from potential interest rate increases could be swift and significant, including falling market values, increased redemptions and reduced liquidity. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates during periods of low interest rates.
When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the issuer (or other obligated party) more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. The value of securities with longer maturities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than does the value of securities with shorter maturities. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable security held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Investment Style Risk
The Fund seeks to allocate investment exposure based upon a particular style of investing. Different investment styles tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions and investor
29
sentiment. As a consequence, the Fund may underperform as compared to the market generally or to other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment styles. Further, there is no guarantee that the Fund will accurately or optimally utilize the investment style or that it will successfully provide the desired investment exposure.
•ESG Investing Style Risk. The Fund seeks exposure to the securities of companies meeting environmental, social and corporate governance investing criteria. The Fund excludes or limits exposure to securities of certain issuers for non-financial reasons, and the Fund may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria. The application of ESG investing criteria may affect the Fund’s exposure to certain sectors or types of investments and may impact the Fund’s relative investment performance depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market. ESG investing is subjective by nature, and therefore offers no guarantee that the ESG criteria utilized by the Subadvisor will accurately provide exposure to issuers meeting environmental, social and corporate governance criteria or any judgment exercised by the Subadvisor will reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. In addition, ESG investing is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, which could adversely affect the analysis of the factors relevant to a particular investment.
Issuer Risk
The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes to the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Certain investments may be subject to restrictions on resale, trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lack an active trading market. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to sell or close out of such investments at favorable times or prices (or at all), or at the prices approximating those at which the Fund currently values them. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value.
Market Risk
Market risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, which may affect the Fund’s value. Turbulence in financial markets, tariffs and other protectionist measures, political developments and uncertainty, central bank policy, and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the U.S. and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the Fund and its investments. Market disruptions could cause the Fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by a market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Money Market/Short-Term Securities Risk
To the extent the Fund holds cash or invests in money market or short-term securities, the Fund may be less likely to achieve its investment objective. In addition, it is possible that the Fund’s investments in these instruments could lose money.
Mortgage Dollar Roll Transaction Risk
A mortgage dollar roll is a transaction in which the Fund sells mortgage-related securities from its portfolio to a counterparty from whom it simultaneously agrees to buy a similar security on a delayed delivery basis. Mortgage dollar roll transactions are subject to certain risks, including the risk that securities returned to the Fund at the end of the roll, while substantially similar, may be inferior to what was initially sold to the counterparty.
Operational Risk
The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and Advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.
30
Option Contracts Risk
The use of option contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of option contracts are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, changes in interest or currency exchange rates, 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 option contract and economic events. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values option contracts and the reference asset, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain option contracts.
Portfolio Management Risk
The Fund is subject to portfolio management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result or, while it may be the desired result, may underperform other types of investment strategies. The Subadvisor may give consideration to certain ESG criteria when evaluating an investment opportunity. The application of ESG criteria may result in the Fund (i) having exposure to certain securities or industry sectors that are significantly different than the composition of the Fund’s benchmark; and (ii) performing differently than other funds and strategies in its peer group that do not take into account ESG criteria or the Fund’s benchmark. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective(s).
Risks of Investing in Loans
Investments in loans are subject to the same risks as investments in other types of debt securities, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk that may be heightened because of the limited public information available regarding loans and because loan borrowers may be leveraged and tend to be more adversely affected by changes in market or economic conditions. Default in the payment of interest or principal on a loan will result in a reduction in the value of the loan and consequently a reduction in the value of an investment in that loan. If an investor holds a loan through another financial institution or relies on a financial institution to administer the loan, its receipt of principal and interest on the loan may be subject to the credit risk of that financial institution. It is possible that any collateral securing a loan may be insufficient or unavailable to the investor, and that the investor’s rights to collateral may be limited by bankruptcy or insolvency laws. Additionally, there is no central clearinghouse for loan trades and the loan market has not established enforceable settlement standards or remedies for failure to settle. Consequently, the secondary market for loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods (in some cases longer than 7 days), which may cause an investor to be unable to realize the full value of its investment. In addition, loans are generally not registered with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be considered “securities,” and an investor may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws. An investment in loans made to non-U.S. borrowers may be affected by political and social instability, changes in economic or taxation policies, difficulties in enforcing obligations, decreased liquidity and increased volatility. Foreign borrowers may be subject to less regulation, resulting in less publicly available information about the borrowers.
