Form 497K VanEck ETF Trust
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E-mail | VANECK® INFLATION ALLOCATION ETF | ||||
Ticker: RAAX
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
FEBRUARY 1, 2023
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and other information about the Fund online at http://www.vaneck.com/resources/documents/equity-etfs-literature. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800.826.2333, or by sending an email request to info@vaneck.com. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated February 1, 2023, as may be supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. | ||
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The investment objective of VanEck® Inflation Allocation ETF (the “Fund”) is long-term total return. In pursuing long-term total return, the Fund seeks to maximize “real returns” (as defined below) while seeking to reduce downside risk during sustained market declines.
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | None | ||||
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
| Management Fee | 0.50 | % | |||||||||
Other Expenses | 0.13 | % | |||||||||
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(a) | 0.36 | % | |||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b) | 0.99 | % | |||||||||
Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(b) | -0.12 | % | |||||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(b) | 0.87 | % | |||||||||
(a)“Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” include fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund as a result of investments in other investment companies, including funds which invest exclusively in money market instruments. Because acquired fund fees and expenses are not borne directly by the Fund, they will not be reflected in the expense information in the Fund’s financial statements and the information presented in the table will differ from that presented in the Fund’s financial highlights included in the Fund’s reports to shareholders. Acquired fund fees and expenses include fees and expenses associated with investments in investment companies managed by Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation (the “Adviser”) or its affiliates; the Adviser has agreed to waive the management fee it charges to the Fund by any amount the Adviser or its affiliates collect as a management fee from such investment company. Such waivers are included in “Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement” above.
(b)The Adviser has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse Fund expenses (inclusive of any Subsidiary expenses) to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses of the Fund) from exceeding 0.55% of the Fund’s average daily net assets per year until at least February 1, 2024. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation.
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EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waivers and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
| YEAR | EXPENSES | ||||||||||
| 1 | $89 | ||||||||||
| 3 | $303 | ||||||||||
| 5 | $535 | ||||||||||
| 10 | $1,202 | ||||||||||
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 32% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, primarily in (i) exchange traded products that provide exposure to real assets through investment in domestic and foreign equity and debt securities, master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), and commodities, including ETFs and non-Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act of 1940”) commodity pools or commodity trusts and exchange traded notes (“ETNs”) (collectively, “ETPs”); and (ii) cash or cash equivalents. Real assets include commodities (such as gold), real estate, natural resources and infrastructure, as well as companies that own, operate, or derive a significant portion of their value from real assets or the production thereof. The investments held by the ETPs may include physical assets and equity securities of companies of any market capitalization, debt securities of any credit quality (including high-yield (or “junk”) securities), duration and maturity and emerging market securities. The Fund seeks to maximize “real returns” while seeking to reduce downside risk during sustained market declines. The Fund seeks to reduce downside risk by allocating a significant portion of the Fund’s assets to cash and cash equivalents based on the model described below. “Real returns” are defined as total returns adjusted for the effects of inflation.
The Adviser uses a proprietary, rules-based real asset allocation model (the “Real Asset Model”), which considers various inputs to guide asset allocation decisions and select real asset investments (and to thereby select ETPs that provide exposure to those real asset classes). The Real Asset Model uses various indicators, such as technical, macroeconomic and sentiment indicators to generate allocation signals among real asset investments. These signals are used as an input to guide which ETPs to allocate to as well as to guide the total cash or cash equivalent allocation.
The indicators used by the Real Asset Model may include, but are not limited to, equity price trends, commodity price trends, volatility (the measure of variation of returns for a given security or market index), investor sentiment (investor attitude towards a particular security or financial market as revealed through market activity or investor surveys) and macroeconomic supply and demand (the relationship between the consumption and production of assets, and its effect on price levels). The Adviser anticipates that the Real Asset Model will evolve over time and may incorporate additional indicators and/or remove or modify existing indicators. The Adviser allocates the Fund’s assets to those ETPs that it believes will have returns that, in the aggregate, closely correlate (before fees and expenses) to the returns of the Real Asset Model. The Real Asset Model typically adjusts its allocation signals on a monthly basis, and the Adviser may adjust the Fund's portfolio allocation as needed in response to such changes in the Real Asset Model.