The loan market has seen a significant increase in loans with weaker lender protections including, but not limited to, limited financial maintenance covenants or, in some cases, no financial maintenance covenants (i.e., “covenant-lite loans”) that would typically be included in a traditional loan agreement and general weakening of other restrictive covenants applicable to the borrower such as limitations on incurrence of additional debt, restrictions on payments of junior debt or restrictions on dividends and distributions. Weaker lender protections such as the absence of financial maintenance covenants in a loan agreement and the inclusion of “borrower-favorable” terms may impact recovery values and/or trading levels of loans in the future. The absence of financial maintenance covenants in a loan agreement generally means that the lender may not be able to declare a default if financial performance deteriorates. This may hinder an investor’s ability to reprice credit risk associated with a particular borrower and reduce the investor’s ability to restructure a problematic loan and mitigate potential loss. As a result, an investor’s exposure to losses on investments in loans may be increased, especially during a downturn in the credit cycle or changes in market or economic conditions.
Risks of Loan Assignments and Participations
The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchaser of an assignment may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. Because assignments may be arranged through private negotiations
31
between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligations acquired by the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. In addition, if the loan is foreclosed, the purchaser of an assignment could become part owner of any collateral and could bear the costs and liabilities of owning and disposing of the collateral. To the extent an investor sells a loan by way of assignment, the investor may be required to pass along a portion of any fees to which the investor was entitled under the loan. In connection with purchasing participations, such purchaser generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the purchaser may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the purchaser will be subject to the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling a participation, the purchaser may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower.
Secondary Market Trading Risk
Although the Fund’s Shares are listed for trading on one or more securities exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. The trading of Shares on securities exchanges is subject to the risk of irregular trading activity. Securities exchanges have requirements that must be met in order for Shares to be listed. There can be no assurance that the requirements of an exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares will continue to be met. This risk is particularly acute for funds that fail to attract a large number of shareholders. Pursuant to an exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules, trading in the Fund’s Shares may be halted due to extraordinary market volatility. Additionally, market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund’s 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 the Fund’s Shares or Authorized Participants stop submitting purchase or redemption orders for creation units, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to its NAV.
Swap Agreements Risk
Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into for a set period of time in which the parties agree to exchange payments based on some underlying reference or asset (such as interest rates). Swap agreements may involve greater risks than direct investment in securities as they may be leveraged and are subject to credit risk, counterparty risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk. A swap agreement could result in losses if the underlying reference or asset does not perform as anticipated. In addition, many swaps 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.
TBA Securities Risk
In a TBA securities transaction, the Fund commits to purchase certain securities for a fixed price at a future date. The principal risks of a TBA securities transaction are that the counterparty may not deliver the security as promised and/or that the value of the TBA security may decline prior to when the Fund receives the security.
Trading Price Risk
Although it is generally expected that the market price of the Fund’s Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund’s Shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply of and demand for Shares and the Fund’s NAV, among other reasons. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s Shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The market price of the Fund’s Shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid/ask” spread charged by market makers or other participants that trade the Shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, Shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that an investor most wants to sell their Shares. The risk of wide bid and ask spreads may be especially pronounced for smaller funds. In addition, increased market volatility may cause wider spreads.
Valuation Risk
When valuing the Fund’s portfolio investments, if a market quotation is readily available for a portfolio investment, that investment will generally be valued at the market value. However, unlike publicly traded securities that trade on national securities exchanges, there is no central place or exchange for trading most debt securities and thus readily available market quotations are unavailable. Debt securities generally trade
32
on an “over-the-counter” market. Due to the lack of centralized information and trading, and variations in lot sizes of certain debt securities, the valuation of debt securities may carry more uncertainty and risk than that of publicly traded securities. Debt securities are commonly valued by third-party pricing service providers that utilize a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such securities, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. However, because the available information is less reliable and more subjective, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Additionally, pricing service providers generally price debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, but some trades may occur in smaller, “odd lot” sizes, often at lower prices than institutional round lot trades. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing provided by pricing service providers will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. It is possible that the fair value determined for a portfolio instrument may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of that instrument.
Variable and Floating Rate Instruments Risk
Variable and floating rate instruments include debt securities issued by corporate and governmental entities, bank loans, mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities, preferred equity securities and derivative variable rate securities, such as inverse floaters. Variable and floating rate instruments are structured so that the instrument’s coupon rate fluctuates based upon the level of a reference rate. A variable or floating rate instrument’s coupon rate resets periodically according to its terms. Consequently, in a rising interest rate environment, variable and floating rate instruments with coupon rates that reset infrequently may lag behind the changes in market interest rates.
All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions.
2023 |
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Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)
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Return |
Quarter/Year |
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4Q/2023 |
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3Q/2023 |
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1 Year |
Since Inception(1) |
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Returns before taxes |
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Returns after taxes on distributions(2) |
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Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares(2) |
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Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index |
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Bloomberg Very Liquid High Yield Index |
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(1) |
(2) |
Investment Advisor and Subadvisor
New York Life Investment Management LLC is the investment advisor to the Fund.