A significant portion of the Fund’s assets may be held in cash or cash equivalents including, but not limited to, money market instruments, U.S. Treasury bills, treasury inflation-protected securities, interests in short-term investment funds or shares of money market or short-term bond funds. The Adviser currently anticipates investing in 1- to 3- month U.S. Treasury bills when a portion of the Fund’s assets are allocated to cash or cash equivalents. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities.
The Fund will invest in certain ETPs through the Subsidiary, an exempted limited company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary is wholly owned and controlled by the Fund and is advised by the Adviser. The Fund’s investment in the Subsidiary will generally not exceed 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at each quarter-end of the Fund's fiscal year. The Fund's investment in the Subsidiary, via the Subsidiary’s investment in ETPs, generally provides the Fund with exposure to commodities and futures and derivatives of commodities (“Commodities Instruments”) within the limits of the federal tax laws,
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which limit the ability of investment companies like the Fund to invest directly in such instruments. The Subsidiary has the same investment objective as the Fund and will follow the same general investment policies and restrictions except that, unlike the Fund, it may invest, via its investment in ETPs, without limit in Commodities Instruments.
Except as noted, for purposes of this Prospectus, references to the Fund’s investment strategies and risks include those of its Subsidiary. The Fund complies with the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, governing investment policies (Section 8) and capital structure and leverage (Section 18) on an aggregate basis with the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary will comply with the Investment Company Act of 1940 provisions governing affiliate transactions and custody of assets.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund, each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an investment in the Fund.
Fund of Funds Risk. The performance of the Fund is dependent on the performance of the underlying funds. The Fund will be subject to the risks of the underlying funds’ investments. The Fund will pay indirectly a proportional share of the fees and expenses of the underlying funds in which it invests, including their investment advisory and administration fees, while continuing to pay its own management fee. As a result, the Fund’s shareholders will indirectly bear the expenses of the underlying funds, absorbing duplicative levels of fees.
Affiliated Fund Risk. In managing the Fund, the Adviser has the ability to select underlying funds which it believes will achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting underlying funds because the Adviser may, due to its own financial interest or other business considerations, have an incentive to invest in funds managed by the Adviser or its affiliates rather than investing in funds managed or sponsored by others.
U.S. Treasury Bills Risk. Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary.
Subsidiary Investment Risk. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary are organized, respectively, could result in the inability of the Fund to operate as intended and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not subject to the investor protections of the Investment Company Act of 1940. Thus, the Fund, as an investor in the Subsidiary, will not have all the protections offered to investors in registered investment companies.
Commodity Regulatory Risk. Changes in the laws or regulations of the United States or the Cayman Islands, including any changes to applicable tax laws and regulations, could impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective and could increase the operating expenses of the Fund or the Subsidiary. Based on the Fund’s and the Subsidiary’s current investment strategies, the Fund and the Subsidiary are each a “commodity pool” and the Adviser is considered a commodity pool operator with respect to the Fund and the Subsidiary under the Commodity Exchange Act. Accordingly, the Fund and the Adviser are subject to dual regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Compliance with both sets of regulations expose the Fund and the Adviser to increased risk of non-compliance and could increase the Fund’s expenses, adversely affecting the Fund’s total return.
Tax Risk (with respect to investments in the Subsidiary). The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from certain qualifying sources of income in order to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code. The Internal Revenue Service issued a revenue ruling in December 2005, which concluded that income and gains from certain commodity-linked derivatives are not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. As a result, the Fund’s ability to invest directly in commodity-linked futures contracts or swaps or in certain exchange-traded trusts that hold commodities as part of its investment strategy is limited by the requirement that it receive no more than ten percent (10%) of its gross income from such investments. The Fund expects to invest its assets in the Subsidiary, consistent with applicable law and the advice of counsel, in a manner that should permit the Fund to treat income allocable from the Subsidiary as qualifying income. The Internal Revenue Service has issued regulations that treat a fund’s income inclusion with respect to an investment in a non-U.S. company generating investment income as qualifying income only if there is a current-year distribution out of the earnings and profits of the non-U.S. company that are attributable to such income inclusion or if the income from the Subsidiary is related to the Fund's business of investing. The Fund intends to treat its income from the Subsidiary as qualifying income. There can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service will not change its position with respect to some or all of these issues or if the Internal Revenue Service did so, that a court would not sustain the Internal Revenue Service ’s position. Furthermore, the tax treatment of the Fund’s investments in the Subsidiary may be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, future Internal Revenue Service guidance or Treasury regulations.
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Real Assets ETPs Risk. The Fund may be subject to the following risks as a result of its investments in Exchange Traded Products:
Commodities Risk. Commodities include, among other things, energy products, agricultural products, industrial metals, precious metals and livestock. The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors, including overall market movements, economic events and policies, changes in interest rates or inflation rates, changes in monetary and exchange control programs, war, acts of terrorism, natural disasters and technological developments. Variables such as disease, drought, floods, weather, trade, embargoes, tariffs and other political events, in particular, may have a larger impact on commodity prices than on traditional securities. These additional variables may create additional investment risks that subject an ETP’s investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The prices of commodities can also fluctuate widely due to supply and demand disruptions in major producing or consuming regions. Because certain commodities may be produced in a limited number of countries and may be controlled by a small number of producers, political, economic and supply-related events in such countries could have a disproportionate impact on the prices of such commodities. These factors may affect the value of an ETP in varying ways, and different factors may cause the value and the volatility of an ETP to move in inconsistent directions at inconsistent rates.
Risk of Investing in Gold. Certain of the ETPs may focus their investments in gold. Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of factors. The price of gold may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time, so an ETP’s share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. Fluctuation in the price of gold may be due to a number of factors, including changes in inflation and changes in industrial and commercial demand for metals. Additionally, increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of gold investments. In times of significant inflation or great economic uncertainty, gold and other precious metals may outperform traditional investments such as bonds and stocks. However, in times of stable economic growth, traditional equity and debt investments could offer greater appreciation potential and the value of gold may be adversely affected, which could in turn affect an ETP’s returns.
Natural Resources Companies Risk. Certain of the ETPs may be sensitive to, and their performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the natural resources sector. Investments in natural resources and natural resources companies, which include companies engaged in agriculture, alternatives (e.g., water and alternative energy), energy, forest products and base, industrial and precious metals, can be significantly affected by events relating to these industries, including international political and economic developments, embargoes, tariffs, inflation, weather and natural disasters, livestock diseases, limits on exploration, rapid changes in the supply and demand for natural resources and other factors. An ETP’s portfolio securities may experience substantial price fluctuations as a result of these factors and may move independently of the trends of other operating companies. Companies engaged in the industries listed above may be adversely affected by changes in government policies and regulations, technological advances and/or obsolescence, environmental damage claims, energy conservation efforts, the success of exploration projects, limitations on the liquidity of certain natural resources and commodities and competition from new market entrants. Changes in general economic conditions, including commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, rising interest rates, prices of raw materials and other commodities, depletion of resources and labor relations, could adversely affect an ETP’s portfolio companies.
Risk of Investing in MLPs. MLP units may trade infrequently and in limited volume. Investments in MLPs could also expose an ETP to volatility risk, because units of MLPs may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than securities of larger or more broadly based companies. Holders of MLP units are subject to certain risks inherent in the structure of MLPs, including (i) tax risks (described further below), (ii) the limited ability to elect or remove management or the general partner or managing member, (iii) limited voting rights, (iv) conflicts of interest between the general partner or managing member and its affiliates and the limited partners or members, (v) dilution risks and risks related to the general partner’s right to require unitholders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price, resulting from regulatory changes or other reasons and (vi) cash flow risks, as described below. Holders of units of MLPs have more limited control rights and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP as compared to holders of stock of a corporation. For example, MLP unit holders may not elect the general partner or the directors of the general partner and the MLP unit holders have limited ability to remove an MLP’s general partner. MLPs are controlled by their general partners, which generally have conflicts of interest and limited fiduciary duties to the MLP, which may permit the general partner to favor its own interests over the MLPs. The amount of cash that each individual MLP can distribute to its partners will depend on the amount of cash it generates from operations, which will vary from quarter to quarter depending on factors affecting the particular business lines of the MLP. Available cash will also depend on the MLPs’ level of operating costs (including incentive distributions to the general partner), level of capital expenditures, debt service requirements, acquisition costs (if any), fluctuations in working capital needs and other factors.