MacKay Shields LLC is the investment subadvisor to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals of the subadvisor that are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are:
Name & Title |
Length of Service as |
Matt Jacob, Managing Director |
Since Fund’s Inception |
Cameron White, Director |
Since 2023 |
Neil Moriarty, III, Senior Managing Director |
Since August 2024 |
Michael DePalma, Senior Managing Director |
Since August 2024 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Unlike conventional mutual funds, the Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis, at NAV, only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.” Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Since Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges in the secondary market at its market price rather than its NAV, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a price greater than (premium) or less than (discount) the Fund’s NAV. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions are expected to be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should consult your tax advisor about your specific situation.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
34
Summary Information
(prior to August 28, 2024, named IQ MacKay Municipal Insured ETF)
The NYLI MacKay Muni Insured ETF (the “Fund”) seeks current income exempt from federal income tax.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): |
None |
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Management Fee |
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% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
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% |
Other Expenses |
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% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
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% |
Expense Waiver/Reimbursement(a) |
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% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Waiver/Reimbursement |
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% |
(a) |
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 sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. The return of 5% and estimated expenses are for illustration purposes only, and should not be considered indicators of expected Fund expenses or performance, which may be greater or less than the estimates. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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 Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rates was
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in: (i) debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal Income tax (“Municipal Bonds”); and (ii) debt securities covered by an insurance policy guaranteeing the payment of principal and interest. The Fund typically invests at least 80% of its net assets in Municipal Bonds that are rated investment grade by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization, or (“NRSRO”), or, if unrated, judged to be of comparable quality by the Subadvisor. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. The Fund generally will maintain a dollar-weighted average duration of 3 to 15 years.
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Municipal Bonds are issued by or on behalf of the District of Columbia, states, territories, commonwealths and possessions of the United States and their political subdivisions and agencies, authorities and instrumentalities. The Fund may not invest more than 20% of its net assets in tax-exempt securities subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.
Insured Municipal Bonds are covered by insurance policies that guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest. The Fund generally purchases Municipal Bonds that have insurance in place so the Fund does not pay insurance premiums directly. The premium costs, however, are reflected in a lower yield and/or higher price for the insured Municipal Bonds. When beneficial, the Fund may purchase insurance for an uninsured bond directly from a qualified Municipal Bond insurer, in which case the Fund pays the insurance premium directly to the insurance company. It is important to note that insurance does not guarantee the market value of an insured security, or the Fund’s share price or distributions, and shares of the Fund are not insured.
The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in Municipal Bonds that are related in such a way that an economic, business or political development or change affecting one such security could also affect the other securities. However, the Fund’s investments will be diversified among a minimum of ten different sectors of the Municipal Bond market, such as education, transportation and local general obligation. The Fund’s investments will be diversified among at least 15 different states, with no more than 30% of the Fund’s securities invested in municipal securities from a single state. Some of the Fund’s earnings may be subject to federal tax and most may be subject to state and local taxes.
MacKay Shields LLC’s (the “Subadvisor”) investment process begins with an assessment of macro factors that may impact the Municipal Bond market, including, tax rates, U.S. Treasury rates, and global economic data, as well as other regulatory, tax, governmental, and technical factors that may impact the Municipal Bond market. The Subadvisor’s investment process includes a risk analysis that gives consideration to a variety of security-specific risks, including but not limited to, environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) risks that may have a material impact on the performance of a security. In addition to proprietary research, the Subadvisor may use screening tools and, to the extent available, third party data to identify ESG risk factors that may not have been captured through its own research. The Subadvisor’s consideration of ESG risk is weighed against other criteria and no sectors or industries are explicitly excluded from the Fund. Following the assessment of these factors, the Subadvisor develops an investment strategy to position the Fund among various sectors of the Municipal Bond market and different states. The Subadvisor then employs a fundamental, “bottom-up” credit research analysis to select individual Municipal Bonds.
The Subadvisor may sell security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Fund. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy and meaningful changes in the issuer’s financial condition.
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund.
Alternative Minimum Tax Risk
Although the interest received from municipal securities is generally exempt from federal income tax, the Fund may invest in municipal securities subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund could cause shareholders to be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk
Only certain large institutions may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (each, an “Authorized Participant”). The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to engage in creation and redemption transactions with the Fund, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.
36
Cash Transactions Risk
The Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than for in-kind securities. For this reason, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. The Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if the Fund had made a redemption in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process.
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities will be unable or unwilling to make its timely interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor its obligations. Changes in an issuer’s or counterparty’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s or counterparty’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer’s or counterparty’s financial condition and on the terms of an obligation.
Cyber Security Risk
The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. Such events may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity and could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. In addition, cyber security breaches of the securities issuers or the Fund’s third-party service providers 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.
Debt Securities Risk
The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, e.g., the issuer or guarantor of a debt security may be unable or unwilling (or be perceived as unable or unwilling) to make timely principal and/or interest payments or otherwise honor its obligations; (ii) interest rate risk, e.g., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security generally goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security generally goes up; (iii) liquidity risk and valuation risk, e.g., debt securities generally do not trade on a securities exchange, making them generally less liquid and more difficult to value than common stock; (iv) call risk and income risk, e.g., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates; and (v) extension risk, e.g., if interest rates rise, repayments of debt securities may occur more slowly than anticipated by the market, which may drive the prices of these securities down because their interest rates are lower than the current interest rate and the securities remain outstanding longer. Debt securities most frequently trade in institutional round lot size transactions. If the Fund purchases bonds in amounts less than the institutional round lot size, which are frequently referred to as “odd” lots, the odd lot size positions may have more price volatility than institutional round lot size positions. The Fund uses a third-party pricing service to value bond holdings and the pricing service values bonds assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size.
Focused Investment Risk
To the extent that the Fund invests a large percentage of its assets in a single asset class or the securities of issuers within the same country, group of countries, region, industry, group of industries or sector, an adverse economic, market, political or regulatory development may affect the value of the Fund’s investments more than if the Fund were more broadly diversified. Different asset classes, countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries or sectors tend to go through cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to each other and to the general financial markets.
Income Risk
The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall or if there are defaults in its portfolio. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding securities when securities in its portfolio mature or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional securities.
Interest Rate Risk
An increase in interest rates may cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline. Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations or floating or adjustable interest rates. The negative impact on the Fund from potential interest rate increases could be swift and significant, including falling market values, increased redemptions and reduced liquidity. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates during periods of low interest rates. When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the issuer (or
37
other obligated party) more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. The value of securities with longer maturities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than does the value of securities with shorter maturities. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable security held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Issuer Risk
The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes to the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Certain investments may be subject to restrictions on resale, trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lack an active trading market. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to sell or close out of such investments at favorable times or prices (or at all), or at the prices approximating those at which the Fund currently values them. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value.
Market Risk
Market risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, which may affect the Fund’s value. Turbulence in financial markets, tariffs and other protectionist measures, political developments and uncertainty, central bank policy, and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the Fund and its investments. Market disruptions could cause the Fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by a market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Money Market/Short-Term Securities Risk
To the extent the Fund holds cash or invests in money market or short-term securities, the Fund may be less likely to achieve its investment objective. In addition, it is possible that the Fund’s investments in these instruments could lose money.
Municipal Bond Risk
Issuers, including governmental issuers, may be unable to pay their obligations as they come due. The values of Municipal Bonds that depend on a specific revenue source to fund their payment obligations may fluctuate as a result of actual or anticipated changes in the cash flows generated by the revenue source or changes in the priority of the municipal obligation to receive the cash flows generated by the revenue source. The values of Municipal Bonds held by the Fund may be adversely affected by local political and economic conditions and developments. Adverse conditions in an industry significant to a local economy could have a correspondingly adverse effect on the financial condition of local issuers. This risk would be heightened to the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in Municipal Bonds issued pursuant to similar projects or whose interest is paid solely from revenues of similar projects. In addition, income from Municipal Bonds held by the Fund could be declared taxable because of, among other things, unfavorable changes in tax laws, adverse interpretations by the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities, or noncompliant conduct of an issuer or other obligated party. Loss of tax-exempt status may cause interest received and distributed to shareholders by the Fund to be taxable and may result in a significant decline in the values of such municipal securities. There are various different types of Municipal Bonds, each with its own unique risk profile. Some of these risks include:
•General Obligation Bonds Risk — timely payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base;
38
•Revenue Bonds (including Industrial Development Bonds) Risk — timely payments depend on the money earned by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues derived from another source, and may be negatively impacted by the general credit of the user of the facility;
•Private Activity Bonds Risk — municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise, which is solely responsible for paying the principal and interest on the bonds, and payment under these bonds depends on the private enterprise’s ability to do so;
•Moral Obligation Bonds Risk — moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation, of the state or municipality;
•Municipal Notes Risk — municipal notes are shorter-term municipal debt obligations that pay interest that is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, generally excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes (except that the interest may be includable in taxable income for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax) and that have a maturity that is generally one year or less. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and the Fund may lose money; and
•Municipal Lease Obligations Risk — in a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease obligation, the lease obligation is secured by the leased property.
Municipal Bond Market Liquidity Risk
Inventories of Municipal Bonds held by brokers and dealers may decrease, lessening their ability to make a market in these securities. Any reduction in market-making capacity has the potential to decrease the Fund’s ability to buy or sell Municipal Bonds and increase price volatility and trading costs, particularly during periods of economic or market stress. As a result, the Fund may be forced to accept a lower price to sell a Municipal Bond, to sell other securities to raise cash, or to give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on performance.