Some MLPs may be treated as “passive foreign investment companies” or “controlled foreign corporations” corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The manner and extent of an ETP’s investments in MLPs may be limited by its intention to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code (which would increase the risk of tracking error), and any such investments by the ETP may adversely affect the ability of the ETP to so qualify. If any of the MLPs owned by an ETP were treated as entities other than partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it could result in a reduction of the value of an investment in the ETP.
Real Estate Sector Risk. Companies in the real estate sector include companies that invest in real estate, such as real estate investment trusts and real estate management and development companies. Companies that invest in real estate are subject to the risks of owning real estate directly as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way that such companies
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operate, including management risk (such companies are dependent upon the management skills of a few key individuals and may have limited financial resources). Adverse economic, business or political developments affecting real estate could have a major effect on the value of an ETP’s investments. Investing in real estate is subject to such risks as decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, increased competition and other risks related to local or general economic conditions, increases in operating costs and property taxes, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, possible environmental liabilities, regulatory limitations on rent, possible lack of availability of mortgage financing, market saturation, fluctuations in rental income and the value of underlying properties and extended vacancies of properties. Certain real estate securities have a relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase the volatility of the market price of these securities. Real estate securities have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of projects. Real estate securities are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by borrowers or tenants.
Infrastructure Risk. Infrastructure-related companies are subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs, costs associated with compliance with and changes in environmental and other regulations, difficulty in raising capital, increased competition, and uncertainty concerning the availability of fuel at reasonable prices. Infrastructure-related securities may be issued by companies that are highly leveraged, less creditworthy or financially distressed. These investments are considered to be speculative and are subject to greater risk of loss, greater sensitivity to interest rate and economic changes, valuation difficulties, and potential illiquidity.
ETP-Related Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by an ETP may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers of securities held by an ETP participate, or factors relating to specific issuers in which an ETP invests. Equity securities are subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns, although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have comparable or greater price volatility.
Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies Risk. Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger, more established companies. Returns on investments in securities of small-capitalization and medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization companies.
Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity of large traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in such markets. An ETP may invest in securities of issuers located in countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the ETP’s investments.
Emerging Market Issuers Risk. Investments in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging markets are more likely than developed markets to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States. Market risks may include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information. The frequency, availability and quality of financial information about investments in emerging markets varies. The Fund has limited rights and few practical remedies in emerging markets and the ability of U.S. authorities to bring enforcement actions in emerging markets may be limited, and the Fund's passive investment approach does not take account of these risks.
ETP-Related Foreign Currency Risk. Because all or a portion of the income received by an ETP from its foreign investments and/or the revenues received by the underlying foreign issuer will generally be denominated in foreign currencies, the ETP’s exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns for the ETP, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the ETP may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Credit Risk. Debt securities are subject to credit risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer or guarantor of a security will be unable and/or unwilling to make timely interest payments and/or repay the principal on its debt or to otherwise honor its obligations and/or default completely. There is a possibility that the credit rating of a debt security may be downgraded after purchase or the perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may decline, which may adversely affect the value of the security.
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Interest Rate Risk. Debt securities, such as bonds, are subject to interest rate risk. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a debt security resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. When the general level of interest rates goes up, the prices of most debt securities go down. When the general level of interest rates goes down, the prices of most debt securities go up. A low interest rate environment increases the risk associated with rising interest rates, including the potential for periods of volatility and increased redemptions. In addition, debt securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making them more volatile than debt securities with shorter durations. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as with other serious economic disruptions, governmental authorities and regulators are enacting significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including providing direct capital infusions into companies, creating new monetary programs and lowering interest rates. These actions present heightened risks to debt instruments, and such risks could increase if these actions are unexpectedly or suddenly reversed or are ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes.