Municipal Insurance Risk
The Fund’s investments may include investments in insured Municipal Bonds. Municipal security insurance does not guarantee the value either of individual municipal securities or of Shares of the Fund. In addition, a municipal security insurance policy generally will not cover: (i) repayment of a municipal security before maturity (redemption), (ii) prepayment or payment of an acceleration premium (except for a mandatory sinking fund redemption) or any other provision of a bond indenture that advances the maturity of the bond or (iii) non-payment of principal or interest caused by negligence or bankruptcy of the paying agent. A mandatory sinking fund redemption may be a provision of a municipal security issue whereby part of the municipal security issue may be retired before maturity. Market conditions or changes to ratings criteria could adversely impact the ratings of Municipal Bond insurance companies. Downgrades and withdrawal of ratings from Municipal Bond insurers have substantially limited the availability of insurance sought by Municipal Bond issuers, thereby reducing the supply of insured Municipal Bonds that meet the Fund’s investment guidelines or the ability of the Fund to purchase insurance on Municipal Bonds held by the Fund. A rating downgrade of a Municipal Bond insurer could negatively impact the market value of insured Municipal Bonds held by the Fund. If the insurer of a defaulted Municipal Bond were to become unable or unwilling to pay the principal or interest on the defaulted Municipal Bond, the Fund would incur losses.
Operational Risk
The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and Advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.
Portfolio Management Risk
The Fund is subject to portfolio management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result or, while it may be the desired result, may underperform other types of investment strategies. The application of ESG criteria may result in the Fund (i) having exposure to certain
39
securities or industry sectors that are significantly different than the composition of the Fund’s benchmark; and performing differently than other funds and strategies in its peer group that do not take into account ESG criteria or the Fund’s benchmark. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective(s).
Portfolio Turnover Risk
The Fund’s strategy may frequently involve buying and selling portfolio securities to rebalance the Fund’s investment exposures. High portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and generating greater tax liabilities for shareholders. Portfolio turnover risk may cause the Fund’s performance to be less than expected.
Secondary Market Trading Risk
Although the Fund’s Shares are listed for trading on one or more securities exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. The trading of Shares on securities exchanges is subject to the risk of irregular trading activity. Securities exchanges have requirements that must be met in order for Shares to be listed. There can be no assurance that the requirements of an exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares will continue to be met. This risk is particularly acute for funds that fail to attract a large number of shareholders. Pursuant to an exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules, trading in the Fund’s Shares may be halted due to extraordinary market volatility. Additionally, market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund’s 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 the Fund’s Shares or Authorized Participants stop submitting purchase or redemption orders for creation units, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to its NAV.
Trading Price Risk
Although it is generally expected that the market price of the Fund’s Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund’s Shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply of and demand for Shares and the Fund’s NAV, among other reasons. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s Shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The market price of the Fund’s Shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid/ask” spread charged by market makers or other participants that trade the Shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, Shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that an investor most wants to sell their Shares. The risk of wide bid and ask spreads may be especially pronounced for smaller funds. In addition, increased market volatility may cause wider spreads.
Valuation Risk
When valuing the Fund’s portfolio investments, if a market quotation is readily available for a portfolio investment, that investment will generally be valued at the market value. However, unlike publicly traded securities that trade on national securities exchanges, there is no central place or exchange for trading most debt securities and thus readily available market quotations are unavailable. Debt securities generally trade on an “over-the-counter” market. Due to the lack of centralized information and trading, and variations in lot sizes of certain debt securities, the valuation of debt securities may carry more uncertainty and risk than that of publicly traded securities. Debt securities are commonly valued by third-party pricing service providers that utilize a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such securities, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. However, because the available information is less reliable and more subjective, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Additionally, pricing service providers generally price debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, but some trades may occur in smaller, “odd lot” sizes, often at lower prices than institutional round lot trades. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing provided by pricing service providers will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. It is possible that the fair value determined for a portfolio instrument may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of that instrument.
40
All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions.
2018 | |
2019 | |
2020 | |
2021 | |
2022 | - |
2023 |
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)
|
Return |
Quarter/Year |
|
|
4Q/2023 |
|
- |
1Q/2022 |
|
1 Year |
5 Years |
Since Inception(1) |
Returns before taxes |
|
|
|
Returns after taxes on distributions(2) |
|
|
|
Returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares(2) |
|
|
|
Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index |
|
|
|
Bloomberg Municipal All Insured Bond Index |
|
|
|
(1) |
(2) |
41
Investment Advisor and Subadvisor
New York Life Investment Management LLC is the investment advisor to the Fund.
MacKay Shields LLC is the investment subadvisor to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals of the subadvisor that are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are:
Name & Title |
Length of Service as |
Michael Denlinger, Managing Director |
Since 2020 |
David Dowden, Managing Director |
Since Fund’s Inception |
John Lawlor, Managing Director |
Since Fund’s Inception |
Frances Lewis, Senior Managing Director |
Since 2018 |
Matthew Hage, Director |
Since August 2024 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Unlike conventional mutual funds, the Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis, at NAV, only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.” Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Since Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges in the secondary market at its market price rather than its NAV, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a price greater than (premium) or less than (discount) the Fund’s NAV. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to distribute tax-exempt income. The Fund intends to meet certain U.S. federal tax requirements so that distributions of the tax-exempt interest it earns may be treated as exempt-interest dividends. A portion of the exempt-interest dividends may be subject to the alternative minimum tax on individuals and may have other tax consequences to certain shareholders. However, a portion of the Fund’s distributions may be subject to U.S. federal income tax, and may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account, in which case you may be subject to U.S. federal income tax upon withdrawal from such a tax-advantaged account. You should consult your tax advisor about your specific situation.
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
42
Summary Information
(prior to August 28, 2024, named IQ MacKay Municipal Intermediate ETF)
The NYLI MacKay Muni Intermediate ETF (the “Fund”) seeks current income exempt from federal income tax.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example set forth below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): |
None |
|
|
|
|
Management Fee |
|
|
% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
|
|
% |
Other Expenses |
|
|
% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
|
|
% |
Expense Waiver/Reimbursement(a) |
|
|
% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Waiver/Reimbursement |
|
|
% |
(a) |
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 sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain at current levels. The return of 5% and estimated expenses are for illustration purposes only, and should not be considered indicators of expected Fund expenses or performance, which may be greater or less than the estimates. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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 Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rates was
The Fund, under normal circumstances, invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from federal income tax (“Municipal Bonds”). The Fund typically invests at least 80% of its net assets in Municipal Bonds that are rated investment grade by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”), or, if unrated, judged to be of comparable quality by the Subadvisor. If independent rating agencies assign different ratings to the same security, the Fund will use the higher rating for purposes of determining the security’s credit quality. The Fund generally will maintain a dollar-weighted average duration of 3 to 10 years.
43
Municipal Bonds are issued by or on behalf of the District of Columbia, states, territories, commonwealths and possessions of the United States and their political subdivisions and agencies, authorities and instrumentalities. The Fund does not intend to invest in Municipal Bonds whose interest is subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.
The Fund may invest more than 25% of its total assets in Municipal Bonds that are related in such a way that an economic, business or political development or change affecting one such security could also affect the other securities. However, the Fund’s investments will be diversified among a minimum of ten different sectors of the Municipal Bond market, such as education, transportation and local general obligation. The Fund’s investments will be diversified among at least 15 different states, with no more than 30% of the Fund’s securities invested in municipal securities from a single state. Some of the Fund’s earnings may be subject to federal tax and most may be subject to state and local taxes.
MacKay Shields LLC’s (the “Subadvisor”) investment process begins with an assessment of macro factors that may impact the Municipal Bond market, including tax rates, U.S. Treasury rates, and global economic data, as well as other regulatory, tax, governmental, and technical factors that may impact the Municipal Bond market. The Subadvisor’s investment process includes a risk analysis that gives consideration to a variety of security-specific risks, including but not limited to, environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) risks that may have a material impact on the performance of a security. In addition to proprietary research, the Subadvisor may use screening tools and, to the extent available, third party data to identify ESG risk factors that may not have been captured through its own research. The Subadvisor’s consideration of ESG risk is weighed against other criteria and no sectors or industries are explicitly excluded from the Fund. Following the assessment of these factors, the Subadvisor develops an investment strategy to position the Fund among various sectors of the Municipal Bond market and different states. The Subadvisor then employs a fundamental, “bottom-up” credit research analysis to select individual Municipal Bonds.
The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Fund. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy and meaningful changes in the issuer’s financial condition.
As with all investments, there are certain risks of investing in the Fund.
Alternative Minimum Tax Risk
Although the interest received from municipal securities is generally exempt from federal income tax, the Fund may invest in municipal securities subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund could cause shareholders to be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk
Only certain large institutions may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (each, an “Authorized Participant”). The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to engage in creation and redemption transactions with the Fund, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.
Cash Transactions Risk
The Fund currently intends to effect creations and redemptions principally for cash, rather than for in-kind securities. For this reason, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. The Fund may recognize a capital gain on these sales that might not have been incurred if the Fund had made a redemption in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared to ETFs that utilize an in-kind redemption process.
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities will be unable or unwilling to make its timely
44
interest and/or principal payments when due or otherwise honor its obligations. Changes in an issuer’s or counterparty’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s or counterparty’s creditworthiness may also adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on an issuer’s or counterparty’s financial condition and on the terms of an obligation.
Cyber Security Risk
The Fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. Such events may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity and could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. In addition, cyber security breaches of the securities issuers or the Fund’s third-party service providers 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.