Call Risk. An ETP may invest in callable debt securities. If interest rates fall, issuers of callable securities may “call” (or prepay) their debt securities before their maturity date. If the issuer exercises a call during or following a period of declining interest rates, the ETP is likely to have to replace the called security with a lower yielding or riskier security, decreasing the ETP’s net investment income.
Concentration Risk. Certain of the ETPs may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that an ETP is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the ETP will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industry or groups of industries may negatively impact the ETP to a greater extent than if the ETP’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
Derivatives Risk. The use of derivatives, including Commodities Instruments, presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying security, commodity, asset, index or reference rate. Derivative strategies often involve leverage, which may exaggerate a loss, potentially causing the Fund or an ETP to lose more money than it would have lost had it invested in the underlying security. Also, a liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Fund’s or an ETP’s derivative positions at times when the Fund or ETP might wish to terminate or sell such positions. Over the counter instruments may be illiquid, and transactions in derivatives traded in the over-the-counter market are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund or an ETP may also face the risk that it may not be able to meet margin and payment requirements and maintain a derivatives position.
Derivatives are also subject to operational and legal risks. Operational risk generally refers to risk related to potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, system failures, inadequate controls, and human errors. Legal risk generally refers to insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of counterparty, or legality or enforceability of a contract.
Cryptocurrency Risk. Cryptocurrencies (also referred to as “virtual currencies” and “digital currencies”) are digital assets designed to act as a medium of exchange. Cryptocurrency is an emerging asset class. There are thousands of cryptocurrencies, the most well-known of which is bitcoin. The Fund may gain exposure to bitcoin by investing in pooled investment vehicles that invest in bitcoin.
Cryptocurrency generally operates without central authority (such as a bank) and is not backed by any government. Cryptocurrency is not legal tender. Federal, state and/or foreign governments may restrict the use and exchange of cryptocurrency, and regulation in the United States is still developing. The market price of bitcoin has been subject to extreme fluctuations. If cryptocurrency markets continue to be subject to sharp fluctuations, the Fund’s shareholders may experience losses. Similar to fiat currencies (i.e., a currency that is backed by a central bank or a national, supra-national or quasi-national organization), cryptocurrencies are susceptible to theft, loss and destruction. Accordingly, the Fund’s indirect investment in bitcoin is also susceptible to these risks, as well as transaction costs and other risks related to the purchase and sale of shares or interests in a pooled investment vehicle that invests in bitcoin. Cryptocurrency exchanges and other trading venues on which cryptocurrencies trade are relatively new and, in most cases, largely unregulated and may therefore be more exposed to fraud and failure than established, regulated exchanges. The Fund’s indirect investment in bitcoin remains subject to volatility experienced by cryptocurrency exchanges and trading venues. Such volatility can adversely affect an investment in the Fund. Cryptocurrency exchanges have in the past, and may in the future, stop operating or permanently shut down due to fraud, cybersecurity issues, manipulation, technical glitches, hackers or malware, which may also affect the price of bitcoin and thus the Fund’s indirect investment in bitcoin.
Cryptocurrency Tax Risk. Many significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax treatment of investments in bitcoin are uncertain and an investment in bitcoin may produce income that is not treated as qualifying income for purposes of the income test applicable to regulated investment companies, such as the Fund. The Fund currently expects any indirect investment in bitcoin to be treated as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and therefore such investment will generally be treated as a direct investment in bitcoin for such purposes.
Liquidity Risk Related to Commodities Instruments.The Subsidiary invests in ETPs that invest in Commodities Instruments, which may be less liquid than other types of investments. The illiquidity of Commodities Instruments could have a negative effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective and may result in losses to Fund shareholders. In stressed market
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conditions, the liquidity of the Fund’s shares may begin to mirror those of the underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than the Fund’s shares.