Debt Securities Risk
The risks of investing in debt securities include (without limitation): (i) credit risk, e.g., the issuer or guarantor of a debt security may be unable or unwilling (or be perceived as unable or unwilling) to make timely principal and/or interest payments or otherwise honor its obligations; (ii) interest rate risk, e.g., when interest rates go up, the value of a debt security generally goes down, and when interest rates go down, the value of a debt security generally goes up; (iii) liquidity risk and valuation risk, e.g., debt securities generally do not trade on a securities exchange, making them generally less liquid and more difficult to value than common stock; (iv) call risk and income risk, e.g., during a period of falling interest rates, the issuer may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates; and (v) extension risk, e.g., if interest rates rise, repayments of debt securities may occur more slowly than anticipated by the market, which may drive the prices of these securities down because their interest rates are lower than the current interest rate and the securities remain outstanding longer. Debt securities most frequently trade in institutional round lot size transactions. If the Fund purchases bonds in amounts less than the institutional round lot size, which are frequently referred to as “odd” lots, the odd lot size positions may have more price volatility than institutional round lot size positions. The Fund uses a third-party pricing service to value bond holdings and the pricing service values bonds assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size.
Focused Investment Risk
To the extent that the Fund invests a large percentage of its assets in a single asset class or the securities of issuers within the same country, group of countries, region, industry, group of industries or sector, an adverse economic, market, political or regulatory development may affect the value of the Fund’s investments more than if the Fund were more broadly diversified. Different asset classes, countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries or sectors tend to go through cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to each other and to the general financial markets.
Income Risk
The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall or if there are defaults in its portfolio. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding securities when securities in its portfolio mature or the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional securities.
Interest Rate Risk
An increase in interest rates may cause the value of securities held by the Fund to decline. Fixed income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations or floating or adjustable interest rates. The negative impact on the Fund from potential interest rate increases could be swift and significant, including falling market values, increased redemptions and reduced liquidity. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates during periods of low interest rates.
When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the issuer (or other obligated party) more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. The value of securities with longer maturities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than does the value of securities with shorter maturities. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable security held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income, or in securities with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
45
Issuer Risk
The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes to the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. Certain investments may be subject to restrictions on resale, trade over-the-counter or in limited volume, or lack an active trading market. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to sell or close out of such investments at favorable times or prices (or at all), or at the prices approximating those at which the Fund currently values them. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value.
Market Risk
Market risks include political, regulatory, market and economic developments, including developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, which may affect the Fund’s value. Turbulence in financial markets, tariffs and other protectionist measures, political developments and uncertainty, central bank policy, and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers worldwide, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the Fund and its investments. Market disruptions could cause the Fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by a market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Money Market/Short-Term Securities Risk
To the extent the Fund holds cash or invests in money market or short-term securities, the Fund may be less likely to achieve its investment objective. In addition, it is possible that the Fund’s investments in these instruments could lose money.
Municipal Bond Risk
Issuers, including governmental issuers, may be unable to pay their obligations as they come due. The values of Municipal Bonds that depend on a specific revenue source to fund their payment obligations may fluctuate as a result of actual or anticipated changes in the cash flows generated by the revenue source or changes in the priority of the municipal obligation to receive the cash flows generated by the revenue source. The values of Municipal Bonds held by the Fund may be adversely affected by local political and economic conditions and developments. Adverse conditions in an industry significant to a local economy could have a correspondingly adverse effect on the financial condition of local issuers. This risk would be heightened to the extent that the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in Municipal Bonds issued pursuant to similar projects or whose interest is paid solely from revenues of similar projects. In addition, income from Municipal Bonds held by the Fund could be declared taxable because of, among other things, unfavorable changes in tax laws, adverse interpretations by the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities, or noncompliant conduct of an issuer or other obligated party. Loss of tax-exempt status may cause interest received and distributed to shareholders by the Fund to be taxable and may result in a significant decline in the values of such municipal securities. There are various different types of Municipal Bonds, each with its own unique risk profile. Some of these risks include:
•General Obligation Bonds Risk — timely payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base;
•Revenue Bonds (including Industrial Development Bonds) Risk — timely payments depend on the money earned by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues derived from another source, and may be negatively impacted by the general credit of the user of the facility;
•Private Activity Bonds Risk — municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise, which is solely responsible for paying the principal and interest on the bonds, and payment under these bonds depends on the private enterprise’s ability to do so;
46
•Moral Obligation Bonds Risk — moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not a legal obligation, of the state or municipality;
•Municipal Notes Risk — municipal notes are shorter-term municipal debt obligations that pay interest that is, in the opinion of bond counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, generally excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes (except that the interest may be includable in taxable income for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax) and that have a maturity that is generally one year or less. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and the Fund may lose money; and
•Municipal Lease Obligations Risk — in a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease obligation, the lease obligation is secured by the leased property.
Municipal Bond Market Liquidity Risk
Inventories of Municipal Bonds held by brokers and dealers may decrease, lessening their ability to make a market in these securities. Any reduction in market-making capacity has the potential to decrease the Fund’s ability to buy or sell Municipal Bonds and increase price volatility and trading costs, particularly during periods of economic or market stress. As a result, the Fund may be forced to accept a lower price to sell a Municipal Bond, to sell other securities to raise cash, or to give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on performance.
Operational Risk
The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and Advisor seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.
Portfolio Management Risk
The Fund is subject to portfolio management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s investment portfolio, the portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses that may not produce the desired result or, while it may be the desired result, may underperform other types of investment strategies. The application of ESG criteria may result in the Fund (i) having exposure to certain securities or industry sectors that are significantly different than the composition of the Fund’s benchmark; and performing differently than other funds and strategies in its peer group that do not take into account ESG criteria or the Fund’s benchmark. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will meet its investment objective(s).
Secondary Market Trading Risk
Although the Fund’s Shares are listed for trading on one or more securities exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. The trading of Shares on securities exchanges is subject to the risk of irregular trading activity. Securities exchanges have requirements that must be met in order for Shares to be listed. There can be no assurance that the requirements of an exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares will continue to be met. This risk is particularly acute for funds that fail to attract a large number of shareholders. Pursuant to an exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules, trading in the Fund’s Shares may be halted due to extraordinary market volatility. Additionally, market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Fund’s 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 the Fund’s Shares or Authorized Participants stop submitting purchase or redemption orders for creation units, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to its NAV.
Trading Price Risk
Although it is generally expected that the market price of the Fund’s Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund’s Shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply of and demand for Shares and the Fund’s NAV, among other reasons. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s Shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The market price of the Fund’s Shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid/ask” spread
47
charged by market makers or other participants that trade the Shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, Shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of Shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that an investor most wants to sell their Shares. The risk of wide bid and ask spreads may be especially pronounced for smaller funds. In addition, increased market volatility may cause wider spreads.
Valuation Risk
When valuing the Fund’s portfolio investments, if a market quotation is readily available for a portfolio investment, that investment will generally be valued at the market value. However, unlike publicly traded securities that trade on national securities exchanges, there is no central place or exchange for trading most debt securities and thus readily available market quotations are unavailable. Debt securities generally trade on an “over-the-counter” market. Due to the lack of centralized information and trading, and variations in lot sizes of certain debt securities, the valuation of debt securities may carry more uncertainty and risk than that of publicly traded securities. Debt securities are commonly valued by third-party pricing service providers that utilize a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such securities, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. However, because the available information is less reliable and more subjective, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities. Additionally, pricing service providers generally price debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, but some trades may occur in smaller, “odd lot” sizes, often at lower prices than institutional round lot trades. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing provided by pricing service providers will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. It is possible that the fair value determined for a portfolio instrument may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of that instrument.
All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions.
2018 | |
2019 | |
2020 | |
2021 | |
2022 | - |
2023 |
48
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)
|
Return |
Quarter/Year |
|
|
4Q/2023 |
|
- |
1Q/2022 |
|
1 Year |
5 Years |
Since Inception(1) |
Returns before taxes |
|
|
|
Returns after taxes on distributions(2) |
|
|
|
Returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund Shares(2) |
|
|
|
Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index |
|
|
|
Bloomberg Municipal Bond 1-15 Year Blend Index |
|
|
|
(1) |
(2) |
Investment Advisor and Subadvisor
New York Life Investment Management LLC is the investment advisor to the Fund.
MacKay Shields LLC is the investment subadvisor to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The professionals of the subadvisor that are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund are:
Name & Title |
Length of Service as |
Michael Denlinger, Managing Director |
Since 2020 |
David Dowden, Managing Director |
Since Fund’s Inception |
Frances Lewis, Senior Managing Director |
Since 2018 |
Matthew Hage, Director |
Since August 2024 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Unlike conventional mutual funds, the Fund issues and redeems Shares on a continuous basis, at NAV, only in large blocks of Shares called “Creation Units.” Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold on the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Since Shares of the Fund trade on securities exchanges in the secondary market at its market price rather than its NAV, the Fund’s Shares may trade at a price greater than (premium) or less than (discount) the Fund’s NAV. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is available online at newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to distribute tax-exempt income. The Fund intends to meet certain U.S. federal tax requirements so that distributions of the tax-exempt interest it earns may be treated as exempt-interest dividends. A portion of the exempt-interest dividends may be subject to the alternative minimum tax on individuals and may have other tax consequences to certain shareholders. However, a portion of the Fund’s distributions may be subject to U.S. federal income tax, and may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account, in which case you may be subject to U.S. federal income tax upon withdrawal from such a tax-advantaged account. You should consult your tax advisor about your specific situation.
49
Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
50
Summary Information
(prior to August 28, 2024, named IQ MacKay California Municipal Intermediate ETF)