Gap Risk. The Fund and the Subsidiary are subject to the risk that a commodity price will fluctuate even during periods when there is no trading. Usually, such movements occur when there are adverse news announcements, which can cause a commodity price to drop substantially from the previous day’s closing price.
Cash Transactions Risk. Unlike other ETFs, the Fund expects to effect its creations and redemptions at least partially for cash, rather than wholly for in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and subsequently incur brokerage costs and/or recognize gains or losses on such sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in kind. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient than an investment in a conventional ETF. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities, which will result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. High portfolio turnover may also result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. The effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance.
Models and Data Risk. Given the complexity of the investments and strategies of the Fund, the Adviser relies heavily on quantitative models and information and data. Models and data are used to construct sets of transactions and investments, and to provide risk management insights. If the models and data prove to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon expose the Fund to potential risks.
Active Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed ETF. In managing the Fund’s portfolio, the Adviser will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of Authorized Participants, none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that those Authorized Participants exit the business, or do not process creation and/or redemption orders, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds at a discount (or premium) to net asset value and possibly face trading halts and/or de-listing. This can be reflected as a spread between the bid-ask prices for the Fund. The Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened in cases where Authorized Participants have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
No Guarantee of Active Trading Market Risk. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained, as applicable. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and Authorized Participants may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund’s market price from its net asset value.
Trading Issues Risk. Trading in shares on the exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the exchange, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in shares on the exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the relevant exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. If a trading halt or unanticipated early close of the exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell Shares of the Fund. There can be no assurance that requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Market Risk. The prices of securities are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions, sudden and unpredictable drops in value, exchange trading suspensions and closures and public health risks. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy; in these and other circumstances, such events or developments might affect companies world-wide. Overall securities values could decline generally or underperform other investments. An investment may lose money.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s net asset value, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. Shares may trade above, below, or at their most recent net asset value. Factors including disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including through a trading halt), may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to net asset value or to the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the net asset value or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the net asset value, the shareholder may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the exchange on which the Shares are traded. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing
| vaneck.com | 7 | ||||
times. Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid/ask spreads on the exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ net asset value may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings and a shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares.
Non-Diversified Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund is subject to the risk that it will be more volatile than a diversified fund because the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s net asset value and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds. The Fund may be particularly vulnerable to this risk if its Index is comprised of securities of a limited number of companies.
PERFORMANCE
The bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns (before and after taxes). The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a broad measure of market performance. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at www.vaneck.com
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar Years
| Best Quarter: | 14.72% | 1Q 2021 | ||||||
| Worst Quarter: | -25.77% | 1Q 2020 | ||||||
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2022
The after-tax returns presented in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
| Past One Year | Since Inception (04/09/2018) | |||||||||||||
| VanEck Inflation Allocation ETF (return before taxes) | 1.83% | 3.75% | ||||||||||||
| VanEck Inflation Allocation ETF (return after taxes on distributions) | 1.39% | 2.22% | ||||||||||||
| VanEck Inflation Allocation ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) | 1.27% | 2.26% | ||||||||||||
Bloomberg Commodity Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 16.09% | 6.76% | ||||||||||||
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Investment Adviser. Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation.
Portfolio Managers. The following individuals are primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
8 | vaneck.com | ||||
| Name | Title with Adviser | Date Began Managing the Fund | ||||||||||||
| David Schassler | Portfolio Manager | April 2018 | ||||||||||||
| John Lau | Deputy Portfolio Manager | February 2021 | ||||||||||||
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through a broker or dealer at a market price. Shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange, and because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a "premium") or less than NAV (i.e., a "discount").
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 (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s website at www.vaneck.com.
TAX INFORMATION
The Fund’s distributions (other than return of capital distributions) are taxable and will generally be taxed as both ordinary income and capital gains. As a result of the Fund’s investment strategies, it is expected that distributions by the Fund will generally be taxable as ordinary income.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Adviser and its related companies may pay broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries (such as a bank) for the sale of the Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your broker-dealer or other intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
| vaneck.com | 9 | ||||
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| 800.826.2333 vaneck.com | |||||
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